What’s holding you back?
PR and media support is a costly investment - whether you invest in a program to learn the ropes yourself, or you invest in a large agency with all the bells and whistles.
Which is why I’m always surprised when people back away or self-sabotage when the moment comes to engage with media.
In the years I’ve been working with reluctant and nervous spokespeople, there are three main blocks that get in the way of connecting with an audience.
“I’m not prepared enough”
This is one I’m hearing a lot lately, and it’s the first thing I challenge when I prep a spokesperson before a campaign. A reporter or interviewer is reaching out for your experience and your expertise. You’ve been preparing this material for as long as you’ve been working in your field.
When someone is asked a question related to their expertise and their mind goes blank, it’s not because they don’t know what to say. It’s because there are too many things they can say and their subconscious mind can’t pick one in time to answer.
The only thing you need to prepare for an interview is a focus: what is the key focus of the story and your message? Decide on that and trust the information you have to share has value.“My schedule is jammed”
I’ve heard this from solopreneurs who are one-person operations and I’ve heard this from VPs who have extensive teams supporting their work. And my response is the same: clear your schedule.
Because you want to know who else is really busy? The reporter working on a deadline. They have the ability to take your expertise and your brand to a large audience. And they have to get answers in a short period of time. If you can’t clear your schedule to speak with them, they will move on to the next subject matter expert who is available.
Get clear on when a pitch or press release is in-market. Block off two to three days of flex time: meeting and appointments you can miss or reschedule. Who on your team can go in your place? Are there meeetings that can be an email this week? And communicate this with your EA so they feel empowered to move things in your calendar and make you available for an interview.
As a company spokesperson, this is the MOST important thing you can do for your business development. A marketing stunt can get attention. A catchy jingle can create an ear worm. But the information consumers need to trust and see you as a credible provider comes from you sharing advice and information.“I’m afraid of saying the wrong thing”
Cancel culture and free speech have been hot topics of conversation this week, and with good reason. This is a justifiable fear in a political and media landscape where we’re not so much exchanging ideas as we are bullying others into believing what we believe.
The flipside of saying the wrong thing is the assumption that you are there to convince a broad audience that what you are saying is right. This is where we get into the endless mess of arguing two opposing sides thinking one is the superior way of thinking.
It’s not about saying right things or wrong things. It’s about sharing something useful.
Similar to giving your expertise a focus, connect with your intention. If you truly want to share advice and information that can help people, hold on to this. When you share in the spirit of generosity, it has a way of finding the people who need it, while bypassing the ones who don’t.
I’m not here to convince people to become media spokespeople. But I am here to share useful information to those who do want to step into their spotlight. The things I say aren’t wrong. They’re rooted in my experience and what I’ve learned about media and storytelling. How you receive this information is up to you, as is your right as a consumer.
This is how we can stay in the grey area of exchanging ideas and allowing space for other opinions.
Above all else remember, you have something worth sharing.