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Inside the Mind of a Journalist: Guidelines for a Great Interview

June 18, 2024

The prospect of an interview can bring many questions — and not only from the journalist’s side. What are my key talking points? How will the flow of the conversation go? Will I say something I shouldn’t? Interviews are an essential component of building your professional profile and promoting your business – particularly for those involved with startup and early-stage ventures.  Read on for our top tips to ensure a productive and positive discussion. 

The Journalist Perspective 

To start, take a moment to step outside yourself, and consider the person across the table — or more likely, on the other side of the webcam. While they have asked you here, they are not the be-all-end-all arbiter of the discussion. That would make for a boring interview! You play a valuable role and have expertise in a subject they are interested in — your expertise makes their lives easier. While many journalists find specializations, they are primarily trained in writing, not in being subjects themselves. 

Ultimately, journalists want to give a balanced and interesting perspective, and create compelling content their audiences will interact with, so it may be helpful to start with their readers, to determine what information will be most relevant for your interaction. Explore what the journalist has covered, relative to your expertise. Consider what their audience knows already and what you can add to the conversation. Journalists are never looking for a sales pitch — while key differentiators are an important piece of the conversation, your talking points should be centered around your perspective, not your product. 

Journalists also love a personality (who doesn’t?), so let yourself shine through. One essential piece they look for is clarity — 54% of Americans at or below a 6th-grade reading level, so communicating your key message in layperson’s terms is critical to ensure the story can reach the largest possible audience. 

Dos & Don’ts 

Interviews often follow dinner party etiquette, which strikes a delicate balance between not dominating the conversation, while simultaneously not allowing it to flow around you like a river. Getting too long-winded can draw a journalist’s annoyance as it prevents them from asking the specific questions they have prepared for the interaction. To circumvent this, consider asking questions of them, such as, “Is there anything that you would like me to elaborate on?” 

Ensuring the discussion remains conversational is essential. Try not to over prepare — journalists do not appreciate scripted responses. Instead, condense your ideas into two or three key points that you return to throughout the life of the conversation. Trust in who you are, as an individual, and play to your strengths: for example, an extrovert might use a funny metaphor to conclude their point, whereas an introvert can rely on organizational data to support their perspective. It is your interview, and you ultimately get to determine the tone for the interaction. 

Partnering Up 

How do the rules of the game change, when you aren’t the only expert in the room? Sometimes it will make sense to have both yourself and a partner on the line — particularly for specific news like a partnership announcement or acquisition. Here, several stakeholders are in play — not only your company, but your partner as well, alongside the journalist and his or her audience. 

Being a good partner while ensuring that you are communicating your key messages is possible — consider the following advice: 

  • First, Middle and Last: To borrow a popular sales tip, the most important things you say on the call will be the first and last (and perhaps an engaging point somewhere in the middle to make it stick). Make sure that these key moments are aligned with the messages you want to convey. 
  • Positively Insert Yourself: Even if a journalist is looking to get directly to the matter at hand, it can be useful to interject politely, with something like: “Before we dive in, I know this is our first time meeting, and I’d love to give a bit of background on who we are.” 
  • Keep Your Camera On: While data from Zoom suggests that only about 58% of users turn their cameras on, reading body language is essential in understanding the personality of the reporter you are communicating with. Data also suggests that having your camera on improves the quality of the discussion. 

In those final five minutes before the interview — as you’re checking your appearance and ensuring that your WiFi won’t cut out, remember that this is your interview. You are bringing a valuable piece to the discussion and the story the journalist is going to tell. Take a deep breath, give a final glance to those key points, and end strong by reinforcing your key messages. 

Media interviews can put you in the hot seat – especially when a successful outcome can mean a critical article that moves the needle for your company. Proper preparation can relieve the pressure and help you ensure a win. 

Evergreen & Oak provides media training to help everyone (no matter what their level of expertise) improve their speaking skills. If you’re interested in learning more, reach out