Brand trust matters and by putting your CEO or key company spokesperson forward as a media commentator you are helping build your brand authority and strengthen your reputation.

Market research shows 81 per cent of consumers buy from brands they trust, with authenticity another driving factor in determining what company they like and support.

Watch the nightly news or opinion programs and you will regularly see the same “go-to” commentators helping analyse the day’s big issues.

For brands and corporations, it is an enormous opportunity to position prominent and expert members of your team as “thought-leaders” in the eyes of the industry and the community.

Adoni Media’s Founder and Managing Director, Leisa Goddard, said the challenge is to have a CEO or company expert willing, and confident enough, to step forward.

“Journalists need industry insiders to help put issues and complex stories into perspective. As a reporter we would often all use the same ‘go-to’ person from a specific sector simply because we knew they were media-friendly,” she said.

In this article about what makes a good commentator, Ms Goddard shares some tips on the skills needed if you are going to be considered “good talent”.

Why be a media commentator?

Build brand trust

Commentators who are able to provide quality advice, analysis and opinion build a reputation as a credible leader or expert in their field of expertise. The stronger the individual’s reputation the greater the brand awareness for the company he or she represents.

Free ‘earned’ publicity

Being available to provide comment on a story, offer up an alternative angle or help a journalist explain a complex issue is an opportunity to appear in or be quoted in the media. The newspaper, television, radio or online coverage can be shared across your company or organisation’s social media channels and website to further engage with your target audience and build your brand.

Personal Branding

Research shows consumers want to know the people behind a brand and having a CEO or company expert featured on programs and in news stories helps achieve that.

Establishing a person as a respected media commentator takes time and a simple way to begin is by writing and posting thought-leadership pieces on LinkedIn and offering opinion pieces to trade publications.

For CEOs or experts who are reluctant to do radio or television interviews, consider organising Media and Presentation Training and stay across the news of the day so that when big announcements that are relevant to your industry occur you can pro-actively contact the media to offer your views.