Essential New Skills In Media And Communications

What it means to be in media and communications has drastically changed over the last few years. This is why we are thrilled to announce LinkedIn Learning has put together a New Learning Path, and our e-course,?Media Relations Foundations, is a part of the Learning Path!

Our course was chosen as one of the most important courses to watch in order to take the next step in your career for those of you in Media and Communications.

This path will give you a step-by-step learning path to teach you the skills you need to achieve the professional future you want.

Below is a sneak peek at our e-course, as well as what you can expect to learn!

Pitching newspapers?from?Media Relations Foundations?by?Jessica Chen

1. THE PERFECT PITCH

The heart of media relations really comes down to the?pitch.?

There really is an art to pitching. The pitches that get noticed include what reporters are looking for.

These pitches are concise, interesting and to the point.?

One of the most important things to consider is the length of your pitch. Keep it short.

As a former reporter myself, I gave a lot more attention to emails that were about 5-6 sentences long and got right to the point.?

A few things to keep in mind as you craft your pitch to ensure that it is short and to the point:

• Don’t overload with details?– Yes, you want to include interesting and compelling information about your story – but anything more will most likely not get read.
• Keep the personalization succinct?– Personalization is important, but you don’t need to do a commentary on their commentary. Remember,?acknowledging that you know who they are and a current story is enough.
• Use Bullet Points?– To cut down on sentences,?you can even use bullet points to outline your pitch.?This way the media personality can read your pitch quickly and immediately get all of your information in one look over.?

The key to keeping your pitch short is making sure it still includes all of the important information.

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2. PREPARING?

As you prepare for your media interview, consider your key message.

Consider the following:

• Simplicity –?When brainstorming your key message, you will want to keep the message simple and easy to understand.?
• Multiple Responses?– You will want to make sure all of your responses point to your main message.

Your key message is what you want the audience to hear.?Be sure you prepare your message and incorporate it as often as possible during your interview.?

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3. MEDIA INTERVIEWS

If you are the owner of the company, there is a good chance the media will want to do a profile piece on you. You can trust that this type of outreach, is generally favorable. One where they want to do a sit-down interview. They may want to tour the facility or see the product.?

There are a few things to keep in mind as you prepare for your profile piece:

• Print Interview?– If this is a print interview, it’ll likely be you and the reporter sitting down as they’re taking notes and recording you. The questions they ask will likely mirror what you’d expect in an interview. As you’re crafting your message, make sure you prepare with proper?soundbites,?and positive messaging. Preparation is key.?
• Television Interview?– If this is a television interview, you can expect a camera crew to set up, which will be a production.?They will want to film generic shots of the building, and possibly you and the team in action.?This can take a lot of time, so be sure to ask about this.

As you prepare for your profile piece, it is essential to maintain your executive presence, especially if this interview is done on camera or virtually.??

A profile piece is a great way to promote your company and take advantage of the media’s interest in you.??

Click here to read the full article!

To watch other top LinkedIn Learning communications courses by Jessica Chen,?view here.

Join us for an exciting Soulcast Media | LIVE on Wednesday, March 30th! This event is free to attend! RSVP for your spot here!

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This article is part of the?Soulcast Media Newsletter, which has over 8,000+ subscribers. If you like this article, feel free to?subscribe.

Be sure to follow Jessica Chen on?LinkedIn?and?Instagram?for regular communications tips you can use at work immediately!?Her videos can also be seen on?YouTube.

If you'd like to learn more about our communications services and how we work with individuals and companies, check out our website:?www.soulcastmedia.com.?