Blogs, insights and newsletters

The dust has started to settle on this year’s general election. Labour has gained a historic win, achieved a sizeable majority, and Keir Starmer has begun to get to work in Downing Street.

If a crisis struck your organisation tomorrow, what would you do? Do you have a crisis communications plan? Are you confident it works? Facing a crisis is daunting.

Not all media attention is wanted. And we can’t promise to help you stay out of the news when something goes wrong. But our latest webinar aimed to ensure you are in the best position to respond quickly and communicate with clarity and confidence when the worst happens.

Reputation is hard won and easily lost. "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”

Securing media coverage can be tricky. It can take a lot of work to capture the interest and attention of journalists, podcasters, videographers and film makers.

Podcasts are booming and businesses are turning to them to add variety and bring a human voice to their content and brand. This blog will explore how you can get started in podcasting.

Have you heard about the cow who escaped from a farm, swam across a river and ended up in the streets of a busy town?

Imagine a journalist describes your spokesperson’s interview as “ridiculous”. Then consider an adviser intervenes and brings the questioning to a halt.

Could this media training blog have been brought to you by artificial intelligence? Was that news story you read on the way into work created by a robot journalist?

Your company is at the centre of one of the biggest data hacks in history. What do you do?

The relationship between journalists and comms and PR professionals can often feel complicated. Some might say ‘strained’.

Are radio interviews part of your comms and PR strategy? The latest audience figures suggest they should be because more people are listening to radio than ever before.

Are you an accidental manager? There’s a good chance you might be. Research from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) indicates more than 80 per cent of people who enter management positions have not had leadership and management training and regard themselves as accidental managers.

Have you heard about the tech giant plunged into crisis media management mode by its PR boss? The story has created headlines across the globe and triggered new debate about workplace cultures.

So, your public relations work has paid off, and you've got media interviews lined up. Or you think your organisation will soon be in the media spotlight.

Ever wondered just how bad a cyber-security breach could be for your organisation? Have you considered that it could shut down your business for days?

As venue openings go, it is hard to imagine how the Cop-op Live arena could have got off to a worse start. The new 23,500-capacity arena has been plagued by cancellations, postponed shows, falling air-conditioning units, unhappy fans and a high-profile resignation.

Print interviews continue to be a crucial component of our media training courses. But do people still read newspapers? When was the last time you bought a paper? Has print become a niche medium serving a rapidly shrinking audience?

Capturing great video has never been easier. Everything you need is in your pocket thanks to the meteoric rise of smartphones.

The poster boy of ESG is scaling back some of its commitments, including on plastics and diversity. What does this mean for other organisations?

Podcasts are booming. But how do podcast interviews differ from other media formats? And how can you make the most of the opportunity they present?

What can you learn from this attention-grabbing interview that irritated the journalists? Read the blog to discover our media training advice.

Find out what you can learn from this spokesperson about handling difficult questions from journalists in media interviews

Could you successfully handle a doorstep media interview? Or would you respond to the tricky format like this spokesperson?

Looking to improve your presentation skills? Discover effective techniques to overcome stage fright and deliver captivating virtual presentations with Media First.

Looking for new ways to reach your target audience? Social media influencers have emerged as an increasingly vital way for brands to improve their online presence and increase sales.

What can you learn from two spokespeople who excelled in their media interviews? Read this blog to find out.

Would you like to deliver your next presentation like a TED Talk pro? Read this blog to find out how.