Originally appeared in PR Newswire's Media Insider
Monday, April 23, 2001 - 5:24 p.m. EDT - 11:24 p.m. GMT
Reprinted with the author's permission.

So you want to be quoted? Getting the interview is only part of the challenge. Ensuring your quote is actually used is the other.

Competition is fierce. Many reporters use services such as ProfNet to gather resources for their stories. Often they receive hundreds of responses in just hours, interviewing the best candidates. Here's how to ensure your quote is the one reporters choose:

A good, useable quote may look simple, but it's not easy on short notice. Very few people can come up with a colorful, pithy quote on the fly. It takes advance preparation. You need to determine your point of view or theme upfront. No matter what the question, this should be at the root of your answer.

For example, at Vorhaus & Company, our point of view is that public relations is classic storytelling for business. In a recent interview with a Dow Jones reporter on aggressive PR tactics in the technology sector, I was able to draw a comparison between taking pot shots at a competitor and professional wrestling. "It's a sport and it certainly has an audience, but it's not what any buyer and certainly any CEO aspires to do when in a public forum." This perspective reinforces that every CEO can have an audience, but the question is: What is the quality of the audience and what will be its perspective on your story? Even if you need to give a quick comment, by remembering your point of view, you will ensure that your key messages are covered.

The taxi-cab driver test is another reliable indicator. If a cab driver that knows nothing about your business can understand what you're saying, you can be sure your quote is distilled to a common denominator.

When creating your quotes, it's helpful to remember these three categories:

Majestic. These are weighty, substantial quotes that will endure, the type editors love to pull out as a way to highlight a story. The New York Times recently selected this simple, yet effective, quote from Sir Anthony O'Reilly of Waterford Wedgwood, Independent News & Media and, formerly, H.J. Heinz, for a profile piece: "Your authority flows from your performance." We'll see those words again.

Simplification. Certainly, religion is complicated. To simplify it, Rodney Stark, a professor of sociology at the University of Washington, used this analogy in a recent New York Times interview. "The basic point is that any society would be better served by many different religions focusing on -- if you want to use market language -- different market segments. I'm sure we drink more soda pop because there are 20 companies out there, rather than just Coke." Using a comparison to a common product like soda demystifies the subject of religious pluralism.

Reference Point. When using statistics or numbers to illustrate a point, make sure they clarify, not confuse. For instance, Lynn Ridenour, vice president of marketing, GreaterGood.com Inc., explained the significance of donations this way in a recent Fast Company article: "Clicking a button to do something like donating 1.5 cups of staple food may seem like a small thing, but consider this: more than 77 million visitors have donated 11,000 metric tons of food on the Hunger Site…" Numbers take on meaning and relevance by supplying a reference point everyone can relate to.

More than anything, it is critical that your quotes are fresh and illustrative, not cliché. Forget expressions such as "out-of-the-box" and "change the paradigm." Be bold, expressive and passionate. What's the point of giving a quote when, at the end of the day, you're just not quoted?