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Mastering the Media Interview,
by Timothy Schneider,
Publisher, Association News
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Los
Angeles, CA – May 2015 / Newsmaker Alert / Association executives and
their volunteer leaders are often asked to serve as the spokesperson for
their organization. An interview with the press may be helpful in advancing
the association’s agenda—if done correctly. Bob Farrace, director of public
affairs at Marketing Design Group, an agency specializing in association
and event marketing, offers some basic strategies on how to make the most
of a media interview:
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Remember
your goal in doing the interview—to get your message out. Success is
measured by how clearly you are able to convey your message. During the
interview, you may have engaged in an interesting conversation or made
a valuable professional connection. But if the intended message does not
come through in the story that’s reported, you will need to rethink your
approach.
Know
your message. This may seem like obvious advice, but it’s a point that
regularly trips up leaders in all industries. Professionals with many years
of industry experience possess deep reservoirs of knowledge, which is,
ironically, the very reason message preparation is so important. Taking
time to identify the three main points to deliver will focus responses
and increase the chances of your message staying off the cutting-room floor.
PR message points should generally consist of a main point supported by
anecdotes, statistics, calls to action and sound bites—allowing the same
idea to be reinforced in several ways.
Staying
on point is as easy as ABC. Marketing Design Group cites Sally Stewart,
a journalist and public relations consultant, who proposes a simple response
process:
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Answer.
Dip into that reservoir of knowledge and provide the information the reporter
needs. If nothing else, a knowledgeable answer will reinforce your authority
and reliability as a source.
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Bridge.
Transition from the answer to a message point. A simple expression such
as “and that is why it’s important that…” or “to bring it full circle…”
is sufficient to make the connection between the question and a key message.
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Conclude.
Present a message point that is relevant in the context of the question.
The stronger the connection you make, the greater the likelihood that the
message will be conveyed in the published piece. Keep the conversation
brief—no more than 15 minutes. Consider it a numbers game. The average
on-air quote lasts 7.8 seconds, the equivalent of 18 words. A 30-minute
interview might produce 5,000 words. Keeping the interview brief increases
the chances that the 18 words selected are the ones you prefer.
The discussed
strategies apply not only to media interviews, but also to all messaging
that comes from your association. Having a set of key points is sound communications
practice that can help your group further its mission while also avoiding
any potential PR disasters.
Practical
advice such as this is always an important part of the educational program
at Meetings Quest, which will be held July 22–23 in Oakland, California.
For more information, please visit MeetingsQuest.com
or call 877-577-3700.
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Timothy
Schneider is the publisher of Association
News and SportsTravel
magazines, which serve group travel planners responsible for generating
106 million hotel room nights annually. Schneider
Publishing also organizes Meetings
Quest, America's longest-running series of trade shows for meeting
planners, and the TEAMS Conference
& Expo, the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers.
TEAMS '15 is being held in Las Vegas, November 9–12, 2015. For further
information on advertising or sponsorship opportunities, please call toll-free
877-577-3700 or 310-577-3700 if calling from outside the United States.
The
current issue of Association
News can be viewed in digital format online by clicking
here.
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Media
Contact:
Timothy
Schneider
310-577-3700
Schneider
Publishing Company, Inc. |