How to Prep for Your Next Press Interview
When people think about PR, their first priority is usually where they’ll be featured. But often, people assume that’s the end of it: secure the opportunity, do the interview, mission accomplished. In fact, the “yes” to the opportunity is just the start. If you’re being interviewed for a story, being prepared will help ensure that your messaging comes across in the story and that you build a good and helpful relationship with the media.
Whether you’re working with an agency that can prep you or DIYing your PR and need to do your own research, advance preparation for an interview is key. Not preparing can lead to disappointing results: maybe you’re quoted, but it’s not what you meant to say, or how you wanted to say it. Or worse, maybe you walked into the interview with an assumption on the reporter’s style or angle and were thrown off when you were wrong. Advance research and prep allows you to think through what you’ll want to say, and how you’ll say it – as well as be ready for any curveballs that may come your way.
Here are our top tips for acing your next press interview:
RESEARCH THE REPORTER AND OUTLET
First thing’s first: Google. Look at their Twitter profile, their personal website -- get a sense of their background. We always provide a few clips, podcast episodes or prior articles for clients to get a sense of the interviewer’s style. Pay special attention to reporting about similar companies or on similar angles.
Sometimes – particularly for a podcast or live TV interview – we’ll receive questions or an outline ahead of time, which makes prep relatively simple. But if that’s not the case, examining prior coverage allows you to see what the structure of the reporter’s story is and guess at what questions he or she may ask.
BE PREPARED
Ask questions.
If you can, ask your contact what the interview will center on, so you can prioritize details ahead of time and offer the most targeted answers. Sometimes, despite sending interview questions beforehand, interviewers can forget what they can veer off course from what they had planned to ask, so knowing the overarching interview direction can help the details you choose to share shine through.
HOT TIP: Copy and paste the recording platform link (Skype, Zoom, etc.) or phone number, the time and time zone of the interview, name of the podcast and host into a Google Calendar event. You won’t miss a detail, or more importantly, the interview.
Make sure your equipment is functional.
For podcasts, radio and TV, when possible, use an external microphone. Double check it works. Test your sound levels. Plan to record in the quietest room you have access to and if possible, with minimal background noise. Ensure you are aware if the opportunity is on-camera or off. Many podcasts record video through Zoom and don’t use the video – but they occasionally will use clips for promotions. . If that’s the case, you’re going to want to test your background and video quality as well.
Prepare any media assets - website links, social information, headshots, etc.
Try to have these ready when the interviewer requests them so you can meet their deadlines. Additionally, keep your social media addresses and personal sites at top of mind when you record because podcasts especially will give you the space to go over your personals. It’s a good idea, whenever pitching, to ensure that all of your materials are up to date. If the press hit is a hit, you can expect more traffic to your site, and consumers can be turned off by a couple of content errors, old product photography, or even a confusing landing page.
DEFINE WHAT MAKES YOUR BRAND DIFFERENT
The interviewer might have spoken with 12 other guests in the same space as you. What makes your conversation stand out from the pack is a unique POV. Instead of using the time to dissect product launches or brand profile, get right to your points - the audience wants to know what issue or market gap your entrepreneurship addresses.
Some common questions: How did you lead your personal or business brand to this stage? What drives your business model, your product?
More important questions: Why is your product or thought leadership important to your audience? What global and industry revolutions can you align with? What is your brand’s unique selling proposition or USP? Did you make an uncommon career shift to actualize this? Do you have an interesting founder’s journey that can resonate with others? How are you different from the rest?
You’re clear in your mission and you want to come across that way. Let the interview be a flexible conversation but show up ready to be an expert in the thing you are an expert in. The more prepared and cooler-headed you are, the more finesse you can bring to your brand. As the physical representative of a brand, an interviewee’s fluency in their mission says everything. Which brings us to the next important step….
WRITE DOWN YOUR TALKING POINTS
You know your message better than anyone, you think. This will be a breeze. You can talk about your company all day.
For the most part, interviews are quick. They can range anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours so it’s important to know beforehand how much space to take up. If it’s a profile of your entrepreneurship, the interview may be longer and the topics broader. If you’re being interviewed as a supporting expert for a trend topic or for a multiple-guest feature, you may only have a few minutes. You want your talking points to be helpful and authentic, but also focused.
Write down a maximum of three things you want to be sure to get out during your interview. And we literally mean write them down, put them next to you - refer to them to keep you on track if you start to meander or the interview gets off track. If relevant, this is a good place to write down new initiatives, upcoming product releases, brand updates, accolades and funding rounds, and recent press.
OUR TIPS FOR RECORDING:
Don’t Go Off the Record. Mistakes happen. Things make it into the record. You open up Pandora’s Box. If you don’t want to see it in print, just don’t say it.
Don't Be Afraid to Not Give an Answer. Don't give an answer if you're not sure of it. If you expect the interview will have lots of facts and figures, memorize those or have them available to you to ensure accuracy. If you don’t have an answer in front of you and it’s not a live or podcast interview, it’s OK to say you’ll need to get them the answer in a follow up.
If there's a question you simply don't want to answer at all, you have two options.
You can pivot if the question is tangentially related to something else you'd like to discuss. Common phrases you'll hear in a pivot are things like, "That's an interesting question, and it brings up..." or "A lot of people focus on that, but in fact, the important thing is..."
The second option is to be straightforward and tell the host that you're not comfortable answering a question or at liberty to discuss it. For example, if someone were to ask you a question about personal income as a business owner, a good answer might be, "I don't share my personal financial information. I can tell you the company has experienced year over year growth of 20%."
Understand the Interviewer’s Role
A reporter isn’t your promotional vehicle. While an interviewer implicitly understands you want the media coverage to raise your profile, their job is really to tell the story in the way it will best be told. That may sometimes mean you have to pass on media opportunities if they are not a fit for your brand. Something to consider before getting on the phone for an interview. Like we said, know yourself, know your brand, know your audience.
You can’t go into an interview like an infomercial. The beauty of earned media is that it is the chance for the interviewer to retell your story through a new lens and expose it to a new audience. Think of how you can be most helpful in this vein.
Don't Bait & Switch - Be a Good Interview
If your pitch has opened the door to an interview, then make it a good one. Sometimes that means that you’re just a small quote in a larger trend piece, and that’s OK. Understand that the relationship you foster during the planning and recording process can lead to interviews down the line and other press leads. Getting in front of the right audiences is all about building a network of contacts and maintaining those connections. Ensure that you are willing to discuss any relevant topics, and keep the idea of being helpful to the reporter top of mind.
Follow Up After the Interview
As PR pros, it's our job to follow up post-interview. This is usually a time when we remind the reporter of the client's website or other brand information, send a few additional stats or talking points if they weren't shared in the interview and provide any other follow up info, as well as find out when the episode will go live.
If you've been interviewed, you should perform the same follow up to ensure the interview is moving to next steps. If you promised them anything during the interview, like a photo, be sure to get that to them before their deadline.