Lights, Camera, confidence: Mastering The Media in Q4

Business leaders are charging full speed ahead into tradeshow and announcement season, with marquee events like Mobile World Congress, Dreamforce, and Kubecon attracting journalists looking for groundbreaking stories and expert voices. Furthermore, Q4 often coincides with product launches, major announcements, and company changes. You know what that means – it’s media training season.

It’s a perfect time for brands to shine, get the media talking, and build trust heading into a new year. However, the media landscape continues to evolve, so it would be smart to hone your message and refresh executives with media training best practices before putting your spokespeople in front of the press during this busy time.

To help our clients prepare for the Q4 frenzy, Matter is expanding its media training offering. The media training we provide equips executives and spokespeople with the tools they need to navigate interviews and briefings with confidence, whether they’re facing hard-hitting questions or a friendly face. The question is, how do you convince your spokespeople that media training is a worthwhile endeavor?

Make a Deal They Can’t Refuse: Hands-On Training for High-Quality Conversations

Media interviews are high-pressure and nerve-wracking, as they can leave a lasting mark on your or your company’s reputation. Preparation is key to getting it right. If you’re struggling to sell your spokespeople on the importance of media training, you can show them what it looks like when someone is unable to answer tough questions from reporters, and how great an interview can turn out when the interviewee is properly trained (kudos to the media trainers at Spirit Airlines).

Here are a few reasons why every company should consider media training:

Solidifying Your Narrative: Q4 often coincides with product launches, major announcements, and company changes. Media training can help your spokespeople to confidently convey your brand’s story and maintain control of the narrative amid the end-of-year hustle.

Building Brand Credibility: Media interviews are powerful trust and relationship-building opportunities. When trained beforehand, your executive can better convey their expertise, answer questions thoughtfully and thoroughly, and showcase your brand’s authority in the industry, leaving a lasting impression.

Maximizing Trade Show Impact: In-person interviews can be more nuanced than virtual and given the additional distractions of the trade show floor, media training can hone your team’s ability to articulate key messages in a succinct manner during these quick 10–15-minute windows.

Driving Competitive Advantage: Trained spokespeople can strategically articulate key messages, differentiate your brand, and drive valuable media coverage that helps you stand out amongst competitors.

With the value of media training clear, the question becomes: what does it look like?

Beyond the Basics: What Matter Media Training Offers

No two brands are alike, and that means no two media training sessions should be, either. Matter works with you to understand your specific space, target audience, key messages, and spokespeople. Then, we craft a customized media training program that addresses your unique needs, which includes some or all of the following:

Video Practice: Nervous about on-camera interviews? We’ve got you covered. Our PR team often partners up with Matter Video to develop highly-tailored trainings that incorporate simulated interviews in various formats – broadcast TV, 1:1 virtual media interview, and podcasts (audio and visual) – to ensure your team is comfortable in any setting. – to ensure your team is comfortable in any setting.

Strategic Messaging: Crafting clear, concise, and compelling messaging is critical. Matter works with you to refine your key messages and equip your spokespeople with the tools to deliver them effectively. As an integrated agency, we leverage the key messages we hone during these sessions across PR, marketing, brand, and video initiatives.

Crisis Preparation: Crisis situations are much more prevalent today, due to the popularity of social media and even meme culture – a poorly handled interview can quickly escalate an already tense situation. We can help your spokespeople anticipate potential challenges and formulate responses that protect your brand reputation during crisis situations.

Beyond the Session: Our commitment doesn’t end after the training. We provide detailed feedback, personalized coaching, and access to valuable resources to ensure your spokespeople maintain their media mastery.

Ready to Crush the Final Quarter?

Many spokespeople hesitate to embrace training if they don’t believe they’ll get what they need from it. At Matter, we work directly with each client to ensure their media training is customized to their industry, their brand, and their individual needs. Involving your team in the planning process can drive buy-in and ensure the training directly addresses their concerns.