This is Part One of a mini media training for artists, authors, entrepreneurs and anyone getting ready to be questioned.
As long as you’re prepared, you have no reason to be scared!
There’s no publicity like FREE publicity, especially if you run a small business on a small budget.
Right now I’m the media manager and PR-advisor to “Music for MS,” a benefit concert organized by and featuring my wife.
It’s my job to drum up as much media interest for this event as possible, and fill up the venue in a few weeks, by word of mouth and other means.
Every glossy flyer or multicolored poster we would print or ad we’d have to buy, would mean less money for the cause (the National Multiple Sclerosis Society), so I’m not doing that. Instead, I’m mobilizing the local press and I’m using social media to reach out to the community. It saves tons of paper which makes it eco-friendly.
The official campaign began yesterday, and so far we’ve already landed two interviews. This is where things get serious. Anyone can write a glorious press release, but not everyone does well on radio, television or in the papers. I know what I’m talking about because I have trained hundreds of people to get ready to meet the press.
YOU ARE UNINTERESTING
One of the first things my students would always complain about is the focus of the media: Why do they only cover sensational stories? Why has the news become so superficial? Why don’t they come to me for a story? What they’re really saying is this: “Paul, you’re a journalist. I’m interesting and you should interview me!”
My knee-jerk response would be: “No you’re not, and why should I?” But of course I’d keep that to myself. Here’s what I’d say instead:
1. You have to have a hook to be heard.
If your name is Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton, you don’t have to do anything special to attract the attention of millions. In fact, that would be your only accomplishment: being famous for being famous. Mere mortals such as you and me have to give the news media a good REASON why they’d want to come to us. A hook. Preferably with fresh bait.
News is the report of an event that is:
- recent
- unusual
- previously unknown and
- interesting and relevant to a great number of people
Let me add something to that definition: If there’s nobody to cover it, it’s not news. Fortunately or unfortunately, these days, all we need is one idiot with an iPhone.
Secondly, news is news if conglomerates like Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation or Bertelsmann AG decide we should learn about it.
Third, news is news if the corporate sponsors (or other powers that be) feel it does not undermine their interests. (click here for an example)
Fourth: the more local the outlet, the lower the bar for what is deemed to be newsworthy.
Let’s assume you’re a voice-over professional hoping to attract some interest from the local papers. You’ve just completed another audio book. That’s something recent, but is it news?
Well, it depends on how unusual the book is and how many people would be interested in it. If we are talking about the audio version of Hitler’s secret diaries that were thought to be lost, you might have a story, but I don’t think this type of publicity would do your career any good. Which brings me to my next point.
2. You have to have a clear objective.
What do you ideally want to happen as a result of the media attention you hope to generate? Unless you’re hungry for recognition, an interview is just a means to an end.
In the case of my concert, the overall goal is to raise money and awareness for the fight to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis, a chronic, mysterious and often misunderstood disease of the central nervous system. In order to accomplish that, I need as many people as possible to come to the concert. This gives me a way to measure the success of my campaign.
Please note: what you hope to accomplish and what the journalist wishes to accomplish, are usually two very different things!
If you don’t know what you want to get out of the interview, don’t do it. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you have to. It’s better to wait for the perfect opportunity than to waste a mediocre one.
If you do have an objective in mind, it’s time to go to the next step:
3. You have to craft a compelling core message.
If you could summarize what you’d like to get across in one or two sentences, what would it be? Let me put it in another way: If at the end of the interview people would only remember one thing, one powerful image or one great idea, what would you want that to be?
That should become the heart of your message, and it is your mission to get it across no matter what.
In the age of information overload, it is harder and harder to cut through the clutter and be heard. People scan the news and rarely look past the headlines or sound bites, so give them headlines and sound bites. You’ll survive.
I don’t care if you think it’s shallow or giving in to sensationalism. Should you get the chance to reach thousands, if not millions of people, don’t waste it by being boring. It’s regrettable to be forgettable.
A sound bite is usually not something you’ll come up with when the intimidating cameras are rolling and you’re staring into the hot, blinding studio lights. Do not count on your magic talent for improvisation. You can’t wing it.
