Ragan PR Pre-Conference Media Training

The session was led by Gerard Braun, former Journalist, training media courses for 2 decades. Has seen the business from both sides. Good speaker with vivid examples. 

How do you make executives care? 

“If you could attach a dollar to every word that comes out of your mouth, would you make money, or would you lose money?”

If you attach the training to impact on the bottom line, they will listen.

An interview is an opportunity. It is as important as a business deal. 

Make your quotes logical. That is going to going to make them “bullet proof”.

What do reporters want?
- They want a hot story.
- They want to make a name for themselves.
- They want to be recognized among their peers for having the lead story.
- They want a story that will help them advance their careers.
- Their producers and news directors want them to have stories that will draw viewers to their newscast or readers to their publications.

Gerard interviewed a member of the audience.

Tell me about yourself, really means “tell me about your organization and why should I care?”

Pause to allow editing. 

Focus on the question, not the next question. 

You need to lead the interview in the direction that you select. 

Avoid jargon!!!

Elements of a bad PR message:
- Too mush PR-BS
- Contains jargon
- Fails to be quotable
- Long lists
- Cluttered with facts and figures
- Contains too many qualifying explanations
- Legalized sterilization
- “Please everyone” syndrome

Practice! Practice! Practice!
He had a lot of other interesting  tips in his handout, but he ran long and didn’t get through some of the material.  

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