Media Training 101

1. Media Training 101 3 Anderson Lane, Robbinsville, NJ 08691 Tel: 800.357.0393 www.MarketingScoop.com

2. Objective • To understand how the media works and how to work with the media. • Control • Credibility • Comfort

3. What You Want • To be quotable • To understand the real question • To be polished • To differentiate from competitors • To “guard” oneself • To diplomatically handle difficult questions • To frame products within a corporate umbrella • To understand what the media are looking for • To learn tricks of the trade

4. Media 101:How the Media Works • Who they are • What they do • How do they do it

5. Who They Are • MACHINE GUNNING – rapidly firing a series of questions at you. • Trap – trying to answer all the questions • Technique – Choose the question that will allow you to seize control and deliver a message.

6. Who They Are • INTERRUPTING – never letting you finish a thought. Cutting you off mid-sentence. • Trap – You acquiesce and the interview falls into a question/answer/question/answer interrogative pattern • Technique – Politely continue your statement

7. Who They Are • DART THROWING – Attacking you with hostile negative language. Pinning negative labels on you, the company or its products. • Trap – You react angrily and repeat negative language, missing an opportunity to deliver a positive message point. • Technique – Remain calm, pause before you respond, ignore the attack and bridge to a message point.

8. Media Myths …Don’t hate everyone in the world But they don’t love you either …Aren’t out to make you look bad But they don’t get paid to make you look good …Don’t have a hidden agenda But they think they know what news is, and what their readers and viewer want …Don’t seek to misquote you But they won’t rewrite a bad quote into a good one …Don’t intentionally quote you out of context But their context often comes from you

9. Media Personality Matrix

10. Media Personality Matrix

11. Media 101:What Do They Do It? • Conduit of information for your key audiences • “Stand in” for viewers or readers • Public filters • Want a good story • Breaking • Feature • Trend • Trained to be skeptical and inquisitive • Bearers of news and information

12. Media 101:What Do They Do It? “The principal task of the professional journalists is to establish order from the chaos of fact arising from any given event so that information may be presented…to readers” -Everyman’s Encyclopedia

13. Media 101:How Do They Do It? • Supply and Demand Business • We supply and they demand • Want Supply • Press kits • News releases • Events • Background meetings • They Demand • Breaking news • Features • Trends

14. Media 101:How Do They Do It? • It’s all about the relevance Your Story The Market Relevance Media

15. Media 101:What Do They Do It? • Relevance drives • Breaking news • Trends • Features/profiles • Tougher sells include • Product announcements and new offerings • Executive changes • Charity • Sneezes, burps, bumps, and pains

16. Media 101:What Do They Do It? • Research market data • Past stories • Friends • Foes • Luminaries • Gut instinct • Interviews • In-person • Phone

17. How They Do It: The Interview Verbal… Vocal…Visual… 7% 38% 55%

18. Media 101:How to Work with the Media? • It’s all about process, making communications a linear, controlled function. • Messaging • Targeting • Training • Interviewing

19. Media 101:Messaging • Messages are the heart, soul and essence of ALL communications, written and spoken • The “content base” • The footprint of strategy and tactics • A formulaic series of concise, distinct statements • Statements customized by audience • They guide, discipline and filter our communications • They’re built by consensus

20. Media 101: Messaging Problem/Need Solution/Remedy Credentials/Expertise Compelling-Credible-Different-Defensible

21. Media 101: Messaging UMBRELLA MESSAGE Problem Solution Expertise Media Analysts Employees Customers Shareholders Partners

22. Media 101:Messaging • Think of messages as “Islands of Safety” • Commit them to memory; return to them consistently • They are more than well-written prose; they’re well-spoken thoughts • They should be cyclical, fluid • No message is complete without supportive information • Examples, figures, anecdotes, third party endorsements

23. Media 101:Targeting • Determine which media most effectively and efficiently reach your key audiences • Insurance • Technology • Business • Finance • Healthcare • View each publication as several; segment sections and story ideas • Find out who the right reporter is to contact, otherwise you’re wasting your time

24. Media 101:Targeting • Initiate contact and develop a relationship • Background meeting • Source • Ongoing information sharing • Editorial calendars • Sounding board • Treat the relationship personally and professionally

25. Media 101:The “Pitch” • What’s the news? • Who’s going to deliver it? • When?....Tuesday or Friday? • How?...Press release or press event? • Why?...What’s the significance? • What do you hope to accomplish? • Business objective? • Organizational objective? • Market objective?

26. Media 101:Training • Prepare yourself • Rehearse yourself • Rehearse until you are completely comfortable with content and key message points!

27. Training Preparation • Make sure your messages are bulletproof and you know them cold • Prepare tough questions and answers • Know the media – publication, reporter, history and anticipate angles (briefing book) • Pre-select a location that works well for you, not them • Limit possibility of interruptions

28. Training Preparation • Check your appearance (grooming, attire, etc.) • Watch TV, listen to the radio, read the paper, etc. • Practice smiling, listening, and eye contact • Practice saying your company name (no kidding)

29. Training Rehearsal • Role play the scheduled interviews with a colleague, friend, or trainer • Practice bridging, flagging and transitions • Bridging: • But… • In the meantime… • However… • Our real focus is… • The real issue is… • What I’d like to point out is… • More importantly…

30. Training Rehearsal • Flagging: • “I’ve said it before…” • “Let me emphasize that…” • “Don’t lose sight of the fact…” • “It’s important to understand…” • “What I’m most excited about is…”

31. Training Rehearsal • Transitions: • That’s an interesting question, it reminds me of • Before I forget, I want to tell you audience • Let me put it in perspective • What’s important to remember, however… • What I really want to talk to you about is… • That’s not my area of expertise but what I can tell you is…

32. Training Rehearsal • That’s a good point, but I think your audience would be interested in knowing that… • What I’m really here to talk to you about is… • Let me just add… • Let me give you some background information… • Let’s take a closer look at… • That’s an important point because… • What that means is…

33. Training Rehearsal • Practice conversing with only your own agenda in mind Interviewer Interviewee Q Flag Q Key Messages Bridge Q Transition

34. 3 Anderson Lane, Robbinsville, NJ 08691 Tel: 800.357.0393 www.MarketingScoop.com