How to prepare for a media interview?

Media-presentation

Media interviews are great opportunities to establish yourself as a thought leader. But it also entails a lot of work if you want to get the best results.

For many corporate executives, being interviewed by the media is an opportunity to enhance their personal as well as their company’s image.

It’s a fact that a media interview that results in a positive article in a newspaper, magazine or online news channel carries a lot more credibility and longevity than a paid advertisement that would most likely be skipped and ignored by readers.

However, not every corporate executive is equipped or keen to do media interviews. This means they could be wasting an opportunity to tell their story and reach an audience in a powerful and credible way.

Instead of shying away from doing media interviews, corporate executives and those who want to enhance their and their company’s profiles can take steps to help them prepare for media interview opportunities.

Preparation is the key

Whether it is your first or hundredth time to do a media interview, it is important to be well-prepared. Though the type of interview will dictate the amount of preparation you need to put in, it is vital that you do your homework before you go to any media interview.

Let’s have a look at some of the most common types of media interviews and how you can prepare for them.

Phone interview – This is the most common form of interview nowadays due to the fact that most journalists have several articles to write and they work on tight deadlines.

Face-to-face interview is becoming rarer by the day as journalists need to speak to at least three different sources to write a balanced article. You can just imagine the amount of time it would take to do face-to-face interviews if the sources are located in different cities or states.

And with the ubiquity of technology nowadays, it is much efficient use of journalist’s time to do phone interviews.

How to prepare for a media phone interview?

  • Ask the journalist what is the topic of interview – This will help you research and list down a few points to contribute to the interview.
  • Ask for specific questions to be covered – Though not all journalists will give the specific questions, some may give an indication of the story angle they are working on for the interview.
  • List down your key talking points – Once you know the topic and you have an indication of the story angle, you can identify a few talking points. Having at least two or three talking points with supporting information – e.g. statistics, trends, survey results — will be a good starting point before you do the interview.

Email interview – The emergence of an email interview is also being driven by the availability of technology. With both journalist and interview sources pressed for time, this form of interview is becoming more common.

How to prepare for an email interview?

The preparation for an email interview happens simultaneously as you respond to it. Just as you need to research and have your talking points ready for a phone interview, you can use those information to directly respond to the emailed questions.

It’s best to keep your answers succinct and to the point when answering email interviews. As much as possible, answer the question in the most direct way. Refrain from giving unnecessary information unless the journalist is asking for it.

One of the limitations of an email interview is the lack of instant feedback from the journalist. Unlike in a phone or face-to-face interview where the journalist may ask follow up questions or ask you to elaborate on an answer, the email interview only gives a series of questions that need to be answered as succinctly as possible.

Face-to-face interview – This used to be the primary form of media interview back when journalists would meet their sources to get the information and details for an article. But with the proliferation of technology, many interviews are done either through phones, email and other electronic means.

However, there are still some instances that require face-to-face interview. And there are journalists who prefer to conduct interviews this way particularly if they are writing feature articles or a series of stories that require many hours of interviews.

How to prepare for a face-to-face interview?

  • Ask the journalist for the topic – Make sure you are familiar with the topic and that you can contribute something useful and informative.
  • Ask for specific questions – This will help in your preparation before you go to the interview. For example, if the journalist wants to ask for a breakdown of your company’s revenue by region, then you can get that level of detail ready to make sure that you can provide useful information. While it is not usual practice for journalists to give you all the questions upfront, it is worth asking for some ‘guide’ questions that will help you prepare the necessary data or information.
  • Choose a quiet and comfortable venue – Whether it is your office or a venue chosen by the journalist, make sure that there is a quiet space where you will be interviewed. This will ensure that the conversation can proceed smoothly and without interruption from unnecessary background noise.

TV interview is also a major media opportunity. But we have to dedicate another post to it as it requires more preparation than the usual phone or face-to-face interviews.

While it may seem that you need to spend a lot of time to prepare for media interviews, the thing to remember is that the more often you do it the less time you need to prepare. Most of the executives and spokespeople we’ve worked with who do media interviews on a regular basis attest to the fact that it’s usually the first couple of interviews that take time. But after you’ve done a few, you will have a better feel for the level of time and preparation you need for each interview.

Like any other activity that you do repeatedly, it will come much easier and will take much less time the more you do it.

The most important thing to remember when doing media interviews is to keep it simple. Most journalists prefer that you explain the topic in simple and easy to understand language. No matter how complex or technical the subject is, try to explain and give examples to make it understandable to your interviewer.

Is your business crisis-proof?

Making sure your business is crisis-proof in this digital age of communication is a must.

In the highly regulated world of financial markets, crisis situations are bound to happen. As it’s been said, it is not a matter of if, but when. And given the speed and nature of communications in this digital age, a crisis may hit sooner than you would have expected.

