The Media

The Media

Nowadays, the importance of media in our everyday life is greater than ever. Indeed with the rise of the Internet, the traditional forms of reaching audience – mostly newspapers, books, radio and television – have been joined by new media and devices.

Today, the world is interconnected, and our computers and phones allow us reach more people than ever before, spreading out information and making it more readily available than at any other point of history.

Traditional media don’t exist anymore, and the media world has changed drastically in recent years, with the introduction of social networks, blogs, citizen journalism and user interest websites.

“We have two ears, and one month so that we can listen twice as much as we speak”. (Epictetus, a Greek philosopher, circa A.D.100). Photo by Elena

Managing the media has become crucial in our lives. Imagine you have developed an innovative service that corresponds to the needs of the market. But you can’t reach your potential clients, you can’t expand your client network without developing an optimal promotion strategy. And that includes using wisely not only your skills and experiences, but also your iPhone and any other device.

Well, the traditionally “credible media” (doesn’t matter what these words really mean), – such as radio programs, TV, paper magazines or newspapers, – is still the place to be heard and seen.

But before connecting your phone and calling your potential client, you should ask yourself a few questions:

• Do I know what my story is before I contact a person? (people are interested in listening to you if you have a story to tell them, so be clear, work out what you need to tell);
• Am I speaking to the right person? (for instance, the person who answered might be an intern who has no power whatsoever apart from to try and stop you getting to the person you need to sell your story to, thus be nice and work out who you need to speak to);
• Am I too shy? Communicating can be spookily unnerving but try to overcome yourself;
• Try to give the impression that your vis-à-vis already knows, or should know, who you are – and if he (or she) doesn’t, he (she) is at fault and not you. But the only way to achieve this is through being polite, not by sounding arrogant;
• Focus on your idea, stick to the story, don’t talk too much about different items and the needs your family have. Don’t confuse the person you are talking to with too much information;
• Present yourself as someone who is worth putting in the other person contact book;
• Never embellish your words too much (but what is “too much”, anyway?), as you will get caught out and your credibility will be blown.