In reading a recent issue of Financial Planning, James Grubman of JamesGrubman.com wrote about watching The Today Show one day. While watching an interview with a well-known commentator from CNBC, he realized that she was doing an exceptionally good job explaining an esoteric market issue in plain language. As he noted, then:
"I suddenly was struck by the revelation: She knows she's not on CNBC. She's on The Today Show. You don't talk "CNBC" on The Today Show. The CNBC guest knew how to adapt her message for a mainstream, nonprofessional audience.... It was not about her. It was about helping the audience members understand a troubling issue so that they could make some decisions."
I've noticed in reading many news releases that there are quite a few book authors who talk CNBC when they are on The Today Show. They get so caught up in their specialized knowledge that they fail to communicate to an audience that doesn't know as much as they do. It not only happens in news releases. It also happens in books, on TV shows, on radio shows, in speeches, on websites, etc.
When writing your news releases, don't talk CNBC. Talk The Today Show. Even when you are aiming at a professional audience. Keep it simple. Keep it clear. You'll reach a much larger audience that way.
