Jan
29
Why Soundbite Media Training is So Critical
By
When we conduct media training sessions, one exercise is to boil down a client’s key message to 7 to 12 seconds. Why? Because that’s all the time you’ll get in the typical TV story, so you better make the most of those precious seconds.We recently heard a real-life explanation from a TV veteran who confirmed why they’re looking for 7 seconds – 12 seconds max – when putting together a news story.
“Check your cell phone for messages and notice the point when you get irritated that the person is going on too long — it’s about 15 seconds,” he said. “If they go on for 25 to 30 seconds you’ll want to throw your phone through the window.”
Same goes for the media interview, where no one wants to hear your spokesperson ramble through the bulleted list of corporate talking points. Get your spokesperson media trained now, so when the media spotlight is on, those 12 seconds will already have been polished and ready for prime time.
