Recently I wrote about some tips on media relations for lawyers, courtesy of my friend Paramjit Mahli of SCG Legal PR Network. She offers some additional tips to prepare you for an actual interview with a reporter:
1. Depending on the reporter and the nature of the story, a reporter may not give questions before the interview. Should you be in a situation where you don’t know the answer, be candid with the reporter and advise that you will get back to them within an hour or so. You want to be cooperative. Remember, you are in the business of building long-term relationships. Reporters know a lot of people.
2. Personalize your answer; use statistics, case studies and anecdotes.
3. Always assume everything is on the record, EVEN if you have a good relationship with the reporter.
4. Make sure you send all of the data to reporters at once, not in dribs and drabs.
5. Don’t ask to review the story. This almost never happens.
6. Be available to reporters should they need to confirm or clarify a fact in a story. Typically, this happens when story editors review stories and come back with questions that may have been overlooked by the reporters.
Follow these steps for a great press interview.
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