Welcome to the Media Mastery mini-series, where we look at the five most common challenges business owners face while trying to build a leading brand.
You know you have a product or service that your audience wants. So why aren’t they excited about it?
I hear this from prospects. They’ve interviewed on television and gained a lot of traffic on their website and social media. But for whatever reason, nothing is happening; it’s not converting into business. Their company isn’t growing and isn’t reaching the revenue potential they were expecting.
They need to leverage their existing audience to reach their goals. But how?
This is a complicated question, but it all comes down to this: are you serving your ego or helping your audience? All the attention in the world doesn’t mean a thing if you’re talking about yourself. Instead, every opportunity must be used to show people what you can do for them.
Using “You” Language
If you already have an audience, the odds are good that you already know your personal “why,” “how,” and “where”. This is an excellent start; it guides the types of opportunities you take advantage of and helps motivate you to hustle every day.
But something isn’t quite clicking. And nine times out of ten, your publicity is too focused on you.
The harsh reality is your audience doesn’t spend money because they care about you. They spend money when they feel you care about them and can help meet their needs.
The most potent interviews for generating business are those in which the interviewee makes the entire experience about their audience, not themselves. This can be as simple as shifting from “I” language to “you” language.
For example, instead of saying, “I’m a media coach,” I say, “I help you build and grow your credibility and authority through media exposure.” Think about it in terms of your customer wants or needs. Lean into that for every media opportunity you have.
Utilizing Calls to Action
Sometimes it’s that simple: do you forget to ask your audience to do something?
A “call to action” asks someone to click, buy, read, visit, call, or do something. I’ve found that this is where many of my clients new to publicity get uncomfortable. They would prefer that their audience connect the dots and seek their help.
Unfortunately, that’s not how people work. They must be told clearly and politely what you want them to do. Think of it as an invitation. Your friend could come unannounced to your home, but they probably won’t.
Think about the interviews you’ve seen on TV with successful authors. After the interview, the author or the host will hold up the book and say, “This book is now available from XYZ. Buy it now!” They tell you exactly what to do and how to do it; it doesn’t feel overly aggressive. It feels like an invitation–either you’ll take them up on it, or you won’t.
It would help if you got comfortable delivering calls to action. If you have a product or service that could improve your audience’s life, consider it a favor to let them know how you can help them directly.
If your audience isn’t responding how you’d expect, change how you talk to them. A slight adjustment can go a long way.
