Media Training for Engineers (Yes, They Need It)

Media Training for Engineers (Yes, They Need It)

Let’s face it—engineers are brilliant. But that doesn’t mean they’re always media-ready.

In 2025, engineers are no longer behind the scenes. They’re founding companies, leading product launches, demoing innovations onstage, and giving interviews that can shape public perception, investment rounds, and recruitment. That’s why media training isn’t just for CEOs or comms directors anymore—it’s a must-have skillset for your technical team.

Why Engineers Are Becoming Spokespeople

Three big shifts are driving this trend:

• Founder-led storytelling: Many tech startups are engineering-led, and the founder is often the most credible voice.
• Product-first narratives: Media now cover deep tech, APIs, AI architecture, and clean energy with sophistication. Reporters want to speak to the builders.
• Technical credibility: Audiences—especially developer and B2B ones—can sniff out marketing fluff. Engineers bring authority.

But There’s a Catch…

Technical expertise doesn’t always translate to clear communication. Without training, engineers risk being:

• Too detailed (and losing the audience)
• Too vague (and underselling the innovation)
• Too stiff or jargon-heavy (and alienating press)

Media Training Doesn’t Mean “PR Polishing”

It means helping engineers keep their authenticity while making their messages land. It’s not about changing what they say—it’s about shaping how they say it.

What to Teach Your Engineers

1. How to Simplify Without Dumbing Down: Use analogies, build from first principles, and avoid acronyms without definitions.
2. How to Stay On-Message: Practice bridging techniques to redirect questions back to key points.
3. How to Handle Live Questions: Teach them to pause, clarify, or reframe without getting defensive or going off-script.
4. How to Humanize the Story: Encourage personal anecdotes, origin stories, or moments of struggle to make the product more relatable.

Mock Interviews Are Essential

Rehearsing with a real (or simulated) journalist is key. Set up sessions where engineers:

• Practice 15-second product explanations
• Role-play tough questions (“What makes this different?” or “Why isn’t it open-source?”)
• Watch playback of themselves to refine tone, posture, and pacing

Who Should Get Trained?

• Founding engineers (especially at press-heavy startups)
• Tech leads who might appear in funding or partnership announcements
• Team members contributing to developer evangelism or content

And remember: Training is not a one-off. Do refreshers quarterly or before every major media opportunity.

Bonus: It Helps Internally Too

Media training also improves how engineers present to the board, explain roadmaps to marketing, and communicate cross-functionally. It’s a career skill, not just a media skill.

Final Thought

In 2025, the face of innovation isn’t just the founder in a blazer—it’s the engineer with sleeves rolled up. If they can code it, they can explain it. But with media training, they can inspire with it, too.

Because when technical minds learn to communicate clearly, they don’t just ship better products—they shape better stories.