I was quoted in an article on CBSnews.com today – Workers who remain after job cuts feel “layoff survivor guilt” by Megan Cerullo. 

This is a current and important topic, given the bloodbath of layoffs in the tech industry. The reporter reached out to me at 9 PM and we scheduled a time to talk the following morning. I was super excited and even set two alarms to make sure I would get up and be ready.

We had a great conversation. At the end, she asked me if I could connect her with one of my clients. I said I would reach out, but I wasn’t sure anyone would be willing to go on record about what it felt like to remain at the company after a layoff.  

I was wrong. One client responded immediately and talked to the reporter. That made me look good and was valuable to the reporter. 

Unfortunately, the article went in a slightly different direction than what she and I had talked about, as can happen, and I only got a single sentence with my name as a mention. 

It’s fine. I made a connection with a reporter and was quoted on a major news website. That’s a win. 

Keep perspective

But imagine it had been a juicy quote with my company’s name or my new book’s title. It’s easy to think that a media mention or radio/TV interview will boost your business. We imagine that our mention or interview will send us customers dying to buy from us, like the stories about Oprah mentioning a product and sales going through the roof.

Unfortunately, this is rarely the case.

One of my best friends from college is a successful career coach in New York. I am very grateful she shared that all her TV interviews, which I was slightly envious of, hadn’t generated one client lead.

She echoed what I have heard Carol say frequently: the real value comes from the social proof (you must be an expert if you were mentioned on xx), and the promotion you do on the back end of that mention or interview.

Clearly, media placements and mentions have value or people wouldn’t pay PR professionals to get them.

Promote your mention 

Promote your mention on social media. If it is an important one, reach out to friends and followers and ask them to comment on it and share it.

I understand this seems like a lot of work, but there are potentially big payoffs. Social proof is only becoming more important – what OTHER people say about you is way more valuable than what you say about your expertise, products, or services.

Imagine a prospect coming to your website or social media platforms and seeing where you have been quoted or interviewed. Guest blogging counts too. It makes a big difference in a prospect’s perception of you. Your prospect will take you more seriously, and hopefully will want to learn more about you and your products or services.

Interviews and mentions give you a chance to shine. Knowledge nuggets and sound bites are what are shared more frequently on social media. Use them to your advantage! 

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash