The ability to effectively interact with the media has become a key skill for IT companies. However, many professionals still face difficulties when communicating with journalists.
How can these barriers be overcome to establish a productive dialogue? How should one prepare for challenging questions?
ITCOMMS PR agency offers a solution—specialized media training for IT companies in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and other countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
In this article, Jeanna Skripal, a PR manager with extensive experience in conducting media training, will discuss the specifics of media communication using Kazakhstan as an example.
Features of the Media Landscape
Before delving into the intricacies of media interaction, it is important to understand the specifics of Kazakhstan's media landscape. There are two main types of media here: state-owned and private. Each has its own characteristics that must be considered when interacting with them.
State-Owned Media:
- May have difficulty understanding IT terminology
- Prefer comments from government officials
- Dislike mentioning private companies
These characteristics are primarily due to the fact that journalists from such media often communicate with government bodies and cover related news. They have little time to delve into IT topics, and their audience is very broad.
Examples of media: Tengri, Zakon.kz, inBusiness, Kazinform, and others.
Private Media:
- More likely to understand IT terminology
- Enjoy vibrant business stories
- Respond positively to expert content
Private media make money from advertising and are very focused on increasing the number of readers and subscribers. They are interested in vibrant business stories and expertise, as well as useful materials.
Examples of media: Bluescreen, Digital Business, The Tech, and others.
Main Media Formats
- Press Releases: Used for official announcements of company news. They allow control over the message and ensure wide dissemination of information.
- Interviews: Provide an opportunity to discuss products, services, or the company's position in detail, adding a personal element to your story.
- Expert Articles: Help establish authority in the industry by demonstrating expertise and providing useful information to the target audience.
What Interests the Media?
- Local news related to Kazakhstan
- Unique insights and exclusive information
- Social significance and the impact of companies on society
Globally, the main goal is to obtain an exclusive, high-profile news story. If you have truly significant and important news, both private and state media will be interested.
What News Hooks Are Likely to Attract Interest?
- State-Owned Media: Statements from officials, viral news online, etc.
- Private Media: Stories about money, the development of local entrepreneurs, launches of new unique and useful services, etc.
What Should Not Be Offered:
- Clearly promotional news with no benefit to the industry/society
- Initially false, unverified information, or highly exaggerated claims
From our experience, Kazakhstani journalists appreciate when they are approached with ready, useful, and non-promotional materials. Some media respond well if you have something to supplement a hot news story. However, be prepared that this may take time and result in a new, additional piece.
The most important thing: remember that the speaker and the company are not enemies of the journalist, but allies!
Interesting, useful news is beneficial not only to journalists but also to you, as it will result in more reads and audience attention.
Understanding these specifics will help IT companies more effectively build their communication strategy.
Key Skills for Successful Media Interaction
1. Speak in Plain Language
As mentioned earlier, not all journalists are familiar with specific IT terminology and may not have time to decode jargon (journalists have a high workload, so save their time and nerves). That’s why it’s important to express yourself in clear, accessible language.
Here are some tips to make your messages more accessible:
- Avoid jargon: replace specific terms with understandable analogies
- Support words with numbers: journalists love specifics
- Provide real-life examples: show how your technology solves real problems. This is especially helpful if jargon cannot be avoided.
Don’t try to impress the journalist. I’m sure you’re not their first or last speaker. Instead, help save their precious time and explain everything clearly right away. Trust me, this will positively affect your relationship.
A life hack: imagine you’re explaining a complex technology to your parents. How would you talk about MVP? About cloud technologies? Try telling them about what you do. This little exercise helps me explain the most complex things.
2. Correct Communication Tone
The tone of your communication can greatly influence the final material. Here are key points to consider:
- Be confident but friendly
- Address journalists formally, and talk about your company as “we”
- It’s acceptable to mention successful company cases and industry news
- Professional humor is okay, especially in Kazakh
Avoid:
- Profanity, insults, and discriminatory remarks
- Spreading unverified information
- Biased judgments about journalists or anyone else
- Interrupting the interviewer
- Excessive use of complex terms
- Criticizing competitors
- Controversial topics
3. Remember Your Key Messages and Deliver Them Naturally
It’s not enough to just have a pleasant conversation with a journalist. It’s important to convey your key message and remember this throughout the conversation. However, your key message should not sound like a rehearsed phrase. Instead, it should sound natural.
The main goal of the speaker is to convey key messages and make the journalist fall in love with the company.
How to Prepare for an Interview
A successful interview begins with thorough preparation. Here’s what you need to do:
- Analyze in advance what the media write about you
- Based on the obtained information and considering your business goals, formulate 3-5 key messages about your company
- Prepare specific examples and cases to illustrate your points
- Make a list of potentially difficult questions and prepare answers for them
- Practice responses with colleagues. Let them be tough on you! It’s better to sweat in front of colleagues than fall flat on your face in front of journalists.
