Reality Bites. The average national television soundbite lasts 7.2 seconds. (The average soundbite in Washington, D.C., land of the political windbags, is 15-20
seconds, but that's another story.) Want to get your corporate message on camera? Give producers the nuggets they crave or they'll edit you brutally. This was the message
delivered by media training veteran Edward Segal at a PRSA workshop held last week in the nation's capital. Segal, whose book, Getting Your 15 Minutes of Fame, hit shelves
in March, offered these tips for the camera-phobic:
- Limit your key messages to three or four and repeat them often. Increase your chances that the producer will pick up at least one of them.
- Avoid jargon and acronymns. Good soundbites reference personal experiences and often involve analogies.
- Beware of traps. If a reporter asks a negative question, don't repeat the question back. (For example, "Yes the traffic congestion is terrible in D.C. but...") This gives
the reporter an opportunity to quote you, thus attributing the negative angle to you.
(Edward Segal Communications, 202/333-7966, http://www.edwardsegal.com)
Care and Feeding of Web Editors. If you phone an online editor, you'd better
have a sizzling tip and an exclusive offer. Here's what we mean by sizzling: A
medical researcher at Duke University recently realized that the same technology
used to create appendages for Barbie dolls could translate into prosthetic devices
for fingers. She called Mattel. Meanwhile, Duke's PR director called HealthScout.com
with a tip that Duke and Mattel might be working together. HeathScout.com broke
the story, and the news had legs (oops!). It wasn't long before the story migrated
to the Jay Leno show.
If you are not armed with major dish, however, phone at your own peril. Web editors speaking at AllHealth PR's "Meet the Online Health & Medical Media" seminar last week
in Washington described themselves and their staffers alternately as "Jekyll & Hyde," and "junk yard dogs" with a tendency to get mean around deadline time. Email is the
preferred medium for "idea-floating," they said.
Where Web editors rely on PR most is in developing original, seasonal content for their channels. Case in point: John Riley, health editor for USAToday.com, cited an interest
in subject matter relating to skin cancer prevention and water safety with the advent of summer. Similarly, Washingtonpost.com is developing a marathon training package for peak
season, according to producer Clare Oh.
(HealthScout.com, Managing Editor Shirley Mathews, [email protected], Executive Editor Barry Hoffman, [email protected]; USAToday.com, Health Editor John Riley, [email protected];
WashingtonPost.com Health Editor Ju-Don Roberts, [email protected], Producer Clare Oh, [email protected], AllHealth PR, President Brian Ruberry, [email protected])