trendSpotting Report
Jared Kreiner

Picture this:

Your company has (finally or again) been noticed by a national TV show! Everyone from your college roommate to potential customers will see your spokesperson in a live interview, and it’s his first time in front of a camera. But that’s ok…he’s a charming, fascinating fellow. He’ll be just fine. Right? Not necessarily.

Too many interviews end without the audience remembering key facts—like Web addresses, cost, or even names of products—never mind actually getting your message. Solid media training enables your spokesperson to whack the nail right on the head and become a recognized expert in your industry.

Still think your delightful CEO can get by sans training? Here are the five reasons media training is always necessary:

1. Spokespeople must stay on message
Think of all the time you spent on your last company conference call listening to your boss talk about issues unrelated to the task at hand. Okay, now imagine that conference call condensed into a high-pressure two minute interview under glaring lights and in front of a camera: Disaster. Simple banter and colloquialisms can easily cut into your airtime, take you off target, and destroy your chance at striking a chord with your audience.

2. A bad interview is a waste of time or money
Whether you have an in-house PR team or agency you are probably paying for professionals to work diligently to secure appearances. A bad interview not only wastes time, it nullifies the effort your PR team put into developing a compelling story angle.

3. Everyone needs help speaking confidently
We’ve all seen it—most of us have suffered “deer in the headlights” syndrome at least once in our careers. Watching the camera’s blinking red light can wipe your brain clean of all those bullet points memorized in the car on the way to the studio. An expert media trainer will hone your talking points and teach you to express them confidently and without hesitation. Oh, and media training prepares you to knock even the most vicious curveballs out of the park.

4. One person represents the entire company
Perhaps the most terrifying part of any big time media placement is the fate of your company and product lying in the lap of one spokesperson. Think: all that time you spent in product research, securing funding, depends wholly upon your spokesperson being perceived as the expert he is…being liked…and staying on message.

5. Once is nice but twice (maybe even more) is better
Segment producers need to fill airtime. When you ace an interview, you’ll subsequently be remembered. A solid appearance also means that other media outlets will take notice. One stellar segment starts a coverage snowball!

Nothing is more satisfying than watching your spokesperson rise to the challenge of Big TV. When the story angle is right and your guy or gal is trained, a national segment becomes a thing of beauty and a joy forever.

See you on the television.

Jared Kreiner is an Account Executive at RLM who thrives on nothing more than securing successful media placements for his clients.