Category: Blog

“Captain, I canna change the laws of physics!”

All devotees of the original Star Trek series are familiar with that line from U.S.S. Enterprise’s chief engineer, Montgomery Scott, as he was facing a matter/antimatter crisis in the episode “Naked Time” (of course, he somehow DID find a way to change the laws of physics and save the ship).

Combining matter and antimatter.  In the natural world, that causes an explosion.

Sounds like Alex Rodriguez and the media.

The latest media blowup for baseball’s highest-paid player comes from Miami, where a local paper tied him again to performance enhancing drugs.  The Yankees’ third-baseman has denied any involvement, continuing to claim as he did in 2009 that he only used PEDs in the early years of 2000 and stopped long ago.

No matter (pun intended) the damage is done.  For years A-Rod has had a tough time in the media, which have excoriated him for everything from his lack of post-season production to his dating habits.  He just hasn’t made himself into a likeable star.   This latest revelation, true or not, adds even more negative headlines and raises new questions about his credibility.  Matter and antimatter.

Meantime, A-Rod’s lesser-paid but more popular teammate, Derek Jeter, is in the news as well.  But he’s getting nothing but positive coverage as he recovers from a broken ankle he suffered in the playoffs last year.  It seems Jeter ALWAYS gets positive coverage.

Why?  Because when it comes to the media, Jeter never lets matter and antimatter meet.  He understands the importance of perception and makes a conscious effort to be portrayed in the best possible light.

You need to, too.

Whatever you hope to accomplish in your dealings with the media, how you are perceived carries as much or more weight than what you are saying.  Make sure to always be honest, sincere and believable.  If you are credible, people will believe your message is credible, too.   That’s exactly what you’re trying to accomplish.  And you won’t ever have to worry about that matter/antimatter thing.

Leave a comment and see more at my official blog site:  http://www.mediamakersconsulting.wordpress.com 

It’s hard to tell if the biggest buzz from President Obama’s inauguration came from the agenda he outlined in his speech or the controversy over whether Beyoncé lip synced the Star Spangled Banner.   Fortunately, both the leader of the free world and the superstar singer provided some excellent instruction on media strategy.

Mr. Obama knew he had a unique opportunity with his speech falling on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, and he wisely created a theme that tapped into Dr. King’s vision of unity, repeatedly calling for a renewed effort by Americans to work together to create a better nation.  It was a connection that both made sense and was easy for people to remember.  Taking advantage of that kind of opportunity is important in your efforts at getting noticed by the media.  Tying your message to a timely event–  a holiday, an anniversary, a news headline–  will help you attract media attention.  Always keep an eye out for anything to which you can “hitch” you message.  You may find a surprising number of opportunities that come from your efforts.

Unlike the President, Beyoncé might wish she had handled her inauguration situation a little differently.  Certainly there are many legitimate reasons for a singer to lip sync at a massive outdoor event in frigid temperatures…and hope people don’t notice.   But that didn’t happen.  Shortly after the event, the reports of lip syncing came from the Marine band, and the media pounced on the story.  Then, instead of coming out and addressing the issue head on immediately, Beyoncé said nothing.  By doing so, she allowed a media feeding frenzy filled with “did she or didn’t she” questions and a parade of other singers being asked to weigh in on whether lip syncing is acceptable or not.  In short, by not acting, Beyoncé lost control of the message.  She probably didn’t want to talk about lip syncing, but once the reports were out it was vital she step forward with the facts.  Her inaction cost her.   And that’s important for you to remember.  Silence will not make a negative story go away.  When you are faced with an uncomfortable media situation, you need to move quickly to address it and do all you can to put a positive spin on it.

Everyone hoping to make a good public impression–  even Presidents and famous singers–  need to consider the media and how to use it effectively.  Make sure your strategy is geared to do just that.

Leave a comment and see more at my official blog site:  www.mediamakersconsulting.wordpress.com 

I don’t watch a lot of movies, but I really enjoy the zany detective/martial arts series “Rush Hour” with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.  One of my favorite scenes is from the first installment when Tucker meets Chan for the first time and not knowing if he understands English, says to Chan very slowly and loudly, “Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?”  (as if that would somehow advance their communication)

Sometimes when you are dealing with the media, it might seem as if the interviewer doesn’t understand the words coming out of your mouth.   I’ve noticed a lot of that lately on TV in the debate over gun control following the Newtown school killings.  Guests on both sides of the issue have been passionately making their case, oftentimes interrupting and/or battling with anchors they feel are not  “understanding” their arguments.

