Wyospace.com

Getting to know you, Part 4 - Once you're in front of the camera

By Tom Lacock

The advice continues......

Never look directly into the camera. Imagine it is the sun, or your dog begging for table scraps. Ignore it, it isn’t there; don’t even acknowledge it unless it falls on your toes. Looking into the camera and talking is a creepy thing for the folks watching you on the other side. Always look at the interviewer, act like you are talking conversationally to them and try to ignore the camera. Never look down while speaking, you know what your shoes look like already – or at least you should.

Always start off each interview by saying, then spelling your name. No matter how easy you think your name is, spell it anyway. Then, offer your title. The reporter should ask this right away, but if they don’t, remind them to – like asking your proctologist to wash his hands when he walks into the exam room, it is a good way to avoid a potential mess.

Don’t sway or slouch. Try a 15 degree lean forward. If you need to know how far 15 degrees is… You are not alone, but that is what Bulldog Reporter suggests.  Find a comfortable position to sit or stand in right away and go with it. Use a natural positions and natural hand gestures - unless those gestures involve pounding a table or desk.

Remember the microphone is always live and by saying, “this is off the record”, doesn’t necessarily mean anything in a legal sense. As an editor once told me, “Because he said, ‘off the record’ doesn’t mean he can tell you what you can use and what you can’t.” Unless someone grants you “off the record” protection verbally you are not off the record. And even then there is nothing forcing the reporter not to use that statement.

Dress simple: For men, this is dark suits with light shirts and solid ties. Light colored shirts are better, but white can look washed out sometimes. Bringing a sport coat or suit jacket to the offices and leaving it is a good idea. For women, darker muted colors are best. Red is fine, but darker colors over the top are better. Don’t wear dangly or distracting jewelry. Ted, this means you.

Stick to three message points. Lay them out one at a time and then keep your responses fairly brief. Give the reporter something to work with, but don’t ramble.

Glossary of terms you might hear the TV personality mention:

B-roll: secondary footage (video) in a news story. This video should match what the reporter is talking about in their story (e.g. the reporter is talking about a cow, we should see a cow in the video).

Soundbite: A soundbite is what comes from an interview.  The reporter will go back to the station, look at the interview and pull out the soundbites, he/she feels get the point across.  Typically, reporters will not chose soundbites that are longer the 12 seconds long, so try to keep answers as short as possible...ideally 7-10 seconds.

VO/SOT: Voice Over/Sound on Tape: VO is voice over and SOT is Sound on Tape. Together it is a VO/SOT: This is a short, 45 second-or-so, story; which the TV anchor will read. As they read the story, b-roll will play, hence the Voice Over.  The Sound on Tape comes in when 'you,' the interviewee gives the soundbite.

Package:  A package is the longest version of a story in TV News.  This is when the reporter who interviewed you has their voice over the b-roll and 'you,' the interviewee has 2-3 soundbites in the story.  Packages can run from 45-90 seconds long. This is your best opportunity to get your story/point across.

Tom will be at the Wyospace.com Idea Expo (Coming up in TWO WEEKS!) along with his coleagues from the PR/Marketing Department of the Wyoming Business Council, to offer free advice on marketing and PR to Wyoming's Businesses.  Be sure to visit them at their booth on the main floor!  If you still haven't registered, go online now to www.wyomingideaexpo.com.  Hotels are filling fastly, and you don't want to miss this!

Getting to know you, part 3

By Tom Lacock

So now that we have the media interested, what do we do once they say they want to do a story? Television is sort of its own beast, so we’ll start with how to work with a TV reporter. The scenario we’ll work with is assuming a reporter has just called you asking for an interview.

Before you go on TV:

1. Remember that timeliness is an issue. Return calls right away whether you can schedule an interview that day or not so you don’t leave someone hanging. If a news person is calling you or for you, they are most likely interested in talking with you today and sooner rather than later. TV news reporters trying to get something on TV for the 5 p.m. newscast need to have their stuff edited by 3:30-4 p.m and editing a story takes at least an hour. The earlier in the day you can arrange an interview, the better.

2. One-source stories are not necessarily good ones. Remember that stories work best when you can provide a real example of what the story is about. In the case of a government agency trying to get the word out on a program which needs to solicit new participants, arrange time with the people you or your program has helped. That might mean asking someone to appear on TV with you – should they have the time or the people available. At least be thinking of people that can speak to this subject and offer them as potential sources.

3. Think about possible B-roll. No one wants a story made up of just one sound bite, so think of  something the reporter or photographer can shoot for background that day that can be shown as the TV personality is talking – commonly referred to as “B-roll.” For and agriculturally-based story, this could mean finding livestock for the reporter to shoot. For someone with more office-related duties and projects on the other side of the state it could mean having someone tape you while you are on the phone. The more B-roll available, the longer the story can be.

4. Bring any relevant press releases or data that can be released to support your story or point of view. The easiest way to make sure the reporter does not get something wrong is to give them the information they need in written form. If there is a third-person assessment (a study, supporting stats written by an independent source) that is positive about your story, bring that too. Getting kudos from someone without a financial interest in your company or product is a far better endorsement of your product than anything you can say about it yourself.

5. Simplify the story for the reporter. Remember, the reporter assigned to the story is not an expert in your field and could have been doing a story about dog poo yesterday, so they will probably be looking for basic background and information, rather than trying to hit the sensitive areas of your issue. Remember to adjust your vocabulary and explanations of programs to an eighth-grade level.

6. Avoid alphabet soup. BRC could mean British Ride Chryslers. LEAD could be Lacock Eats Anyone’s Dinner. Don’t assume anyone knows what initials stand for and don’t assume I won’t eat your dinner. Never use initials.

7. If there is pronunciation issue with name of people or programs, address it before going on the air, especially if you are going on live.

8. Turn off your cell phone and spit out your gum. Don’t get those two confused or you may end up with gum in your ear and a Nokia wadded up in silver paper and thrown in the trash.

9. Bring a business card with name and title on it for the reporter. Handing off a card now will result in that card turning up later when the reporter needs a source. It also offers the proper spelling of your name and title for someone who may meet four new people a day.