Customer Reviews

The Media Savvy Leader: Visibility, Influence, and Results in a Competitive World

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This book is absolutely a must have for every CEO who really wants to understand how to initiate and engender the media in this high pressured competitive time for media coverage.

Henderson highlights the best possible ways to enhance brand awareness with authenticity and meaningful communication.

Chapter 19 titled, "Here Come the Lemmings," is a must-read for anyone who wants to know how stories get to the top.

Henderson's book is also filled with real-world tips on managing crisis communication, understanding journalists and the value of apology are spot on.

The book is filled with insights from working journalists, PR pros and corporate communicators. I highly recommend it for every corporate library as well as college communication programs!

It is a perfect coupling to David Meerman Scott's "The New Rules of Marketing and PR." The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly

What a splendid, useful book, Mr. Henderson. I remember you from CBS news,
along with my first copy-writing mentor, Charles Kurault. We worked on "The Daily Tarheel" as students at UNC, Chapel Hill. I am teaching management courses to third-country nationals (Indians, Romanians, Portugese)along with Lithunians, and they find anecdotal material sticks with them more easily than theories and dry textbook material. Your "Savvy Leader" is a rich resource, as well as providing how-to information that is backed-up with examples from your own and others' experiences. And, a great read! Thanks!

Dr. Woody Sears, Vilnius, Lithuania

This is a "must-read" book for all journalists, writers, and communication folks -- especially (but not only)if they are, in one form or another, in a managerial position. I myself am one in that category. David Henderson was kind and patient enough to teach and to lead me through all that what makes you not only good in your job but also to "sell" it, to communicate it to as many people and groups as possible, to make your work and voice heard, and to expand your influence -- through all platforms: from blogs to Facebook, Twitter to search and distribution systems. David's book helps you with that and much, much more.

The best books make you better. They leave a sometimes subtle, but always indelible, mark on you in some way.

The best books are also accurate, specific, authentic and helpful in your life of business. They can also be meaningful in your business of life. Sometimes they're both.

"THE MEDIA SAVVY LEADER,"by David Henderson, is one of those books.

Though targeted at Business Executives and focused on how-to-deal professionally with the Media, it is in fact, a book that's a 2009 "How-To-Communicate Professionally" in business or life. To anyone, anywhere, anyway at anytime. It should be mandatory reading in high schools and colleges.

The lessons in this book are culled from David Henderson's years of experience as an Emmy Award-winning former CBS Network News correspondent. Told in a true storytelling style they detail a journey of dealing and working with world-wide luminaries like Dan Rather, Walter Cronkite, Mark Cuban, Steve Jobs and Bob Schieffer, among many others.

There is one overarching theme, though. That theme? THE MEDIA SAVVY LEADER communications lessons are applicable in all aspects of business. Sales. Marketing. Public Relations. Customer Service, and on and on and on.

Why?

Because THE MEDIA SAVVY LEADER deals in the hard realities of business today - business communications tend to be lame, vain,verbose, corporate gobbledygook full of pompous obfuscations that mean nothing to no one. Just words. Useless words drained of all meaning. It's rare to see a well-written, clear, authentic, accurate and specific communication coming from any business organization. But it won't be if you learn and apply the lessons and insights in THE MEDIA SAVVY LEADER. What lessons?

HOW TO:

*Capture the media's attention when the time is right. And it can also help you capture your boss's or a potential customer as well.

*Communicate clearly and accurately. Both your vision and story.

*Build and grow your image, reputation and brand.

*Build trusted working relationships with journalists - or any business associate.

*Get a good understanding of all the new online technologies, the Web 2.0 capabilities and applications that can help you create, communicate and connect.

*Get results.

Buy it. Read it. Use it. Pass it on.

The best books leave you better.

You bet.

If you are in public relations, corporate communications, executive communicatons, the media or even a CEO who wants to know how to boost the image of his or her organization in today's online world, David Henderson's new book, The Media Savvy Leader, is a MUST READ!

Henderson stresses the importance of creatively developing an effective storytelling message through that will attract media interest. As a former award winning journalist for CBS network news and a public relations practitioner with his own firm and national agencies, Henderson understands both media and corporate needs. He has special insight into the need of involving top corporate management into proactive media relations for their company or organization.

