One of the best parts of our job at Campbell
Consulting is when we get the news that a reporter wants to tell our client’s
story. But sometimes, landing that feature spread is just half of the work:
what clients say and how they say it can really make or break an interview.
Here are a couple of tips we tell our clients to follow when talking to the
press:
Tip #1: What You Say (HINT: Keep it
Short and Sweet)
One of the biggest problems I
encountered back in my reporting days was interviewees that knew too much about
what they were talking about…and wanted to share it ALL with me! As a general
rule of thumb, at least in broadcasting, most sound-bites will only run between
5 and 15 seconds long. Reading a newspaper, you’ll rarely see quotes longer
than a couple of sentences.
If you don’t keep it short, you may
get cut off, or worse, not get your entire message across.
Here’s a link to an article written
by former journalist and now PR Pro Brad Phillips, with a very useful exercise
to help deliver short, yet powerful answers to any media question:
Tip #2: How You Say It
When being interviewed, you want
yourself and the services or products you’re selling to be relatable to the
reporter’s audience. This can be achieved with colorizing your
statements. Use specific, colorful details and examples to bring your
story alive and make it relevant to each particular audience. Don’t be
too general or sound too “official." One trick I learned back in my TV days was to
write the story like you’re telling it to your mother.
For example, I interviewed countless
cops as a TV reporter, but most of my interviews sounded the same: “The suspect
fled on foot but was apprehended at 0-900 hours.” This would make a much better
sound bite: “The suspect ran away but our officers caught up and arrested him
at 9am.”
If you come across as enthusiastic
during your interview, you’ll grab people’s attention, and they’ll listen.
