Successfully giving interviews – A guideline of how to speak with journalists
Public Relations
Posted 15 Jun 2021
There are often reservations when it comes to talking to journalists. Various rumors can cause reluctance in advance. Yet conversations with journalists offer enormous opportunities for gaining new coverage and are indispensable in the field of Public Relations.
In this article, our experienced PR consultants show you a few points about what to look out for in order to successfully manage future conversations with journalists.
In principle, the contact person for journalists should always be friendly and competent. It is important that they command over sufficient basic- and specialist knowledge so that they are able to undoubtedly answer the journalists’ questions. Those can be very technical in some cases and when being unanswered leave an unprofessional impression with the interviewer due to gaps in the interviewee’s knowledge.
Should you be facing the press without a specialized PR-consultant, prepare yourself in advance and find out, who you are going to be talking to and which topics and publications your counterpart is responsible for.
The right way to deal with reporters is highly dependent on the situation, as there are different types of journalists. Is the journalist technically adept for example, there will be no need to explain the basics of the subject. Yet, journalists who have a broad background knowledge in their subject area may aim to lead their counterpart – say your company’s spokesperson – up the garden path by asking complex and tricky questions.
Not least for this reason, it is advisable to consult a PR agency that conducts research in advance and provides background information about journalists and their publication. In case it turns out that the reporter tends to ask difficult questions, the contact person can be trained and prepared accordingly.
You might also be interested in: Building Relationships: Five Tips for Networking with Journalists
During the interview it is essential to maintain a professional relationship with the counterpart. You as a company spokesperson seek constantly the professional exchange with colleagues and other experts – the same counts for building the relationship with journalists. It is important to keep the previously determined information and the professional focus of the respective editor in mind. After having conducted the interview, it should be your goal to have the company and their contact persons remembered as friendly and competent and that this information will be communicated accordingly.
Therefore, it is essential not to be haughty or arrogant in your dealings with press representatives. Phrases such as “You should know that” or “Why are you not aware of that?” as well as counter-questions are a fundamental no-go.
Likewise, it is not advisable to address one’s own competition and competitors, even if this is done only indirectly. In this way, you would give the competition free PR attention that you pay by yourself. Besides, you run the risk of journalists asking increasingly difficult questions.
Since all the journalist’s questions should be answered in principle, direct questions regarding the competition must also be expected, for which one has to always be prepared. In this case, it is cleverest to highlight one’s own solution with differentiating features, emphasizing what sets one’s own solution apart from that of the competition.
You might also be interested in: When is the best time to approach journalists with press releases?
If you are interested in improving your skills talking to journalists, we invite you to take part in one of our media training courses. This will give you the necessary competencies and enable you to deal confidently with the media and press in the future.
Please contact us here for more information!
Senior Account Manger at HBI Helga Bailey GmbH – International PR & MarCom
Sebastian Wuttke has been supporting customers from the B2C and B2B sector since 2018 and is specialized in text creation and the management of social media channels. He is also part of HBI’s marketing Team.
Marketing Assistant at HBI Helga Bailey GmbH – International PR & MarCom
Lukas Huber has been part of HBI’s marketing team since 2020. As Marketing Assistant, his responsibilities include the development of marketing campaigns, social media management and the creation of specialized articles.
