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What is Your Media and Communications Learning Path?

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When I think back to the early days of my PR & Marketing career and learning new skills, I remember how “training” meant college courses and industry association meetings. I was reading books, business publications, trade magazines and newspapers.
 
Of course, I had a mentor, and from him I learned by listening, watching and asking many questions. You’re probably wondering, what year was this? It was 1988 and pre- Internet. There was no Google or networking in social media communities to learn from other professionals in your industry, whether it was in your “neck of the woods” or around the world.
 
At the time, the facsimile (fax) machine was considered the “hot” technology. Can you imagine? If I asked Millennials or college students today, who are a part of Gen Z,  I’m not even sure they would know what a fax machine is or what it does.
 
For me, advancing over the years equated to taking advantage of learning opportunities and applying new skills. For example, becoming an author for Prentice Hall in 2000, meant using a new and different research process to write and publish my manuscripts; all a tremendous learning and growth experience.
 
Then, in 2008, when I was writing my fourth book, Putting the Public Back in Public Relations, I also started my PR Strategies blog. I took quickly embraced WordPress and started to vet content for the book. I built relationships with a community by sharing articles and collaborating on ideas and different topics. The focus was always learning about the changes in media and communications.
 
Of course, blog writing led to a shorter forms of content and sharing on Twitter (in 140 characters or less) and also on Facebook, YouTube and, my personal favorite, LinkedIn. Around every corner was learning and the opportunity to advance and grow on a number of different platforms.
 
As a communications professionals, now with 30+ years, I’m no stranger to a shifting landscape with advancing technology and changing consumer behavior. Increasing skills was always a part of the process, as change was considered the only constant.
 
However, today learning new skills has expanded in even more wonderful ways. Yes, there are books and magazines and blogs and social media will always connect you with someone who has in-depth knowledge. Yet, the amount of information online and on social media can be overwhelming and not easy to filter. And, Google, although helpful, can draw hundreds of thousands of resources from one simple search.
 
Now, there’s another option and an easy one for professionals who are looking for greater learning potential. LinkedIn has its Learning Pathfinder so you can advance your skills in media and communications.
 
DISCLAIMER: I’m proud to announce that my course Public Relations Foundations is a part of LinkedIn Learning Pathfinder!
 
 
My course, Public Relations Foundations is featured and unlocked beginning today, 3/29 through 4/29, within Pathfinder, along with some courses by well-known LinkedIn Learning instructors and colleagues, who include:
 
Mary Fontanez’s course on Creating a Communications Strategy
Jessica Chen’s course on Media Relations Foundations
Natasha Terk’s course on Tips for Better Business Writing
Michaela Alexis’ course on Marketing: Copywriting for Social Media
 
Once you finish the five course offered, you’ll have earned a certificate of completion. With new knowledge, you can test your new skills in your career, whether it’s at your current company or you’re going to pursue a new opportunity along your career path.
 
 If you want to check out the media and communications LinkedIn Learning Pathfinder, you can learn more here. 
 
What path do you take when you want to learn, and how are you advancing your communications and media skills?
PR Expanded Video Contest Winner #1

The 1st Winner of the PR Expanded Student Video Contest is …

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When I teamed up with Professor Jennie Donohue last year, we wanted to create an assignment for her UMASS at Amherst Intro to PR class that was an opportunity for students to create content based on what they learned during the semester. The question quickly became, “should it be another blog post contest?”

In the spirit of students and professionals being PR Tech Testers, we thought it would be a much more interesting assignment for students to create videos based on what they learned in class.

After reading my latest book, “Answers for Modern Communicators,” each student was tasked with creating a short educational video sharing tips and insights based on one of three communication practices – i.e., media relations, strategic communication/integrated marketing communication, or employee communication – that related to class content. 

We selected two winners. Winner #1 is (drumroll please) … Wei Cai, who is an undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Winner #2 will be announced next week.

Wei Cai, UMASS at Amherst Undergraduate Student

Wei’s academic studies are in journalism, consumer technology, and resource economics; he is passionate about the intersections of the fields. If you want to learn more about Wei, you can follow him on Twitter at @weicai_.

