Media Training 101: Tips on Teaching Your Client

Advocacy. Advocacy. Advocacy.  It's PR 101, it's what we do for our clients and it's what is engraved into our brains from the start.  Part of advocating for your client or your company can be media training. Media training is simply preparing your client for press conferences, interviews, TV appearances, etc. It's a daunting task because no matter how prepared you and your client can be, the media can always throw in a question or comment that you didn't expect. It is our job to make sure the client is prepared for that.

Start off the media training with something fun and engaging. 

Pretend you're the reporter and ask them really hard questions. Chances are they'll freeze up (that's why you're in the position of training them, after all). This will show the importance of what they're about to listen to and experience.

Keep your client's personality in mind.

If they're generally a formal person from a suit-and-tie company, they might not be comfortable loosening up in a conversational situation with a reporter. Practice makes perfect and the more you help your client embrace relaxation, the better they will do in the interview. Cool, calm and collected is a really overused saying for a reason.

Don't use jargon.

Whether we realize it or not, our field is littered with jargon that no one else understand. Clients don't know what editorial and impressions mean so there's no use in talking about it during your training. Keep it short and simple and easy for them to understand so they stay in full focus during your presentation.

Focus on the mission statement.

It's the core of their business and something that they should know inside and out. By incorporating something that they are already comfortable with and making it the base of the training it will help them adjust better.

Wrap it up by reiterating why media training matters.

You can repeat your initial interview exercise and watch them be amazed with the progress they made in a few short hours. End with key takeaways that are most important for them to remember. Always offer yourself up for additional help outside of the training session.

As PR professionals we are supposed to be media aficionados. Sometimes these skills can get in the way of seeing how other people are going to feel if they're talking to a reporter. Put yourself in your client's shoes and make sure to talk to them that way. You're helping them with their skills and cultivating your relationship with them, all in one.

 

Crucial Details to Remember when Tempers Rise in PR

Its not always smooth sailing in the field of Public Relations. As the professional, we have been taught to always keep calm in a situation of crisis and to never show fear in the face of a challenge. Although, when your blood starts to boil because your diva client thinks he or she knows everything or a journalist featured your company in a horrible story, reacting carefully and calculating your plan of action will remind everyone that you are the professional for a reason.

Let me give you an example: your client seems to think that telling the New York Times that the company funding his project has a pompous CEO who doesn’t understand art. The story runs front page and you have three missed calls, from your boss, the artist, and the CEO. Lets be honest, your fuming...but you don’t have time to be angry because YOU have to fix this. Write down your plan of action, the first call your going to make is to your boss alerting him of how you plan to sooth hard feelings. You will probably take the heat for your prima donna’s big mouth so be prepared to endure criticism from your boss. As the PR professional, you do not get the time to be furious so don’t let anger hinder your ability to come up with a plan of action.

 The pretentious client gets the second phone call, because he can not believe that the journalist choose to quote him stating his opinion. Calmly remind him that in the future he must stick to pre-fixed talking points for this exact reason and that just because press asked a question, does not mean he has to answer it. An apologetic phone call or email from the artist to the CEO is unlikely, therefore when you contact the CEO funding the project, you are apologizing on behalf of the artist. Be sure to remind him of the positive press he has received through this project and ensure him that this story can be countered. Repairing relationships between your clients, the public and other parties is imperative. NEVER try to cover up the negative incident, you have to acknowledge what happened and take steps to counter its consequences. 

Often there is nothing you can do about the published story, it’s out there in the public eye. Although you can make your clients unavailable to that particular journalist in the future. After speaking with your client again about press etiquette, hopefully all potential press contact will be negotiated by you. Your presence is necessary for all future interviews and talking points will be the only matters discussed with journalists. Lastly, try to immediately follow this negative press by pitching a positive story about your client or the company funding his/her project. It is best to just stash your frustrations because although yelling and complaining about the press or your client may make you feel better, it will not help you solve your problem efficiently and in a professional manner. 

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Emily Storz.