By: Marissa Dunn, Vice President, Media Strategy, Peppercomm, a Ruder Finn Company
“20 seconds back.”
I’m rewriting a script with one hand while transferring the guest we just booked to the audio booth for a sound check with the other hand. The director is counting us back from commercial break.
“3…2…1…and we’re live!”
We just tore up the show’s rundown for breaking news again. There isn’t time for much input. Someone has to decide what matters most.
Before entering the world of public relations, I spent nearly two decades as a television news producer at ABC News, Bloomberg Television, Fox News and Fox Business. I worked thousands of hours in live control rooms covering everything from wars and major world events to financial crises, blockbuster IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and breaking corporate news. Every day was different. Every news cycle brought a new challenge. But one lesson remained constant. The best storytelling isn’t always about saying more. Instead, it’s about knowing what matters most.
Working in a live control room teaches you to develop what I like to call “editorial instinct.” When you only have seconds to make a decision, you don’t have the luxury of overthinking.
Ironically, outside of work I’m a chronic overthinker. Just ask my husband how many times I’ll change my mind about what’s for dinner.
But in the control room, there wasn’t time for second-guessing. You learned to quickly identify the headline, determine what made a story different and decide why an audience should care.
Those same instincts have shaped how I approach media strategy today.
Whenever I begin working on a story or developing a media pitch, I ask myself two simple questions:
- What’s the headline?
- What’s the one thing no one else is saying?If you can answer those two questions, you’re on your way to finding a differentiated viewpoint in a sea of sameness.
If you can answer those two questions, you’re on your way to finding a differentiated viewpoint in a sea of sameness.
Too often, communicators start with information instead of insight. We have pages of background materials, dozens of talking points and every possible proof point. While all that context is valuable, it can also make it harder to identify the actual story.
The reality is that reporters and producers aren’t looking for another company to tell them it’s embracing AI, transforming its business or navigating change. Nearly every organization is saying some version of the same thing.
What they’re looking for is a perspective they haven’t heard before.
That’s the same question we asked every guest we booked during breaking news.
- What’s your take?
- What is no one talking about that people should be talking about right now?
The answers to those questions often determined whether someone was the right guest for the segment. They also helped shape the conversation itself.
Another lesson from the control room was that how you introduce an expert matters almost as much as what they say.
When you’re producing live television, there isn’t time to write a lengthy guest intro. You have one or two sentences to explain why viewers should trust this person.
I think about that often when developing strategies today.
Rather than leading with a job title, I ask: what makes this person uniquely qualified to comment? What experience gives them authority that others don’t have? Why should a reporter choose this expert instead of someone else?
Those questions often uncover the real story.
Whether you’re writing thought leadership, developing a media pitch or preparing an executive for an interview, that editorial instinct can make the difference between content that’s simply informative and storytelling that demands attention.
Because in today’s fragmented media landscape, attention is scarce. Reporters are inundated with hundreds of pitches every day. Audiences are constantly deciding what deserves their time.
The communicators who stand out aren’t necessarily the ones with the most information.
They’re the ones who can cut through the noise, identify the headline and tell the story no one else is telling.
