10 Things You Must Know Before Being Interviewed By The Media
Entrepreneurs wear many hats. One of your most important hats is one of the PR person or Marketing Coordinator. In Public Relations, which is only one part of Marketing, the best rule of thumb is to maintain “maximum disclosure, minimum delay;” however you should be in complete control of disclosing information that will be sent out through the airwaves.
All communication is Marketing, even if it is not meant to be. Why not maximize every opportunity to present your message accurately?
A journalist may have their own agenda, or none at all. It is your responsibility to make sure your product, service or message is always conveyed to your audience without any form of distortion.
The following list will help you control your message effectively as you leverage various media outlets when appearing for an interview.
1. Do you have your questions prepared for the interviewer?
Be sure to have your questions set up for the interviewer prior to the interview and be sure you know what you are going to say. Getting caught with your pants down after an interviewer asks a question you were not prepared for is a recipe for disaster.
2. Do you have the contact information/location/call in number?
This may seem like a simple thing but for the busy entrepreneur such simple things like phone numbers can create last minute stress that makes it difficult to focus and show personality in an interview. Having an assistant or fellow family member to help you organize this is essential.
3. Has the interview been properly confirmed? Do you have it in writing?
Nothing is set until you have it in writing. Be sure to confirm and reconfirm so that you are not in a situation where there is a potential miscommunication mishap.
4. What is the background on the station and host/journalist who is interviewing you?
Do you see eye to eye on issues, particularly related to your field of expertise? You will want to know what the platform is for the show in addition to having the list of questions so that you are not caught off guard by conflicts of interest. Being able to creatively weave your message into many different settings is essential to your media interviewing success.
5. Always assume the mic is hot even when the mic is turned off or someone says “off the record.”
When you have an opinion be prepared to stand by it; but always assume the mic is live so you don’t have to explain saying things that are not meant to be part of your promotion or interview.
6. Be sure to check the pronunciation of all names and words relevant to the interview and current topics.
The last thing you want to do is mispronounce the name of a person who is relevant to your industry. Your audience will question your authority and professionalism if you don’t appear informed about the topic.
7. Review current events for the week so you are not caught off guard by relevant questions.
Be prepared to answer questions that are not on the list but may be relevant to current events for your industry. Again you do not want to appear uninformed. Looking and sounding stupid in front of people is no fun…this should only take about 10 minutes of your time.
8. Have a plan for what you will say if you are caught off guard.
Be prepared with what you will say if you are put on the spot. Have a preplanned phrase that you plan to use when someone asks you an off topic or inappropriate question. You do not want to appear irritated or unprepared.
9. Always have swag, fliers and marketing material
Take advantage of promo opportunities and lead your viewers/listeners to action! You don’t want to miss any opportunities to capture new audience members to your product or service. Every event and promotion should be a stepping stone to the next.
10. Don’t rely on the interviewer to make the conversation interesting.
Be prepared with quick anecdotes if you feel the conversation dying. You may think wow, what a boring interviewer, but your audience will be affected by the overall interview and may not know who the culprit is. Be prepared to carry the interview if necessary.
May 15th, 2009
Excellent advice here Andrea, I remember being interviewed about three or four years ago on BBC radio in the UK and about three minutes into the interview the DJ expressing the opinion that any sort of holistic healing work is “whacky.” I was not expecting that for one moment, so glad I can talk a lot and think on my feet because I was able to respond fast and without getting annoyed, being more prepared would definitely have helped.
May 15th, 2009
Absolutely perfect timing for me to read this. I’m preparing for a radio show at the end of May, and I hadn’t really thought about preparing for what to say if I got caught off guard. Glad I read this in time to plan for this possibility. Thanks.
May 15th, 2009
Excellent advice. The call-in number is one of those that has gotten me before. Sure I had it and then right before the call, I was scrambling through emails. You only do that once. All the tips are excellent. Thanks!