Henderson's belief that executives should create visionary messages that captivates people, communicate messages through interesting storytelling and especially talk about the organization's value instead of just the organization itself.

Citing successful corporate executives like Oprah Winfrey and Richard Branson, Henderson points out the value of expert storytelling that provides insight and vision using the "three pillars" of savvy communications leadership; be truthful, have a strategic plan and be original.

Don't be left behind. Read this book and become one of the new media savvy leaders.

David Henderson in The Media Savvy Leader: Visibility, Influence and Results in a Competitive World, assists the reader in understanding the the importance of developing a message and how to effectively obtain coverage for whatever it is you wish the media to take note of and interest in. As a journalist, David knows from the inside, how the media works, thinks and more importantly, how to interest it in you and what you have to say. This book is a must for any leader who wishes to get his or her message across.
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There are a bunch of books out there about media relations but almost all are flawed. The books to avoid are either written A) by some MBA-professor type with no real-world experience B) by a journalist with no background working in corporate communications for a company, nonprofit or government agency C) written exclusively from the media relations perspective (like a sales book) with nothing about what a journalist needs to do their job D) written as if we're in 1985 and there is no such thing as the Internet.

The Media Savvy Leader is terrific because David Henderson has been a success both as a journalist and as a media-relations practitioner. He is an Emmy Award-winning former CBS network news correspondent so he knows what it is like to be a working journalist. And as a media-relations advisor and strategist, he has been responsible for such stunning successes as generating massive national media attention on little Branson, MO. And Henderson knows the online world. He writes a terrific blog and knows how online communications fits into the mix.

If you are in media relations or corporate communications you got to read this book. Now. If you're a CEO who wants to influence the media the way Steve Jobs does at Apple it is a must read. I found the discussions on how and why it is essential to take media relations in-house and not trust your reputation to a bloated PR agency to be absolutely essential information.

"The Media Savvy Leader" is highly endorsed by well known entrepreneurs, in Television, the printed media, and internet communications. The book is jam-packed with powerful substance and techniques. David Henderson offers a candid look at why some leaders are high-profile media stars who produce outstanding impressions while other are lag far behind. The book is the result of interviewing dozens of leaders in business, associations, non profit organizations and over 150 journalists.

Henderson starts the book with an insider's viewpoint on up-to-the-minute observations on how leaders are made and how they become recognized in today's brutal media world. He emphasizes the importance of intentional positioning, reputation, and image management. These elements all play a part in creating clear messages that produce influence. He offers the reader insight into the distinctive techniques which make news. David talks about; the dynamics of technology, audience shifts, changing revenue streams, and news cycles. He explains how traditional tools of media are fast becoming obsolete.

Part One demonstrates for the reader how to gain influence in the midst of noise, hype and power. Part Two puts an emphasis on achieving clarity in a cluttered world. Part three deals with how to develop a distinctive voice of leadership.

"The Media Savvy Leader" is a book for executives of companies, associations, and organizations who recognize the benefits of favorable media coverage. David Henderson, a veteran communications strategist and a consultant globally on media communications methods, has a message for leaders who want to enhance their influence in a competitive world.

From the plain-spoken writing style of David Henderson to the rich insights he freely shares, this book is exceptional in the value it delivers in the area of communications.

If there was a Passion Meter to measure writers, David would have pegged it out on this book. He poured himself into this book and it shows; there is an abundance of knowledge regarding communications shared here. Clearly this is a subject he has exceptional command of and also exceptional commitment to.

You must read this book, this year, 2009, if you are even remotely involved in marketing communications, marketing, public relations or even investor and analyst relations. If you are a CEO of an agency, get a copy for each member of your staff. CEOs ought to make this required reading for every member of marketing, product management, public relations, investor and analyst relations staff. Why? Because this book tells it like it is and backs up critical assessments with years of real-world experience.

No hype here, just lessons learned through trial-and-error and some excellent advice on how to manage PR agencies and relationships. I especially liked the section on how to achieve clarity in a cluttered world.

Bottom line: From the candid criticisms and insights he delivers regarding journalism, marketing communications, and public relations to the prescriptive guidance shared, this book is one that can make you a better manager not only of your companies communications' strategies but your own as well.