During the interview preparation, always remember the specifics of communication with journalists, be correct, use numbers, and express yourself clearly.
I’ll give examples of using key messages + communication tips with the media using a hypothetical cloud service:
Cloud Technologies are Cost-Effective and Accelerate Innovation
Explain what cloud technologies are and how they reduce IT infrastructure costs. For example, tell how cloud technologies sped up the launch of a new product. Additionally, you can provide 2-3 vivid cases of solving a client’s problem. Mention specific figures: how much time/money the client saved.
We Invest in the Development of the Country’s IT Market
Tell how you do this. Launched free courses on working with cloud tools? Say how many people attended your courses, share success stories of students (if there are no success stories, don’t make them up). Collaborate with local technoparks and universities? Mention company names, tell what you have already achieved or plan to do. Remember social significance. If your plans seriously impact the industry’s development in the region or country, emphasize this, explain how you will implement plans and what the industry and country will gain from this.
Data Security is Our Priority
Explain where and how your data is stored. Talk about compliance with local data protection laws, describe technical protection measures: encryption, multi-factor authentication, etc.
Remember: your task is not just to answer the question but to convey the key message.
Use the “bridge” technique to elegantly return to the desired topic. I’ll discuss this further.
Crisis Management
Of course, even with thorough preparation, unexpected situations may arise, or the interview may coincide with an external crisis. How to communicate with the media then?
- Stay calm: remove emotions, speak calmly
- If you notice a misunderstanding of information, politely clarify or correct the journalist
- Be honest: if you don’t know the answer, say “I don’t know, I’ll clarify and get back to you” and then indeed clarify and return
- Don’t hesitate to say “I can’t comment” in response to tricky or inappropriate questions
- Use the “bridge” technique: steer the conversation to key messages
In our training, we practice these techniques on real scenarios so you are ready for any surprises.
One of the working tools is the “Bridge” technique. It helps convey key information even in an inappropriate context.
Key components of this technique:
- Listen carefully to the interviewer’s questions
- Even if the question seems provocative or uncomfortable, respond confidently and calmly
- Avoid directly denying the question: Instead of saying “I don’t want to answer this question,” use a softer, more diplomatic approach that allows you to shift to another topic without outright refusal. Linking phrases will help with this.
Examples of linking phrases:
- “That’s an important question, but the key point here is…”
- “I understand your interest; however, more relevant is…”
- “Before we continue, I want to emphasize…”
How to Become an Expert for the Media
To become a sought-after expert for the media, follow these tips:
- Stay up-to-date with trends in your industry
- Regularly read industry publications and blogs
- Participate in professional forums and online discussions
- Analyze reports from research companies
- Provide journalists with verified data and insights
- Collect statistics on your market
- Conduct your own research and surveys
- Share unique data that competitors don’t have
- Be ready to comment on current topics
- Keep up with the latest industry news
- Prepare templates for comments on frequently discussed topics
- Respond promptly to journalists' requests, and better yet, proactively approach them with comments and news
- Create content related to the local market
- Write articles about the specifics of your market
-
Compare local trends with global ones
- Share your vision of the industry’s development in your region
- Help journalists understand complex IT terms
- Explain technical concepts with understandable analogies
- Offer to hold training sessions for journalists
- Participate in industry events and give presentations
- Regularly speak at conferences and forums
- Participate in panel discussions as an expert
- Organize your own events for the press
Remember: becoming an expert for the media is a long-term strategy. Be consistent, reliable, and always ready to help journalists.
This way, you will become the go-to source for comments and insights.
In our media training, we thoroughly cover all these points and develop a clear action plan.
Why Media Training is Important
ITCOMMS media training will help your team:
- Understand the specifics of Kazakhstani media
- Master the right tone for communicating with journalists
- Learn to convey key messages
- Confidently answer tough questions
- Handle crisis situations
Our training is based on practical experience and real cases. We will help your team speak the same language as journalists and effectively promote your brand in Kazakhstan’s media space.
Conclusion
Effective media communication is a skill that can and should be developed. Understanding the specifics of the country’s media landscape, the ability to speak plainly about complex technologies, the right communication tone, and readiness for unexpected situations are all key elements of a successful communication strategy.
ITCOMMS media training will help your IT company build productive relationships with the media, strengthen its reputation, and effectively convey its messages to the target audience. By investing in developing media communication skills, you invest in the future of your business.
Ready to improve your media communication skills?Contact us for more information about ITCOMMS media training. Together, we will make your voice louder and more influential in the media space of Central Asia and the Caucasus: welcome@itcomms.io Uzbekistan +998 99 892 01 68 Kazakhstan +777 70 25 57 65