Sound bites are ubiquitous. We hear them daily on TV, radio, the internet. But what moves a sound bite beyond the common one to one that is really great? And how can you create sound bites that will stand out from the crowd?
Here are three factors, all of which must be present for greatness.
First, a sound bite must capture attention instantly.
It needs to be a statement that, when we hear it, we immediately recognize that it stands out from all the things being said around it. It leaps from the speaker’s mouth and whacks us «up side the head.» Often we will recognize on hearing it that it will be a key take away from the talk or interview.
Second, it must be memorable.
That’s not just for a few minutes, not just for the duration of the talk, but for days, weeks and months afterward. Many of the most powerful sound bites last for decades. Whereas most of a conversation, speech, media interview or news conference is lost within hours (okay, seconds) of hearing it, the sound bite lives on. And with it, a theme of the initial communication.
One reason the sound bite is remembered comes from its being repeated frequently. This is certainly the case with television and radio news. But it is also happens in conversations as we repeat it to others, or just think about it ourselves.
While catchy and memorable are two keys to a good sound bite, a third element is needed for greatness. And that element is:
Third, it must produce a desired result.
Sometimes that result is of a longer-term, and more general (i.e., less measurable), nature.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s «We have nothing to fear but fear itself,» is an example. Spoken by Roosevelt during his first inaugural address, that sound bite uplifted the American people during the Great Depression.
In other cases the result is much more immediate and specific.
Defense attorney Johnnie Cochran’s presentation of evidence to the jury during the murder trial of football great O.J. Simpson, included this sound bite: «If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.» The hand glove he was referring to did not fit Simpson, and the jury did acquit.
So if you want to craft great sound bites, be sure they capture attention, are memorable, and get results.
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