Have you ever walked away from a media interviewing wondering if you bombed it or passed with flying colors? You are not alone. This crosses many minds, especially if they just gave a live interview.
Here is my T
op 10 on giving a good media interview. Hope it helps!
1) Remember to smile! You want to come across as friendly and approachable.
2) Come prepared with your three to five key messages about your organization and relevant to the subject of the interview. Never try to wing an interview, especially if you are not familiar with the topic. The media has called on you as the expert on the subject matter. If you are responding to a crisis situation, make sure you have these down solid!!!
3) Make sure to take the time to listen to the interviewer. You never want to dominate the segment. After all, you are a guest!
4) Make sure to interact with the reporter. Don't get caught steering into the camera. You'll quickly earn the title, "a deer caught in headlights!"
5) Dress appropriately (and professionally). One of my clients, Arnie Roberti who is the president of operations for Adrian Jules Gentlemen's Custom Clothiers (he is pictured here giving the opening remarks at the grand opening celebration of their new retail store), always says to "dress for the (job) position you want - not the one you have." Great advice!
6) Relay only information that is credible and accurate.
7) Always respond to media inquiries in a timely manner. A good reporter will always let you know when they need to hear back from you by. However, reporters are busy and will sometimes forget to inform you of their time-frame. Remember that you should be reachable at the contact points (cell phone, office phone, email) you provide.
8) Show up to your interview on time. Don't make anyone sweat it out wondering whether or not you are going to show up.
9) It is a good idea to share your talking points with the reporter ahead of time.
And the most important...
10) Always keep your publicist in the loop. If a reporters contacts you initially or ends up communicating with you directly, don't forget to clue in your publicist. Aside from being a respect thing, your publicist is the person you hired to manage the entire interview process very closely. So let him or her do the job!
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