4. You have to be prepared.
Well, well… isn’t that a given? Of course you need to give it some thought. Or is it better to be spontaneous and ‘in the moment’? You don’t want to look too rehearsed, do you?
Here’s my take on that.
One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen people make is not preparing for an interview. They’ve literally said to me: “But I’m the expert. You can throw any question at me any time. I don’t need interview training.”
Just because you’re an expert doesn’t mean you’ll do well during an interview. Readers, listeners, viewers… they all hate pompous know-it-alls that talk over people’s heads.
I have seen great thinkers, captains of industry and even bishops nearly faint because they couldn’t handle the pressure of the simplest unexpected question.
They approached a 2-minute interview as if they were delivering a half-hour sermon, and when time was up, they had said nothing of significance. Of course they’d blame the network for not giving them enough air time.
Everyone who’s ever been interviewed will agree with me: When you’re in the hot seat, time as we know it does not exist. In the stress and excitement of the moment, people forget the simples of things such as their middle names and the phone number of the organization they’ve come to promote.
Here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to be that way. In the next installment I’ll tell you how to deal with tricky questions.
Paul Strikwerda ©nethervoice
I wish you and your wife great success with the event, Paul. With you on her side doing the publicity, it’s sure to raise a lot of money for MS!
In addition to my voiceover career, my original career path has been as the lead Latin vocalist with my band, Sol y Canto. My husband, guitarist/composer Brian Amador and I founded it in 1994, and before that we had another Latin band for 10 years. We are still performing as musicians but only occasionally, as we are full-time VO talents. As musicians, have been interviewed hundreds of times in print media, on TV and radio about our music, our new CD’s, upcoming concerts, new exciting multi-media/music projects, commissions – you name it.
Over the last nearly 28 years, we have always found that reporters in the smaller towns in the U.S. are of course far hungrier for an unusual cultural event, such as a Latin music concert with social content as well as one that simply celebrates our cross-cultural bonds as Latin Americans and North Americans. We represent something special that shines a light on a different culture, and reporters are curious about our music, our message and what we bring to the mix in their community, as they think their readers will be intrigued and want to go.
In larger towns when I have pitched a newspaper for a story, as you have indicated correctly, it has to be something very new and exciting or unusually thematic and relevant to get their interest. In the Boston area, where we live, it might be a special Mother’s Day concert featuring our Latin sextet with our twin daughters as special guests – we sing bilingually and have raised them bilingually, which intrigues the media on more than one level. Folks are looking for special ways to celebrate mothers and daughters. Or the 7-song Latin multi-media musical suite Brian composed about food which we perform with our sextet and a string quartet. It’s all about different aspects of food, cooking, hunger, social justice, tamales, and of course chocolate. Now *that* seems newsworthy because of all the current focus on sustainable agriculture, slow food, etc. which helps our music and that project in particular, be featured more often that not.
In other words, these days you must have a hook – as you say – it’s got to be truly newsworthy and unusual, or meaningful to that community, or else forget it – dont’ bother pitching it. And once you get that interview, you’d better be prepared to speak extemporaneously and from the heart, about your art, about your passion, about your business – whatever the case may be, and how it impacts the world (or how you hope it will, anyway), as authentically as possible.
We have consistently found that when we do that – and are as genuine as we can possibly be – we get considerable attention and feel like we’ve planted our little seed on the planet, whether it’s for a benefit concert or a show at a performing arts center or at a library.
Interestingly, as I write this, I am reminded that I have not yet thought to pitch us for our voiceover work, and that I’m overdue, because we’ve had some exceptionally newsworthy gigs recently that our local Cambridge, MA papers might want to know about. One that I’m excited to share with you and your readers that just came through is that I am now the Spanish and English voice that you might hear if you’re shopping in large supermarkets around the country. I voice health tips from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. I love it!
Well, you’ve done it again Paul! You’ve inspired me to do something about it. To get off my duff! Muchas gracias, one more time for the great post and for the inspiration! 🙂
You’ve added a few great words to my piece about newsworthiness, Rosi: intrigue, authenticity and relevance. If you can add these ingredients to the mix, journalists will eat you up. Couple that with your music, you are likely to make an emotional impact that goes beyond words.
