Media Coaching

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to sit in on a media coaching session with one of our clients. And let me tell you, it was really cool! We brought in a nationally-acclaimed automotive reporter to interview each of our guests. We had each interview taped, so that our participants, as well as ourselves, could see how they did. It was a very interesting three-hour session!

One of the neat things I saw was how our guests were using the key messages found in their key message maps. I was taught that when you're talking to someone about your company, you should try to stick to your key messages, since they're approved by everyone in your company. But I didn't really have a good idea as to how to go about doing that without sounding phony or cheesy. After watching each of them convey their key messages in their own words, however, I now have a better understanding as to what I'm supposed to do with our message map.

What I liked the most, however, was how our staff explained to our guests that they have a lot of control over what goes on during an interview. I think there's a general misperception that interviewees have to follow the lead of the reporter, when in reality, the journalist has to heed to the interviewee. If there's an aggressive reporter trying to exploit the interviewee and his or her company, there are several tactics - including blocking, bridging, and flagging - that he or she could use to try to redirect the interview. I think mentioning these techniques to our client really helped them realize just how much control they have over the direction of the interview.

There were a lot of other cool things that went on during the media coaching session, but these were the highlights. Hopefully when you're the next intern you can sit in on a session and find out what it means to be media coached- Eisbrenner style!

Social Interaction At Work

Prior to this internship, I thought I had social interaction down pat. When I worked as a reporter and government relations intern, I carried on many conversations with relative ease so I thought this internship would be no different. Wow, was I wrong.

Here at Eisbrenner PR, you are in the office most of the day doing your work. This was a huge change for me, considering my previous jobs involved me being outside of the office more than inside. But I'm glad this internship is forcing me to stay put, for I am learning some valuable interaction skills that I wouldn't have learned otherwise.

What am I learning here that I didn't learn with my other internships? For one, I am learning to be part of an office environment. Even though Eisbrenner PR is a small company, there's a lot of different personalities that work within this office. While some people are easier to work with than others, I still believe it's important to interact with everyone in a positive and respectful manner. My goal from the beginning of this internship has been to try and learn something from everyone here, for it will help me become a better employee as a result.

I'm also learning the art of compromise here, which I think is sort-of cool. What one boss wants another one doesn't, so I've had to create documents that satisfy all parties involved. While this is challenging at times, it is a rewarding experience overall.

And the last biggie here: Pay attention to detail. Smile, be polite and have enthusiasm for all that you do. Some tasks aren't as fun as I would like them to be, but I'm still willing to do them. And re-do them. And do them over and over again until I get them just right. If you can do that, then you're guaranteed social success.

Press Releases to Reporters: Get It Right

When I started writing press releases here six weeks ago, I found myself having a major internal conflict. During my editorial internship last summer at an automotive newspaper publication, I sifted through what seemed like hundreds of press releases we had received from various public relations firms. I ended up discarding most of them into the trash because the releases were either uninteresting or they weren't newsworthy. So when I sat down to write my first press release for a client, I was really struggling with how to convey the client's key messages to reporters in an appealing way. I wanted to see if other journalists had the same problem with press releases as I had, so I went searching on the Internet to see if there were any press release tips from a reporter's perspective. This one by Esther Schindler of the Internet Press Guild I found to be the most detailed, yet entertaining of all. I say entertaining because she explains her tips in a very blunt fashion, with almost an arrogant tone. But what she has to say is very true, especially when she talks about contacting a reporter for the first time. So take a look and laugh a little, but realize that writing a press release is a lot harder than you think.