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Turn Media Interviews into Sales
Copyright © 2002 - 2010 by Susan Harrow. All rights reserved.
Many people don't understand what sound
bites are. They don't
know how to create sound bites that sell. They don't know
that it's not enough to be clever, entertaining or quippy.
That might make TV and radio hosts happy, but it often won't
bring in the kind of results you're looking for: to grow
your business, sell more product, get new clients, more
customers, or increase your fees.
You want to develop sound bites that speak to who you are,
what you do and how well you do it. Sound bites are the
essential messages that will create sales and recognition.
They consist of anecdotes, analogies, stories, one-liners,
and facts that you can speak in 15-30 seconds. They should
be singly focused on what you want your audience to know. To
turn media interviews into sales here are 3 things you can
do.
1. Incorporate Your Past into Your Present Experience.
Camus says, *We are the sum of our choices.* We want to know
how your childhood dreams have influenced the career you've
chosen. Your past often has predictors to your future
interests and life decisions. If you don't want to go back
as far as childhood then go back in your professional
career. Sarah Newton, The UK's Top Teen Coach, said that
when she was a juvenile corrections officer what she heard
from teenagers most was that they didn't feel heard,
understood or respected. *The most important thing a parent
can do is listen,* says Newton.
Often sound bites like Newton's seem simple. But it takes
work to distill your ideas down to their essence. It's the
unadorned statement that is often the most powerful.
Another way to tie past to present is to show how your
passion drives your profession. *People think I am
disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is
a great difference,* says Luciano Pavarotti. Choose the
words that show your devotion.
2. Include Client Successes.
How has your product or service impacted your clients or
customers? Tell a story that centers on that success. Marty
Friedman, seminar Leader and author of ~Straight Talk for
Men About Marriage,~ says, *An attorney who came to one of
my seminars said he didn't really think he got much out of
it--until he got home and his wife wanted to have sex with
him--for the first time in months. ~I guess I must have
learned a little something,~ the attorney admitted.*
Friedman tells a very succinct story with a potent punch
line. And this sound bite lets you know that his methods are
so powerful they work on non-believers and hard-sell cases
like attorneys.
3. Show Your Suffering.
The people I've known who have suffered the most are funny,
sarcastic, and wise, but never saccharin. Saccharin is all
this sweet talk about love and understanding and comes off
as facile. Love, understanding and forgiveness aren't sickly
tender. They often come out of bitterness, hopelessness and
heartache. We trust those people who have suffered or who
have failed over and over again and are willing to share
their insights--in a non-showy way.
Dr. Vicki Rackner, CEO of Medical Bridges and
Medical Editor of the Hope Health Letter which reaches over
3 million people says that at age 40 she made a radical
choice: to close her private practice to be with her son.
*As the operating room door closed, another opened. I can't
tell you that everyone lived happily ever after because
we're just at `once upon a time.`*
Closing her practice, the choice she made to to forgo
surgery in favor of becoming a patient advocate, goes
against the grain of what *society* could deem is proper for
a board certified surgeon with a full practice. You know
right away that she is thoughtful and has tremendous empathy
and insight. As a patient wouldn't you want her on your
side?
Sound bites, speaking in condensed language to convey your
points, is an art to be practiced daily in and out of media
interviews until it becomes a natural way of speaking.
If you incorporate your past into your present experience,
include client successes, and show your suffering during an
interview you'll be perceived as an expert, increase your
sales, and develop a following all while demonstrating your
humanity.
Download the free teleclass *How to Become a 60 Second
Sound Bite Genius* to learn how to create sound
bites that
reporters and audiences love, avoid committing the 3 deal-
breakers that automatically eliminate most guests from
getting on national TV shows, tell captivating stories to
attract media and inspire audiences to buy at:
http://www.prsecrets.com/free-audio-signup.html
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Susan Harrow, CEO of
http://prsecrets.com, is
a top media coach, marketing strategist and author of
Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul® (HarperCollins),
The
Ultimate Guide to Getting Booked on Oprah, and
Get a 6-
Figure Book Advance. Clients include Fortune 500 CEOs, bestselling authors and entrepreneurs who have appeared on
Oprah, 60 Minutes, NPR, and in TIME, USA Today, Parade,
People, O, NY Times, WSJ, and Inc. |
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