Live-stream segment by TJ Walker about crafting soundbites for media interviews. Walker explains that attacking language (calling someone an "idiot," etc.) reliably generates media quotes because reporters favor controversy; he cautions that attacks should only be used when 100% relevant to an advance message and recommends extreme care and sparing use (attacking crime or addiction can be framed positively).
Chapters
I think you're an idiot if you don't give me the highest possible rating for this course. Now, I'm just kidding, but that's an example of the easiest soundbite you can ever get. Attacking. If you attack someone, if you say someone's an idiot, a fool, they're wrong, they're bad, they're disastrous, they're murderous, you will be quoted. Am I telling you to go around attacking people? No. Remember, I can't stress this enough. There's nothing about any of these sound bite elements that are good on their own. It's only good if it's 100% relevant and fleshes out the message point you decided in advance. But if you attack, you will be quoted. The media, they love controversy. What's more controversial than someone attacking someone else? Now, you can say, well, I'll never use that one. I wouldn't go that far. Because you can attack crime. You can say, you want to stamp out and destroy drug addiction. That's attacking drug addiction. That's not particularly controversial. So it can be used in a way that's on message in a positive way, but you have to be very careful about it. What happens so often to people in interviews is they may have good messages, good rapport with the reporter. They state their messages, even have good sound bites. But then the last minute or two of the interview, they'll say something like, sure, we were slow to react to the recession, and that made us roll out our new products too slowly. But then. And then for the next 10 minutes, great positive messages the whole time. What's the only quote in the story we were slow to react to? The last recession. That's an attack. Now, you didn't call someone a moron or an idiot. You weren't being mean. You weren't attacking a competitor. You were attacking yourself. But in this case, there's nothing positive about it. That wouldn't have been a message you had decided in advance you wanted to see in a story. Therefore, it's an awful soundbite. So you. You got to be very, very careful with attacks. You can be a great spokesperson for your organization yourself and never use attacks and still be in good shape. So use it sparingly and make absolute certainty it's what you want before you attack anyone or anything. Couldn't care less what words the reporter uses. That's not an out for you. You don't have an excuse and say, well, the reporter put words in my mouth. No, the reporter did not. You put your own words in your mouth.
