Ride into your next media interview with the headlights blazing
Preparation is essential heading into a media interview, and the reporter isn’t the only one who should be armed with questions. Here’s what you need to know before beginning any interview:
- what the interview is about;
- what specific topics will be discussed;
- from what perspective the story will be written;
- who will be conducting the interview;
- who else will be interviewed;
- how long and in what format (e.g. phone, in-person, live or filmed) the interview requires; and
- when the story will run or air.
Never consent to being interviewed on the spot, and remember that people who are interviewed before or after you will, or already have, shaped the reporter’s perspective on the story.
Ideally, when a reporter calls, whoever takes the call records the reporter’s information and then works with their public relations team to arrange the interview. Reporters are accustomed to working through PR executives, so while they may prefer to get directly to the source first, they will not be unduly disturbed. This allows time to determine the nature of the interview, discuss strategies in private before speaking directly with the media and determine the answers to the questions above.