Go For The Gold: Your Olympic Media Manual, Week 5

Week 5: Heart, Humanity and Hope

Welcome to week five of Go For Gold: Your Olympic Media Manual. I’m thrilled that you’ve seen how watching the Olympics with the strategies of this blog series will grow your media presence and business.

As we close this series, let’s take special note of the stories that show our shared humanity and hope. I want you to recognize how providing heart is a visceral draw to an audience.

Sometimes the story is about what we have in common being more important than the team we represent.

When I think of the 2014 Olympics, I will remember Canadian coach Justin Wadsworth giving one of his skis to help a struggling Russian athlete with a broken ski.

Why did the Canadian coach help the Russian competitor? Wadsworth said, “It was like watching an animal stuck in a trap. You can’t just sit there and do nothing about it. I wanted him to have dignity as he crossed the finish line.”

Other times it’s about remembering what’s really important. Who could forget the emotional post-win embrace between two time Olympic Gold Medalist Alex Bilodeau and his brother Frederic who has Cerebral Palsy.

Here was how the champion skier described to reporters what his brother means to him, “When I’m on my skis my colleagues are my inspiration, they are pushing me every day to be a better skier, to go faster, to go bigger. But a four-year process is very long, and when I wake up in the morning it’s my brother.”

My sweet dog Shira and I will remember American slopestyle skier Gus Kenworthy not only for his silver medal but for shining a massive spotlight on the stray dog problem in Sochi.

Doing good for dogs did good for Gus as well. It landed him major media including the Today Show, People Magazine and US Weekly Magazine. Plus, it caused animal lovers all over the world to fall in love with him. Great for dogs. Great for his brand.

So how can you use these three examples to build your media presence?

1. Realize that often the best media moments occur organically. Yes, you should do all you can to set yourself up for success in creating a public profile. Then know that it’s how you handle life that really shows who you are.
2. Look for ways to authentically infuse more heart in your storytelling. Your audience wants to feel you and the more you allow that, the more they will follow you.

Thank you for being a part of Go For Gold: Your Olympic Media Manual. If you missed an installment, I encourage you to check them out (week one, week two, week three, week four), because the lessons apply forever.

I can’t wait to see how you use what you learned to make your business soar.

If you found this blog helpful, please email it to a friend or share it on Facebook and Twitter. Please tell me what inspired you about the Olympics in the comments below. I look forward to reading what you share!