I was contacted over the weekend by several friends, associates and strangers because a reporter quoted me as an
expert in the Washington Post.
For those who aren't from the Washington Metropolitan area, the Washington Post is a widely circulated paper in Washington DC, suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia, and across the country. If you think you've heard of the Washington Post, you probably have. The Post is not
the most famous paper in the United States. (The USA Today or New York Times perhaps have that honor.) But the Washington Post is probably one of the most famous papers in America. The Post has a daily circulation of around 700,000 and a Sunday circulation of about a million. The Washington Post online claims to have 18 million readers per month, but I think that number sounds a bit inflated.
But whether there are 18 million or not, I'm quite certain there are a lot of readers of the Washington Post. Now only a fraction of those readers pay any attention at all to the Real Estate section of the paper, but the good news for me is that I only need to talk to the ones who pay attention to the Real Estate section.
I was contacted by a reporter from the Post and was interviewed about condos and the condo market in Northern Virginia. We talked for about 20 minutes or so, and from that conversation,
the reporter selected one tiny quote: "
The new builders are trying to overcome the lack of space by building a high ceiling, as if that is going to kid somebody."
I stand by that quote, but if I could pick one quote to be known for, that probably wouldn't be my pick. I'm not a stranger to this sort of thing though. A few months ago, my wife (president of
Condominium Mortgage) and I were interviewed by Channel 9 News. They probably asked us 20 to 30 questions and then pulled out 30 to 50 seconds of tape to frame the story they were pushing.
Tom Meyer of
Condo Alexandria says that
I'm a publicity hound. This isn't entirely correct. I do make myself known, through formats such as Active Rain and
Trulia. But I don't seek out reporters. They find me.
But his comment and my poorly phrased quote above forced me to reflect on a simple question.
Is there a such thing as bad publicity?
My guess is probably not. But still, I think I'd rather have good publicity when possible. So now that I've had a little practice, the next time the Washington Post or Channel 9 or any other news outlet comes calling, I am going to choose my words very very carefully.
Then my neurotic inner voice says, "But you want to be a good interview to keep them coming back for more ..."
Properties in Alexandria
For more information or to set up an appointment call Nesbitt Realty at
(703)765-0300.
