Are your ideas newsworthy

I recently talked with a PR expert who told me that what I had given him was newsworthy and that it should get media coverage.

I could tell by the sound of his voice he wasn't just telling me what I wanted to hear. He believed it.

It made me think that many of the clients we work with believe they have something important to say but they have lost their clarity as to why it's newsworthy.

They can get so caught up in how they deliver it and if their slides look right and if the audience is laughing that they lose sight of what is really important--giving their audience a message that is powerful and offers immediate take-home value.

Here are a few tips to keep your message crisp.

1. Be honest about your claims. Razzle dazzle can be spotted a mile away.

2. Use examples that are relatable to your audience.

3. Pace your message. People absorb information at different levels, slow down as it's the first time an audience is hearing what you have to say.

4. Put facts in to make your points stick. We forget 50% of what we hear in 4 hours. Ask your audience to jot a note.

These are just examples if you're speaking. The same ideas apply if you're writing a book. But first imagine you've only got a title, an inside flap, a few endorsements and chapter outlines to get their attention and convince them to spend a few hours with you. The rules are the same and you can be newsworthy if you consider how the message lands and is delivered.

Rock on!