Seven Tips You Can’t Afford to Ignore Before a Media Interview
A strong media spokesperson can change minds, grow businesses, and attract the right attention. But they are made—not born.
Are you a company owner or founder? A C-level executive? Or maybe a subject matter expert who works behind the scenes to make magic happen? If you answered “yes” or “uh, sorta” to any of those questions, chances are that you’ve already participated in a media interview or two, or that you will in the future.
I’m not just talking about high-profile examples, like talking up your business on CNBC’s Squawk Box (although, that would be pretty cool). You might be chatting by phone with a reporter from TechCrunch, HuffPost, Vox, or even Today’s Trucking Magazine — whatever publications are valuable to your industry. No matter the outlet, every media interview is an opportunity for you to highlight yourself as an industry expert, draw some attention to your company, and help attract new business, investors, or donors.
But your conversation with a reporter does not at all guarantee that they will write about you or include your comments in their finished article. And it definitely doesn’t guarantee they will call you back the next time they want to cover a cool happening in your field. For those outcomes, you’ve got to provide something of value and you’ve got to deliver it well.
If you want to ace your next interview and reap all the potential benefits of your impending media stardom (or even just your five minutes of fame), preparation and practice are your two best friends. As a first step, take a read through these seven tips for stellar media interviews:
1. Don’t wing it
Sure, some of us wake up each morning, glance through our calendars, and show up almost haphazardly for our meetings with an “I’ll figure it out when I get there” kind of attitude. If that usually works for you, alright! But I can promise you a media interview will be an exception.
Even if you know your subject matter like the tops of your favorite shoes, there’s still plenty of preparation to be done. First of all, take the time to research the reporter you’re going to be talking to and the publication they write for. What’s their beat (the main subject they typically cover)? How well do they know your industry? Have they ever covered anything relevant to what you’ll be discussing?
Use Twitter to get a taste of their personality and interests. Use Linkedin to get a better idea of their background. Next, read some of the reporter’s stories. You’ll get a better sense of their style; for example, do they like technical deep-dives or are they more into juicy, story-centric content?
Let’s look at a completely random hypothetical here and pretend that you’re an animal health expert who has just discovered that the dreaded coronavirus can now be spread from humans to dogs (horrific thought, right?!). You’ve got a call lined up with, let’s say, Adam Rogers at WIRED.
Now, you’ve never spoken with Adam before (and neither have I), but you look through his recent coverage and find that he has covered the coronavirus extensively. This means you’ll probably be able to skip a discussion on the basics of the virus — things he clearly already knows. You see that, although some of his work is very tech-centric, his coverage on this topic focuses more on the social implications of the outbreak and the government’s response. You prepare several talking points accordingly, like how the general public and local government officials can help keep our pups safe. Finally, you notice that Adam was once a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, and you take this as a sign that he’d probably like to geek out on the science behind your discovery and not just the high points.
Once you’ve done your homework, you can come prepared with material you think will resonate well with the reporter. Compile your notes into clean, simple bullet points and highlight your most important messaging points so that you’re ready to share information clearly, not in an unorganized jumble.
2. Read the room
Whether you’re face to face or talking by phone, try not to pick this time to be socially oblivious (sorry, I said it). I’ve heard plenty of interviews where the reporter seemed to enjoy a little small talk at the start of the call, and if that seems to be the case, then chat away! But more often than not, they like to get right to the point. Sometimes it feels a little abrupt or even rude, but they’re probably just on a tight deadline. In this situation, skip your commentary on the weather and get to your most important talking points early.
Something else you’ll want to keep your Spidey senses on high alert for is whether or not they did their homework, too. Do they know anything about you or your company? (Probably not, so don’t forget to prepare a good elevator pitch or concise introduction.) Do they know much about the topic being discussed on the call? Nowadays, many reporters are stretched thin and asked to write on topics they don’t necessarily specialize in. If they seem to have some knowledge gaps, help to fill them in as best you can. If you can make a complicated subject both simple and compelling, you’ve already won most of the battle.
