Checklist For Successful Media Briefings: Delivery And Follow Through

Forbes

10-07-2025

With the groundwork prepared in advance, now it's showtime!
The first part of this post focused on the groundwork of preparing for the press conference itself. Here we look at how to conduct yourself during and after the event for maximum impact.
It's Showtime!
1. Keep Your Remarks Short and Simple
Convey your key messages with a high-level view to what's new and why it's important. Don't feel obliged to demonstrate the breadth of your expertise. The more you wade into the weeds of detail or ramble into distant realms, the more you dilute your impact.
Avoid sector jargon, acronyms, and marketing buzzwords like 'holistic' and 'growth hacking.' As noted previously, journalists in your audience may be newcomers and you don't want to lose them. Even sector specialists will appreciate simple explanations and real-life examples. Simple terms also leave less room for mistakes and misinterpretation.
2. Breathing and Reading
Remember to breathe. Many speakers get so nervous or high from adrenaline that they speak at the speed of light. That makes it hard for the audience to understand what you're saying. It's also tough on your body. Take a breath at the end of each sentence. Added benefit: Pauses bring gravitas to your delivery.
Don't read your script -- or the PowerPoint -- line by line. The folks in the room or online can see your slides. What they need from you is an understanding of what's important and why. Highlight and summarize the essential takeaways.
3. Manage the Question-and-Answer Session
Some may advise you to "plant" questions in the audience to make sure the Q&A stays in your comfort zone. While you might have a friendly face prepare a first question to break the ice, if the session seems rigged, journalists will catch on fast. I attended one such Soviet-style briefing when I was a journalist.
In my experience, the founders or CEOs of family-held companies are more prone to wanting – or even expecting -- softball questions. I call that the 'Ivory Tower effect.' They're not used to being challenged. A well-rounded CEO will be more familiar with journalists' common practices, including tough questions.
Most importantly, save the conclusion of your presentation for after Q&A. When you take the final question, immediately pivot to your conclusion. This gives you a chance to restate your key messages so they remain fresh in reporters' minds as they leave the screen or room.
4. Don't Play Favorites
Online briefings offer the opportunity to choose questions from the chat or to select certain journalists to speak and not others. Systematically avoiding certain topics or people can raise eyebrows, however. In general, if you are convening journalists to a briefing, you should treat them equally. If questions go too long or are off topic, offer to pursue the discussion later, one-on-one.
If you're holding a hybrid briefing, don't forget to take questions from the online participants.
It's Not Over Until It's Over
In sports we say, 'swing all the way through the pitch,' because it's in the follow through that your swing gains power. Delivering your remarks is connecting with the ball. Following through, knocks it out of the park.
5. Remain Available After the Event
When I was a journalist, I used to receive news releases from a blue-chip company after the stock market close. I could never ask follow-up questions though because the communications team had already gone home. The Communications Director had decided that life was easier that way and he was right: journalists stopped calling because they knew no one would answer. They had to rely on the press release contents.
In today's fast-paced world, that clearly is not possible.
Still, too often busy execs will leave immediately after a briefing, thinking their job is done. In fact, that can short-change your event.
As part of your briefing schedule, make sure you and other key experts, as well as your PR team, remain available to manage follow-up queries and interview opportunities. In addition to providing more depth and color for better coverage, this contributes to establishing or maintaining good relationships with journalists and their media outlets.
6. No Thanks
Many clients have asked if it's appropriate to send a thank-you note to a journalist after a positive story. As a former journalist, I feel strongly that it's not. Reporters are doing their job and not doing you or your company a favor; a thank-you note could imply otherwise. Journalists I know are uncomfortable in such situations. The best approach is to maintain a good working relationship and keep treating them as the important stakeholders that they are. Invitations to lunch for 'background' conversations are a good middle ground between a 'thank you' and 'we're keeping it professional.'
Using my checklist for laying the groundwork in advance of press events sets you up for a successful media briefing. Additionally, following these simple steps during and after the presentation will help achieve your media objectives.