Prep Like a Pro: 5 Media Interview Tips
Congratulations! You just landed a media interview and right now, you’re probably feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. That’s completely understandable, and it’s why you’ve found your way to this blog post.
A media interview is an excellent opportunity to boost your authority and credibility and build brand awareness.
Whether it’s your first interview or your hundredth, there’s always room for improvement.
Read on for five tips to help you prepare like a pro.
Media Interview Prep: 5 Tips to Get Started
Do your homework
Like school exams, preparation is the key to a successful media interview.
Not only will you organize your thoughts, but you’ll also rehearse your responses, which will build your confidence for the real interview.
When preparing for your interview, look back at the interviewer’s past conversations.
This helps you understand their tone, interview style, and the types of quotes they repurpose for their post-interview promotion.
You can check their social media and previous interview comments to understand their feedback.
These insights will help tailor your responses to create a connection with their audience.
Choose talking points
Have you ever watched an interview and felt like the person completely drew a blank? They’re fumbling for words, and your heart rate starts rising because you feel nervous for them.
To avoid this scenario for yourself, prepare talking points.
Base your talking points on the main topic of the interview and the information you’ve gathered from your research.
Create a bulleted list and familiarize yourself with them. These talking points will keep you grounded and allow you to capitalize on the opportunity.
Know your audience
We mentioned it before, but it’s essential. Before your interview, genuinely understand the audience who will tune in or read your interview.
Tailoring your responses to their interests, needs, and curiosity helps you create engaging messages that hold their attention.
Not only will your answers be clear, but they’ll also be relevant. Relevancy is currency in this digital day and age.
Keep it simple
Yes, you want to spotlight your expertise but don’t want to do it at the expense of your audience’s understanding.
Keep the dialogue flowing naturally with impactful and to-the-point responses.
Do your best to avoid industry jargon and use terms and examples that enhance people’s understanding.
Clarity creates a connection with the consumer, making your insights more palatable.
Be confident
If you don’t believe in yourself, who will? When you start doubting yourself or your abilities, remember why the journalist wanted to work with you in the first place. They see you as the expert who they’re relying on to provide value to their audience.
Believe in yourself and your abilities and let your experience shine through.
If you’d like to secure more earned media opportunities such as media interviews, explore our Press Release Optimizer and learn how our team can help you do just that.
Want to learn more about this topic? Our Smart Start video covers all the details including
- The benefits of securing a media interview.
- Tactical advice for professionals who’ve scheduled an interview.
- How to make the most of the opportunity.
- Post-interview follow-up tips.
Check it out!