Those kinds of tactics might help to rally others who believe as you do, but I’ve found they are a pretty ineffective tool in winning over converts to your position…and in fact can sometimes turn people against you.  Plus, it usually causes the interviewer to be even tougher in his/her questioning.  That’s not what you want.  So what should you do when you feel you’re not being understood?

First, it’s vital to know what you hope to gain in an interview situation before it happens.  Certainly the person doing the interview has a plan of action in mind when it comes to asking questions.  So, too, you need to have a plan of action–  a media strategy– that will get your message out in the way you want it to come out.  Without a strategy, you will have little chance of success, especially when the interview gets tough.

Second, use the line of questioning to your advantage.  If things start getting off course, use your answers to get it back on the track you want.  If the interviewer isn’t clear about some point, restate it in a different way.  And always swiftly (but nicely) correct any inaccurate information.

Finally, stay cool and polite.  Remember, the interviewer has a job to do and you do, too.  Working with him or her is a lot more effective (and easier) than being an antagonist.  As my dad used to say, “You get a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar.”

Leave a comment and see more at my official blog site:  http://www.mediamakersconsulting.wordpress.com 

“There is no reality…only perception.”

Understanding  that “Life Law” from TV guru Dr. Phil is really the Holy Grail for you to succeed in the media.   And it helps explain why it’s so important for you to have a media strategy.

Check out those people (such as Dr. Phil) who are extremely successful in using the media.  All of them are experts in what I call “framing the debate”–  they know how to deliver their message so their audience  sees what they want them to see.   They create a perception that becomes reality.

President Obama–  a pretty darn good media player himself–  is now trying to do that in his battle with the GOP over raising America’s borrowing limit so the government can pay its bills.  In his final first-term news conference, the President warned Republicans not to risk government default, saying “We are not a deadbeat nation.”  Tying the United States to the term “deadbeat” really frames the debate–  average people might not understand all the nuances of the “debt ceiling,” but they know what a “deadbeat” is…and America certainly shouldn’t be one.   Mr. Obama is creating the perception that GOP tactics would be responsible for America becoming a “deadbeat”–  a powerful negative image.  I would expect as we get closer to the February debt ceiling deadline, we will hear the President and his allies using the term “deadbeat” more and more often in an effort to win public support for their position.

Framing the debate is not trickery or anything disingenuous, it’s a talent that media stars use to help their message stand out.  And that’s what you want to do.  So how do you achieve it?

That’s where your media strategy comes in.  What is your unique story?  How do you present it in a way that stands out?   What’s the best way to deliver it?  You need to answer these kinds of questions and more BEFORE engaging in any sort of media interview or event.  Know what you want to say and how.  The great communicators always do.

If you prepare and execute your strategy properly, you, too, can create a perception that the public will see as reality.  When you do that, you are well on your way to successfully getting your message out in exactly the way you want.

Leave a comment and see more at my official blog site:  http://www.mediamakersconsulting.wordpress.com 

One thing you can count on with the coming of a new year is the plethora of “lists” created to tell us what were the best, worst, biggest, most important, etc. for just about every topic imaginable in the previous year.  One of my favorites is the List of Words to be Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness from Lake Superior State University.   Not only is it a fun list that is almost always spot-on in finding tiring words, it provides a great example of how to get noticed in the media.  Consider this:  for 364 days out of the year virtually nobody but the folks in Northern Michigan think about Lake Superior State University.  And yet, when the banished word list comes out at the end of December, the media jump all over the story—almost every TV, radio, newspaper and Internet news outlet covers it.  For one day this tiny college in Sault Ste. Marie (smallest public university in the state)  becomes as well-known as Notre Dame, UCLA or any of the “big name” universities in the country.

By coming up with an interesting and unique specialty, Lake Superior State draws more attention to itself than any traditional college recruiting program could possibly accomplish.   That’s an amazing achievement and a great media lesson.   Like Lake Superior State, you need an interesting and unique specialty that the media will want to tap into.  And guess what?  You have it, but most people don’t know what that is because they think about themselves in a one-dimensional way and get locked in a typical box–  “I’m a ____ (fill in a job),” “I build widgets,” etc.–  instead of seeing their unique gifts–  “I’m the only ___ (fill in a job) who does this,” “I am an expert in the widget industry,” etc.

The motto at Media Makers Consulting isn’t “getting you noticed” for nothing.  The best way to succeed in the media is being able to offer something that shines a spotlight on you.  You need to find what that is and play it up– just like Lake Superior State.

