Speaking with the media can make anyone sweat. Follow these 33 tips from PR pros to ace the interview. It includes everything from preparation to what to do after the interview.

1. 75%
MEDIA INTERVIEW
C H E C K L I S T
33
TIPS
of people suffer from Glossophobia,
a fear of public speaking.
KNOW YOUR KEY MESSAGES
“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
“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.”
- Lizzie Bermudez
Emmy-award winning TV host, online video creator
and contributor to Pop Sugar and ABC-TV Bay Area Life
Practice,
practice,
practice.
Identify
1 2Clarify the topic Is the interview:
on camera,
in person,
or by phone?
3 Are you the right
spokesperson? 4 Research your
company and
competitor news
5 Get familiar
with key trends 6 Develop FAQs and answer
“what do you do?”
in a way your grandma
could understand
NEWS
7 8
10 11
12
13
Confirm location,
time and date and
don’t miss the
interview!
INTERVIEW
1:00 PM
B E F O R E T H E I N T E R V I E W
PRO
TIP
9
Size of the
overall market
you’re in
Slice of the
market you’re
going after
Trends or survey
research that give
color to the story
Customer
demographics
What influences
your customer
T
H
E
Topic
Prepare for
the tough
questions
3 to 5
Have statistics at hand
Use analogies
whenever possible
key
messages “It’s like a …” “It’s like when …” “It’s the next …”
Media interviews are a form of
public speaking that makes almost any
spokesperson break into a sweat!
Here are
to turn a nervous spokesperson
into a sought-after expert.
D U R I N G T H E I N T E R V I E W
A F T E R T H E I N T E R V I E W
15 16Eliminate distractions:
turn off phones, remove
change from pockets
17
19
Body language:
speak slowly, smile more,
make eye contact
If you cannot answer or speculate on a question,
give a response with a bridging statement to get back on track
20Ask the next steps:
Embrace silence:
don’t end up saying something
you wish you didn’t
18 Short is sweet:
don’t talk more than a minute
without taking a break
PRO
TIP
14
“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
PRO
TIP
27
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, …”
Lie 21
Forget the mic is on 22
Use jargon 23
Speak negatively
about a competitor 24
Say “no comment” 25
“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
PRO
TIP
26
“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.”
Elena Verlee,
Award-winning PR influencer and founder of Cross Border Communications,
an international PR agency
PRO
TIP
33
DON’T
“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?”
28 Send a thank you note
with any clarifications
29 Get a copy of the article,
video or podcast
31 You can ask to correct any
factual misinformation
30 Never complain.
Things change or get cut
as the story takes shape
32 Share it on social media
and tag/thank the interviewer
“This may not have come across today…”
“I may have missed telling you about…”
“It might be of interest that…”
Thank You!
http://www.statisticbrain.com/fear-of-public-speaking-statistics
http://www.orau.gov/cdcynergy/erc/content/activeinformation/resources/Covello_bridging.pdf
Brought to you by:
Udemy and Elena Verlee, creator of PR in Your Pajamas
Sources: