Media Interview Prep for the New Media
The media landscape has changed dramatically over the years, almost to something unrecognizable. Based on this, there are adjustments as to how you need to prepare for media interviews. It is more important than ever to understand the media outlet you’re interviewing with, the audience they reach, and how to manage the interview process as much a possible.
To do that, you must first be aware of the trends in media.
Trends
Click-bait journalism/Negativity
The monetization of media companies can lead to the media summarizing your entire interview into a sensational headline. And often, a negative spin creates more clicks than a positive one. “If it bleeds, it leads.”
Fragmentation
There are thousands and thousands of media outlets now. There are very few single sources of truth in the business media, other than Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and a few others. But even these publications will write “Gotcha” headlines and stories and use beat reporters that have much less experience than in the past.
Self Publishing
Everyone is a journalist now thanks to social media, blogs and podcasts. Be careful what you say to anyone.
Tiktokization of media consumption
People consume media in very short, interesting sound bytes. To have your messages land you need to be able to deliver these.
AI
This is more than just a trend in journalism. But in terms of the media, bots are writing stories now. It’s auto journalism. They just scrape from all of the information out there and synthesize it into a news story format.
Media Bias
There is media bias everywhere. When doing interviews, know the angle the publication and the reporter typically take.
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The implications of these trends are:
Every word you say everywhere matters because of aggregated content
Be wary of a somewhat negative (or at least balanced) bent to the story based on your interview. Most stories will not be puff pieces
There is less fact-checking
As the media has fragmented, reporters and less experienced - you can assume they don’t know a lot about your business or category
You have to be an even better interview to compensate to control the interview. The Commandments below can help you achieve that.
And now, fresh from the mountaintop, here are the…
THE 11 COMMANDMENTS OF MEDIA INTERVIEWS
Control the Interview
Choose 3-4 key messages and stick to them. Consider the interview to be a message delivery session, not a Q&A. How do you dodge/shake/manage tough or off-message questions? You’ll see below.
Know your ABCs.
Address; Bridge; Communicate is the process for handling tough or off-topic questions
Address the question: this doesn’t mean answering or not answering it. It means acknowledging the question with a comment such as: “I can’t get into specifics on that” or “I can’t speak for others” or “I don’t want to speculate on that.” Then, you Bridge to one of your key messages:
Bridges sound like: “But what I can tell you is…” or “But what I’d like to focus on…” or “What’s important to know is…”
Communicate your key messages: “We firmly believe this product meets people’s needs…”
3. Repetition
It’s a good thing to repeat your key messages. If you repeat, that’s what the takeaway will be. Better to be repetitive than all over the place.
4. Don’t Take it to the Limit
Don’t be all over the place (repetition works!). Limit your answers in length and scope. Say it in a soundbite.
5. Flag it
Let the reporter know when they’ve hit on one of your key points and why:
“That’s a great question, and I’ll tell you why...” or “Let me tell you more about that…” or “You hit the nail right on the head.”
6. Don’t Speculate
Don’t speculate about the future or answer hypotheticals. The interviewer may try, but they don’t even expect you to answer those types of questions.
7. Just Say No
Don’t repeat the negative language in a question. Just say, “No” or “Not at all.” Then Bridge to a key message.
8. Keep Your Friends Close and your Enemies Closer
Know what your competition is doing, but don’t mention them by name or speak for them.
9. Finish with a Flourish
Reiterate or summarize your key messages in or after your answer to the final question.
10. No Such Thing as “Off the Record”
Don’t go off the record unless it’s cleared by your PR person, who may or may not have a good relationship with that reporter.
11. Carnegie Hall
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice practice. Prep more than you think you need to – rehearse your messages at least three times.
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Other quick tips for during the interview:
Listen to the entire question before responding; take a breath
If you make a mistake or misspeak, correct it as soon as possible - or have your PR person do it
Avoid buzzwords and internal jargon
Know what’s in the news that day/week and how it impacts your organization
Don’t share personal opinions
Media interviews can be a great opportunity to get your messages out there, first-hand. But they need to be managed so you can avoid landmines and maximize their potential.