Here is how he built Help A Reporter Out and how you can build something big, too:
- Transparency. Be real. Be honest. Deal with everything as fast as you can. When you're transparent, you'll shut down problems and make everyone accountable for their actions (including you!).
- Relevance. Give your audience what they want — how they want it. How do you know what your audience prefers to receive their information? Ask them. Find out more about your audience/customers than anyone else in the business and treat them well.
- Brevity. The world has a shorter attention span than ever now. You only have 140 characters or 2.6 seconds to work with, it seems. Learn to write. Shankman says, "You will be eliminated if you don't know how to write."
- Top of Mind. Stay in touch with your audience and be nice. Take a page from Barry Diller a broadcasting exec responsible for the success of Paramount, Fox and USA Broadcasting. Diller made a habit of calling 10 people every day, just to say "hello" or find out how they were doing. If you make your conversations 80% about the other person, you'll go much further than if you talk about yourself incessantly.
So wish I could have gone! Love the wrap-up and I totally agree with it all. My favorite part is having a backup plan for success. Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteHey Emily -
ReplyDeleteThis was a pretty awesome event. I love it when people share what they learned from events like this...so, I'm just sharing the love. Thanks for reading and commenting.