In his book Glass Jaw, American crisis management consultant Eric Dezenhall, talks about the changing nature of controversy.

One of the themes he explores in the book is the ‘Fiasco Vortex’.  As you can imagine and as the term suggests, this (fiasco vortex) is a place where no one wants to be. According to Dezenhall, the speed of communication and the instant nature of social media in this digital age play a big role in the development of a fiasco vortex.

Dezenhall describes this vortex as a snowballing effect, vicious circles and feedback loops that magnify destructive information and spread beyond the reach of available treatment. In his view, this situation is one part crisis and three parts farce. And the farce encircling the crisis is whipping it into an exponentially destructive beast.

As he traces the changes in the nature of communication and controversy, Dezenhall says the viral nature of controversy and communication in the digital age could render the once-mighty corporations, big businesses and high profile individuals powerless when they face a scandal – when they are caught in the fiasco vortex.

Dezenhall, who started his communications career as an aide in the White House Office of Communications during the Reagan administration, also comments on the ‘addictive quality to the consumption of controversy’ in this age of social media.

Glass Jaw

Given the frenzy that is feeding on the initial news or controversy, no one is immune. Not only big corporations or high profile personalities are the examples of glass jaw targets, says Dezenhall. Even common people can find themselves in humiliating situations.

Though the book is not a ‘how to’ in crisis management, Dezenhall shares many cases of big corporations, high profile sports personalities, politicians and other influential people and businesses that have been through some controversies in the recent past.

And while it does not offer a step-by-step process on how to deal with crises situations, the book emphasizes that “reputational damage is an extremely tangible phenomenon that can ruin lives, careers and businesses.”

Having worked in some of the high profile crisis situations, Dezenhall has a pragmatic and realistic approach to crisis management. I like his analogy on firefighting and crisis management. He says:

“It’s a lot easier to light a forest fire than to put it out. Even after the fire fighting is done what remains is a big mess. The realistic objective of a crisis management is to endure controversy, not escape it.”

Have you or does your business have a crisis management strategy in place? Now may be the best time to get one prepared.

Contact us if you want to discuss any aspect of your company’s communications and crisis management plan. You can reach us on: info@de2communications.com/ eva@de2communications.com or call us at: +61 421 333 763

Media training? Who needs it?

Whether you’re in middle or top management, there will come a point in your professional life that dealing with the media will be part of your role.

And you better be prepared for it.

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A few years ago I had the privilege of working on a project with Tyron Hyde, who is well-known as the king of property depreciation in Australia.

Tyron did his university thesis on depreciation when it was not even talked about in the country then. Today, he and his company – Washington Brown – are the most sought after quantity surveyors and depreciation experts.

Tyron must be one of the most passionate people I’ve ever worked with. And his passion is contagious. He could talk for hours (about properties and depreciation) or maybe even the whole day if you don’t stop him.

He has a knack for telling stories. And he tells them well. For example, he recalled how he used to count the number of trucks going in and out of a construction site when he was just starting in the construction industry. Even that mundane and boring activity – waiting and counting trucks – Tyron made interesting by retelling how he could still see the dust and dirt at the site. And that dusty experience inspired him to study.  It also made him realise he was not cut out to do manual work.

Towards the end of our project Tyron was interviewed on live TV about his book – Claim It – which is the first book on property depreciation in Australia. Given his enthusiasm and passion for what he does, Tyron proved to be one of the best TV interviewees I’ve worked with.

Though he knows the topic inside out, he was happy to go through some possible unexpected questions. He locked in some time for at least one rehearsal before the actual interview. And we were in the TV studio well ahead of time, and that gave him plenty of time to relax and get settled before going on air.

Not everyone, not even CEOs may have the same level of expertise and degree of passion that Tyron has. And for many people doing media interviews could be a real challenge. Some people are just not comfortable talking to the media. This could be due to some negative or unpleasant experience in being interviewed in their previous roles.

But whether you have had good or bad, negative or positive experience with media interviews, it is a fact and reality of corporate life that you will be interviewed by the media at some stage.

Whether you’re in middle or top management, there will come a point in your professional life that dealing with the media will be part of your role. And you better be prepared for it.

Over the years, we have done media training for CEOs, COOs, market analysts, fund managers, technical analysts, and traders and helped them prepare for media interviews. Everyone who’s done the training came out with a better appreciation and understanding of the media environment.

For example, the media training showed them that not all journalists are out to ‘get you’, unless of course you have something to hide, or you’re a politician? The training would also give you a glimpse of the editorial or news day and how the pressure of deadline and limited space/air time can affect the stories we read and hear about.

Most of all, the media training gave the participants more confidence in dealing with and in preparing for any future media interviews.

