If You Can’t Say It in 8 Seconds, You’re Not Ready for Media

There is a simple but revealing test often used when preparing someone for a broadcast interview, and it cuts straight to the heart of how modern newsrooms operate: if a message cannot be delivered clearly and confidently in eight seconds, it is not ready for media.

That idea may sound harsh at first, but it accurately reflects the reality of today’s broadcast environment.

Reporters and Producers Work in Soundbites, Not Paragraphs

Television reporters and producers do not construct stories around long explanations or carefully layered narratives. Instead, they build packages around quotes and clips that can quickly and clearly move a story forward.

In today’s media environment, those clips are also getting shorter.

As attention spans tighten and competition for airtime increases, TV packages continue to shrink, while radio wraps are often reduced to just a few seconds pulled from a longer conversation. To paraphrase Eminem, you have one moment, one soundbite, and one opportunity to land the message.

That reality makes preparation more important than ever.

Eight Seconds Is Not a Limitation — It’s a Discipline

Despite how brief it may seem, eight seconds is more than enough time to communicate what something is, why it matters, and why it matters now, provided the message has been properly prepared.

What eight seconds is not enough time for is overexplaining, which is where many otherwise strong interviews begin to fall apart.

There is a natural temptation—especially among subject matter experts—to demonstrate credibility by adding context, nuance, and background. In broadcast media, however, overexplaining rarely adds clarity. More often, it renders a soundbite unusable.

Producers are not looking to rescue rambling answers in the edit. If a clip does not work cleanly on its own, it is far more likely that another voice will be used instead.

The Goal Isn’t to Say More — It’s to Say It Better

An effective soundbite is not rushed, and it is not shallow. It is intentional, focused, and built around what the audience actually needs to remember.

The real work is finding the most succinct and powerful way to express a core idea, and that work must be done before the interview begins, not while a camera is rolling.

The Three-Soundbite Strategy

One of the most effective ways to prepare for a broadcast interview is to decide in advance on three core ideas that must be delivered, regardless of how the questions are framed.

From there, those ideas should be shaped into those distinct eight-second soundbites, each designed to stand on its own while reinforcing the larger message.

Each soundbite should be clear, memorable, and concise enough to be used without additional explanation.

During the interview itself, the goal is to listen carefully and look for natural opportunities to deliver those soundbites repeatedly, without forcing them or sounding rehearsed. Repetition, when done thoughtfully, is not a mistake—it is a strategy.

When a producer hears the same strong idea expressed clearly multiple times, the likelihood that it will make it into the final package increases significantly.

A Broadcast Reality Check

Producers do not edit for effort, credentials, or enthusiasm. They edit for impact.

Every interview should be approached with the understanding that only one eight-second clip may make it to air, because in many cases, that is exactly what happens.

When your eight seconds are used well, they can carry your entire story.

When they are not, the interview itself is rarely the problem.

Preparation is.