You Need to Know Jack

On September 19th, the most popular man on Wall Street–  and perhaps the entire financial world– was Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba.  Shares of the Chinese internet juggernaut were being sold for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange, and Ma was there to celebrate.  Of course, reporters from all the financial media wanted to get his take on the day, and during an interview on CNBC, he said something remarkable.  Ma told the network his wish for the future:  “We hope in the next 15 years the world changed because of us.”

Whoa.  That’s a pretty impressive dream for an e-commerce company.  After all, Alibaba isn’t going to cure cancer or stop global warming.  But Ma’s comment doesn’t seem unreasonable.  Few if anyone thought that when they began, Microsoft, Google or Facebook would “change the world.”  And yet in a few years they did.

More importantly, Ma’s proclamation shows us how Alibaba is presenting itself to the world.  Ma is thinking big, and he’s not afraid to say so.  That gets people’s attention.  The kind of attention you want.

So how can Jack Ma and Alibaba help you in your efforts at getting noticed in the media?  Certainly not many people can offer something that will “change the world.”  HOWEVER, what you do offer is something unique–  a product, a story, an experience, a position– that’s yours alone.  Nobody else has exactly what you have.   And taking advantage of that is what you need to create a winning media presentation.  How?  First, you have to focus in on that uniqueness, nail it down, know exactly what it is.  Then, present it in a clear, concise way.   For example, if you are an author of mystery novels, ask yourself why your stories and characters are unlike all others in the genre.  After that, come up with interesting ways to deliver that information so your audience–  whether it’s a media member or consumers–  will take notice.

The very best guests/interviews are with people who stand out from all the others.    Jack Ma understands that.

So make sure you know Jack!

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