The more senses you involve, the more memorable the experience. I believe you told me that you even go into communities and cook for and with them! Well, that just about covers it all!
Congratulations on your Health and Human Services project. I bet people would be interested to learn more about the voice behind the announcements. There’s your intrigue! Health tips are relevant to all of us, and you bring authenticity to the job. Do I see an upcoming headline? I believe I do!
Yes, Paul, my husband Brian enjoys doing cooking demonstrations then I join him when we mix in some singing/guitar playing between the cooking demos. It’s tremendously fun! You remembered that from a conversation some time ago, didn’t you? You have a good memory, Paul! Thanks again, for your encouragement to get the word out. As voice actors we’re so often working behind the scenes. Now that I have some energetic young interns working with me at my office/studio you can guess what their next project will be…
You’re very welcome, Rosi. I do remember you telling me about the cooking demonstrations over lunch. This article is the first part of a short series on dealing with the media. Part 2 will be published on Thursday. Stay tuned!!
Paul… nice going here. I’ve heard you mention you’re background in this area. Speaking in sound bites is a real art. One that you are suddenly made aware of when in that hot seat. I’m in a town (Nashville) with many image consultants working with people in the entertainment business. I’ve seen some of these bashful country boys… big names now… go from completely naive to artful craftsman of the interview.
Just part of the whirlwind of events that happen to them as their careers unfold.
I understand your PR position with the benefit concert but I also can’t help thinking that you must be listening to the current blunders… bad sound bites… being made by the Republican presidential candidates when they speak publicly. They are great examples of giving the press a feild day for sensational news. And it’s not over yet.
This went through my mind as I was interviewd last year by my local news paper about my voice acting business. I played up on my Voice of Americana slogun, my marketing placement within the industry, my transition made from the music business and the photo gallery on the walls of my studio from my previous business. I was probaly overprepared just to make sure I was ready. The interveiw went very well. Longer than I expected and yeilded a very interesting story that garnered many phone calls a
Paul… nice going here. I’ve heard you mention you’re background in this area. Speaking in sound bites is a real art. One that you are suddenly made aware of when in that hot seat. I’m in a town (Nashville) with many image consultants working with people in the entertainment business. I’ve seen some of these bashful country boys… big names now… go from completely naive to artful craftsman of the interview. Just part of the whirlwind of events that happen to them as their careers unfold.
I understand your PR position with the benefit concert but I also can’t help thinking that you must be listening to the current blunders… bad sound bites… being made by the Republican presidential candidates when they speak publicly. They are great examples of giving the press a feild day for sensational news. And it’s not over yet.
This went through my mind as I was interviewed last year by my local news paper about my voice acting business. I played up on my Voice of Americana slogan, my marketing placement within the industry, my transition made from the music business and the photo gallery on the walls of my studio from my previous business. I was probably overpreparred just to make sure I was ready. The interveiw went very well. Longer than I expected and yeilded a very interesting story that garnered many phone calls and emails. I ran through several sound bites possibilities prior to the interview… and they were printed.
I also see you brought up the point about news being influenced by politics or maoney or some other postion of power. This is why I am a big fan of NPR. I’ve watched as mainstream radio was taken over by 3 major corporations who put their egenda ahead of the listeners’ regarding basic programming. Those stations have been bought and sold. Many listeners are now aware of this and have changed their habits.
Again, Paul… nice piece!
Preparation pays off and you’re living proof of that! Working the media is a game and you’ve got to play by their rules in order to make your mark. Compare an interview to producing a demo. It may last for 90 seconds but it can take hours and hours to create the end-product.
One of the hardest parts is to make your performance polished but seemingly spontaneous. Some people believe hat’s impossible. Yet, professional actors and musicians do it every day.
Having grown up with nothing but public broadcasting, I too am a big NPR listener. In the loud world filled with empty commercials we need an oasis where people actually speak and listen, instead of yell and tune out.