Tweet

Never say "no comment" to the media

Written by: Sarah O'Brien

Article Overview: For those who understand the value and the power of the media, 'no comment’ is never an acceptable response. In fact, in most cases, it is the audio equivalent of getting your company logo, smearing it in mud and placing in the middle of your nearest city for all to see.

Never say "no comment" to the media

Why is “no comment” a ‘no no’? – because nobody actually hears you say it. If asked in a TV interview, “When did you company know that its products had been tampered with, and what was the first thing you did about it” – a reply of “no comment” automatically translates into: “we didn’t find out soon enough and, when we were aware, we didn’t really do what we should have done”. This reply is automatically formulated in people’s subconscious whether it’s anywhere near the truth or not. And it’s not just the general public that becomes skeptical, but also the media – and a skeptical journalist see’s “no comment” as a big red waving flag saying ‘hello, look over here, dig deeper and don’t stop until you find something!’. If you’re lucky enough to have a journalist contact you and ask for comment on an industry issue, and you respond with “no comment” you are essentially saying to them, “we don’t take these issues seriously, we don’t care about these issues and I don’t take the media seriously” and you’d be lucky to get anything but a cold shoulder from the journalist in the future.

Even moments of conflict and crisis are opportunities to reinforce your business’ main messages, and continue to act in the responsible and credible manner that your business is (hopefully!) known for in less turbulent times. This comes down to knowing your main, core messages and calmly reinforcing them at every opportunity. If you can do this, then a crisis or conflict merely becomes another opportunity to spread your message.

So question: “Has the employee been formally arrested?” could be met with the response: “Unfortunately, that is a question you will need to confirm with the relevant authorities” ….followed by a positive reinforcement about how the business is internally handling the situation etc.

With a solid understanding of your messages, and sound media training, your business spokesperson can make the most of any situation.

Related Articles
  Successfully handling crisis communications
  How to Prevent Foot In Mouth Disease When Dealing With The Media A Prescription From The PR Doctor
  Media survival tactics in an economic downturn
  19 Pitfalls to avoid when dealing with the Mass Media for your Business Story
  Stop All Your Social Media Marketing Right Now

Article Tags: TV interview



Related Forum Posts
Re: Businesswomen in the news - Hey hey hey....Calm down. What you are forgetting and the press isnt taking into consideration the rise of entrepreneurship. Women arent leaving the workforce, they are starting their own workforces... A few years ago I was president of the Canadian Association of Women Executives. I got a call from Global National who wanted a comment on the fact that women were leaving corporate Canada in droves....and what did I think about it......was it the glass ceiling etc.. Well, its because women are flocking to entrepreneurship but ladies, that doesnt make the news. the media is looking for information that will prove their 'the economy is in a slump'.... It simply isnt true. There are more women starting and running their own businesses than we've ever seen. Dont forget that the media is out for the media and scare tactics and bad news gets the coverage.... J
Re: Can you help Evan? - Hi Evan I wanted to leave a comment, I saw the comments below but there was no box to put a comment in. I even tried clicking on the title of the article as in some blogs that brings the comment box up, but no luck. Loved the video. MichelleJ
Re: Real Estate via social networking? - Now day’s people love to busy on Social media websites especially on Facebook. They are also using internet for all other usual task of their life. They are getting all things on social media sites that's why social media transfer lot traffic to website.
Re: How do you monitor what people say about you in the web? - You can also make a network on social media website through which you can also notice things about you and your website. You can also comment or reply to make the conversation better.
Re: I thought social sites were a waste of time. How wrong I was - According to my point of view Social media sites play vital role in online promotion. You can interact with your customer and improve your services and even you can spread your business everywhere through social media sites. Now days people use social media sites to interact with their friends, family and everyone. Below are the famous Social media sites: 1. Facebook 2. Twitter 3. LinkedIn 4. Myspace 5. Google+


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Are You Too Good for Your Job?

The Biggest Domain Name Myth

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.