Media Relations and Presentation Training

“The recession will go on until about 2011 – but the shooting was great today and we are relaxing fine.” – AIG General Manager to a reporter at a lavish, taxpayer-funded quail hunt.

Best case scenario: a fudged quote can make you look stupid. Worst case: it can ruin a reputation.  There is such a thing as bad press.

Media relations is a major tool in an organization’s marketing arsenal.  But it is crucial to approach the media strategically and carefully.  At HBC, we employ an integrated approach to PR strategy to ensure that our placement efforts generate meaningful results.  To that end, we regularly develop interviews for our clients with top publications such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes and BusinessWeek and TV and radio outlets such as CNN, Bloomberg TV and National Public Radio, as well as top trade and industry press.  Securing an interview with a top-tier publication has less to do with hob-nobbing and more to do with having a deep understanding of the reporter’s beat, their audience and subject matter expertise.  As a result of our thoughtful, studied approach, our people have become trusted, go-to resources for reporters across the country.  For a complete list of the publications with which we regularly work, please click here.

Securing placement is one thing, preparation is quite another.  We provide comprehensive media training to help clients prepare for interviews and to leverage media impressions after the fact. We help our clients to:

• Feel comfortable in front of any audience
• Respond to different situations: press conferences, courthouse ambushes, meetings, interviews, hostile groups and demonstrators
• Understand how the media works in a crisis
• Know the “rules” for dealing with reporters
• Get more of the quotes they want in interviews
• Explain complex issues in a concise and compelling way
• Control the direction of interviews
• Grab the attention of an audience and keep it
• Present with confidence and power

Importantly, at HBC, we count several journalists among our ranks including a former TV reporter, a former columnist for a national journal and a former managing editor for a popular online publication. We know what makes reporters tick, and we know how to craft meaningful  messages for any situation.  Every day we are helping clients – from large multi-national law firms to small green energy companies – speak confidently and effectively to their most important audiences.