Do you fear talking to the press—especially when you or your company is in a crisis? Understandable.
Call in a communications professional and start your media training with these ten steps:
Research your interviewer and the media source. Are they likely to be friendly or adversarial? Learn about the audiences they serve.
Know your topic well. Be fluent, but not scripted. And don’t ever “wing it.”
Have a few “go to” key messages to get out. When you can, entice the reporter into asking you a question you want to answer.
Prepare answers for tough questions. Don’t be defensive. Don’t say “no comment.” Politely pivot.
Know the difference between “not for attribution/on background only” and “off the record.” If you don’t specify, assume everything is “on the record.”
Answer concisely to avoid being misquoted. Once you’ve said something, it’s hard (but not impossible) to take it back.
If you are doing broadcast or video, practice being on camera. Know where to look, how to sit, how to dress. Don’t speak over the interviewer. If it isn’t live, assume your 30 minutes will be boiled down to a 20-second soundbite.
Be authentic, cooperative and conversational.
Breathe.
Donner Creative Communication Strategies is here to help.
Let me add one other thing here. Or maybe three other things here:
Publicity is great if you can get it and you can control the arc of the story. Contrary to popular belief, not all reporters are out to get you. And not all stories are crisis stories – though it may feel like that these days. If you can bring something interesting and special to the table, you have the opportunity to enjoy some terrific earned media that tacitly endorses what you and your organization are doing. But know this: it has to be actually newsworthy to the universe, not just to you. That’s where a good pitch comes in. More on that in future posts.
If you really want to stress something, say it S-L-O-W-L-Y. While it’s critical to emphasize your messages, if you try to emphasize everything, you’ll emphasize nothing.
And one more thing. Use examples to bring your key message to life. Personalize the message. Analogies make your quotes more quotable. Painting a picture is all part of good storytelling and that will get you the press coverage you desire.