Leave a comment and see more at my official blog site:  http://www.mediamakersconsulting.wordpress.com 

When former Major League Baseball player Al Oliver, never known for modesty, was asked about his braggadocio, he replied:  “It ain’t bragging if you can do it.”

Maybe so, but woe to those who don’t.

Which brings me to the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets.  Or more specifically, Jets head coach Rex Ryan.

Ryan arrived on the Big Apple scene with much fanfare in 2009, and he played it to the hilt, showing bravado and bluster that long-suffering Jets fans–  and the media–  ate up.  He was a walking sound bite, a 180-degree contrast to his Meadowlands counterpart, grumpy Tom Coughlin of the Giants.  Ryan became a New York media darling.  And when in his first two years the Jets went from woeful to Super Bowl contenders, his image grew even bigger.  He was hot.  He was fun.  He was THE MAN.

Then things changed.

Full of promise for 2011, the Jets ended the season ugly…and out of the playoffs.  Then this year, Ryan’s team looked terrible at times and got knocked out of playoff contention well before the season ended.  Suddenly, Ryan apparently isn’t so much fun anymore.  His big, tough talk–  so popular when the team was winning–  has started to rub people the wrong way.  The media–  which made him a star in good times–  now is magnifying his failures, probably more than he would have deserved had he not been so boisterous in the past.  There’s even talk that Ryan’s job is on the line.   And all of this was brought on Ryan by Ryan himself.

The message here is that YOU have the power to create your media image. However, to get it right takes a well-thought-out strategy.  You want to be positive and strong, but too much “bragging” and not enough doing can get you in trouble.  Remember, it’s important to have a plan that works for you and your company/organization when things are going well…and not so well.  Otherwise, as Rex Ryan is discovering, the media can quickly go from being your best friend…to your worst enemy.

Leave a comment and see more at my official blog site:  http://www.mediamakersconsulting.wordpress.com 

I have a friend who is an author and historian, and as such he’s oftentimes contacted by his local paper to comment on a news story related to his expertise.  Recently he was quoted in a story, and when I asked him about it he grumbled, “The reporter talked to me for 45 minutes and all he used was a throw-away line I gave him at the end.”   That wasn’t the first time I’ve heard someone complain about an interview that didn’t come out as hoped.   So when you get your chance to talk to the media, what can you do to succeed in getting your message out?  The answer is preparation…and execution.

The great college basketball coach John Wooden used to tell his players, “Failure to prepare is preparation for failure.”   And while it’s impossible to know if a reporter will use the quote you want, you can almost guarantee he or she WON’T if you aren’t prepared for the interview.  That means you need to organize in your mind what you want your message to be.  At Media Makers Consulting, that’s the first question we ask clients:  What is your “story”?  If you know the “story” you want to tell, it’s a lot easier to control the direction of the interview and score the message points you want to make.

That’s where execution comes in.  Reporters are looking for information, so anticipate what they might need and have any relevant data at the ready…and make sure it supports your message.  Also, help the reporter out by providing that data in the simplest form possible.  The easier it is to understand, the more likely he or she will use what you offer.

And while reporters need information, they just LOVE a good quote.   Feed that desire by clearly and precisely providing lines that emphasize your “story.”  Jargon and other mumbo jumbo are strictly verboten– just like the information you provide, make your comments simple and easy to understand.

Of course, there are never any guarantees, but by following these few guidelines you will have an excellent shot of getting exactly what you want out of any interview.

Leave a comment and see more at my official blog site:  http://www.mediamakersconsulting.wordpress.com 

Punking is a staple of entertainment radio.

Duping someone on the air by pretending to be a famous person or eyewitness to a news event has been a favorite of radio jocks for years.  Howard Stern’s program is famous for its irreverent punking. Usually, it’s just harmless fun for a cheap laugh.

That changed last week with news of the apparent suicide of a hospital nurse in Britain who was punked by two Australian jocks seeking details of Princess Kate’s condition.    The headline caused a massive wave of vitriol to be launched at the perpetuators of the hoax, DJ’s Mel Greig and Michael Christian of 2DayFM, even though it was clear the joke was never intended to cause anyone harm.

Still, the DJs, along with 2DayFM’s parent, Southern Cross Austereo, recognized they needed to take immediate action in response.  Greig and Christian were taken off the air and both they and the station wrote notes of their deep regret over what happened.   Then, Southern Cross Austereo brought Greig and Christian in front of the microphones for a teary public apology and announced it was putting up more than half a million dollars in a memorial fund for the family of the dead nurse.