Here is Wei’s winning video. Let’s congratulate and support Wei by sharing his video on social media!

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Q&A with a High Performance Coach Cameron Brown: “A Place Called Earth”

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We all want to create impact for our businesses, but what about the opportunity to make an impact for ourselves and for others around us? I’ve been interviewing the most interesting professionals on my podcast Women Worldwide. Among them is Cameron Brown, a high-performance coach, and philanthropist, who is clearly making a difference on a few different levels. Cameron was kind enough to share his passion and work to help people experience the world and thrive through The Thriving Collective and his recent project, “A Place Called Earth.”

Here’s my Q&A with Cameron.

  1. What was the genesis of The Thriving Collective as well as your project, “A Place Called Earth?”

Here on Earth, we each have the opportunity to make an impact on 3 different levels: ourselves, others and the planet. The Thriving Collective is all about helping good people achieve greater levels of impact on all 3 levels.

The idea for ‘A Place Called Earth’ came out of a flight back from the US to Australia in March 2016. I thought to myself there’s stuff just sitting at home, wasting away. Someone else would be better off with it than I would.

At the time, it was simply a growing understanding that we as a species need to make some dramatic changes to the way we run our companies and live our lives if we want to thrive for many generations to come.

So with the new project ‘A Place Called Earth,’ in addition to helping people make a greater impact in the world, I sold or donated 99% of the things I used to own to show first hand that you don’t need materialistic things to be happy.

Everyone has a unique set of talents and strengths and with less stuff, it gives you more time to focus on what really matters, along with the space to use those talents and strengths to make a difference in the world.

  1. How are you getting the word out about your project?

I love appearing podcasts, radio and other media around the world, sharing insights on how to make a greater impact. There are also videos, speaking engagements and the use of social media to help share the mission of the project.

  1. How have relationships helped to fuel your efforts?

Relationships have been absolutely vital. I remember I was in a training room in late 2014 and everyone seemed so focused on how they were going to get more clients.

That short-term, linear focus didn’t sit well with me, so I made the decision that while everyone else was out there trying to ‘get’ clients in the door in a short space of time, I made a decision that I was going to build real relationships instead that would last me for the next 10-50 years.

I figured ‘Others might have a greater return on investment in the short term, but long term, the approach I chose would be much more effective.

Here I am, 2 1/2 years into that as a focus and not only has it generated opportunities all over the world, it’s led to new friendships and experiences that I had never even dreamed were possible.

I challenge anyone to find a marketing or sales strategy that makes you feel this good.

  1. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced launching your initiative? How did you overcome your obstacles?

Dropping myself into countries I’ve never been to, know nobody in and don’t even know the language spoken has definitely been a challenge. With that, rhythms in both my company and life have been incredibly valuable when there are constant changes and unfamiliar situations happening on a near daily basis.

As far as the language goes, I’m based in Colombia for the next three months and currently have Spanish lessons five days a week, so I’m looking forward to being able to communicate more effectively, especially when traveling to the more remote parts of South America for the philanthropic initiatives that are a part of the project.

  1. How do you define leadership and what does it take for a leader to create true impact today?

Leadership starts with self. If you’re unable to inspire and positively influence yourself, then how will you inspire and positively influence others?

If you’re not constantly working on yourself and getting your emotional needs met internally, then you’ll unconsciously get them met externally instead… and sometimes that might not be in a positive way.

It can often mean becoming a controlling leader who leads by force instead of inspiration, or someone who is too submissive because they feel the need for others approval to know they are good enough.

By leading yourself first, you’re in a much better position to empower people to achieve their highest potential and do it in a way that’s not only good for them but also good for others and the planet too.

  1. What’s next for you, The Thriving Collective and “A Place Called Earth?”

Continuing to empower people to make a greater positive impact in the world is an important focus, and I’m in Colombia for A Place Called Earth, filming the natural beauty of the country and creating short films for two amazing philanthropic initiatives happening here.

