Something very foreign happened to me today. I appeared in a magazine and the interview was not by me, it was about me.
Any journos out there will know we make the worst interviewees. Thanks to the efforts of our agency Red PR, I’ve been getting used to doing radio interviews over the last few weeks, but they’ve all been about the magazine or research we’ve carried out. I’ve not exactly enjoyed it but I’m getting used to it. Seeing a story all about little old me and my personal life however, was a different kettle of fish. Boy, did I cringe, and not just because they picked an awful photo of me but because the whole purpose of this article was to big me up as a local success story/English import. How embarrassing?! (Ground swallow me up now, please).
The experience has taught me a few things though.
Firstly, this publicity is undoubtedly good PR for Dynamic Business and sometimes you have to suck it up (even if it’s not very cool and it makes you feel uncomfortable) and see the bigger picture. Dynamic Business is my baby, it was my idea for us to get a PR agency on board, so when we get exposure I should be happy, and grateful, not whingeing. But I am the whingeing pom, so…
Secondly, I am vain (nothing new there) and nobody else out there thinks I look as hideous in that photo as I do (I hope!). So I need to get over myself.
Thirdly, it’s amazing what some people find interesting. I personally don’t find my career history that exciting but this magazine obviously thinks its readers will. So while you may not think you or your business have an interesting tale to tell, you’re probably wrong. It might just take a PR professional to work out what the angle is and convince the media, that’s all.