May 15th, 2009
You just described everything I do for one meeting with the press. Except for feedback on content and style of the meeting! If you have a good PR person, they should make sure you are fully prepared before you speak to the press.
Also, one more free tip: email a thank you note to the press contact afterwards letting them know you enjoyed the meeting. You can also let them know to contact you in the future if they need a resource in your specific industry. This is a great way to build good press relationships.
May 15th, 2009
We’ve all been there. You’re right Diana, you only get caught like that once. Excellent point about the follow up Erin and having a “good” PR person.
May 15th, 2009
While I 100% agree that being prepared (i.e., doing your homework) for an interview with a journalist/reporter is important, as a journalist/reporter (in addition to running a marketing/PR agency), I’m concerned about your first point, and also your fifth.
By #1 do you mean get a copy of the questions/talking points in advance or do you mean the business owner should be setting the agenda, Andrea? If the latter, I strongly disagree. Business owners should be prepared but not over prepared, i.e., they should not feed the journalist/reporter a canned presentation, particularly one that sounds like it was prepared by a marketing or PR person. Be honest and passionate about what you do, and let the journalist do the rest, i.e., the writing. Trust me, it will produce a much better, more flattering story/article.
Also, regarding point #5, it is unethical and in some states illegal to record someone without his or her permission — what I refer to as “The Linda Tripp Rule.” A good journalist/reporter should ask your permission to record the conversation — and off the record comments should remain off the record.
May 15th, 2009
Andrea,
Thank you for the great article.
It was straightforward, simple, focused and perfect.
Well worth printing out, and keeping handy for when you need it.
Printing it out now.
Have a great day!
Mr. Twenty Twenty
Ex Hostage – Professional Visionary
May 15th, 2009
Thanks for your input Jennifer. Many entrepreneurs do not have the luxury of hiring a PR professional by the time they have their first interview. This post is to benefit the entrepreneur, not the seasoned PR professional or journalist; so I reiterate, be prepared ahead of time.
I realize good journalists prepare their own questions and provide an agenda in advance to the guest; however many don’t. This is not to say the questions should be scripted or journalists shouldn’t ask questions to deepen the conversation. However the entrepreneur needs to be prepared (especially if promoting upcoming books, shows, etc…keep in mind we are not talking about investigative reporters; this article assumes the entrepreneur and whatever they are promoting is the focus.) If you have questions or topics you don’t want to discuss you can make that known to the reporter up front, if they want to interview you they will agree.
It is also important to note that although it is illegal to record someone without his or her permission and yes a good journalist “should” ask permission; many folks have gotten caught with egg on their face for being around a live mic or speaking “off the record.”
May 18th, 2009
Thanks Mr. Twenty Twenty. Glad you found it useful.
May 25th, 2009
I have been on several Blog Talk Radio shows and most times the interviewer mispronounces my first and last name as well as blog name although I provide the pronunciation and site name before the show.
What do you advise that I do when the interviewer messes up the names during the show?
May 27th, 2009
This is a tough one Chasta, because you never know if they just aren’t going to get it right. My name is mispronounced a lot and I find that after about 15 minutes of conversation is when the person says, “oh I’m sorry am I saying your name correctly.” This is after you’ve told them your name 5 times. My best practice is to have a 20 minute chat prior to the interview; off air right before the show or days prior. If I am conducting the interview I have plenty of time to verify pronunciations; and if I am being interviewed I can give the interviewer time to get to know me, my website address, etc. Of course this can’t always be done, and sometimes they will still get it wrong. I don’t think it’s worth the possible awkward moment to correct them during the broadcast. If you prepared for the interview the audience will have accurate reference to your contact information and web site. Make sure that you are sharing the information as well when it is relevant in the interview…make yourself a note so you don’t forget to plug your own website. Remember the interviewer has a reputation to maintain so it’s not in their best interest to provide information that is incorrect or to mispronounce important names.