There are many reasons people avoid doing media interviews. Here are just a few...
- You are too camera-shy to even think about a TV interview.
- You've suffered through a really bad media interview and have vowed never to do another one.
- Your company has been unfairly targeted by the media.
- A social media post has gone "off message" and you don't know how to explain it to reporters.
- You don't see the point of a TV interview because no one you know gets their news from TV anymore.
- You believe doing media interviews will make your company crisis worse; better to ignore the problem and hope for the best.
Media training can help with all of these situations. You wouldn't make a presentation to your Board of Directors or give a speech before a large group, without the proper preparation. The same is true with media interviews. If you learn some media basics and hone your talking points, media interviews will not be so daunting.
- Camera-shy people become more comfortable with the way they look and sound on TV when they get the opportunity to practice on camera.
- You know the saying about getting back up on the horse after a fall. The same can be said for media interviews. Media training gives you the chance to perfect your messaging in a safe environment before you do another interview.
- There is no better time to do an interview than when you have been unfairly targeted by the media. In media training you may dissect the attack and draft effective talking points to counteract it. You can then push your own messaging out on social media and carefully weigh which traditional media outlets you deal with going forward.
- When a social media post backfires you need to go in to damage control mode. That often means explaining why you posted what you did, apologizing for it, and announcing action steps to ensure the public you won't make this kind of mistake again. Turn to your in-house communications team or outside pro to help you navigate all this.
- It's certainly true that today people have many options for consuming their daily news. But consider this. Even if you never watch a network newscast or read the Washington Post or New York Times, your clients or stakeholders may. Why not reach as many as possible in every way possible? Use both social and traditional media.
- Ignoring bad press may seem like a good idea, but it rarely is. Reporters are very persistent and if you don't at least provide a statement, they will start to speculate. In other words, they'll imply you have something to hide. The best time to prepare for a communications crisis is before one occurs. That means having talking points teed up on many crisis scenarios.
Women Media Pros has customized media training to fit your needs.
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