An email drops from a good friend who works in the energy sector.
He's got a short interview with the BBC lined up. It's inked in for this very afternoon and he's understandably apprehensive.
How can he prepare inside a couple of hours and make sure he gets his message across without looking bad when the boss watches his performance in front of the camera?
I can spend a whole day preparing a client for media opportunities. But what occurs to me when someone needs a rapid email checklist that will turn the ordeal he fears into a welcome opportunity?
The thoughts that leap straight into my mind and his inbox are:
Keep it simple
Talk as if you're addressing an intelligent 12 year old
Do not use one single technical term or any specialist industry language
Remember that most people have a limited understanding of how the energy sector actually gets light and heat into their homes
You've got a very strong message, so plug it and don't be reluctant to repeat it
This is an opportunity to be seized and exploited for your business. This is a good thing, welcome it!
How did he perform? Pretty well by my viewing. Just 30 seconds of his comments from a five minute interview made it into a much longer package and he got across two key points.
Impressed by what a difference my advice and some brief preparation made, he's now ready, in fact keen, to repeat the experience.
The lesson here is that media exposure is not something to be feared. Honest. Oh, and do call a media-savvy friend when an interview looms.
He's got a short interview with the BBC lined up. It's inked in for this very afternoon and he's understandably apprehensive.
How can he prepare inside a couple of hours and make sure he gets his message across without looking bad when the boss watches his performance in front of the camera?
I can spend a whole day preparing a client for media opportunities. But what occurs to me when someone needs a rapid email checklist that will turn the ordeal he fears into a welcome opportunity?
The thoughts that leap straight into my mind and his inbox are:
Keep it simple
Talk as if you're addressing an intelligent 12 year old
Do not use one single technical term or any specialist industry language
Remember that most people have a limited understanding of how the energy sector actually gets light and heat into their homes
You've got a very strong message, so plug it and don't be reluctant to repeat it
This is an opportunity to be seized and exploited for your business. This is a good thing, welcome it!
How did he perform? Pretty well by my viewing. Just 30 seconds of his comments from a five minute interview made it into a much longer package and he got across two key points.
Impressed by what a difference my advice and some brief preparation made, he's now ready, in fact keen, to repeat the experience.
The lesson here is that media exposure is not something to be feared. Honest. Oh, and do call a media-savvy friend when an interview looms.
