What is media training? It’s the rehearsal for success. CEOs and company representatives who can nail a formal interview, or even a casual question at a cocktail reception, leave a clear picture of who they and their company are. That requires training because most of us are not prepared for the public stage. As Mark Cuban said, “It’s not about money or connections – it’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone.”
Business is about winning, but not all business leaders are ready to take on questions —especially hard ones — from reporters. It takes training, because when the camera rolls, the game is on. And as many of OWC’s most successful clients have discovered, what comes naturally is often wrong. For example:
–Business reporters want a CEO who can speak to them without marketing hyperbole, jargon and a thin skin. Yet the impulse of many leaders is to argue and defend, a stance they only recognize after many hours of on-camera training. It’s a revelation that surprises many of our clients, who like most of us have never seen their style from an objective point of view. It’s also very easy to fix.
–The big picture usually sounds small to a news organization. Company representatives need to be able to cite specific, timely information—numbers, percentages, confirmed data points. Yet CEOs who would never go into a board room unprepared will pick up a phone call from The Los Angeles Times with casual indifference and be surprised at being misunderstood—or at not being quoted at all.
–CEOs can show resistance to opportunity. The media gathers news, and smart companies want to be in the news. Every media inquiry offers the chance for free exposure to a broad audience—the very audience the advertising budget pays so dearly for. When the phone rings from a reporter, opportunity knocks since third-party media is known to be the least expensive and most effective marketing tool.
OWC’s interview training is deliberately tough, with challenging questions and hours of on-camera training. We prepare executives for media interviews with techniques equally useful in meetings with investors and shareholders. Our focus is “ATM”–Answer, Transition, Message. But it starts with what is, surprisingly, often the most challenging question even for founders: the simple question, ”What is it, exactly, that you do?” Can you answer that in a sentence?
Media training is more than Q&A—it’s really practice for success and confidence in what you know to be true. But here are a few basic questions worth everyone’s personal review:
- What was the reason you started this company?
- What problem are you trying to solve?
- How significant is that problem?
- What makes you different from your competitors?
- What are the company’s core values?
- What do your customers say about you online?
Good luck. We’re here to help
IN THE NEWS
BuzzFeed features Abiomed’s Impella
OWC pitched an interview with BuzzFeed for our client, Abiomed, on a patient who suffered an amniotic fluid embolism during childbirth and was treated with Impella after she nearly died. Check out the trending story here.
Cheddar and The Washington Post spotlight CompoSecure/Arculus’ Adam Lowe
OWC secured coverage in Cheddar and the Washington Post for its client Arculus, a crypto cold storage card, on the crypto ban in China and recent crypto hacking. Click here for the Cheddar coverage and here for the Washington Post article.
OWC welcomes a new intern
Hailing from North Carolina, Yakira Muhammad arrived in Los Angeles in August 2021 and is our new intern here at OWC. Muhammad recently graduated with a BA in communications from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. She was a reporter for the university’s newspaper, The East Carolinian, covering large events such as a cancer benefit concert on campus. “People seem happier and more positive here in Los Angeles,” said Muhammad. “Maybe it’s the beach and the great weather.”
OWC is a finalist at this year’s PRism Awards
OWC is a finalist in the running for two PRism Awards from the Public Relations Society of America – Los Angeles chapter. OWC has been nominated for its work with Saban Community Clinic’s vaccination drive ahead of back-to-school season and for its campaign with Alen, a leading provider of air purification solutions, for bringing clean, shared air to schools nationwide. Winners will be announced on Thursday, October 21, 2021 in Santa Monica, Calif.
