We are taught from a young age to be modest. We underplay our accomplishments and feel like talking about them is shameless. Unfortunately, while this social training may be useful in general society, it hinders you when pitching the media. After all, who is more impressive: a guy who knows some stuff about cars or the guy who has been quoted in Car Monthly, is the author of three books about cars, and is a regular speaker on car radio shows? These very well could be the same guy – one is painfully modest and the other is forthright.
Many people I have consulted are painfully modest. They know they want publicity for their business, but they hope to remain invisible behind it because they don’t want to toot their own horn. If I say “Tell me what you’re an expert about, so I can tell reporters” they say “I’m not really an expert at anything!” For some people, this is true. Some people aren’t experts at anything. Unfortunately, these people are often the ones in the media saying they are an expert at something.
Most of the people who blush and claim not to be an expert actually are quite impressive. One personal trainer I know thinks she is not an expert, but is truly brilliant. She knows more about the body than most doctors, and she can figure out how her clients got hurt just but looking at their posture. Once I went to her with a pain in the arch of my foot, that I got from doing marital arts. She took one look at how i was walking and then at my foot, and demonstrated what I did to hurt myself – before I explained it! If that’s not an expert, I don’t think they exsist. Anyway, if she had the confidence to claim her own expert status, I have no doubt that the media would love her.
Think about what you do. Do you consider yourself an expert? If not, why not? Is it just because you are modest?
- Try it out. Say “I am an expert at ___________ (insert what you do)”. For example, “I am an expert at PR & marketing.” Try it again. And again. Does it feel good yet?
- Now say it to your new clients. “Hi, I’m Andi. I’m an expert at PR & marketing.”
- Finally, when you feel confident about it, write it in a pitch. “Dear Journalist, I am an expert at PR & marketing.”
Do you feel comfortable calling yourself an expert? Why or why not?
