Delivering Your Message: Getting the Word Out... Effectively
by Dwight Ryan, SolomanRyan Design & Communications
In our last column, Getting the Word Out... encouraging the media to work for you, we talked about how to get started in promoting your new product or idea to the media. I gave you tips on how to get their attention either through a simple news release or by preparing a media kit. I also suggested you follow up with reporters, producers, and editors by phone, fax or e-mail.
Now, suppose you did your homework and a reporter, producer or editor does call, what do you do? You don’t want to blow the opportunity, after all, you’ve put some time and effort, maybe even some money into attracting their attention. Now it’s time to come up to the plate and make the most of it. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so be prepared.
The first advice I offer is respond quickly. You’ve gone to the trouble of getting their interest, now be readily available when they call. If they can’t reach you, they’ll move on to another story, another idea.
If you’re not used to answering reporter’s questions, you’ll probably be a little nervous. Don’t let that alarm you, everybody is at first. But don’t let the nervousness take over and lead you to going on and on about why your product is Number One or The Best! Just tell the facts and let the viewer or reader decide if it’s the best. Be brief, don’t ramble. Always speak in sentences, not phrases. If you try to be cutesy or smart, it will probably backfire and put you in a bad light.
Echo-answering is a technique I learned many years ago. If a reporter says "What’s so good about your product etc?" Respond with "What’s good about my product is...". It’s easy to edit, can be used anywhere in the story and doesn’t waste the reporter’s precious voice-over time setting up your response.
A final note, speak to the interviewer, not the medium. Don’t think of how many people read the paper or watch the newscast, think of the reporter as just a single person and have a one-on-one conversation. You’ll come across as more natural, more genuine and less self-serving.
Good luck.
Dwight Ryan spent more than 25 years working as a radio/television reporter and producer in Canada. He is a Partner in SolomonRyan Design & Communications in Toronto and provides consulting services to INPEX. SolomanRyan Design & Communications is not otherwise affiliated with INPEX, InventHelp or its related companies.
