Building The Perfect PR Sound Bite
It doesn’t matter whether you are pitching a story in a press release or actually telling your story in an interview, you are only going to have the time to make ONE very specific point. With such an extremely limited amount of time at your disposal a well thought out sound bite is the only way to go. These often-overlooked tools can be invaluable assets when trying to score a quick plug. In fact, coming up with a new way to say the same old thing can make the difference between face time and no time. After all, the object is to be seen and heard!
Think about it. How many times have you found yourself sitting and watching the same old weight loss ad or property investment system again and again on current affairs shows? All that is happening there is that someone has found a new way to pitch the exact same story.
Now, dreaming up the bite is only half the battle. No matter how good you think it is, you still have to convince someone to run it. Take a few minutes and look over these key tips I have put together for you. By following these simple steps you are sure to give your information the very best chance it has at maximum exposure.
Building your Bite
As with any good plan, preparation is the first step. You can’t expect to walk in at the last minute and throw something great together. Take the time to lay out all your information and then look at it from every possible angle. Groom the content over and over until you are sure that each word is necessary to the finished product, and then practice. The words have to sound natural as they roll off your tongue. The more time you put in to making sure that each aspect is just right, the better chance you have of getting heard.
All types of media are important, but never walk into a TV interview without have a strong idea of exactly what you want to say. If you try and wing it, you’ll just end up disappointed and looking foolish. You definitely won’t get the chance to do it again!
Part of looking at things from every angle is thinking about possible responses. You need to not only practice your initial bite, but also practice answering logical questions. This way you can still retain control of the conversation and steer it where you want it to go.
If you are having trouble thinking up what might be a logical question, start with the basics. The who, what, when, where, why, and how’s of any situation are always a great place to get the ball rolling. As you start to build your list, build answers that tie back to your original point. By practicing from this standpoint you are more likely to handle any question well, whether it is one that you have prepared for or not. Keep in mind that this is another aspect to this process that you cannot expect to wing. It takes a lot of practice to really excel at something like this.
Fighting for Time
Spending time on a sound bite for a story that is already well covered is nothing more than a fantastic waste of time. The media are old pros at twisting words and meanings around until not even you will recognize the finished product. The key here is getting them to use your prepared bite rather than one of their own. Again, this takes things back to your message and your key points rather than what they would like to get across.
Remember the Big Picture
You have to think about this the way that your customer would. In this case your customer is the media. When the media as a whole views a story they are looking for the whole package. So if you can offer them a well-organized package of information that they can easily turn into news then you become a much more attractive story.
It’s a situation where everybody wins. They get a story that they can run with right off the bat, and you get your information presented in a format you chose.
By carefully preparing your package and thus your sound bite you can help to assure that the tone of your story is exactly what you had planned. If you did your homework then you will deliver a smooth polished presentation that you can be proud of.
If you have the chance, try to speak with the journalist assigned to your story before it goes live. This can give you an edge in your interview as it will let you see what kind of questions they will be asking you and you can start to mentally prepare your answers. If you are not offered this opportunity, then try your best to create it.
The journalist can be your best friend in this case and you would be surprised at just how helpful they can be. If their interviewees are well polished with a strong story that they sound great telling it makes the journalist look good. If you take care of them then they will take good care of you. Leave them hanging and they will make your life miserable.
Repetition is Key
An idea situation is that an interview is always conducted on your own terms. Now if you have this opportunity presented to you then you need to use it to your full advantage. But seeing as how this is not a perfect world you have to plan that things might not go as planned. So, then what?
Keep your head; this is why you spent so much time preparing. Think out your answers before you speak and work to bring the conversation back around to your chosen subject. And, if at all possible, find an opening to work in your sound bite again.
There are several well-known personalities that are masters at this type of interviewing. Flip on the TV and you are sure to find one on any one of the major news channels. Watch the way that they work their interviewers. They ignore the questions they don’t feel fit their purpose and consistently talk about the subjects of their choosing.
Even if the interviewer if persistent and points out that they are not answering the questions at hand; they still find a way back to their topic. Think about political debates and interviews if you are still drawing some kind of blank here.
These people don’t wait for their interviewer to ask the right question, they build their answer so their sound bite is unavoidable!
In fact, there are many cases where you can get away with answering a completely different question than the one that was asked. The only thing that matters is that you clearly get your point across.
The buzz term for this practice is called “staying on message.” Remember that the purpose of this interview is for you to achieve your goals rather than just allowing the reporter to achieve theirs. So remember your sound bites and stay on message. You may even lay out two or three different versions of your sound bite so that you can work it in more often. Even if it sounds redundant to you, you have to keep driving your point home for anyone to retain it!
Find a way to make your passion contagious
If you want to create action or change someone’s behavior then you have to make them care. You are trying to create a “want to” relationship with your audience so you can propel them to act. If they listen t your whole speech and end up with a big “So What?” then you are right back to square one.
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