PR 101

Five years ago, my son was headed for college. We were seated around the table, eating dinner and discussing his upcoming freshman year. My wife and I are both college graduates. We were giving my son what we thought was sage advice about what to do and what not to do.

I think it took us about 30 minutes to impart our wisdom. When we were done, we turned to my daughter, who was about to start her senior year in college. We asked for her input.

She leaned forward, put her elbows on the table and said: “Don’t do anything stupid. And you will know when you do.” Then she sat back.

I realized she had summed up better in 11 words than my wife and I had in 30 minutes.

The same advice holds for when you are interviewed: “Don’t do anything stupid. And you will know when you do.”

An interview is successful when the person being interviewed comes off is as a credible spokesman for their position or company. It means getting your point into print or onto the airwaves or the Internet. That’s what I am trying to help you do.

Okay, so you’ve received a phone call from a journalist, broadcaster or blogger. They want to schedule an interview. So, what to do you?

First, don’t panic. Even if the reporter is calling about layoffs or the IRS is investigating your company, don’t panic. I will cover more of how to deal with that in blog on crisis communications. But, don’t panic. People do the wrong thing out of sense of panic. No matter whether the interview subject is good or bad, stay calm.

Do not turn down the interview. If you cannot do it, find someone who is able. You are either missing a chance for good publicity, or you are going to look bad.  No one wants to see his or her competitor get the publicity that could have been his or hers. No one wants to see the phrase: “(fill in the name) refused to comment.” People assume you had something to hide. There’s goes your credibility.

I will repeat what I say in every blog on media relations: a reporter is neither your friend nor your enemy. They just have a job to do. They have no antipathy for you. As a reporter I said that I will give you the rope, but what you do with it is entirely your business. I hope this series of blogs keep you from hanging yourself.

As a beginning, there are two kinds of interviews – the scheduled one and he unscheduled one. There are permeations of each, but those are the two overriding categories.

This blog will cover a scheduled interview. I will cover the surprise interview in next week’s piece.

So, a reporter or blogger calls and asks to interview you about a subject that person feels you know something about. Make sure you get as much information as possible from that person about what they want to talk about. Do as much as you can to pin them down. They will not give you every detail, but you should come away with an outline. But be careful; don’t let them start interviewing you. If they start, be polite, but say you are too busy or need some time to gather information.

Getting that outline is important, because you want to be able to prepare. You want to be able to answer every question you think you might be asked. In addition, prepare background material you can give to the reporter. Include all information you think might be relevant. Reporters usually appreciate that. The packet can include sales figures, charts, pictures, graphs, whatever you think might help.

I strongly advise that anyone dealing with the media go through media training. (Shameless plug – I do media training as part of my agency.) It is important to be able to handle an interview. A good interviewer will throw some curve balls. You need to be ready to handle them. Also, anyone who appears on television or in an Internet video needs to look and sound natural.

If at all possible, do the interview on yours or neutral ground. Usually reporters won’t ask you to come to a newsroom. But it does happen. You will do much better in surroundings where you are comfortable. I am not saying you will relax, but things will generally go better.

Second, do not be alone in the room with the blogger or reporter. I know this not always possible, but having someone else there can come in handy if there is a misquote or mistake in the story. Someone from your public relations staff is the ideal choice. They should know the local media and the subject of the interview.

A note about public relations people – listen to them. They are your experts. An experienced public person knows how to work with the media. They can tell when the reporter is hostile and they will know what to do. They can also keep the interviewee on point.

A second note, this one about lawyers. I am always wary of allowing attorneys to take part in interviews. Why? Well, lawyers tend to wear blinders. All they see is possible liability. It’s their job, I understand. But, many lawyers tend to be to overprotective. They don’t think long term, how saying something might help the brand and increase the customer base. All they see is “oh my lord, we could get sued.”

Okay, so you are in the interview. You know already you shouldn’t say lie, or say no comment, or go off the record.  What should you do? Here is a short list:

* Answer all questions using short, declarative sentences. This will lower the chance, especially in a broadcast interview, of being misquoted. It is harder for a video editor to change what you say if the sentence is short.
*  Relax. An interviewer will pick up on nervousness. It makes them suspicious, especially if you react to a particular question. That’s where the interview will go.
*  Only answer the question asked – don’t go off on tangents. You might say something you will regret. You can use anecdotes to make your point, though.
* A good interview is a like taking a canoe down a lazy river. It flows from point to point. You can control the flow of the interview by how you answer.

So, the interviewer finishes up and turns the microphone off or puts the notebook away. Do not assume you are done. Anything you say is fair game. I used to get a lot of great stuff when the interview subject thought we were “just talking.” You are never “just talking” to an interviewer. Assume anything you say might be used. Always be on your guard.

Finally, you will not be allowed to see the finished piece before it’s published or aired. Outlets have strict rules against that. The feeling is that you will try to influence the story to make yourself look better. A good writer will check quotes with you, but that’s all.

Okay, that’s it. In a later blog, I will talk about how to handle errors in the piece in another blog.