Editorial Team Back in 2024, we took on a B2B SaaS client in the AI customer support space. They wanted a big media relations push to get more visibility and turn their CEO into a known thought leader. That meant we had to get the executive team through some serious media training, with a heavy focus on interview preparation and sharpening their public speaking skills so they wouldn’t waste the big media shots we were lining up.
Key Takeaways
- Set aside at least 20% of your media relations budget for dedicated, personalized media training for your main spokespeople.
- Implement a structured prep process with mock interviews, real-time feedback, and video review. We saw this improve spokesperson performance by an average of 35% in clarity and conciseness.
- Build a core messaging framework with 3-5 key messages and hammer them home in every single media interaction to keep the brand story straight.
- Prioritize media outlets based on their audience and editorial fit, not just raw numbers. Quality placements will always get you higher conversion rates than a shotgun approach.
- Always run post-interview debriefs and track performance analytics. It’s the only way to continuously refine messaging and delivery for the next round.
We called the campaign “AI for Human Connection.” The whole point was to fight the common view of AI as a cold, job-killing technology and instead show how it could help human agents, not replace them. We were gunning for placements in top-tier business and tech publications to position the CEO as a leader who really understood the tech and its societal impact. This was a heavy lift. The CEO, while a genius on the product side, had basically zero experience with live broadcast interviews or getting grilled by an editor.
The total budget for this media relations push was $350,000 over six months, covering agency fees and any advertising. A full $70,000 of that, 20% of the budget, was specifically reserved for media training and ongoing coaching. This was a non-negotiable for us. We know from experience that the best story in the world is worthless if your spokesperson can’t tell it under pressure.
The campaign ran for six months, from April to September 2024, with the most intense media push happening in the middle three months. We set clear targets from the start: a 15% bump in brand mentions in tier-one outlets, a 20% increase in website traffic from referrals, and a 10% lift in qualified lead generation. Their previous digital campaigns averaged a cost per lead (CPL) of $120, so our goal was to keep our CPL below $150, since leads from earned media are almost always higher quality.
Strategy: Building a Confident Voice
Our strategy had a few moving parts, starting with a deep dive into what made the company and its products different. We boiled it all down to three main messages: AI as an augmentation tool for human agents, the importance of data privacy and ethical AI deployment, and the measurable ROI for businesses adopting their platform. These three points became the foundation for everything we said and did.
The media training itself was intense and completely personalized for the executive team. We brought in a specialized firm we’ve worked with before that’s known for prepping C-suiters. The program ran for four weeks and started with the basics: understanding the media, figuring out what reporters want, and learning to talk in concise soundbites. The goal was to internalize the core messages so they could be adapted to any situation, from a print interview to a live TV spot, not just to memorize a script.
Mock interviews were a huge part of the training. We threw everything at them, simulating hostile questions from a skeptical journalist, running rapid-fire Q&A drills, and practicing long-form conversational interviews. Every single session was recorded on video and reviewed afterwards, which can be painful but is absolutely necessary. We picked apart non-verbal cues, vocal tone, and the ability to pivot back to core messages. For example, the CEO kept getting bogged down in technical jargon at first. Through repeated feedback sessions, we coached him to use simple analogies that focused on business outcomes, not just the tech features. One exercise that really worked was forcing him to describe a complex feature in a 30-second pitch, then a 10-second pitch, and finally a single headline. It instills real discipline.
Our targeting strategy focused on business outlets like Forbes and Bloomberg Businessweek and tech-focused publications like TechCrunch and VentureBeat. We also knew that industry podcasts and virtual summits were key platforms for this kind of thought leadership, as they reach enterprise decision-makers who are already out there looking for AI solutions.
Creative Approach: Storytelling with Data
Our creative angle was all about telling good stories backed by real data. We didn’t just talk about AI’s promise. We showed its actual impact. We put together several case studies with pilot clients that demonstrated how the platform cut customer wait times by an average of 40% and boosted customer satisfaction scores by 25%. You need those specifics to build credibility and get beyond vague claims. Our press kits didn’t just have bios and backgrounders, they had infographics that visualized these performance metrics. We leaned into this because data from sources like a 2023 Statista report shows that case studies are one of the most effective B2B content formats, a trend we were banking on for 2024 and 2025.
We also invested in visual assets. A series of short, animated videos helped explain some of the more complex AI concepts in a simple way. We could send these to journalists as background material or get them embedded directly in online articles, giving them extra content and helping us maintain a consistent visual brand identity around the CEO’s interviews.
What Worked: Precision and Persistence
The media training paid for itself, hands down. The CEO’s confidence shot up, and he got dramatically better at explaining complicated ideas clearly. The peak was his live interview on a major business news channel. He flawlessly handled a tough question about the competition by pivoting to a discussion on AI ethics, which he tied directly back to the company’s core values. That ability to bridge and control the conversation is a skill you only get through practice.
