Establishing a Spokesperson as an Expert

How do you establish a spokesperson as an expert among media and bloggers?

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By Jennifer Manocchio

This is a strategy we often use for clients to help increase brand awareness for a company or product, establish credibility and differentiate themselves from their competitors.  It is a process and does take time.

The key to positioning a company spokesperson as an expert is to first identify what areas he or she is truly an expert in and identify what makes him or her an expert.  For example, if he or she is an expert in the cleaning products industry, identify what specifically he or she can discuss about cleaning products.  Can he or she discuss chemical make-up, cleaning tips for specific surfaces, marketing, packaging or distribution?

Additionally, be sure to provide solid credentials to support your spokesperson as an expert.  This can include how many years he or she worked in the industry, education, accreditations, training, workshops/presentations he or she conducted and past media who have used him or her as a resource.

Second, create a biography using the information you have gathered that identifies why your spokesperson is an expert and what makes him or her an expert.  Third, let key gatekeepers like influential media and bloggers know he or she is an expert by sending them the biography.

But it doesn’t stop there.  It is imperative to continue providing the media and bloggers with relevant information for their audience related to your spokesperson’s expertise.  This can be accomplished a number of ways, including contacting media and bloggers with your expert’s opinion on recent news or events, sending media and bloggers tips or industry trends your expert identifies or comments on, and responding to media and blogger resources like ProfNet, HARO and PitchRate when your expert can be a resource. You can also schedule interviews with media and bloggers when your expert is attending industry shows/events, but be sure to give the media and bloggers a reason why your expert is worth their time. This is where dedication and continuous communication with the media and bloggers will pay off.

The most exciting aspect about establishing your spokesperson as an expert is the more exposure he or she receives, the more credibility he or she gains and the easier it becomes!

Have questions or want to learn more about establishing your spokesperson as an expert?  Contact me at jennifer at sweeneypr.com or 910.772.1688.

Jim Sweeney

CEO & COO

Jim is a veteran of the agency industry and the founder of Sweeney. He is uncommonly passionate about the idea of creating and implementing insanely great marketing campaigns that achieve insanely great results. He pioneered the full-service, full-circle agency model and continues to forge new ideas in an ever-changing industry. And he is accessible to everyone about anything, seemingly all the time, serving as a mentor to all agency personnel and clients.