3: QUALITY CONTENT
N
othing substitutes a quality story.
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
When looking to deliver your
message read it again, but from a third
person perspective, and ask yourself
these questions – Am I interested in the
topic by the headline presented? Does
the content in this piece capture me with
a story? Is this newsworthy?
Measuring what your audience want
to hear is more important than what
you want to tell. By keeping your story
relevant, human and interesting, you
will capture the audience’s interest.
4: AVAILABILITY
A
lways be prepared. If you are
putting yourself out there to be
contacted by the media, make sure
that you are available. Correct contact
details, phone numbers, email, and social
media handles will enable the media
to have that 24/7 access to you that you
have offered them. Be the immediate
point of contact; the last thing a senior
journalist wants is to call through and get
hold of your PA who in turn then needs
to contact you to book an appointment.
Take the opportunity that is presented to
you – this will assist you in building your
expert status.
5: SELL YOURSELF
6: BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
A
O
ctually don’t. Ever. My greatest
fear when it comes to hearing
a client on radio or watching
them on the television, is that they
will suddenly go into a spiel about
themselves, their book or their business
when the interviewer has not asked the
question.
If you have been identified by the
media as the expert commentator on a
subject, more than often they will have
already done this in the introduction. As
mentioned in quality content, you are
there to discuss a newsworthy topic, not
to sell; if you want to sell then perhaps
you should have been contacting the
advertising department not editorial.
ne of the greatest mistakes made
by commentators is that they
fail to follow up and build a real
relationship with the journalist, producer
or presenter. This sets a foundation
for future media engagements. A
brief thank you email is all it takes to
acknowledge how appreciative you are of
the opportunity that has been given; you
are not irreplaceable and there is always
someone else out there willing and able
to jump on board in your position.
GLOSS JUNE 2015 19