It is getting harder to achieve cut through in today’s shrinking media market. The news cycle moves quickly and attention spans are getting shorter. That’s why media training is important for any business to make the most out of every opportunity.
Media training is the first step in developing skills in how to present your story and conduct a successful interview.
Here are some reasons why every business should do media training.
Get to know the journalist’s mindset
Understanding the media’s role and perspective is your first challenge. Media training will help you to identify what journalists are looking for when they are developing their stories.
TV, radio and print media will be looking for different things. Hard news and current affairs journalists will be after certain information and will be determined to get it. Journalists covering lifestyle or special interests will be no less demanding.
A television journalist will be looking for visuals that tell the story and 15 second soundbites to get the message across. You will have even less time for news radio. Media training will help you deliver your key messages so they make it out of the edit suite and onto the evening news.
Test run your ability to deliver under pressure
Facing the media is a daunting task even for the most seasoned of media performers. Even the most confident speakers and leaders can become insecure when a microphone or TV camera is thrust in front of them.
It can be hard to keep your cool and stay on message at the best of times, let alone when in the heat of a major crisis.
Media training is like any skill that develops over time and with practice. There is a reason that politicians are (usually) good at handling the media. Whatever the question they are asked, they always seem to be answering the question they wished they were asked. That’s a valuable skill that becomes second nature with practice.
Business leaders may not have to face the cameras and microphones every day so media training will help them to manage nerves and perfect bridging techniques for when the real thing happens.
Knowing when to say no
Most businesses are under the misconception that they are obliged to respond when the media comes calling. Knowing when to say no can be as valuable a skill as handling the media when you’re in the hot seat.
Whenever you receive an unsolicited media enquiry, it pays to always ask yourself, ‘What’s in this for my business or my stakeholders?’
If you need to reach a very specific audience, say a business-to-business audience with a high level of technical knowledge, agreeing to appear on a chat television show who are curious about what you are doing won’t be much benefit. It could become counter-productive, as the need to dumb-down your message for a general, consumer audience could lead to over simplification and distortion of your messages.
Having an experienced media support team in place for when the media come calling is vital for success. Elevate Communication has more than 30 years’ collective experience managing media for clients across a range of industries. Book a Zoom meeting with us today to see how we can help.
