Companies earmark significant budget dollars on market and consumer analysis, invest millions in product research and development, then fund glitzy new product rollouts in the hopes of attracting new customers and capturing greater share. Often this commitment of resources is wagered on a spokesperson who may know the product down to the minute detail but has little understanding of how to take control of a media interview and deliver key messages effectively.
Spending more time planning a launch event – selecting the location, determining the guest list, and even deciding on what food and beverages to serve – than preparing people for a successful product introduction is a common mistake. Presenters might do a pre-event rehearsal and spokespeople might get a run-through answering a few mock questions. Getting ready for critical media interviews deserves more attention than what hors d’oeuvres are served or how loud the sound system needs to be to fill the room.
The Power of Preparation
Each time you land an interview, your company has a chance to reach new people, create interest and build engagement. Your brand benefits when you successfully deliver key messages to important stakeholders. The focus a new product unveiling creates is among the most important platforms your company is likely to have all year. Sadly, opportunity costs caused by ineffective spokespeople are a factor in many underperforming product introductions.
Before you hold that trade show press conference or gather media at a factory, hotel ballroom or sports stadium to announce a product you expect will excite shareholders and cause angst among competitors, your team needs media training. Even people who are naturals talking to reporters can benefit from understanding the importance of message discipline and learning key techniques for taking control of an interview.
A robust media training session focuses on honing key messages and practicing effective delivery. Spokespeople need confidence to effectively present their points and must understand a big part of their job is in educating reporters and explaining product benefits in ways that are quotable.
Media Training Checklist
The number one cause of poorly reported news stories is unprepared spokespeople. That is the simple truth. Thankfully, this is easy to overcome with media training.
A productive media training program should include these 10 essential elements:
- Understanding how the media works and what reporters need
- Turning key messages into strong sound bites
- Recognizing the eight places in every interview where they can repeat key messages
- Anticipating reporter questions
- Mastering four techniques – A+1, Flagging, Bridging and Stop – for controlling any interview
- Practicing repetition, brevity and clarity
- Staying on message and fencing interviews
- Reviewing video examples of successful interviews
- Paying attention to the environment, from appearance, sound, background and the day’s other news
- Rehearsing realistic on-camera interviews with real-time coaching
The definition of a good interview is when your key messages end up in the story. When the topic is your latest new product, making sure primary targets hear the features and benefits is the quickest path to sales orders.
The Mower PR & PA Group has provided successful media training for hundreds of clients during the last four decades. The program has helped Fortune 500 CEOs, Native American national leaders, professional athletes and front-line managers at major manufacturers, chain restaurants, financial institutions and universities prepare for media interviews. The program includes a mix of classroom instruction, review of video footage showing best-in-class technique use in media interviews and multiple rounds of on-camera sample interviews featuring a former journalist with coaching on effective message delivery. In addition to Mower Media Training, the agency offers a crisis simulation workshop and a mission, vision and values alignment program designed to prepare companies for today’s Culture Wars environment.