Which messenger should the media shoot?

Written by Phil Hayes from Hayes Collins Media Ltd

When we’re watching the television or listening to the radio, we tend to treat what someone says differently, depending on who they are.

As a spokesperson for your company, the chief executive or programme director plainly does have status, but it only goes so far.

Sooner or later, audiences will think “well, she would say that, wouldn’t she?”

That’s why we should all approach communications as a jigsaw. Sure enough, your senior leaders should be front and centre, able to tell people what makes your organisation different and better than the others, but if they can be stood alongside someone who’s benefited from your service it’s even more powerful.

On Woman’s Hour, we heard from the mother of a child with Special Educational Needs discussing the emotional impact of battling for inclusion. I was struck by how much more powerfully her personal experience made the case than any number of slick and professional charity CEOs could have done.

But what if you can’t get an end user to stand alongside you? In that case, you can draw on their experiences to tell the story of your brand, service or charity.

Many times we’ve advised charities to talk about the people they’ve helped.

If you say, truthfully, something like this, you’ll be on to a winner: “Last week I was working with a mother who was struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and couldn’t balance the competing demands of heating and eating. We put her in touch with a grant scheme that will help her right now and discussed techniques for batch cooking to make her weekly shop last longer in future.”

Of course not every organisation has a fund of heartwarming stories to draw upon, but even corporates can benefit from this approach. What do your staff or customers say they like about your product or service? Have you won an award or been commended by an industry body? Drawing on outside endorsement builds trust. Stories and examples boost memorability. Win-win.

As a side benefit, it’s easy for reporters to take issue with policies. It’s harder for them to argue against real life experiences. The more your content is based on concrete examples, the less likely you’ll get into an aggressive back and forth with the journalist that leaves you on the defensive.

So messages do matter, but equally, who delivers those messages is vitally important.