No matter how you feel about the punking incident, it’s hard to fault the DJs or their employer for their efforts once they recognized what had happened because of their actions.  Not only was their response the right thing to do, it was also a good lesson for others on how to deal with the media in such circumstances.

Like the Australians, at some time you might find yourself in the middle of a negative media firestorm over something that you or your company/organization did.   There’s no “good” way out, but there are plenty of bad ways to respond.   The important thing to remember is you MUST respond–and respond fast–and your response has to be heartfelt and honest.   Waiting…denying what you know is true…intentionally downplaying the seriousness of the incident…or trying to place the blame elsewhere will only make the situation worse.  The media won’t be fooled.

When a crisis strikes, it’s vital to be completely straight…and act with compassion.

Leave a comment and see more at my official blog site:  http://www.mediamakersconsulting.wordpress.com 

Looking for a brilliant media strategy?  Check out the House of Windsor.

The House of Windsor??? !  Hard to believe, but it’s true.

The British royal family has done a remarkable job of going from handling their public image in a bumbling, ham-fisted manner to a smooth as silk operation in just a few years.

Remember how badly the royals dealt with the death of Princess Diana (A good reminder came in the movie “The Queen”), where they totally misread how to respond to the public outpouring of grief?   That was emblematic of how they ignored the way they were portrayed in public.  And it went very badly.

They learned.

Since Diana’s death, the royal family has done an “extreme media makeover,” which has resulted in soaring public approval ratings.  For the Queen of England to play along with a James Bond actor at the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics is perhaps the quintessential example of the changing media attitudes at the Palace.

And now, we’ve seen it again with the handling of Princess Kate’s pregnancy.

Clearly, William and the family were happy to leave any talk of an impending royal birth to the overly-sensational (and often wrong) tabloid headlines and hold the actual facts until a time they preferred.  However, when Kate’s severe morning sickness caused her to be hospitalized, the royal media team moved with lightning speed to get the story out, catching the British news organizations flatfooted and denying the tabloids a chance for a “scoop” along with endless speculation and privacy invasion.  They may not have liked the timing, but by acting as they did the royal family gave us a great lesson on how to control the message.  They recognized the importance of getting ahead of the news and presenting it in the way THEY wanted it to be reported.  They didn’t allow events to dictate how their story would be portrayed.

If you want to succeed in the media, it’s vital that you have a strategy — either officially or just in your head–  to control the way you present your message to the public.  If you don’t, begin right now by considering what it is about you and your business that’s important to get out.  You can never guarantee that your message will end up being exactly as you hoped, but by understanding the importance of being prepared and then reacting to whatever situation arises, you will have a great chance of achieving your media goals.   Just ask the royal family.

Leave a comment and see more at my official blog site:  http://www.mediamakersconsulting.wordpress.com 

I’m a big fan of Tom Bergeron.  The host of “Dancing with the Stars” is a great model for anyone who wants to succeed in dealing with the media.  Why?  Because he is both entertaining AND credible.  Those two qualities are like a magnet for bookers, producers and reporters…they can’t get enough of those kinds of people for interviews.  You want to be one of them. But it’s not easy balancing entertainment and credibility.  How does Bergeron do it?

First, he pays attention to what’s happening on the show and goes “off the script” to cleverly comment on the proceedings (oftentimes expressing the exact same thing the audience is thinking).  For example, in this year’s finale, former contestant Pamela Anderson performed a sultry dance number wearing thigh-high boots.  After she finished, Bergeron quipped:  “Usually to see something like that there’s a 2 drink minimum.”  Funny but also smart.  He didn’t get out of his host role for a cheap laugh, he worked within it.  Entertaining.

Second, while he’s a solid “team player” for the show and ABC, he isn’t afraid to be objective and talk about something that might not put the show in the best light.   He’s hardly a cheerleader when it appears the wrong couple got voted out or after an especially stinging comment from the judges.  Perhaps his best moment came in 2006 when contestant Sara Evans left the show amid news of a nasty breakup with her husband.  Bergeron’s later interview of Evans was compassionate but not fluff…a serious look at the news when it would have been easy to play it safe for the show.  Credible.

When you get an opportunity to talk with the media, make sure to keep in mind the need to be both entertaining and credible.  That doesn’t mean you need to be a sitcom comedian or Supreme Court judge, just someone people will want to watch/listen to/read about…and someone they’ll believe and trust.    If you do that, the media will want to be dancing with you!

Leave a comment and see more at my official blog site:  http://www.mediamakersconsulting.wordpress.com