Tag Archives: celebrity media training

The Talented Mr. Trump

https://instagram.com/p/zcyxvhmhac/

If you are worried about Donald Trump becoming President, don’t. There is zero chance of that. There are surface things that need to be in place for someone running for this office. Like having the adoring family standing by your side. I haven’t seen Melania or Ivanka or Donald, Jr., or the other “Trumpettes.” I think he knows all this and deep down, he may not actually want to be President. I do, however, think he wants to keep himself in the public eye and he is the best at that.  Donald Trump is a master of the media.

Think about it: Announcing he’s running, then each business and joint venture partner announcing day after day after day that they’re cutting him off. Then his Arizona speech and all the media coverage. He’s almost never off the front page. His polling is up. The GOP and other candidates are scared. It’s a brilliant strategy.

Trump is immensely entertaining, too. Take a look at his Instagram videos. If you think of him as a bloviator in his public speeches (and he certainly can be), his videos are as short and effective as can be. He does them from his desk and makes one point. I particularly like this one.

As I wrote in my last post, the idea of constantly having to self-promote is exhausting. I think that may be true for me and for others. Maybe it’s introversion. It’s clearly not true for Trump, who seems to love it. I think one has to to be good at it.

Those of us who don’t find it enjoyable simply have to find another way.

 

 

“Nothing’s Ever Off The Record.”

This statement is always included when I’m media training a celebrity or public figure and goes into the comprehensive written summary, as well.

It used to be a celebrity could depend on a reporter when they agreed something would remain off the record. And any well-trained reporter will be respectful of this time-honored arrangement. It’s the others just looking for a scoop and, more and more, the “citizen journalists” with no training or ethical boundaries. And sad to say, they’re everywhere looking for their own 15 minutes of fame.

But it’s not just celebs who have to be careful… we all do. When you’re in public, you’re a target and that goes for all public appearances including social media. As we have seen time and again, the media can either expedite a person’s public ascension, or quickly and devastatingly take him or her down. All of this is controlled through proper training and management. We all must become adept at navigating appearances and media interactions in order to benefit from the upside, while avoiding the “media slide” that is, unfortunately, so common today, where we all are judged and punished by a single misstep. Don’t risk your personal brand.

Quick to fall. Hard to get back up. Brutal. Doesn’t have to happen.