Cameron BrownCameron Brown is the founder of The Thriving Collective. He travels the world, coaching & training people on how to make a greater positive impact, and creates short films and music that have reached millions across the globe, inspiring positive change on a personal, social and environmental level.

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In #PR This is all You Need to Know in 2016

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The following article originally appeared on the AirPR blog. 

Ahhh, the new year. A time for resolutions, preparations, and perhaps my favorite: bright-eyed predictions.

Our propensity to look toward the future through lens of the past is as necessary to the human experience as breathing.

Not wanting to be left out (FOMO alert. BTW that word is so last year. What you really need to know is the correct usage of “On Fleek.” Thank you Meredith Fineman for keeping me relevant), I have pulled together everything a PR person may have done in 2015 that they don’t need to do anymore, while giving y’all some guidance for 2016.

Here’s whatchya don’t need to do anymore…aka not On Fleek:

1. Call journalists you don’t know out of the blue thinking they will call you back or be happy that you called. They won’t.

2. Report “headline impressions” or “AVEs” as key metrics. This is a spank-worthy practice. Very bad.

3. Be afraid that what you offer as a professional isn’t as important as other aspects of the marketing function (did someone say advertising, digital, social?). It is so so so important. I promise.

4. Write masturbatory press releases for the express purpose of making some key executive happy because (s)he likes the sound of her own voice or likes to see his name in quotes. Blech. Stop it, puuhlease.

5. Believe that you are supposed to like analytics and numbers, when in fact, you probably never will. That’s ok. But it’s an important part of the PR function so figure out a hack for it. Hire someone. Find someone to partner with who likes this aspect of it. Then soar to the moon with data in hand.

Now for the goods.

Here are a handful of trends to be aware of in the coming year. I cannot take credit for coming up with these. I simply stole narrowed down themes based on this Hotwire Communications Trend Report.

Here’s what is On Fleek for 2016:

1. For B2B, LinkedIn Pulse and Medium are a boon for marketing and PR and will continue to gain traction as leading publishing platforms.

2. To compete against all the noise, go for depth and targeted campaign content. What? I know, being deep rules. Being superficial doesn’t.

3. Brands are shifting focus to “Association” rather than “Advertising”. The argument here: LIFE by association.

4. Influencer endorsements will become even more important. If you can’t get them organically, brands will have to pay for them. TIP: Check out our friends at Thuzio or any of the incredible PRTech companies playing in this space.

5. Culture is shifting to “Ephemeral Content” and not needing to keep a lasting record of everything. THANK GOD.

6. Hyperlocal content and hyperlocal reporting will gain even more traction as this type of content tends to attract specific (subset) audiences. EXAMPLE: BuzzFeed’s model of 22 things you’ll only know if you’re from X.

7. Data first: PR pros need to include data in the content planning phase then track all the way through outcomes. Execs are demanding this.

8. Virtual Reality heats up and meets the desire for data as well as brand experiences. Survios is sooo on this. #ShamelessBigSisPlug.

9. Corporate Social Responsibility and brand activism continue to lead company messaging: “Values don’t (or shouldn’t change) and have a tremendous effect on the growth of a company.” Just ask Qualcomm Wireless Reach.

10. Transmedia branding: The reinvention of PR through creating unified and coordinated experiences (CAVEAT: the ability to engage audiences and negotiate relationships is still a central skill).

11. Mobile, Wireless, and Cordless take all, as the future is about streaming (rise of Netflix, Spotify, etc.), and consumers want to be free to move from place to place over space and time. Trippy.

Let’s see if I got it right. We’ll circle back in 12 months.

