Now that we’ve established the fundamentals of what media training is, how to prepare for different forms of media interviews and the benefits of media training for your business, we can get into the specifics of what to say to the media, particularly your key messages.
Key messages are the core pieces of information you want your audience to hear, understand, and take away. They are bite-sized summations that articulate what you do, why you do it, how you are different, and what value you bring to stakeholders.
Your key messages should be 3-5 core elements of your elevator pitch, developed to pique interest and educate your target audience.
What are the attributes of good key messages?
Effective key messages are:
- Concise – Simple, easy to remember and understand.
- Strategic – They communicate your business in a strategic and promotional way.
- Relevant – They balance what you need to communicate with what your audience needs to know.
- Compelling – They indicate what is special and noteworthy about your business, and why your brand is worth paying attention to.
- Memorable – They differentiate you from your competitors.
Key messages provide the takeaway headline that you want to communicate. Strong key messages serve as a foundation for your company’s branding and marketing efforts, which should be reflected across all forms of communication consistently.
Without concise key messages, it can be easy to get lost in what you’re saying and stray away from what you’ve set out to communicate. A clear outline of what your business does and why it does it, allows for an accurate depiction of the business, and is effectively what your audience needs to know to engage with you.
Key messages in Business-related vs Consumer interviews
Whilst key messages will be vastly different for brands marketing to consumers, vs brands marketing to businesses, the principle of communication should be the same. At the forefront of your interview, consider what your target audience will want to hear and how you can articulate your key messages in a way that sets your business apart from your competitors. Either way, you’re trying to establish a connection between yourself, your brand and its audience.
Whether you’re a consumer led brand, or B2B company, being informed about the characteristics of your buyers means you can closely tailor your message and strategically guide your target audience along the buyer’s journey. A strong B2B message strategy can turn your audience from strangers into knowledgeable buyers. Similarly, a clear message selling your product and its benefits will convert audiences from impartial viewers into loyal customers. Potential buyers can’t engage with your business if they don’t know who you are or why you exist, so clear messaging gives them that meaning and reason to engage.
Let’s use one of our clients as an example. Bestselling author and award-winning buyer’s agent Lloyd Edge recently wrote a book called ‘Buy Now’, which offers his expert advice on how to turn your property dreams into a reality. As part of our media training, we developed key messages for Lloyd to refer back to across all forms of communication. This outlined the crucial information from the book and what his audience should take away from all media coverage.
KEY MESSAGES FOR BUY NOW – LLOYD EDGE
- Lloyd Edge, best-selling author of Positively Geared and award-winning buyer’s agent, has released a new book, Buy Now.
- Buy Now provides the ultimate guide to owning and investing in property in today’s climate, whether for yourself or as an investment.
- Buy Now is packed full of useful tips, clever strategies and winning case studies so people can take the first step toward owning their own home and achieving financial freedom.
- Buy Now is published by Wiley and is now available to purchase nationwide. RRP $29.95. Visit https://www.auspropertyprofessionals.com.au/buy-now/ for a full list of book stockists and further information.
In helping clients like Lloyd prepare for media interviews, we assist them in developing a media briefing document so they know exactly what they want to say and what the journalist should ask them. Often, people are unprepared going into an interview or have limited media experience, and get choked up when they’re put on the spot or asked a question they hadn’t considered. Having a document that outlines the key messages to refer to ensures that all questions relay the message that you’re hoping to convey, and depicts the values of the business in each answer.
In the lead up to the interview, we go over this document with our clients and ask them potentially hairy questions, so they’re prepared for anything on the day. This helps our clients to trial different answers so that they can give the best response and achieve their desired outcome from the interview.
To learn more about building out your key messages and how to articulate them clearly in media interviews, get in touch with us today.
Agent Emma.