If you need to prepare for media interviews and would like to know how we can help you, please contact us. We will be happy to discuss how you can be more confident and more authoritative when you do your next media interview.

Contact us on: eva@de2communications.com or info@de2communications.com. We will be happy to chat with you on: +61 421 333 763

V is for Value

Over the years we have worked with many companies – both large and small – at different stages of their growth and brand building. Some were new to the Australian and Asia Pacific markets, while others have established presence in some countries in the region.

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It’s amazing to see the differences, not only in the culture, but also in the strategies and corporate approaches – the way they do things such as how they deal or treat their clients, or how they build their reputation and profile in particular markets.

While differences are good learning tools, it’s also good to see the similarities (to a certain extent) between companies and businesses. From a Communications and Public Relations perspective, we’re always interested in how companies approach or treat communications.

Some of the questions we ask potential clients who have approached de2 Communications for PR services include:

  1. Do you (or your company) have an overall communications strategy?
  2. What are some of the key messages and values of the company?
  3. How do you see Communications and Public Relations delivering value to the company?
  4. How important is Public Relations to the company?

While the first two points are the most basic starting points from a Communications and PR perspective, let’s focus on the third and fourth questions because most of the time – and we have seen this over and over again – they could affect not only the results of the PR strategy but it could also have a critical impact on a company’s reputation and brand.

For example, if a company recognises the importance of Communications and PR, it will allocate the needed resources – time, talent and budget – to a company-wide PR strategy.

We have had the privilege of working with a UK-based financial company when it was opening an office in Australia a few years ago. The company recognised that it needed to build awareness for its brand and its people since it was entering a very competitive market at that time.

The company CEO knew the value of communications and recognised that PR would play a vital role in building the company’s reputation. We were able to work with a team of talented market analysts and other experts who allocated time for Communications and PR.

We designed and implemented a 12-month communications calendar which was reviewed every three months. We saw the build-up and continuing rise of media coverage, client satisfaction as well as a positive corporate reputation for the company. And within a couple of years the company was recognised as one of the leaders in its sector.

It was a great example of a company that knows the value and role of PR within the company.

In our next post, we will talk about and give an opposite example to what we discussed today. If you want to discuss your company’s Communications and PR strategy, please contact us and we will be happy to explore the best possible options for you. If you’re unsure of where to start in implementing a PR strategy, call us and we can chat. Contact us on: +61 421 333 763 or email us on: eva@de2communications.com; info@de2communications.com

 

Misconceptions about Public Relations

An overseas financial services company looking to set up office in Australia approached us recently. The CEO wants to know how de2 Communications can help create awareness for the company, its executives and its products.

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During the discussion, it became clear that at times and even at this level there are still misconceptions about what Public Relations (PR) is and its role in a company’s growth.

Here’s a few false impressions about PR:

1. Public Relations = Press Release

Many people (even some top company executives) think that Public Relations is all about writing and sending out press releases. And the more press releases they send to the media the more coverage they will get. Many companies churn out materials about new staff hires, office openings, new leases and other boring information, expecting the media to write about them.

The truth is Public Relations is more than writing and sending out press releases. In this age of instant and constant information, the media is more selective and discerning in the quality of information they get and write about. News and information need to be valuable, useful, helpful and interesting enough for the media as well as their target audience.

2. Public Relations is free publicity

Some companies spend hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in advertising. Yet they don’t have dedicated budget when it comes to PR. This misguided notion that PR is ‘free’ could sometimes cost companies more not only in terms of dollars but in tarnished reputation, particularly when a crisis hits.

The reality is Public Relations is and must be a vital component of a company’s overall strategy. A company needs an integrated Communications and Public Relations plan that anticipates the good, the bad and every situation in between.

3. Public Relations is not measurable

Somewhat related to the misconception that PR is free is the wrong impression that it is not measurable. While many companies like to think that their advertising spend is the only thing that drives sales, they don’t count Public Relations as a contributing factor to a company’s overall reputation and status. And without a positive reputation, no amount of advertising money can persuade people to buy from or to support a big spending company.

The fact is Public Relations is measurable. Its value and direct impact to a company’s reputation, perception and status is more important than any advertising.

At de2 Communications, we have delivered some outstanding results for clients who have seen their media coverage double, triple or even quadruple within a short period of time. The positive media coverage can directly be translated and measured in terms of the equivalent advertising dollar spend. In many cases these coverage equate to hundreds of thousands of dollars (if measured purely on advertising dollar cost).

But more importantly the positive media coverage directly impact the way a company is perceived by its various target audience including its clients, business partners, industry peers, governments and the media.

If you have any question or if you would like to discuss any of the PR ideas here, please contact us. We will be happy to explore the most appropriate PR strategy for you and your company. Visit us on: de2communications.com or email us: eva@de2communications.com or info@de2communications.com. You can also call us: +61 421 333 763