This is an archived blog from when I ran Conscious Public Relations Inc. from 2008-2018. Excuse the potential outdated-ness!
Yesterday I was on the receiving end of a media phone call. Expecting to be questioned about a client event, the reporter was asking me for a sound bite related to the guest post I wrote for Small Business BC on how small businesses can replicate big PR campaigns. The clip was for a report the radio station was working on for October, which is Small Business Month.
She asked if I could be recorded right there and then, and I admit, it caught me off guard. But, as I wasn’t in the middle of any urgent work, I asked if she could give me a few moments to pull up the article so I could recall what I had written. Within about a minute of silence, I wrote down 3 points that I had made in the article, and then I told her I was ready.
I was lucky that this was an optional interview – it was not about promoting my company, but more of a chance for me to be seen as an expert (for which many businesses will be called upon). I could have said no and gone my merry way, but I’m not one to back down from a challenge. I was also able to test how well I could do under pressure and how much I reacted emotionally by observing my bodily response: after the call was over, I put my hand on my heart, which seemed to be beating about 1.5 times faster than normal. Then, it slowed down, and it was over. No sweaty palms or stomach butterflies, so that meant progress. I felt that all of those years performing on stage really served me in that moment.
If you have ever been in the media before and your company is referenced online, you now have the infinite potential to be called by a media person. If you write guest posts for sites like Small Business BC, your chances go up even higher.
When you are questioned by the media about your company, always respond, even if you are caught off guard. If it’s for promotional purposes or an expert sound bite, and you feel you aren’t ready to be put on the spot, remember that you can always say no. And you can work with PR or public speaking experts so that when you are called, you are a bit more ready (cheat sheets can be great for phone interviews too!).
The sound bite aired October 5th as part of News1130‘s Small Business month report.
