TIPS ON ACING YOUR MEDIA INTERVIEW

Media interviews are a great way of engaging with potential new customers and followers.

The ball is in your court now and it is up to you to make the most of it. It is a good idea to think about your interview in three stages – before, during and after the interview – so you are well prepared.

Before the interview:

• Know the audience – Try to develop an understanding of the media outlet’s audience. Is it a business publication or consumer facing? What’s their angle? How do followers engage with the publication? The more you know the better prepared you’ll be to make sure you hit on elements that will be of interest for followers to read and share.
• Have a briefing with the journalist/producer on what information they are looking for and the format of the interview. Due to the pandemic the interview will likely be carried out by phone or video call.
• Set your agenda. Prepare a game plan which should cover key topics you want to touch on, possible questions and how you will respond.
• Think about the critical messages that you want to communicate. Key messages are the core messages you want your audience to hear and remember. Your key messages are what you must say and get across in the interview.
• After your initial preparation, you should do a practice interview. Spend at least 10 minutes going over your key messages and answering the questions from your game plan.

During the interview:

• Make what you wear tie in with your business, this will help reinforce your brand. A logoed t-shirt, appron (if you’re a baker), lab coat if you’re an aesthetitian, you get the idea. It all adds to the audience remembering you and what you do.
• To ensure you maintain control of the interview, don’t just answer the questions. Your objective must always be to communicate your key messages.
• Avoid jargon, every industry has it but don’t assume the journalist and followers have the depth of knowledge you have. Unless the interview is with trade media try not to get too technical either. Keep the messaging down to easy to understand nuggets of information.

After the interview:

• Express gratitude and follow up – Always send a thank you email or make a quick phone call to the journalist who interviewed you. Also, ask if they need any additional or supporting information and ensure that it reaches them on time.

Share It! Being quoted by the media gives credibility to you and your business, so use this as a building block to your business marketing efforts.

• Let your internal and external stakeholders know about your article or media appearance on your business blog, social media profiles, newsletter, and in meetings. Learn from the experience – Analyse if there is something that you could have done better.

There’s always room to improve. Evaluate and prepare for the next time you are interviewed.