Behind the Scenes

The woman being featured in my report turned to the man next to her and said, "It doesn't matter what we say. They don't use this part of the sound."

That reminded me of why I write this blog and work as a soundbite coach. Most people people don't know the rules of the game, and as a result, some can be taken advantage of.

I quickly and graciously corrected the woman, telling her that for our purposes, as we shot this video to illustrate what she does, the "natural" sound could be heard and might be used as what many reporters call a "nats pop" -- or burst of sound -- to make a report more interesting.

Here are two other tips that might help you when reporters feature you:

1. Be yourself--if you have a gregarious, engaging personality, it's fine to use big gestures, make faces and roll your eyes. 

2. Don't ask for the "outtakes" or the "rough cut." We understand you would love to have professionally-shot video of yourself to use for marketing or promotional purposes, but we are not allowed to give that to you. Most stations will put a link of your story on their website, and some will let you buy a DVD.

The woman I mentioned earlier was good-natured and a quick study. She immediately adjusted her conversation to reflect the tone of the story. And as I wrote the piece, I was happy to hear that she was full of nats pops!