Any other emerging trends you’re keeping an eye on in 2016? Please do share in the comments below.
Rebekah Iliff headshot HIGH RESRebekah is currently the Chief Strategy Officer for AirPR, a technology platform to increase PR performance. Previously, she was the CEO of talkTECH Communications, one of the fastest growing, launch-only PR firms in the US. Additionally, she is a columnist for Inc., and Forbes, and a contributing writer for Mashable, Entrepreneur, and The Huffington Post.
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7 #PR Lessons in 2015

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pablo (5)Can you believe it’s December and 2015 is coming to a close? Rather than share my New Year’s resolutions or point out the latest trends in PR for 2016, I’ve decided to share my thoughts about some important lessons this past year.  After all, if you can capitalize on what you have learned, then you will move forward and have a much better New Year! Here are the 7 lessons:

1. Career Development: You are never too old to change, grow and reinvent yourself in your career.  Reinventing yourself is one of the best ways to expand your opportunities and create new momentum. Just like music artists who master the art of reinvention, public relations and marketing professionals must do the same. You cannot be complacent. You have to shift, recreate, appeal and constantly capture attention around what you do. Staying relevant and up-to-date with the latest technology, trends and techniques will set you on the right path. The familiar saying, “we’re the cobbler’s kids without shoes,” can no longer be the case. This attitude hinders your progress and growth. Think about what has stopped you from making the smallest change to your next big, bold move, and make 2016 your year of reinvention.

2. Creative PR: According to the #PRStudChat Twitter community, creativity can’t be taught but it can certainly be inspired. Regardless, creativity is a big part of PR today. I participated in the FIR podcast with host Shel Holtz, Neville Hobson and Eric Schwartzman this past week. You can listen to the full discussion on PR trends here. On the show, we discussed a Creativity in PR study by The Holmes Report and Now Go Create. According to the study, 73% of the in-house survey respondents said they would go to PR agencies for creative ideas. At the same time, the agency participants rated the quality of their creativity as 60% worse than the creative from advertising agencies.

I’ve learned that you have to make changes in your thought process and within your organization to make creativity a part of your workflow, moving storytelling to new visual and interactive levels. Using data can certainly help to better understand your audiences and to become more intimate with your customers. Data insights will allow you to create the big ideas and to excite people with innovative and fresh thinking. You’re also able to leverage media and influencers more when you put your best creative foot forward. These influential parties will help to amplify messages and increase exposure of your campaigns. Lastly you also have the tools and the knowledge to be much more hands on in the creative process, from idea generation to actual design work (if you desire), as a result of technological advancements.

3. Relationships: Here’s is a brief but important lesson. Not every relationship will be everlasting. Of course, it would be ideal to build each relationship for the long term. In reality, there is a reason why certain colleagues and / or clients cross your pass or come into your world temporarily. At the time, they serve a very important purpose, and their presence helps you to grow or to accomplish a particular goal.

However, you have to know when it’s time to say “goodbye” to relationships not meant to last. Here’s an example … as a consultant, my job is to create the strategy, solve the challenges and help companies with their planning, infrastructure and training. In many cases, once they have what they need in place, then the best thing that can happen is they use the information and my involvement decreases. It’s actually a good feeling for me when a client can move forward and implement what’s been put into place, without my constant involvement.

Yes, just like with your children, the baby birds need to leave the nest someday. Maybe there are relationships that have popped up in 2015 that are serving an important purpose, but, at the same time, are there those relationships that you need to let go, for all parties to move onward. It doesn’t mean that you will not still be “friends” just not on the same intense level as when you started out.

4. Brand Champions: There are people that you don’t even know who will become your greatest brand champions. In 2015, I’ve met amazing professionals who have surfaced in my career and life. These are the people who I’ve never met before in person, yet have appeared through my social media communities. They are incredibly supportive of my work and I can’t thank them enough for their interest and encouragement.

For your brand champions, are you expressing gratitude? Are you taking the time to help them too? It’s an important part of building relationships that should not be taken for granted. When people are drawn to you, want to work with you and share on your behalf, then you should be mindful and an active participant, taking the time to reciprocate and give back. Even the smallest gesture is appreciated. Ultimately, the rule is never to expect anything, but when you do reciprocate it goes a long way!

5. Mentoring: Never give up on your dreams. There will always be skeptics who will say that what you’re doing is impossible or will take too much time. Perhaps, they will even tell you it’s not right for you. I’m glad I didn’t listen to the skeptics. In 2015, I discovered several new and exciting experiences, including the launch of my podcast show, Women Worldwide. I realized quickly that if you’re willing to put in the time, effort and you have the passion, then your dreams are yours, and no one can deter you. You can make your dreams come true. I accomplished my 2015 show goals. Besides the higher than expected downloads, the main goal was to give amazing women a voice and platform to share stories and impart advice. After, interviewing about 50 women, I’m well on my way. I look forward to a New Year of podcasting ahead.

