by Mike Bako
I always stress to my clients that it is not enough to just get soundbites into a news story but you must stay on message and get the exact sound bites you want into a story. New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon failed miserably at this skill in this New Yorker article about his relationship with Bernie Madoff and his ownership of the New York Mets.
An article that was intended to highlight many of Wilpon’s business accomplishments turned into a wild quote-fest of Wilpon knocking his players, discussing how the team is losing money and about how the entire franchise is snakebitten.
MEDIA TRAINING LESSON:
Most fans would totally agree with all the statements that he made but he went so far off of his message that now those off the cuff remarks are all anyone is talking about and remembering.
A lesson for anyone being interviewed is this: Delete your database of knowledge on all other subjects and just remember your three message points. Stick with those message points, create sound bites for those message points. That way if you are quoted in a story the only quotes in the story are based around the exact message points you want highlighted.
Maybe Fred Wilpon will learn that lesson the hard way.
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