Key Message Development
If you can't say it in 10 seconds, you can't say it at all.
The Rule of Three
You get three key messages. Not five. Not one. Three. That's the number a human can remember from a conversation, the number a journalist can hold in a story, and the number that gives you enough range to cover most questions.
Your three messages should be: one about what you're doing, one about why it matters, and one about what happens next. That covers 90% of interview questions.
Write them down before every interview. If you can't write them down, you're not ready.
The 10-Second Test
Say your key message out loud. If it takes more than 10 seconds, it's too long. A radio soundbite is 8–12 seconds. A TV grab is 6–10 seconds. If your message doesn't fit in that window, it won't get used.
This doesn't mean dumbing down. It means distilling. 'We're investing $2 million in cleaner water for 50,000 homes' is specific, credible, and under 5 seconds. 'We're committed to environmental sustainability through a multi-year infrastructure programme' says nothing in 6 seconds.
Concrete beats abstract. Numbers beat adjectives. Outcomes beat intentions.
Message Hierarchy
Not all messages are equal. Your primary message is the one you'd deliver if you only had one sentence. Your secondary messages support it. Your tertiary message is for depth if you get the time.
In a 4-minute radio interview, you might land your primary message 3 times, your secondary message twice, and your tertiary message once. In a 30-second doorstep, you get your primary message and nothing else.
Know your hierarchy. When the pressure goes up, fall back to your primary message. Every time.
Constructing Soundbites
A good soundbite has three qualities: it's quotable, it's self-contained (makes sense without context), and it's memorable.
Techniques that work: contrast ('Not X, but Y'), concrete numbers ('40,000 families'), rhetorical questions ('How would you feel if...'), vivid metaphor (but only one — overuse sounds rehearsed).
Techniques to avoid: jargon, acronyms, conditional language ('We would hope to potentially...'), and anything that requires a follow-up question to understand.
Pressure-Testing Your Messages
Once you've written your three messages, attack them. What's the hardest question a journalist could ask? Does your message hold up? Can you bridge to it from a hostile question?
The most common failure: messages that work in a press release but collapse under questioning. 'We're committed to transparency' sounds great until the journalist asks 'Then why did you refuse to release the report?'
Make your messages evidence-based and defensible. If you can't back it up, don't say it.
Key Takeaways
- Three messages. No more. Write them down before every interview.
- 10-second test: if you can't say it in 10 seconds, rewrite it.
- Concrete beats abstract. Numbers beat adjectives.
- Pressure-test every message against the hardest question you can imagine.
Put it into practice
Before starting a Practice session, write your three key messages. Then try The Policy Wonk — they'll test whether your messages hold up under detail-level questioning.
Open Practice Setup