Press Pointers - How to do an Interview with member of the press

by Mark Shapiro

 

·        Be prepared.  Check your facts; know your story; know your references

·        Be truthful.  Honest mistakes can be tolerated. There is nothing wrong with saying "oops, I made a mistake".

·        Be an active listener.  Listen before you think. Think before you speak. Make sure you understand and answer the questions.

·        There is no such thing as “off the record”

 

Be in control

·        Provide only the information you planned.  Don’t allow yourself to be pressured.  Keep your answers concise.  It’s OK to say, “I don’t know” or “I’ll have to check that out and get back to you.”

·        Give the journalist time to write things down.  In a phone interview, listen for the clicking of the computer keys.  Also ask every now and then- “Did I make myself clear?” or “Is that understandable?” Allow pauses. When it comes to taking notes, some editors are fast - some are very slow.

 

REMEMBER

1. Keep it Simple, Short, and Vivid

2. Get animated.  Speak and act with energy

3. Lead with your best lines.  Time is critical.  Get across the important messages first.

4. Speak in bullets and say it again.  Continue to reiterate key messages in a variety of ways.

5. Evaluate marketing opportunities.  Be sure you mention your company, your services, your products as you speak.

6. Look for the softball question - many times, at the end of the interview, the editor or writer will ask, why is your product, service or announcement important or better than the competition? This is where you get to blast a home run. Be ready for it. If you don't have a ready answer, you should not be doing doing press briefings.

 

Have Key Messages:

The Three items you want to get across.  What are the three BIG POINTS?

Always tie back to these messages.  Use them at the end when the reporter asks if you have anything else to add-summarize these things.

 

What to avoid

o       Don’t use jargon, especially if you sense the reporter is not familiar with your space.

·        Don’t give your information that you don’t want to see in print.  You can always say, “that’s against corporate policy.”  or I "can't talk about that

"Touchy subjects can include:

o       Pending partnerships or customer deals

o       Acquisition plans

o       New product announcements (unless you want this to slip)

Don't get into an argument or a pissing contest with the writer - they always win....

 

Remember - most editors and writers - especially those in the trade publications and web sites - want to write positive GOOD stuff about your product and company. Make it easy for them.