“Q” Tips for Successful Interviews

This is YOUR Interview NOT the Reporter’s: You dictate the terms and topics of your interview before you agree to be interviewed. Ask: What is the story about? Who else is the reporter interviewing? What is the reporter’s deadline? What do they hope to get out of your interview?

“Q” Tips for Successful Interviews – The Message Diamond

Hit Message again in slightly different form

Hit Message

Enhance message with aninteresting story, anecdote or example

Message Diamond – Charlie Rose

“Q” Tips for Successful Interviews

Avoid Tech Talk and “Industry Jargon”: If your best friend is not in the same business as you, call them and ask them if it makes sense before the interview.

“Q” Tips for Successful Interviews

Stories Are Better Than Statistics: People hate statistics and don’t believe most of them anyway. It is much better to tell a quick anecdote to back up your message than to list a litany of numbers.

“Q” Tips for Successful Interviews

Be Confident Not Cocky; Descriptive Not Defensive: The reporter is doing his or her job. If you sound defensive or cocky in your answers you lose. Keep in mind that the viewer or reader won’t see or read the hostile question, they’ll just see and read your hostile answer.

“Q” Tips for Successful Interviews

Never answer hypothetical questions

If you answer them, then the reporter will make you look like you are predicting something which may not occur. Use hypothetical questions to pivot to what you know as fact and then move your message.