How to Ace Your Next Media Interview: Checklist

ULTIMATE MEDIA INTERVIEW CHECRLIST K 75% of people suffer from Glossophobia, a fear of public speaking. Media interviews are a form of public speaking that makes almost any spokesperson break into a sweat! 33 TIPS to turn a nervous spokesperson into a sought-after expert. Here are BEFORE THE INTERVIEW Topic Is the interview: on camera, in person, or by phone? Clarify the topic 3 Are you the right spokesperson? 4 Research your company and competitor news NEWS 6 Develop FAQS and answer "what do you do?" in a way your grandma could understand Get familiar with key trends INTERVIEW 7 Prepare for the tough 8 Confirm location, time and date and 1:00 PM questions don't miss the interview! PRO TIP "Research the person interviewing you and find mutual points of connection. Ask about their main goal for the interview to let them know how serious you are about making this the best interview possible." - Lewis Howes School of Greatness Podcaster and contributor to Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine KNOW YOUR KEY MESSAGES 10 Identify 3 to 5 11 Use analogies whenever possible key messages "It's like a ..." "It's like when .." "It's the next 12 Have statistics at hand Size of the overall market Trends or survey research that give color to the story Slice of the Customer What influences market you're going after demographics your customer you're in 13 Practice, practice, practice. "I use a couple of words for my key points so they trigger the factoid or piece of information and don't come out sounding contrived or rehearsed. The last thing you want is to sound like you're reading a press release." 14 PRO TIP Lizzie Bermudez Emmy-award winning TV host, online video creator and contributor to Pop Sugar and ABC-TV Bay Area Life DURING THE INTERVIEW 15 16 Embrace silence: don't end up saying something Eliminate distractions: turn off phones, remove change from pockets you wish you didn't 17 Body language: speak slowly, smile more, Short is sweet: 18 don't talk more than a minute make eye contact without taking a break 19 If you cannot answer or speculate on a question, give a response with a bridging statement to get back on track Response: Bridging statement: "I cannot speculate on that..." "That may be true... "I see your point..." "And what's most important to know is..." "And what this all means is..." "If we take a look at the bigger picture, ..." 20 Ask the next steps: "Is there anything else I can help with?" "I needed to get back to you about when is your deadline?" "When is the article/show running?" Lie 21 DON'T Forget the mic is on 22 Use jargon 23 Speak negatively about a competitor 24 Say “no comment" 25 26 PRO TIP "I like to break down the questioner and responder roles. Try and make it like a natural conversation. I want them to feel like we are sitting in my living room over a cup of coffee. You get their most authentic selves that way." Meredith Sinclair, vlogger, columnist at Chicago Parent and regular contributor to the Today Show AFTER THE INTERVIEW "Never, ever ask if you can review the entire article or edit the article being written about you before publication. That's unethical." - Jennifer Jolly Consumer Technology Journalist for The New York Times, USA Today and the Today Show 27 PRO TIP 28 Send a thank you note with any clarifications "This may not have come across today..." "I may have missed telling you about..." "It might be of interest that..." Thank You! 29 Get a copy of the article, video or podcast Never complain. 30 Things change or get cut as the story takes shape You can ask to correct any Share it on social media 31 32 and tag/thank the interviewer factual misinformation "Amplify the publicity you just received. Add a link to the interview on your website, share it in your customer newsletter and display the article or a photo of you being interviewed, in your offices." 33 PRO TIP Elena Verlee, Award-winning PR influencer and founder of Cross Border Communications, an international PR agency Brought to you by: Udemy and Elena Verlee, creator of PR in Your Pajamas udemy PR Sources: IN YOUR pajamas http://www.statisticbrain.com/fear-of-public-speaking-statistics http://www.orau.gov/cdcynergy/erc/content/activeinformation/resources/Covello_bridging.pdf PRACTICAL PUBLICITY FOR ENTREPRENEURS