Anyone Who Talks About You or Your Business is Media!
May 13, 2013
Anyone Who Talks About You or Your Business is Media!
Ever watch a TV newscast and see someone being totally “destroyed” by a reporter during an interview? Ever read a newspaper article and not really understand what someone quoted in the article was trying to say? You probably made a mental note to yourself to steer clear from the media. However, in today’s world, avoiding the media is almost impossible because anyone who talks about you or your business is media!
Of course, traditional media – TV, radio and newspapers – are always looking for a person, organization or issue around which to develop a story. However, in the Internet world of social media, virtually anyone – friends, family members, clients, prospects, thought leaders, politicians – can instantly become a member of the media. Citizen reporters around the world armed with personal communication devices are capturing, creating and sending a virtual fire hose of information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Facebook has 900 million registered users and is set to reach one billion by this summer. Twitter has more than 500 million users. Bloggers? The best guess is over 150 million and growing daily.
And, here’s the kicker, traditional media are increasingly turning to the Internet and social media as a major source of information. So, when you talk with a client on the golf course, address the Chamber of Commerce, distribute a memo to your employees, or even unwind about the day’s problems at the family dinner table, you could be planting the seeds for a story to surface – within minutes after you make your remarks!
So why honor a request to talk with a reporter – or even more daringly – proactively reach out to a reporter to talk with you about your organization? Because it presents a golden opportunity to deliver key messages to targeted audiences – at no monetary cost to you. Companies spend millions of dollars on advertising to deliver key messages about their services or products, yet those same messages delivered in a news story are perceived to be far more credible.
During my 30 plus years of dealing with news organizations around the world, I’ve discovered that most reporters really want to produce fact-based, balanced stories. They just need the right people to interview. And the right people need a consistent, proven process to prepare for those interview opportunities.
If you wouldn’t let your son or daughter drive without getting lessons first, why would you put yourself in the hands of a reporter without first learning the rules of the road? You need to know how to answer questions responsively, but on your terms. What you say and how you say it are often are critical to shaping a story that appears in the newspaper, on a TV newscast, or online in a blog, in a tweet or on someone’s Facebook page.
I am very proud to be a new member of the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce and would offer this advice to business and government leaders throughout our community: get some professional media training for yourself and select members of your team. In today’s 21st century world of media, sooner or later, you or your organization will become part of a news story – hopefully not during a crisis situation. Now is the time to prepare for the interview that will drive the resulting coverage.
_____________________________________________________________________
Sam Grizzle is owner/director of On Point Communications, a newly established consulting firm specializing in Public Relations/Public Affairs issues. On Point Communications is officially affiliated with one of the premier media/crisis communications training organizations in the country – The Media Trainers®, LLC (TMT)
Thank you to The Daily Tribune for publishing!
Ever watch a TV newscast and see someone being totally “destroyed” by a reporter during an interview? Ever read a newspaper article and not really understand what someone quoted in the article was trying to say? You probably made a mental note to yourself to steer clear from the media. However, in today’s world, avoiding the media is almost impossible because anyone who talks about you or your business is media!
Of course, traditional media – TV, radio and newspapers – are always looking for a person, organization or issue around which to develop a story. However, in the Internet world of social media, virtually anyone – friends, family members, clients, prospects, thought leaders, politicians – can instantly become a member of the media. Citizen reporters around the world armed with personal communication devices are capturing, creating and sending a virtual fire hose of information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Facebook has 900 million registered users and is set to reach one billion by this summer. Twitter has more than 500 million users. Bloggers? The best guess is over 150 million and growing daily.
And, here’s the kicker, traditional media are increasingly turning to the Internet and social media as a major source of information. So, when you talk with a client on the golf course, address the Chamber of Commerce, distribute a memo to your employees, or even unwind about the day’s problems at the family dinner table, you could be planting the seeds for a story to surface – within minutes after you make your remarks!
So why honor a request to talk with a reporter – or even more daringly – proactively reach out to a reporter to talk with you about your organization? Because it presents a golden opportunity to deliver key messages to targeted audiences – at no monetary cost to you. Companies spend millions of dollars on advertising to deliver key messages about their services or products, yet those same messages delivered in a news story are perceived to be far more credible.
During my 30 plus years of dealing with news organizations around the world, I’ve discovered that most reporters really want to produce fact-based, balanced stories. They just need the right people to interview. And the right people need a consistent, proven process to prepare for those interview opportunities.
If you wouldn’t let your son or daughter drive without getting lessons first, why would you put yourself in the hands of a reporter without first learning the rules of the road? You need to know how to answer questions responsively, but on your terms. What you say and how you say it are often are critical to shaping a story that appears in the newspaper, on a TV newscast, or online in a blog, in a tweet or on someone’s Facebook page.
I am very proud to be a new member of the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce and would offer this advice to business and government leaders throughout our community: get some professional media training for yourself and select members of your team. In today’s 21st century world of media, sooner or later, you or your organization will become part of a news story – hopefully not during a crisis situation. Now is the time to prepare for the interview that will drive the resulting coverage.
_____________________________________________________________________
Sam Grizzle is owner/director of On Point Communications, a newly established consulting firm specializing in Public Relations/Public Affairs issues. On Point Communications is officially affiliated with one of the premier media/crisis communications training organizations in the country – The Media Trainers®, LLC (TMT)
Thank you to The Daily Tribune for publishing!
Contact:
Chamber of Commerce
770-382-1466
