Hurry. Hurry. Hurry, that’s the norm for most media professionals and meeting planners. Most are in a hurry, busy and need an expert quickly and one they can find and hire without any hesitation. So, it’s your job to make them feel confident in hiring you as the expert, it’s your job to showcase and provide material online that will lead them to make the right decision with confidence and no hesitation.
How do you do this? Well, besides providing an awesome website that speaks directly to your audience, one that’s not overcrowded with “Fluff” and a bunch of “Blah” and one that is genuine and portrays your own uniqueness you need to have a page titled, “Media Room” and in that media room you need to showcase anything “Media.” What this does is put in the mind of the viewer (hiring party) that you are the expert, that you know what you’re talking about and you have the perfect message to share with their audience. Your media room shows that if you’re good enough to be interviewed by so and so then you’re good enough to get in front of their audience and share your message without any hiccups. This gives the media or hiring party such an ease of mind and helps them make the right decision and a quick one in hiring you.
So, what kind of things should be in a media room? Some speakers get confused with a meeting planner page and a media room page. Below are a few things you can add to your media room and remember if you only have one or two things to add at first that’s ok because you will add to your media room as you go along so don’t hesitate to create one because you feel you don’t have enough information to add to it…just do it and add as you go. The below are only a few things but basically you can add anything that is “media”
1. TV Interviews (add video directly to your media room so viewers can watch it on your website and not be taken out to an external site)
2. Radio Interviews (add audio directly to your media room)
3. Publications (articles or columns you have written in print publications) provide a link and also get permission to put a photo shot of the front cover of the publication…photos stand out and always tell a story.
4. Press releases (add links)
5. Photo gallery (variety of sizes with both color and black and white) don’t get crazy, just a few. Be sure and portray yourself here. Have some that are professional yet are YOU, don’t try and be something you are not, the more you relax and let your true self shine through the more success you will have.
6. Interview questions ( a bulleted list of 5-10 questions)
7. Contact information (leave several ways of contacting you so you don’t miss that important call/email/text) the more ways you leave for them to get in touch with you the better…if they reach a voice mail then more times than not they are moving on to the next expert…be there.
Be sure and leave your bio, one-sheet, fees, clients and testimonials on your meeting planner page and not in the media room, this page is set for media only. The above mentioned are only some of many things you can add to your media room and you can add more as you move along in your business. Don’t be impatient it will come. Don’t procrastinate and tell yourself you don’t have “enough” to add to your media room just do it because you will find that even if you only have a few items to add in your media room it will prompt you to move forward and pursue more radio interviews, it will push you to write more press releases and seek out TV appearances.
As I always say, done is better than perfect…do it and tweak as you go.
Wendi McNeill founder of Charli Jane Speaker Services has been opening doors of opportunity for speakers since 2002. Helping speakers start and grow a 6-figure speaking business.
If you would like to learn more or work with Wendi please visit her online at http://www.CharliJane.com and be sure and grab her most recent report: "14 Amazing Ways to Create a Phenomenal Income when Speaking for Free"