Preparing for your first interview with the media is exciting and full of possibilities. It also can feel overwhelming because you don’t know where to begin. You may feel nervous about speaking on camera or worry how you may perform.
It’s true that there can be a lot at stake, including your and your organization’s reputation. The good news is that preparation and practice can give you the confidence you need to be authentic, tell your story and stay on message.
Read on for helpful tips to help you prepare for your first media interview with a news outlet, whether it’s a broadcast television or print interview with a local newspaper or magazine, radio spot, podcast or live interview via Zoom.
Find out more about what type of interview you’ll be doing
The format of the interview will determine the way you need to prepare for the opportunity. A reporter writing for a magazine or newspaper may interview you in person, over the phone or virtually. A television interview can take place on location, in studio or virtually. Audio-only formats, such as with podcasts or radio news, aren’t always audio-only. It pays to ask every single time you book an interview.
Because content is often posted in multiple locations, it is smart to find out if the interview will be recorded with audio and/or video. It could be recorded over Zoom or Skype, or streamed over social media. They could ask you to submit a headshot of yourself, too.
It goes without saying that if you’re interviewing from home that you do everything you can to ensure you have good connectivity, lighting and reduce distractions.
If you’re interviewing virtually, make sure to test your headset and/or webcam in advance to make sure the video and audio features are working and any filters or backgrounds you may have been using with friends are turned off. Cautionary (and amusing tale): one Texas lawyer discovered his image was transformed into a cute kitty during a court proceeding by mistake.
If an interview will be recorded on location, you’ll want to determine the best space for the interview where you’ll have some privacy and an interesting background. It might make sense to have your organization’s logo in the background for example.
Prepare key messages and any data points to back them up
Key messages distill your story into the main points you want to communicate. Writing your key messages can help you get clear about the most important information you need to deliver.
Most news stories on video are very short, about a minute or two long. Drafting key messages in advance and practicing with them means that you’ll have a better chance of getting the news story you want with the critical ingredients included in your written and verbal content.
It’s even better to have key messages with some statistics or data to back up what you have to say. You can share data that you do have, such as how many people your organization served last month, how many members, donors or customers you have, and growth projections for expanding into new areas.
It is also acceptable to use data from other reliable sources, such as a recent poll, national study, or government statistics. If you are talking about how programming can help girls’ mental health, you can cite a national study showing how many girls are affected by depression and anxiety. This gives you the perfect opening to share how your organization helps and what it is doing now to help girls cope.
Study these key messages and any supporting data, so you can have a smart conversation. Depending on the format, you may even be able to keep these notes with you during the interview for reference.
Practice with a colleague or a media training coach
The time you spend prepping for a media interview by practicing what you will say will without a doubt give you more confidence and ease during the interview. Do not skip this step! You want to practice enough times so that you can easily remember the key messages and talk about them in your own words.
If you are going to be on camera (and even if you are not), use your phone to record what you say and play it back for yourself. Better yet, have a co-worker, trusted friend or family member roleplay with you if you don’t have a one-on-one media training coach. They can ask you the questions and record your answers for you to watch.
Practice answering questions ahead of an interview with the media
Brainstorm questions that you may be asked and practice answering them. Before setting up the interview, you can ask a reporter who else is being interviewed, what the story will be about so you can gather pertinent information, and do a little research on what the reporter has been covering recently. This can give you some clues to help you prepare for the interview.
Reporters often look for personal connections to a story. They may ask you why you are passionate about a specific topic. This can be your opportunity to share a short, personal anecdote that ties into your key messages.
Also be prepared to answer questions with the 5 W’s and an H (what, who, where, where, why, and how) such as the following:
- What is your name? How is is pronounced and spelled?
- What is your role and/or what do you do?
- What is the situation? What is your mission? Can you describe what has happened or will happen?
- Who do you serve and why does it matter?
- Where will this take place, what is your service area, and/or where are you located?
- When will the event happen? This could be related to an upcoming event or something that happened recently (i.e., appointment of a new board member or celebrating a milestone anniversary)
- Why is this of interest to the public? What do people need to know?
- How can the general public participate or help?
Pro tips for acing your media interview
The more you practice and gain experience with different types of media interviews, the easier it will be to prepare for future interviews. Consider these tips for taking your interview skills up a notch.
- Stay on message. This increases the chance that your key messages end up in the final edited interview.
- Repeat the reporter’s question in your answer. (If the reporter asks, “How does your agency help?” You answer: “Our agency has been helping BIPOC girls find their voices and we do this by…”)
- If you don’t care for the question you are being asked, use a bridging technique instead of repeating the question. (i.e., “That’s an interesting point, but the important thing to remember is…”)
- If a question is phrased in the negative, recast it positively (i.e. The reporter asks: “During the winter storm, what deficiencies are you addressing to restore power?” You answer without using “deficiencies” in your response. “Our agency is restoring power as quickly as possible during this winter storm. We are hampered by increased demand, poor travel conditions, energy grid requirements and fallen vegetation on powerlines.”)
- Try to speak in short, quoteable sound bites. Watch broadcast interviews to see how this works in action.
- Be yourself. Remember this is a two-way conversation.
- Tell the truth.
- It’s okay to not know the answer to a reporter’s question. You can always get back to them with the answer later on depending on the format of the interview.
- If there is information you are unable to share (i.e. proprietary information), it’s okay to tell the reporter this in a polite way. You may be able to cover this topic with a TV producer ahead of an interview so expectations are set in advance.
- If a line of questioning is uncomfortable, pivot to a new topic you can speak about. (i.e “While I can’t speculate about what policies the legislature might approve, I can talk about the needs we are seeing among the families we serve each day.”)
What to avoid in your interview with the media
There are also a few pitfalls to avoid during any interview. If you remember that you are representing your good name and that of your organization, many of these will make sense. Try to avoid the following:
- Don’t pontificate or speculate.
- Don’t read from a script.
- Don’t badmouth other people or organizations.
- Don’t give a lecture.
- Don’t use profanity.
- Don’t lose your temper.
- Don’t wing it.
Take the pressure off
It’s perfectly normal to feel nervous before an interview. When you invest your time in research and prepping in advance, you will be able to put your best foot forward.
Resist your inner critic. We all have one! Know this: the more interviews you do, the better you will be.
Ask for what you need to be successful during an interview, whether that is a glass of water, notes to refer to, or a moment to collect your thoughts before answering a question.
Remember reporters are people, too. They want to file an interesting story on time, and everything you do to help them will be greatly appreciated.
And, if you can’t deliver what a reporter needs on their timeline, politely decline the interview. There will always be another day and another opportunity.
Interview follow-up
After the interview is over, make sure you find out when it will run and be sure to thank the reporter for their time. Make sure you have their contact information handy, so you can follow-up if necessary.
If you are consistently responsive and helpful, it will go a long way toward building a mutually beneficial relationship. Before you know it, you will be well on your way to becoming an expert spokesperson!
Need a coach?
If you need help learning how to speak to the media, contact me. I’ve been where you are and have lived to tell the tale. I would enjoy the opportunity to help you become a skilled spokesperson.
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