How inept spokespeople can sink your best PR efforts
Poor discipline or simply a lack of elementary training could turn that cherished media interview into a nightmare. Help your execs and mouthpieces head off these common missteps.
You’ve finally hit the “send” button, and the announcement you’ve worked on for weeks is finally out.
It’s newsworthy, it’s fresh, and you know you’ll get interview requests from media outlets. It will be great for your company’s brand and reputation, it could force your competitors to scramble, and you and the rest of the communications team will look like superstars.
Sure enough, the media calls start pouring in. You line up your spokespeople, equipping them with shiny copies of the storyline and messaging. Now, all that’s left is for them to deliver, and for reporters to write the story accurately. Nothing can go wrong.
Not so fast
When you check your phone for the latest headlines, though, you start noticing your story isn’t being told well at all. Big, obvious messages are being missed. Your spokespeople aren’t being quoted very much, and when they are, the comments are basic, bland or boring.
Then, your phone starts ringing. Your boss calls, then your business partner. They have one question for you: What happened?
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