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Greetings!
With summer just around the corner, Buzz (our sometimes grouchy and always cantankerous spokesperson) hopes you enjoy the May/June 2007 issue of BuzzCuts, where you can pick up a useful tip or three about media relations, media training and crisis communications. Estimated reading time for this issue: 63 seconds.
For any reader who missed the inaugural issue of BuzzCuts, please go to www.sawmillmarketing.com and click on the BuzzCuts button on the upper left hand side of the home page.
The Sawmill Team - Susan Anthony and Jeff Davis
Crisis PR Tip #11: Make Response Time THE Priority
A Lesson Learned from the Virginia Tech Tragedy
One of the top-of-mind reminders coming out of the Virginia Tech tragedy is the vital role that response time plays in a crisis. The length of time to respond to a crisis will help define the success or failure of an organization's actual or perceived ability to deal with the situation. We've seen instances where the media notes how long it took an organization to post information on their Web site, or whether they communicated online at all.
We urge you to set aside time to review your crisis communications plan with senior executives to make sure it continues to be relevant, reflects the organization as it is today and incorporates lessons learned from recent crisis situations experienced by others - such as response times.
Media Training Tip #6:
Need for Preparation Increases as News Hole Decreases
Make Your 7.3 Seconds Count!
Preparing for a media interview is a smart practice to adhere to, but especially so as the TV news hole continues to shrink.
According to the Center for Media and Public Affairs, the TV news hole has shrunk from 22 minutes, 22 seconds in 1981, to 18 minutes, 37 seconds by 2001.
Now here's the even scarier fact: the average length of a sound bite is 7.3 seconds!!!, compared to 42.3 seconds in 1968. Knowing this reality suggests that solid interview preparation should not only focus on knowing your message, but just as importantly, practicing how to communicate it - clearly, concisely and convincingly - in under 8 seconds.
Media Relations Tip #2: Grab the Video Camera
Multi-Media Growing in Importance for Newspapers
Buzz recently sat down with the executive news editor in charge of the Web site for The Sun in Baltimore to hear - straight from the top - how the newspaper is evolving and how we can help the organization as more people abandon the print version in favor of the Web.
One clear message is the importance of multi-media in telling the story. The Sun's Web site allows for a lot more than words and a photo, so stories that provide a look at what's happening will surely get better play. So now is the time to invest in b-roll to help tell your corporate story, and the next time you have an event or make an announcement make sure there's someone with a video camera as well. These tools are not just for TV anymore. |
