Partner Article

Innovative new online video training gives PR boost

Many of Britain’s smaller companies are missing out on the chance to raise their profile and build sales through effective use of the media. As the cameras roll or the reporter’s pencil hovers expectantly, business owners frequently lose their nerve and fail to get across their message, wasting a golden opportunity. However, there is now an answer with the launch of Complete Media Confidence for the Smaller Business, a specially-tailored five part online video training course from one of Britain’s most respected media training experts.

For smaller businesses, investing in expensive face-to-face media training may appear to be a cost they just can’t afford, which can often result in opportunities for media exposure being missed due to fears of being misquoted, or a crisis dealt with poorly, as difficult questions leave the interviewee tongue-tied.

Help is at hand from new coaching company, Media Training Online, providing a cost-effective way to help small business owners and entrepreneurs get the best out of dealing with journalists. Founded by ex-BBC business journalist and ‘Media Doctor’ Tom Maddocks, Complete Media Confidence for the Smaller Business delivers over two hours of video material, allowing smaller companies to receive the kind of inside information usually reserved for big-company media training. The course saves the time taken out of the office to attend an external course, providing top-quality instant expertise at the click of a mouse. The course includes a special module on how to Use the Media to Build Your Business.

In addition, the company’s Media Doctor service provides individual interview coaching and practice by phone, which complements the online material and completes the package. Using this service, you can practice the tough questions for your own business and sharpen up your message with the Complete Media Confidence presenters.

“As a BBC reporter I found some companies were brilliant at getting their message over and building their profile, but many others had no idea how to interest the journalist in what they were doing, or spoke in jargon,” says Tom Maddocks. “In many cases they missed out on thousands of pounds worth of exposure. So we developed this course to show people what to do, using plenty of demonstration interviews to get the points across.”

Apart from paid-for courses, the website plays host to a wealth of free tips and information including MTO’s unique Essential Media Training Toolkit. There are excerpts from Media Training Online’s programmes and videos, showing amusing examples of where interviews have gone seriously wrong - such as the notorious Katie Couric interview with Sarah Palin.

Find out:

What journalists are looking for

How to get your message across in any interview

What works (and doesn’t) on radio and TV

How to deal with difficult questions

Training is provided over five modules, delivered by Tom Maddocks and fellow ex-BBC journalist Linda Lewis, in streamed video format. The Complete Media Confidence course costs just: £225.

The Media Doctor service costs from £135

Tom Maddocks

Acknowledged as one of the UK’s leading media training experts, Tom has over 20 years experience in all elements of broadcast and print media. His impressive CV includes a five-year stint as a reporter on BBC2’s ‘The Money Programme’. In addition to television, Tom has worked for BBC Radio and written pieces for The Times, Independent and Mail on Sunday. Tom now provides media training for some of the UK’s largest companies, and his views have been quoted in the Sunday Times, Independent and Financial Times.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Maddocks .