What do you advise that I do when the interviewer messes up the names during the show?

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.”

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

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.

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.