“What value would doing this interview have for us?”
It’s a question we have heard from a variety of clients over the years, particularly when a media interview opportunity lands in their lap unasked. It’s a justifiable reservation, but one where seeing the bigger picture can provide perspective.
First, the hesitations:
- Time is money, and billable hours or staff productivity may be affected.
- The interview doesn’t directly promote a service area, campaign, product or event.
- It may create more “work,” for example, topic research and/or travel to a TV station or elsewhere.
Taking all of those doubts into consideration, what is the advantage of taking time to do a media interview?
There are important benefits to finding a way to say yes:
- Any chance to tell your story in a positive way presents the opportunity to re-engage your own networks (via personalized emails, an e-newsletter, your website and/or social channels). These types of stories help foster brand awareness and reputation, with third-party credibility.
- It’s important to build and nurture relationships with journalists. The best relationships are reciprocal – helping a journalist out now can leave goodwill for you when you need them later.
- When it comes to thought leadership, it’s better they ask you rather than your competition.
With fragmented audiences and consolidated news organizations, opportunities to tell your story to their viewers/readers are increasingly difficult to come by. Though it may not seem to serve your purposes at a particular moment in time, it is possible you may not get the chance to get in front of them again (at least any time soon).
The benefits of finding a way to say yes when there’s nothing preventing you from saying no can reap future rewards. It’s important your followers, customers and supporters “get to know” your organization beyond your “hard sell” moments. What expertise can you offer that might be of value to them and leave a lasting impression? A good media interview can accomplish exactly that and then some.