Ace Your Next Media Interview With These 6 Tips
Media interviews are great opportunities to share your brand's story. Your ultimate goal when engaging media is to tell a compelling story using accurate, valuable, and timely information that will connect with readers, viewers, and listeners. Here are six tips to help you ace your next media interview.
Get familiar with the reporter and the publication or media outlet they represent. Review the reporter's past articles or news segments and learn a bit about their audience.
Be prepared for the interview. At Birds of Paradise Public Relations, before every media interview, we provide our clients with a media brief with relevant information such as date, time, and location of the interview as well as the journalist's bio and a list of potential questions and key messaging or talking points.
Practice, practice, practice. Why? Because the quality of your "performance" in a media interview can impact the perception of your brand. No pressure at all, right? ;-)
During the interview, use facts and anecdotes to emphasize credibility, while keeping your answers concise and straightforward. Be energetic, enthusiastic, and respectful. Avoid jargon and heavy use of industry acronyms.
After the interview, send a thank-you note to the reporter to show your appreciation for their interest and time. That will go a long way in helping you to build a positive relationship that can lead to more opportunities to share your story and be a source for relevant stories.
Monitor for coverage. Be sure to ask the reporter when their story will be available to the public and keep an eye on the media outlet's website and social media channels. When the article or segment goes live, share it on your website and social media as well.
Birds of Paradise Public Relations has the knowledge and expertise to help you secure and ace your next media interview. Contact us today for all your earned media and media outreach needs.