Once you have a media message, you still must answer questions, but how do you do that without losing control of the interview? You don’t want to dodge questions or simply repeat the same message over and over. Members of the media will think you are a moron and will therefore not quote you or use you as a future news source.

You must answer questions, but do so with an agenda and a framework of operating principles. For starters, if a reporter asks you a question that is not directly related to one of your three main message points, guess what? You still have to answer it. Continue reading →

You want your media message to be engaging and unique. After all, when speaking to the NEWS media, you should have something new to say. It simply won’t do to spout out last year’s marketing slogan and expect a reporter to find that interesting enough to include in a story.

When you are testing potential media messages, make sure that at least one of them is genuinely new news or that it at least has a new spin. Reporters are paid to come up with new stories for their readers, viewers or listeners. You are of no use to them if you are handing out old material. Continue reading →