6. PR / Life Stress: If you don’t have your health, then you won’t have a fulfilling career. For my family, 2015 was a year of “ups” and “downs” with family health related issues. What I’ve learned is that work alone can be stressful. But, when there is illness in the family, then this can magnify stress levels and make you feel even worse. Learning to de-stress with mindfulness and maintaining a positive mindset has become a big part of my life. Work will always be there. So, the goal is to move toward a healthy environment and focusing on your own well being for a couple of very important reasons. The first reason has to do with helping others. If you’re not 100% well, you are cannot be a good support system. Second, having your health and being positive is the best approach to fulfilling your own role to the greatest extent.

7. Working with the Media: When you’re in PR you’re in the media business and vice versa. PR and media are intertwined. Over the years, I’ve become “the media” with my blog and now my podcast. If you’re in communications, then advancements in technology and new channels proliferating daily will teach you that every individual and every company is a media company. You’re all about media as you create and share. Of course, as media entities, some people will have more influence than others. But as you experience media in different ways you will come to appreciate others for their work.

Here’s a personal example. I’m working with many PR professionals and agencies that pitch their clients as guests on my blog or on my podcast show. The tables have turned and even though I’m a PR professional, I’m now working with many PR pros, as a media professional. Sure, there may have been one or two times where I wished that I could have just jumped on the phone with a CEO for a pre-interview call (alone) for Women Worldwide. But, that’s not something that I would allow as a PR counselor myself. I’ve come to appreciate PR people even more, as I work with professionals in a different capacity. I also realize what my journalist friends have experienced over the years. It’s great to get perspective from both of these angles.

Now think about this past year? What has made it special for you and what made you feel like it was time for a change? Identify your greatest lessons and springboard to learning more. If you pinpoint your lessons and work to fix anything that needs attention, then you will move forward into a great New Year.

I want to thank all of my colleagues, friends and family for helping me to excel in my career and for providing the support to uncover the many lessons to smarter PR and a better quality of life!

 

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If you have a #PR “To Do” List, Then You May Also Need a PR “Don’t Do” List

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Screen Shot 2015-08-04 at 7.51.05 PMMost professionals I know have a running To Do list. It always feels so good to check off each item one by one, just to add one more. However, what about creating a Don’t Do list and checking off items regularly? As much as we find pleasure in our To Do lists, it’s the Don’t Do list that keeps us focused on what works and what is positive, as well as what propels us forward.

Here are a few items to consider for your PR Don’t Do list:

Don’t always focus on the blunders and gaffes in Public Relations. Yes, companies and their executives all make mistakes and often pay the price in the form of reputation damage. Although many of the errors make excellent case studies, don’t just spotlight and finger-point. Instead, let’s balance out the negative with some of the positives that showcase PR success, which is good for our industry. What have PR professionals and their companies done right lately? For every wrong, there are probably 100+ rights that don’t get discussed in our communities. It’s time to share the great stories illustrating the value PR can bring to an organization.

Don’t forget our young professionals; they are the leaders of the future. It’s so important to take the time to mentor students and professionals. Although it’s impossible to help everyone, all of the time, try your best to make time each week to answer questions, whether it’s via email, Skype or through your social media channels. Let younger professionals know that you’re there to support them and to guide their growth and development.

Don’t forget to take the best of PR forward, leaving the hype and spin behind. The focus should be on your ethical approach to public communication through all media formats. With changing consumer behaviors, emerging technology and new media channels popping up daily, remember to act in the best interest of the public you serve. Ethics should always be top of mind in your communication. It’s especially important in an age of social conversations to be cognizant of your audiences, focusing on moral principle and the dignity and respect of the public, at all times.

