Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/230154
UNCORKING PR PAUL WAGNER Meeting with the Media As in tennis, learn to volley effectively ne of the top goals of any winery public relations campaign is to generate opportunities for the winery principals to talk to key media. It's an opportunity to tell your story to someone who can run with it, get it into print (or online) and share it with a large audience. It is the most effective way to distribute your story to a target market. But there are some risks inherent in meeting with the media. The results are unpredictable, and the power of the media, as an objective third party, can damage your brand as well as polish it. Perhaps Interviews with journalists can most challenging of all, create both positive and negative the results of any interresults in print. view with the press are out of your control. While Writers want solid stories, not you may think you came canned comments. off charming and clevCall upon a media spokesperson er, the journalist might trainer to help you polish your skills decide something else. and achieve positive press. If that gets into print, it Read recent writings of journalists to could hurt your brand for understand what they're looking for. a long time to come. What can you do to Practice interviewing skills for all maximize your potential scenarios. for success with meetings with the media? Think of it as a tennis match, with each question a chance to hit the ball back over the net. But there is a big difference between tennis and an interview: The writer is both your opponent and court umpire; he or she sets the rules and make all the calls. How can you win in that situation? It's simple: Your job isn't to win, but to help the journalist win in a way that also helps you get your story out. If you think your job is to triumph, you're going to lose. KNOW THE "OPPONENT" In an interview, the journalist isn't really playing against you, so it's a bit unfair to call him or her an opponent. But make no mistake: The journalist has a goal for the interview, and it is not the same as your goal. If you don't know what the journalist wants, there is no way that you can help him or her achieve that goal. It's as if you are playing singles and the writer is playing doubles. Not a good match. SHORT COURSE + + + + + 16 V I N E YA R D & WIN E RY MANAGEM ENT | Jan - Feb 2014 A media interview is like a tennis match; each question is an opportunity to successfully return the reporter's serve. Photo: Thinkstock So what does the journalist want? A good story for his or her readers. And let's be honest: On this point, most winemakers are not very good at delivering the story. They know what makes a great chardonnay, but they don't necessarily know how to tell a good story. The writer does. Read a few articles that the journalw w w. v wm m e d i a . c o m