Dear BAMf Podcast: Episode 50 with Clare Bennett

Dear BAMf // Episode 50: Clare Bennett of Dcode gives options on what to do when your C-suite is not receptive to media training.

In this episode of the Dear BAMf podcast, we speak with Clare Bennett, Marketing Director at Dcode, where Clare connects the tech industry and government to drive commercial innovation. She has eight years of experience spanning marketing, communications, and editorial. In this episode, Clare answers tough marketing and PR questions from our listeners, including this one about media training.

Dear BAMf,

I love, love the startup I'm at. I'm the head of communications and I'm constantly challenged. The other good news is my startup is heading towards an IPO — most likely, given the recent valuation we just got, plus our CEO's constant sharing of this being the goal. The potential bad news is that the C-suite in place is a bit unpolished. I'm getting sweaty just thinking of having our CTO or CEO on a national business TV appearance. For instance, I have artfully avoided unscripted media ops, like live TV. But as we get closer to this goal, I want to mitigate surprises that could make us look unpolished or worse, foolish, to wall street. Obviously, I can just tell them that all the media training that we've done so far is a must, but we've done that with limited "success." What could I pivot my message to now, if you've ever dealt with this before?

Listen now to hear how Clare advises this writer to move forward.

Dear BAMf: Episode 50

Episode 50 highlights:

• (01:35) What is Dcode?

  What caught Clare's attention about Dcode was their all-female C-suite. After explaining her journey of admiring to working at Dcode she unpacked the company's mission saying, "The company's whole shtick is about bringing better emerging tech from the private sector into federal agencies so that the government can better serve Americans." Clare explains how tough of a market government is to get into, but stresses that once you're in, you're in.

• (3:01) What are you most proud of accomplishing in the last 12 months?

  "I talked the team into doing a Cameo video," explains Clare. Cameo is a platform where celebrities create custom videos upon request. "It was the actor who plays the character, Russ Hanaman in the HBO show, Silicon Valley, he stayed in character for the video, and it had people in tears," says Clare. It was a fun and proud accomplishment for Clare and the team.

• (07:30) Do you have any suggestions on what to do when your C-suite is not receptive to media training?

  Clare came up with a host of suggestions to help the C-suite in media relations, one being "Hold up the mirror, nothing gets to people more than seeing, or hearing a recording of themselves presenting." She tells the listener to pay attention to the company culture and see what advice aligns best with her C-suite and the company. Clare proposes making things as simple as possible, by asking "What is the one home-based message? Practice bringing responses back to that one line over and over again." For more tips on media, training read, "Media Training 101: Four Tips to Ace Your Next Media Interview."

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