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four surefire media interview techniques

Agency insights - 9th September 2016
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You’ve scored an opportunity to promote your business with a media interview – now’s the time to maximise it.  Here are four tried and trusted techniques to ensure you make a real impact.

Four surefire media interview techniques

1: Keep it simple

  • Develop no more than three key messages you want to communicate – this is the maximum number of ideas that most audiences can comfortably absorb.
  • Arm yourself with facts and figures that support your messages, which you can quote in your answers.
  • Stick to the key messages and bridge back to them in every response or as often as possible.

2: Paint a picture

Paint a colourful picture in your responses. This will not only give your message greater impact, it will be more likely to stick in the minds of your audience.

What’s more powerful of the two?

  • You can eat dinner on the beach at the resort.

Or

  • Dinner on the beach is idyllic – sitting barefoot, the brilliant white sand between your toes, watching the waves slowly lap on the shore as the sun sets. It’s a slice of heaven.

 

Four surefire media interview techniques

3: Tell a story

Present your audience with an experience, not just an answer. For example, if you’re promoting a new destination, talk about an experience you or a contact has had there.

Instead of:

  • The Lagoon is a lovely place to stay, it’s very luxurious.

Tell a story:

  • We had such an incredible time at The Lagoon. We took a late-afternoon paddle boarding lesson and once I’d managed to stop laughing enough to stay on the board, we paddled out to the resort’s private atoll where we lazed in a hammock, sipping signature cocktails, watching the sunset.

4: Be authentic

Audiences respond more positively to people who are genuine, so ensure to present the best version of yourself in your interview.

  • Don’t hide your accent or wear clothes you wouldn’t normally dress in for your role.
  • As our media trainer Robert succinctly puts it, be WISE – warm, intelligent, sincere and enthusiastic – in your responses.

We offer specialist media training for all sizes of aviation, travel and transport  organisation, so if you want help preparing for a big interview or to reinforce your skills generally, let’s speak.

 

Four surefire media interview techniques