The Media And You - Goldmine or Minefield?

Creating positive media coverage

• Assign someone to ‘story audit’ your company on a regular basis for items about your company, products, services and personnel.
  
  
• Have someone record your story. An objective listener will develop an interesting story. Most people are too humble or modest about their achievements and challenges. These are the elements, which help make you a memorable person.
  
  
• Practice your company’s story - its genesis, present and future.
  
  
• Issue an attention grabbing media release with a good ‘angle’ of interest. It may be a new product, service or contract, community project, or an award. This will help you receive coverage and strike gold in the media ‘goldmine’.
  
  
• Decide which media will take your message to your target audience.
  
  
• Practice being in the interview situation for a ‘grilling’ or ‘magazine’ piece.
  
  
• Use memorable language. Metaphors help people see things in a fresh way and engage the right brain and are embedded easily into long-term memory.
  
  
• Practice some form of relaxation or ‘letting go’ before a media appearance. Remember to breathe.
  
  
• Establish a rapport with the media by writing to them when you see good journalism.
  
  

Avoid the minefield through planning and preparation

When a crisis occurs:

• Know the exact status of it, and every aspect of it (the people involved, the circumstances, prognosis etc).
  
  
• Act decisively.
  
  
• Think of the target audience and what words will reassure them.
  
  
• Take a ‘sleeves up’ approach. Attempt to be on location rather than in a comfortable office remote from the crisis and audience.
  
  
• When you don’t want to answer a question, know the control phrases to deflect the question and insert your agenda (‘the facts of the matter are’, but an even more important question is’, ‘the real issues are’, ‘the key to all this is’ etc).
  
  
• Refrain from becoming angry with journalists.
  
  

You will be prepared and, in the face of a ‘hostile’ and probing media, will present a dignified and confident response which may require evading questions, without appearing evasive. You will also know the appropriate language to use and your target audience. If tense you will know the tricks to dissolve stress. Coping with cameras, lights and microphones will not present a problem. Yours will be the unflappable voice of reason in the face of pressure. Damage will be restricted.

For those unprepared and unaccustomed to the media, the confrontation can be embarrassing and impact badly on you and your company. You do not want to be caught in this situation. Many are.

PLANNING, PRACTICE and being PROACTIVE with the media will help ensure the media is more a goldmine than a minefield!

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