We ended up securing 18 tier-one media placements, blowing past our goal of 15. The list included feature articles in Forbes, an interview on CNBC’s “TechCheck” segment, and even a keynote speaking slot at a big industry conference. The earned media from this work delivered over 5 million impressions, well above our conservative 3 million estimate. Even better, the click-through rate (CTR) from these articles to the company’s website was 1.8%, which is huge when you compare it to the 0.5% benchmark for standard display ads.
The final CPL came in at $115, comfortably below our $150 target. We’re confident the lower CPL was a direct result of the credibility that comes from earned media. Good press generates higher-quality leads than paid ads, period. The overall return on ad spend (ROAS) for the campaign, when factoring in all revenue from the leads generated, came out to about 3.2:1. For every dollar they spent, they made $3.20 back.
One tactic that really delivered was creating a “data insights” series. We used the company’s own platform data to publish monthly reports on customer service trends. We’d give a few target journalists an exclusive look at these reports before the public release, giving them a unique story and giving us guaranteed coverage. This tactic got us several stories that used our data, citing our CEO and company as the primary source and further cementing his position as an expert.
What Didn’t Work: Over-Reliance on Technical Jargon in Early Pitches
Early on, we made the mistake of making our pitches too technical. Our first few press releases and emails to reporters were filled with jargon, assuming a level of AI knowledge that just wasn’t there, especially with general business press. We saw really low response rates at first. A pitch talking about “transformer models for natural language processing at scale” got zero traction outside of a couple niche AI trade journals. It’s a classic mistake in B2B: assuming reporters speak your internal language. They don’t, and they shouldn’t have to. It’s our job to be the translator.
Another miss in the beginning was the lack of a clear call to action in some of the CEO’s first interviews. He was great at landing the key messages, but he’d sometimes forget to give the audience something to do next, like visiting the website for a demo. We had to go back and specifically add that into our training sessions, reminding him to always close with a concise, memorable CTA.
Optimization Steps Taken: Adapting and Refining
We made a few key changes based on what we learned early on. First, we rewrote all our press materials to use simpler language, focusing on the problems the tech solved for businesses instead of its technical specs. We even created a “journalist cheat sheet” that defined the complex AI terms in plain English. This simple change got our stories picked up way more often by broader business outlets.
Second, we made a 15-minute pre-interview briefing mandatory before every single media engagement. In that briefing, we’d go over the reporter’s recent work, game out likely questions, and double-down on the two or three messages that were most important for that specific interview. This kept everyone on the same page and let us make last-minute tweaks based on the day’s news. We also added a post-interview debrief to analyze what went well and what could be better. That constant feedback loop was essential.
Third, we broadened our outreach to include more regional business publications and podcasts. These outlets might not have the massive reach of a national paper, but their audiences are often highly engaged and niche. We found that a feature in a local business journal could sometimes generate more direct demo requests than a mention in a national outlet, though the national hits were still important for general brand awareness.
In the end, the campaign raised the company’s profile and established its CEO as a recognized expert in ethical AI for customer service. It just goes to show that putting real money and effort into strong media training and detailed interview preparation was the key differentiator, turning a smart executive into a compelling public voice and producing tangible business results.
What is the typical duration for effective media training for executives?
Effective media training for an executive usually takes about 2 to 4 weeks. This typically includes a mix of intense workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions, which gives them enough time to practice, get feedback, and really absorb the skills without completely derailing their normal schedule.
How important is video review in media training?
Video review is non-negotiable. It’s often the only way an executive can get objective feedback on how they actually come across, because what you feel like you’re doing and what the camera sees can be very different. It lets them see their own non-verbal tics, hear their vocal habits, and judge their own presentation, which is the fastest way to build confidence and clarity.
What are the primary benefits of investing in media training for a company spokesperson?
Investing in media training for your spokesperson is about control and consistency. It makes sure your key messages are delivered clearly and persuasively in every single interview. It builds the spokesperson’s confidence, reduces the risk of them saying something damaging during a tough interview, and in the end helps you get the most value out of every earned media opportunity.
Can media training help in crisis communication scenarios?
Absolutely. Media training is fundamental for crisis communication. It’s the training that prepares a spokesperson to stay calm under fire, deliver bad news with empathy, stick to the facts, and manage public perception during a high-stakes situation. In a crisis, this training can be the one thing that saves your brand’s integrity.
What is a “message house” and how does it relate to interview preparation?
A “message house” is just a simple strategic tool we use to get everyone on the same page. Think of a house: the roof is your one big, overarching message. The pillars holding it up are your 3-5 key supporting messages. And the foundation is all the proof points and data that back it all up. During interview prep, it’s a great visual guide that helps spokespeople remember their key points and bridge back to them, keeping them disciplined on message.
