Nine tips for giving better press interviews

​Executives and subject matter experts in IT companies can expect to be called upon occasionally to give press interviews.  Prepare yourself beforehand and all should go well.
 
I’ve arranged hundreds of media interviews for clients and have often provided guidance. Here are 9 ‘top tips’ to improve the outcomes of your press interviews:-

1. Read the brief. If the interview has been arranged on your behalf (such as by a marketing colleague or your PR consultant), then ask for a short written brief.
2. Be prepared. Read the brief! Who will you be talking to? From which publication? What’s their background? What sort of audience? What’s the interview topic? What makes you right for the interview? How long should it last? What are the key points you want to make?
3. Ask how you can help. In the time since the interview was arranged, the journalist will likely have better researched the topic and know what they seek from you. Ask how you can help.
4. Offer a quick background.  If the journalist hasn’t spoken with your company recently, ask if they’d like a quick overview. What challenges does your company help customers solve? Why does it matter? But keep it brief. This is interview preamble. Not the substance.
5. Think ‘Why’ first, ‘How’ second.  Journalists are usually more interested in business challenges and concepts before considering technology solutions. Why firms must do something, needs to be communicated before proposing how they should do it.
6. Get to the point. Some people can’t help rambling on. Don’t be one of them! Get to the point! Try to give the journalist some solid soundbites to quote you on.
7. Use facts, figures and real examples.  Facts, figures and real-life examples add power to your points.  Try to tell a story using a customer example (anonymous if necessary). Talk of your personal experiences. Try to have numerical evidence ready to quote, such as research findings, analyst figures, project costs and return on investment numbers.
8. Pause occasionally, check understanding and recap. The journalist is probably not an expert in the topic they’re about to write on. Pause occasionally. Ask whether what you’ve said makes sense. Give them time to think and to ask questions. At the end, sum up your key points and hammer home your main message.
9. Stay ‘on the record.’ Only reveal in the interview what you’re prepared to see published. Journalists cannot be expected to remember or respect what you do and don’t want to see in print.

 
These are just a few of the many interview tips and techniques that I offer clients of my PR services. I also offer media training where required. A day with me and the services of a respected journalist and we’ll soon have you on top form!