What to do when a reporter calls
Reporters are always looking for sources to quote on their articles and, sooner or later, you might be the one they call. Do not decline the interview. This is an opportunity for you to promote yourself and your company/organization. However, do not do the interview unprepared as you might run the risk of saying something controversial or that puts you or your organization in a bad light.
What should you do if you pick up your phone and there is a reporter on the other end asking you to do an interview? Consider the following tips to get ready for your interview:
- Prepare. Gather as much information as you can from the reporter. Find out what the story is about. What is the reporter’s angle? Who else is the reporter going to interview? Tell the reporter that you have a meeting or a conference call at that moment and cannot speak but: “I will be glad to call you in a few minutes”. “What is your deadline?” (time the reporter hands in the story to the editor). Make sure you call back before the deadline.
- Research the Reporter/Publication. What kind of stories has the reporter written in the past? Does the reporter/publication support your point of view. Your organization/company? What is the publication’s audience? Are they important to you?
- Develop your Messages. Create up to three messages that you will use during the interview. Make sure you weave in messages about the great work your organization/company does. Include new services/products you are offering and how they relate to the story the reporter is writing. Back-up your messages with strong data or examples.
- Anticipate questions. What kind of questions would you expect from the reporter? What challenging questions could you get? Any current news development you might have to comment on? Prepare messages to answer all the possible questions you might get.
- Practice. Do a mock interview beforehand with a colleague or your communications person. Have your colleague critique your performance and fine tune your responses and messages.
Review the story when it comes out. Did the reporter use your comments? Did the reporter include your messages, data, examples? Is there anything you could have done differently? Learn from the experience and fine tune your messages for the next time a reporter calls.