Even before Boris Johnson became Prime Minister he was a journalists’ dream. Why? Because as soon as he opened his mouth a colourful quote would come out.
Regardless of what you think of his performance as Prime Minister or London Mayor he has a way with words. And OK so it can backfire on him – often spectacularly – but there is a lesson here.
It isn’t always about what you say, it’s how you say it.
Back when I was B2B property journalist, there were popular market features for which it wasn’t difficult to find industry experts to comment.
In fact, you’d find that a lot of people wanted to give their view on what was going on.
Deciding who to quote
The challenge, for me, was deciding who best to speak to or quote – there was always a limit.
For example, I might have two people who said something like: “Deals are taking longer to conclude at the moment”.
And then another who says: “Getting deals over the line is like kicking a mattress up a hill.”
Who do you think I would quote?
The point is, you can stand out from the crowd by not just saying something interesting but saying it in an interesting or colourful way.
Continue reading “The reason some people get quoted more by journalists”