Don’t waste anyone’s time, especially if you’re trying to build a relationship. Be a dependable and reliable source. For example, if you book an appointment, in-person meeting or conference call, then you should not only show up, but also be ready to deliver meaningful information. Of course, we all know that “life happens” and there are times meeting or calls are missed. A note of caution … when you’re dealing with busy media, bloggers, podcasters, etc., sometimes you don’t get a second chance. Keeping your appointments and showing up interested and prepared says a lot about you. And, if you don’t, unfortunately, you may not get another opportunity to move the relationship forward.

From this point on, as you update your PR To Do list, you may also want to check off your Don’t Do list.

What’s going to top your list?

PR in the U.S. is as Heterogeneous as Europe

Guest Post: PR in the U.S. is as Heterogeneous as Europe

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A Guest Post By Richard Fogg, Managing Director of CCgroup.

PR in the U.S. is as Heterogeneous as Europe As someone who’s seen Deirdre on stage in London, I know that her appeal and reach is truly international. So I know that I’m speaking to both large U.S. and European audiences in this post. Which means I should be careful about how I phrase aspects of this article. But I’ve decided against that… I’m just going to be honest.

British and European PR agencies have long bemoaned the geographical ignorance of some U.S. marketing directors. Europe is not a single, homogenous entity – as presumed by some U.S. clients – it’s a complex, multi-faceted continent. Due to the enormous differences between European countries – cultural, linguistic and political – a singular, homogenous approach to PR is doomed from the off.

I thought that might be an old fashioned view, but it’s not. Many London-based PRs still feel that some of our U.S. paymasters just don’t understand the impact of regional idiosyncrasies on PR practice in Europe.

But let’s flip that around. What about our own geographical ignorance? Do Europeans understand the impact of regional differences in U.S. PR practice? No! Not in the slightest!

Save stereotypes about West Coasters being more internationally-minded and Southerners taking a more relaxed approach, the European PR folk I’ve spoken to tend to view the U.S. as a completely homogenous communications environment.

Having chatted to a few of our U.S. agency partners, it became clear that there was a lot for Europeans to learn about how PR differs between U.S. regions, but there were no assets out there to help people. So, we asked agencies from nine different U.S. regions to help create a resource that could help international marketers in considering their approach to North American PR.

The results were fascinating. We discovered some real cultural differences and some clear similarities in basic PR practice between U.S. regions. The full findings are on our ‘U.S. Transcreation’ project website. We investigated 10 areas of interest – mainly focused on media relations (a sensible place to start). Four themes really stood out:

Media Personality

Us Brits have the most cynical press in the world – it’s a source of national pride amongst the PR fraternity. But our grizzled hacks seem to have more than met their match in New England. The local experts we spoke to described New England reporters as ‘distrustful of PR efforts’ and ‘bordering on cranky’.

Thankfully, PR people and spokespeople can expect to experience a more respectful and curious class of reporter in the East South Central region (including states like Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee). Cynicism differs vastly between regions.

Ranking of U.S. Divisions from most to least cynical

Particularly interesting was the way in which typical media personalities match familiar stereotypes:

  • In New York reporters are in a hurry
  • On the West Coast journalists take a more global view
  • In the South Atlantic region (including Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia) media are more laid back – considerably more open to ideas and PR pitches

The Rules: Media Hospitality

In Europe – especially the UK – media and influencer hospitality is the norm. So I was very surprised to learn that, in some areas of the U.S., media hospitality is in terminal decline.

In the West South Central region (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas) the shift is at its most extreme. Here, reporters reject the majority of hospitality invitations – they don’t want to be seen to be ‘influencable’. Entertainment is not the norm.

In two thirds of U.S. regions, reporters insist on paying for their own subsistence. That’s very different from what we experience in Europe. Today, hospitality only seems acceptable and common in the Pacific, East South Central and South Atlantic regions.

Regional Idiosyncrasies

It’s the curious localised habits and behaviours that really intrigued me. Here are three glorious nuggets:

In the South Atlantic region, reporters are very sensitive to PR and spokesperson manners. It is considered impolite to be pushy or aggressive in pitching. You should expect to work on ‘Southern Time’ – a concept which demands patience, especially when working with ‘hard’ news.

