At the start of our media training courses we always ask our delegates whether they have any previous experience of being interviewed by a journalist.
Often a delegate will recount a story where they were interviewed for a considerable amount of time, only for a short 15-20 second clip to be aired on television or radio.
It’s a frustrating experience for the spokesperson and one I personally encountered as a communications manager.
And it can be a challenge to convince a spokesperson to do another media interview if a previous one was reduced to something you would miss if you blinked.
Of course there is a lot of pressure on journalists; news schedules are tight, and there are times when a reporter is only looking for s short sound bite.
But there are steps spokespeople can take to ensure more of their content avoids being left on the cutting room floor.
Unusual
One of the key things a journalist looks for in a story is the element of surprise. If a spokesperson has something unusual to discuss, whether it is an opinion, some original insight or a new product, then they are much more likely to get more air time.
Is the thing they want to discuss the biggest? The first? The smallest? Just ensure there is evidence to support any bold claims.
Bring the human interest
People love stories about people. It taps into their natural curiosity about the lives of others and enables them to relate to what they are watching or hearing.
For spokespeople this means they need to think about the impact of what they are announcing will be for people and put that human element at the heart of their message.
They also need to add human examples and anecdotes to support their message and trigger emotion in the audience.
Personalise the content
The strongest interviews are often those where the spokesperson has been prepared to go beyond what has been said in a press release or in pre-approved ‘lines to take’ and have personalised the content.
Spokespeople who are prepared to provide a personal context and share a relevant story from their life tend to really resonate with an audience.
We also find on our media training courses that when spokespeople discuss personal stories they appear more confident, fluent and natural.
The words ‘you’ and ‘I’ are really powerful in media interviews and journalists and audiences alike love this type of content.
Use statistics
Statistics can be a powerful tool in media interviews and can support key messages when they are used well.
The key is to be creative and present them in a way the audience can visualise and remember.
So, instead of saying that 3.3 million people in their early twenties and thirties live with their parents, for example, that statistic is much more memorable as ‘one in four people in their early twenties and thirties now live with their parents’.
Use everyday language
If the key message you want to get across is bookended by jargon or corporate language, you can be pretty sure it will not be broadcast.
Journalists know this sort of language causes audiences to lose interest and potentially switch-off altogether.
Spokespeople should think about how they would tell the story to a friend or family member with little understanding of the industry they work in and use the same language.
Don’t ramble
Long, rambling answers are hard for both the journalist and the audience to follow and there is a risk they may be harshly edited, misinterpreted, or abandoned altogether.
The aim is to keep answers clear and concise and support key points with relatable examples.
It is generally the more nervous spokespeople and those discussing a complex issue who tend to ramble. Regular media training and interview practice will help with nerves while spokespeople with complicated subject matters should remember the words of Albert Einstein who said: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
Be available
It may sound pretty obvious, but it is important that organisations have media spokespeople who understand the needs of the media and can respond quickly if an opportunity arises.
If your spokesperson is unwilling to leave a meeting, for example, then the journalist will move on to someone else. It is worth organisations having a number of spokespeople who have had recent media training so that it can respond quickly to interview requests.
If an organisation has multiple sites, it should also think about having regional spokespeople at each location.
Prepare
You can’t afford to wing a media interview. Even if there is only a small amount of time between the journalist request and the interview taking place, you still need to prepare as thoroughly as possible.
Make sure you know the message that you want to get across and that you can bring it to life with strong, human examples. You also need to consider the negative questions which may be asked and think about how you would respond to them so that this does not become the focus of the interview.
Manage expectations
As we said at the start there are times when a journalist will only be looking for a very short clip. It is important spokespeople understand the different types of media interviews and the requirements of the journalist for each one. Without this knowledge a spokesperson won't really know whether they have really achieved their goals or missed an opportunity.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 30 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
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