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Media Tips for Preparing the Novice

A media training guide for those new to the media spotlight

By Aileen Pincus
The Pincus Group, Inc.

Even for those used to public and media attention, media interviews can be difficult. But they can be downright terrifying for those who’ve never been in the media spotlight before. Yet judging from the tactics of some trainers, you’d think that the best prepared client is a scared client.   

The goal of media training is to teach clients how to serve both reporters’ goals and their own truthfully, factually and with confidence; not to shade the truth, duck tough questions or only seek out “easy” interviews.

For many who’ve never interacted with the media, fear of the media usually stems from a feeling of lack of control in the process and concern over the reporter’s motives in doing the interview. Will I be able to answer the reporter’s questions? How will I know the reporter won’t make me look bad?

Reporters understand of course that many of their interview subjects will react this way and good ones will do what they can to put their interviewees at ease. Reporters though have a tendency to believe that people’s fears about the media are, for the most part, groundless and misplaced. They sometimes believe that anyone who shows fear must be hiding something.

As a media trainer and former reporter, I know that a healthy respect for the media works far better than fear. Facts often don’t speak for themselves and interview subjects can indeed look foolish, inept or worse, even if that wasn’t the reporter’s aim. However, the best preparation for media interviews is based on understanding what the reporter needs and framing a message, your story, in the way a reporter can easily make use of it.

The first thing for the novice interviewee to understand is that he or she is in far greater danger from a reporter who doesn’t get it, than from a reporter who is out to get you. The vast majority of reporters want to get the story right. Asking tough questions is not, in itself, a sign of bias. If a reporter works for a mainstream news organization, there are standards to be met and higher ups to hold them accountable to those standards. That’s not to say reporters don’t sometimes get it wrong. It means if they are professional, they have a stake in getting it right and value their reputations for fairness. That means the client needs to concentrate on telling reporters what they need to know to know to get the story right.

If you’re training a client unfamiliar with the media, keep in mind some basics about what they’ll need to know to get it right.

No spin

Don’t lie to a reporter. Ever. It doesn’t mean you have to tell, explain and reveal all. It means you need to maintain your credibility at all times by making sure the veracity of what you say can be counted on. This also has the advantage of reducing the need to correct statements later.  

Preparation is key

Reporters are looking to tell a story others can relate to or at least find a connection with. Think beforehand about the main points to be made with a reporter and how they need to get those points across. Think about what this print or broadcast reporter will need to help tell the story well.

Consider the why

Many who are unfamiliar with the process load a reporter with raw data and are then shocked when that reporter picks a random quote or sound bite out of all the others. Help the client understand they’re being interviewed for a bigger purpose: perspective and a broader view. Help them find a way to speak about the bigger picture regarding the issue or the event; as an expert, an observer or a participant.               

Less is more

Speaking to reporters requires getting to the bottom line as quickly, and as quotably, as you can. Help the client understand the need to deliver the supportive data, facts and back-up information after the message. And remember the “mass” in mass media by making a message as accessible as possible to the greatest number of people without jargon, slang or “inside language.”

Practice, practice and practice

It takes a while to get comfortable with developing messages, reducing them to a few well-spoken statements and staying on message throughout the questions, especially if there’s a camera involved. Make sure the client practices in as real a situation as you can find so that the reality of the face-to-face interview will be less intimidating.

Media interviews should be a process of mutual gain. The media gets information, perspective and an interesting story or point of view, and the client gets access to the media audience. Teach control, rather than fear, as the principle weapon in readying any client.

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Aileen Pincus, president of The Pincus Group, Inc., is a former local and national television reporter, senior Hill staffer and public relations executive. She now leads a team of executive trainers for the group’s public and private industry clients and can be reached at www.thepincusgroup.com.