3. Spit it out!
I’ll get right to the point: we could all do a better job getting to the point. As I said, it’s very likely that this person is in a rush to get the information they need and get back to work. So, don’t take the roundabout way to your answers. This is where organized notes with main talking points highlighted can really come in handy. Here’s a hint: If your “main talking points” are paragraphs long, you’re not there yet. You should be able to whittle these points down to one clear sentence each.
While we’re on the topic of notes, use your bullet points to guide the way you speak and present the information. Speaking in an outline format can help the reporter catch more of what you’re sharing in an order that makes sense. That means big points first, then fill in with supporting details. Present information in nicely packaged nuggets, not chaotic explosions.
4. Get quotable
Don’t forget about the purpose you’re serving for the reporter in these situations. Not only are you there to help educate or share a new perspective, but you’re also helping to fill out and enliven whatever article they’re working on. And guess what journalists love? Quotes. So don’t be stingy.
Practice adding in some short sound bites, powerful snippets of commentary that you can see being highlighted in quotes in a finished piece. This is a great time to get creative and write out a few ideas ahead of time. Colorful language or pithy metaphors are more likely to be memorable than a sentence that sounds like it came from a textbook.
Here’s a fabulous example from clean energy expert Amory Lovins of Rocky Mountain Institute: he described the dismal future of coal power in an interview by saying, “Attempting to revive coal or nuclear is like defibrillating a corpse: it will jump but it won’t revive.” Now, Amory has the ability to get (really, really, really) technical, but he knew a simple comparison like this would turn heads. And sure enough, his quote made headlines.
5. Slow down and breathe
It’s not just about what you say, but about how you say it. If you’re feeling a little nervous, there’s a good chance you’re taking shallow breaths and speeding up the pace of your speech. This can kill your vocal power and give the impression that you lack confidence in your message. It’s also an easy way to lose a listener.
Here’s where we get to channel our inner yogis: Focus on taking full, deep breaths between phrases, not tiny sips of air. While you’re at it, sit up straight! You’ll notice your voice is fuller and richer and that you get less “what?” and “huh?” from the other caller.
Next step: slow down. Nine times out of ten, I hear interviewees who are speeding through their points and leaving everyone else on the call in the dust. Although some reporters may be recording, many are taking notes in real-time. How pointless would it be if they missed half of what you had to say?
My last bit of advice when it comes to speech is this: Build conversations, not walls. By this I mean that you are speaking to another person, not performing, so do not erect a “fourth wall” and simply put on a show. Take pauses and allow the reporter to interject with new questions or responses.
6. Tell the story you want to tell
You may feel that your only role in an interview is to provide all the information a reporter needs to write their story. That’s only half true. You’re also there to get your story across (or your company’s story). Think of this as a tool in your marketing toolbox. And trust me, for businesses, having a neutral third party share your story looks a lot more credible than writing it yourself.
This brings us back again to preparation. Have you prepared a story worth telling? A story that shares a unique perspective on a newsworthy topic? A story that highlights what sets you apart from the competition? Does it support your organization’s goals for the future while also providing valuable insight for readers? The material you prepare should check all of these boxes.
If the reporter isn’t asking the questions you want them to ask, take the conversation where you want it to go. Feel free to pivot your answers back to your core messaging points to emphasize the ideas that are most important to you. And when you’re asked (as you will be 95 percent of the time) if there’s anything you’d like to add at the end of the call, use it! Hit those main points again (succinctly), share an important idea that wasn’t previously covered and leave them with something memorable.
7. Rehearse your way to greatness
Now that you’ve put all this time and effort into doing your research, refining your messaging and remembering how nice it is to breathe, let’s not screw it up by skipping this key ingredient: practice. You may not be “putting on a show,” but rehearsal is still crucial.
Once you’ve compiled notes, speak your answers out loud and try some test runs with a friend or co-worker. Let them “interview” you, and ask for honest feedback on your pace, your content, your quotable sound bites, and more. Don’t feel bad if at first you kind of bomb—most of us newbies do. But the more you try it, the more comfortable and confident you’ll become. This is a learned skill, just like anything else.
So go forth and practice! And hey—if you start landing yourself in smaller publications and your story really resonates, you just might find that, someday, the Squawk Boxes of the world aren’t all that far-fetched.