In New York, we were told that it’s not unusual for reporters – in mid-interview – to suddenly pick up their devices and start checking emails, social feeds etc. Apparently, they are listening.

In West North Central (which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota) everything is about the local story. Journalists need super-local content or a story – no matter how strong – will not make the cut.

Influencer Insights

What makes news?

Journalists across most U.S. regions demand strong local angles for almost all content. To a more European audience, this seems quite parochial – but they need to know how it affects their readers, and many U.S. reporters will avoid pitches and companies that fail to localise their stories.

Only in major cities do national and international stories gain traction.

Europe and U.S. PR practice. Not so different after all?

From an outsider’s perspective, U.S. regions can seem remarkably similar. There aren’t really the pronounced differences we have in Europe, but that’s not to say they’re not there. Marketers who ignore these idiosyncrasies risk failing in their efforts to communicate their messages to regional U.S. audiences. We’re hopeful that the project we’ve undertaken will help marketers understand what they’re up against and seek local counsel.

One major surprise of this project is the amount of attention we’ve received, without any real backlash. I can’t believe we’ve got everything right, so we’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

Richard FoggRichard Fogg is Managing Director of London PR agency CCgroup.

Brad Phillips

The Three Things To Kill In Your Media Interviews

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A Guest Post By Brad Phillips, Author, The Media Training Bible

Brad Phillips HeadshotMemory studies consistently find that people forget the vast majority of what they read, hear, or see, especially if they are only exposed to the information one time.

One early study by Herman Ebbinghaus, the 19th-century German psychologist who was among the first to study human memory, found that people forget most of what they learn within days. Although his pioneering research was conducted more than a century ago, it still rings true for those of us who can never quite remember where we left our car keys.

Therefore, successful messages must remain unburdened by three things: wordiness, jargon, and abstractions. The more a message tries to say—and the more abstractly it tries to say it—the less likely it is to be memorable.

As a general guide, aim for messages that: have no more than two commas; contain no more than 30 words; and evoke concrete images.

1. Too many words: Resist the temptation to jam everything you can into a single message—omitting less important details makes good sense. After all, if editors are only going to include two of your quotes in a finished news story, don’t you want them to choose your two most important messages? If the editor decides to run your fourth and seventh most important messages instead, I’d question whether your interview was a success.

2. Technical jargon: Unburdened messages require you to throw jargon overboard. Our clients in technical fields—such as scientists, physicians, and engineers—are the worst offenders of this rule. In fairness, their professional lives are spent awash in technical gobbledygook, their office conversations littered with words rarely used and barely understood by the general public. But considering that the public suffers from information overload, any words that prevent people from quickly grasping your meaning will result in messages that are quickly forgotten.

Even if you think your audience will understand more complicated terms as long as you use them “in context,” don’t use them (or at least define them if you do). They won’t hear the end of your sentence if they’re still trying to process the unfamiliar word you uttered at the beginning.

As an example, here’s an actual quote from a real press release: “The gradualness (oriented primarily towards actual users) of the new Handy Backup is the succession of interfaces. With all the maximal simplicity and refined usability, the new one is designed to look structurally associative to the previous version…”

3. Abstractions: Abstractions, or broad concepts or ideas, are difficult for people to visualize. “Justice,” for example, is an abstraction—just try instantly conjuring up a detailed image of that word. A more concrete message about justice might mention the need to punish thieves who rob old ladies by imprisoning them for the next 20 years. That type of concrete message is much more memorable, and therefore works better for media messaging than an abstract one does. Chip and Dan Heath, the authors of the excellent book Made to Stick, write that “trying to teach an abstract principle without concrete foundations is like trying to start a house by building a roof in the air.”

The goal of most communications is to move an audience from lack of awareness to awareness to action. The more unburdened your messages, the more likely you are to achieve that goal.

Brad Phillips is the author of The Media Training Bible: 101 Things You Absolutely, Positively Need to Know Before Your Next Interview. He writes the world’s most-visited media training website, Mr. Media Training and is the president of Phillips Media Relations, a media and presentation training firm.

 

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