Honesty is the Best Policy

Every other month or so, I present a "Mastering the Media" course to CEO's who belong to a terrific organization called Vistage.

When I speak to one of these think-tanks, at least one of the business owners has trouble with my advice to be honest with the news media. He or she insists that honesty could lead to lawsuits. But here's the rationale: I'm telling you to not lie, to not deceive, to not be deceptive. Lies and dishonesty come back to haunt news makers. Think of several high-profile celebrities and politicians, who, if they had told the truth in the first place, may not have been in such hot water. They may still have been impeached, lost their office, lost the lawsuit or gone to federal prison, but the court of public opinion might have prevailed.

In more explicit terms, you can be honest by saying something that is not saying anything at all. You never want to say, "No comment." But you can say something to that effect without lying. For instance, you could say, "I would love to tell my side of the story. But right now, my lawyers are asking me to refrain from doing so." The news media is happy--reporters have a soundbite-- your attorneys are satisfied, and you haven't told a whopper.

Honesty is the best policy.

No Book Yet

I had the pleasure of conducting a teleseminar last week for the Business Coaching Group of the National Speakers Association. One of the participants asked, "Can I get any publicity since I haven't written a book yet?"

It's a great question. It is easier to establish your credibility with guest coordinators and assignment editors if you have published a book. But I answered the woman honestly, "I have to read so many books now, that I prefer to schedule guests who aren't promoting a book."

Without a book, you can establish your credibility in these ways:

• Years serving a certain industry
• Education
• A life-changing experience
• On-the-job results

You do have to explain why you are the perfect person to discuss the topic. Sometimes your title alone makes you worthy to be interviewed... for instance, if you are the President of a successful bank, I'd love to interview you this week. Or you may be the Executive Director of a non-profit agency helping hurricane victims... or those who've lost their homes in the sub-prime lending mess.

Don't wait for your book to come out to pitch the media about your expertise. The fact that you can show media experience and contacts will help you sell your book proposal to agents or acquisition editors.

Confirming an Interview

A talk show will typically send a confirmation notice to you by email or fax when you have agreed on a date to appear. These notices may tell you what colors to wear (if it's a TV show), what the producer or host needs from you and what numbers to call or where to go at what time.

If you get a confirmation without that information, here is an appropriate response:

"I'm looking forward to the interview on (name of show). To help (name or names of hosts) prepare, I'm attaching suggested questions and my bio. Here are my landline phone and backup cell numbers if you need to reach me. What else do you need?"

Other items programs may want include:

• Photos
• Video
• Copies of your book, CD or DVD
• Giveaways to callers
• Bullet point information for full-screen graphics

Give the contact person every thing exactly as he or she is asking for it. Don't say, "You can get what you want on my website." If you are cooperative, you will be remembered in a positive way.

Opportunities Lost

If a reporter or talk show producer calls you, respond immediately. In this age of Blackberries, voicemail, smart phones and more, there is no excuse for waiting hours to return calls or emails... that is if you're serious about getting publicity.

One reason to get back at once is that your story may be topical or timely for that moment or day only, and if you let time go by, the producer could change his or her mind about wanting to interview you.

The scheduler may have had a hole to fill and was desperate. Your pitch wasn't that great, so when you finally got back to the coordinator, she had made other plans and was not interested in scheduling you for a future program. Or maybe she didn't trust you to get back to her in a timely fashion, so she doesn't want to risk working with you.

In a crisis situation, not getting back to the caller usually leads to your side of the story not being addressed in a news article or report. So if you ignore the press, you're likely to hear or read that you "were unavailable for comment" or "did not return our calls."

Don't bypass an opportunity by waiting.

Bias

I used to be naive enough--or optimistic enough--to believe that journalists were objective, fair, accurate and balanced. I still believe that most working reporters do their best to present each side of the story. But we all bring life's experiences/traumas/worldviews that keep us from being totally unbiased.

So my advice to you is listen, research and find out for yourself if the news outlet on which you are going to be interviewed leans to the left or right... or focuses on a special issue. Don't make assumptions: one television market's affiliates might be more or less sensational than the national brand.

More advice: don't stereotype reporters. They come in all political flavors. Most are more interested in writing a great story than they are pushing any agenda. In most cases, be fair and non-judgemental with a journalist and he or she will be fair and non-judgemental with you.

But do be careful.

Bio vs. Sales Pitch

When TV or radio producers ask you to send a bio... send a true biography (more than one page is too much), not a sales pitch.

Often I ask for bios to help us prepare for an interview and to post on the show's website, and the document I get has nothing to do with why we booked the guest. If you are booked to promote a book, the bio should mention you are an author, not sell your speaking services or the products of your company.

And by the same token, if a guest scheduler asks for a bio, don't say, "It's on my website." The producer may not have time to search for it on your website and you lose a chance to get promoted.

Learning Ground

Never mind your political affiliation. You can learn so much about soundbites every four years. The convention speeches are full of them. Listen on talk shows to hear the lines that people are repeating. If the phrase is repeatable, that means it's a soundbite.

Sarah Palin's joke in her acceptance speech ("... the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.") is an example of a repeatable soundbite.

Soundbites are also short and they inspire mental pictures. They should evoke emotion, such as humor, surprise or even anger. You may not agree with or even like every soundbite you hear, but if it makes you think, send money or vote a certain way, it's done its job.