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Key Takeaways
- You don’t have to reply every query, but you do need to know your experience and talk it clearly.
- Prepare three key messages, lead with your important level, and keep away from pointless jargon.
- Journalists need helpful insights, not gross sales pitches. Credibility and preparation are important.
Being a profitable CEO doesn’t mechanically make you a great media spokesperson. I’ve coached executives across financial providers and other skilled industries who can lead organizations, navigate advanced challenges and command a boardroom, yet wrestle to talk successfully with journalists.
Even the most achieved executives can undermine their credibility by speaking too much, making unsupported claims or turning interviews into gross sales pitches. Fortunately, these errors are avoidable. Here are seven I see most typically and how to forestall them.
1. Thinking you have to be an skilled on everything
One of the largest misconceptions executives have is that they must reply every query a journalist asks. You don’t. Even when a query relates to your industry, it may fall outside your particular experience.
Rather than guessing, say, “I’m not the best person to answer that, but I can connect you with someone who is,” or “That’s outside my area of expertise, but what I can tell you is…” Journalists don’t expect you to know everything. They do expect you to know what you’re speaking about. Of course, declining to speculate isn’t the same as evading a reliable, tough query about your business.
2. Talking too much before getting to the level
A journalist asks a easy query, and the government launches into a five-minute clarification stuffed with background, caveats and pointless particulars. By the time they make their level, the reporter may have lost curiosity or run out of time.
My advice? Lead with the headline. Answer the query straight in one or two sentences, then stop. If the journalist desires more, offer an anecdote or compelling instance that illustrates your level. Journalists love tales, but don’t bury your important message beneath layers of clarification. If the reporter remembers only one sentence, make sure it’s the one that issues.
3. Failing to put together 3 key messages
Before every media interview, I coach shoppers to establish three key messages they need to talk. Not 10. Not 15. Three. These might relate to your business, experience, product or the difficulty being mentioned.
Ask yourself: If only three issues I say make it into the story, what should they be? Even when a journalist calls unexpectedly on deadline, it’s affordable to ask, “Can I call you back in five minutes?” Use that time to set up your ideas, assuming the reporter’s deadline permits it.
Don’t be afraid to reinforce important messages naturally all through the dialog. Preparation isn’t about memorizing a script; it’s about realizing what issues before the interview begins.
4. Using jargon and underestimating the journalist
Financial providers, healthcare, biotechnology and other specialised industries are stuffed with acronyms, credentials and technical terminology. But just because a time period is acquainted to you doesn’t imply the journalist understands it.
I encourage executives to clarify difficult ideas as though they’re speaking to a member of the family around the dinner desk. Could your mom, grandmother or 10-year-old perceive your level? If not, simplify it.
And don’t confuse a journalist’s unfamiliarity with industry terminology for a lack of intelligence. Reporters cowl a number of topics, typically under tight deadlines. A query that seems apparent to you may be precisely what their readers need answered. You’re the subject-matter skilled. Help them perceive.
5. Turning the interview into a industrial
A media interview isn’t a gross sales presentation. Journalists aren’t interviewing you to hear how great your company is. They’re wanting for data, perspective and insights that help them inform a compelling story.
Statements like “We’re the best in the industry” or “Our firm offers unparalleled service” aren’t significantly helpful. Excessive self-promotion can immediately undermine your credibility.
Instead, share a shocking insight, clarify an rising pattern, offer a contrarian perspective or present a real-world instance. It’s superb to present background about your firm, but don’t hijack the dialog with a industrial.
The best media sources make the journalist’s story higher, not their own company sound greater.
6. Making claims you can’t substantiate
Unsupported statistics, exaggerated claims and overconfident predictions can shortly injury your credibility, particularly when discussing financial markets, financial circumstances or other advanced topics where forecasts are inherently unsure.
If you cite a statistic, know where it came from and be ready to present the source. If you’re making a prediction, distinguish your opinion from established truth. And if you don’t know an reply, say so. There’s nothing unsuitable with telling a reporter, “I don’t have that figure in front of me, but I can check and follow up.”
Journalists keep in mind sources they can trust. Don’t give them a cause to query yours.
7. Forgetting that everything you say could become half of the story
When talking with a journalist, assume you’re on the document. That contains informal remarks, offhand observations and feedback made before or after the formal interview.
I strongly warning executives about going “off the record.” Many misunderstand what that means or assume they can declare something off the document after saying it. They can’t. Such preparations require mutual settlement before data is shared, and I typically advise shoppers to keep away from them unless there’s a compelling cause and clearly established phrases.
The most secure method is easy: Don’t say anything to a journalist that you wouldn’t be snug seeing in print or listening to repeated publicly.
The best interviews are conversations, not performances
A successful media interview isn’t about demonstrating how clever you are, answering every query completely or discovering alternatives to promote your business. It’s about being a credible, educated and helpful source.
The best spokespeople put together without sounding rehearsed, offer insights rather than commercials and know when to stop speaking. Ultimately, being quotable isn’t about saying more. It’s about having something significant to say and realizing how to say it clearly.
Key Takeaways
- You don’t have to reply every query, but you do need to know your experience and talk it clearly.
- Prepare three key messages, lead with your important level, and keep away from pointless jargon.
- Journalists need helpful insights, not gross sales pitches. Credibility and preparation are important.
Being a profitable CEO doesn’t mechanically make you a great media spokesperson. I’ve coached executives across financial providers and other skilled industries who can lead organizations, navigate advanced challenges and command a boardroom, yet wrestle to talk successfully with journalists.
Even the most achieved executives can undermine their credibility by speaking too much, making unsupported claims or turning interviews into gross sales pitches. Fortunately, these errors are avoidable. Here are seven I see most typically and how to forestall them.
1. Thinking you have to be an skilled on everything
One of the largest misconceptions executives have is that they must reply every query a journalist asks. You don’t. Even when a query relates to your industry, it may fall outside your particular experience.