A strong media strategy starts with having the right person, or people, ready to tell your organization’s story. Building and training a team of spokespeople ensures your organization can respond to a wider range of media opportunities with knowledgeable, credible voices. Follow these three steps to build a diverse, well-prepared roster of spokespeople ready to represent your organization when media opportunities arise.
1. Diversify your bench! The CEO does not always have to be the spokesperson.
Strategically preparing subject matter experts across different levels of the organization can open the organization up to diverse story angles.
For example, a nonprofit’s community outreach coordinator can discuss an upcoming event, a production plant’s safety officer can explain recent facility improvements and efficiencies to a trade publication, and a performing arts organization’s costume designer can give a fashion reporter background on a show’s costumes.
Using your team’s expertise can earn more nuanced, detailed coverage while freeing your CEO to focus on interviews about the organization’s mission and impact.
2. Select a spokesperson (or two) who speak another language.
Expand your media reach by selecting spokespeople who are fluent in Spanish, Vietnamese, or other languages spoken by your audience. This increases your chances of coverage by outlets that report in those languages, reduces the risk of your message getting lost in translation, and shows audiences that your organization reflects the community it serves.
In Houston, for instance, 37% of residents speak Spanish at home.* Engaging these audiences through Spanish-language media is not just a good idea, it’s critical. Foreign-language media outlets may also open up new story opportunities for your business.
3. Work from the same playbook.
Once you select your spokespeople, prepare them to represent your organization with confidence. Work with company leadership to develop evergreen key messages, then create two or three interview-specific talking points aligned with a clear call to action, such as attending an event, supporting the organization, or engaging with a project.
Prepare your spokespeople to deliver talking points consistently, to steer the interview back to a preferred message regardless of the question, and to appear camera-ready.
Is your organization prepared with the right voices when the media calls? Elmore helps clients prepare their spokespeople for interviews through customized media trainings. Done in specialized sessions, our trainings empower your spokespeople to conduct interviews with confidence and positively reflect your organization. Together we’ll build your spokesperson bench with your next media moment in mind.
*Source: City of Houston Planning and Development Department
