Preparing to be interviewed on television or radio can be a nervous time even for those experienced at facing the media.
And while you try to calm those nerves and fine tune your key message it can be easy to forget it is not just the journalist who should be asking questions.
But these questions are vital and can play a key part in how you prepare.
So here is a handy guide to the questions you should be asking journalists – let us know what you think.
1 Will it be a live interview or pre-recorded? Live interviews can feel more daunting and your natural instinct will be to go for the safety net of the pre-record option if it is offered. But we believe you should always opt for live if your spokesperson is confident and had media training. A live interview will give you more opportunity to get your key message out and control the content of the piece. In a pre-record interview, you may talk for a long period of time, but the final edit is likely to only include a short clip of the interview. You are also likely to perform better, with more energy, in a live interview because of the adrenaline and there is no danger of your item being ‘bumped’.
2 Who else will you be interviewing? It is absolutely crucial to find out who else will be part of the news package and what they will be saying. Failure to do so will leave you completely under-prepared and exposed. If you know a competitor, local MP, unhappy customer, or representative of a pressure group has also been invited to take part, you can research what they are likely to say and prepare some responses. You really do not want to be going into what you think is a relatively straight forward interview only to find yourself going head-to-head with an angry customer.
3 What is the story? This may seem pretty obvious, but it always worth checking what angle the journalist is taking. They may be looking to move the news on, perhaps by comparing your story to something which has happened elsewhere; maybe they are comparing it to something which has happened in your organisation’s history, or perhaps they are looking at the long term impact the story will have on your customers.
4 Where will the interview take place? There are logistical and reputational reasons for this question. You may not want to agree to an interview which is going to cause you to travel considerable distance to a studio if you have a number of other interviews to carry out. If you are inviting the journalist to your offices, consider where the interview will take place, who else the journalist could potentially meet in the building and what else is taking place there that day. Make sure your organisation’s logo is not in the background during the interview if it is a negative story. Skype and FaceTime are being use increasingly often in interviews and offer another option which should be considered – but pay attention to what can be seen in the background.
5 When will you be running the story? In the modern world of 24/7 television news the journalist is likely to want the interview immediately. The key for you is to try to meet this demand while still giving yourself time to prepare what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. Do not give an immediate interview. Offer to send a holding statement with the opportunity for an interview in an hour or two. If it is a proactive interview it may not be run for a couple of days, so make sure it will not clash with any other announcements your organisation will be making – you don’t want to be fighting with yourself for media space.
There are of course questions you should not ask. Asking to see all the questions in advance or to hear or see the interview before it is aired will be seen an amateurish and will only antagonise the journalist.
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. To find out more about our highly practical Media Skills courses, contact us here.
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