“A Positive Look at Media Interviews and A Prescription for Successful Media Interviews”
“A Positive Look at Media Interviews and A Prescription for Successful Media Interviews”
By: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Founder & Chief Executive of J. G. Ebersole Associates and The Renaissance Group ™
As you read the headline, I can almost hear some of you asking, “How can there be anything positive about media interviews? I would rather go for a painful visit to my dentist than participate in a media interview.” Well, I want to tell you that in more than 35 years of media interviews in my professional career, I remain positive about media interviews and will share some thoughts with you. And just in case you might believe that all those media interviews were fun & friendly, I can assure you they were not.
Many business people, especially corporate leaders, have great disdain for the media and hold the belief that a journalist’s job is to find sensational stories and details and then present them in ways to make CEOs and other business leaders look bad. And with this kind of attitude, we witness corporate leaders and business people going on the defensive, when they should be doing the opposite – being proactive ad looking at the interview as an opportunity rather than a crisis.
So you are wondering how to look at media interviews in a positive light and view them as an opportunity to tell your story. Here is my prescription for you.
1. Be positive. Even thought the subject mater of the interview may have negative elements.
2. Be honest. If you do not know the answer to the interviewer’s question than sincerely respond that you do not know. Do not try to make up an answer or “wing it” with something that cannot be substantiated.
3. Be prepared. I always advise my clients to know whom they are doing business with before any business takes place. The same advice is appropriate for your doing business (interviews in this instance) with the media. Research the interviewer and his or her background, interviewing style, subjects usually covered by them, format of interview, the physical location of the interview, etc.
4. Develop your key message(s) with 2 to 4 key points and weave these into your interview responses.
5. Anticipate questions you would rather not have asked. Do some “what if” planning for these questions. Prepare to briefly address those questions and then tie back into your main points.
6. Build relationships with the media as an ongoing goal, even before media interview opportunities occur.
7. Capitalize on every media interview opportunity and when you are asked at the end of the interview (which almost always happens) if there is anything else you would like to add, be ready to reiterate key messages and provide a positive summary of the interview.
8. Seek and engage outside counsel and training to develop your media interview skills.
9. Practice, practice, practice to hone your media interview skills.
10. Commit to viewing media interviews as opportunities, not crises.
Do you believe you have the necessary skills to perform well in media interviews? Do you look forward to those interview opportunities or asked to be excused from that task? Do you view media interviews as an opportunity? If you answered NO to these questions, I would suggest that you might benefit from an “attitude adjustment.” Please contact Glenn Ebersole today through his web site at: www.prdoctor4u.com or by email at jgeprman@aol.com so we can discuss the development of a personalized prescription to improve your media interview skills and your outlook on media interviews.
A Positive Look at Media Interviews and A Prescription for Successful Media Interviews - To learn more about this author, visit Glenn Ebersole's Website.
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“A Positive Look at Media Interviews and A Prescription for Successful Media Interviews”
By: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Founder & Chief Executive of J. G. Ebersole Associates and The Renaissance Group ™
As you read the headline, I can almost hear some of you asking, “How can there be anything positive about media interviews? I would rather go for a painful visit to my dentist than participate in a media interview.” Well, I want to tell you that in more than 35 years of media interviews in my professional career, I remain positive about media interviews and will share some thoughts with you. And just in case you might believe that all those media interviews were fun & friendly, I can assure you they were not.
Many business people, especially corporate leaders, have great disdain for the media and hold the belief that a journalist’s job is to find sensational stories and details and then present them in ways to make CEOs and other business leaders look bad. And with this kind of attitude, we witness corporate leaders and business people going on the defensive, when they should be doing the opposite – being proactive ad looking at the interview as an opportunity rather than a crisis.
So you are wondering how to look at media interviews in a positive light and view them as an opportunity to tell your story. Here is my prescription for you.
1. Be positive. Even thought the subject mater of the interview may have negative elements.
2. Be honest. If you do not know the answer to the interviewer’s question than sincerely respond that you do not know. Do not try to make up an answer or “wing it” with something that cannot be substantiated.
3. Be prepared. I always advise my clients to know whom they are doing business with before any business takes place. The same advice is appropriate for your doing business (interviews in this instance) with the media. Research the interviewer and his or her background, interviewing style, subjects usually covered by them, format of interview, the physical location of the interview, etc.
4. Develop your key message(s) with 2 to 4 key points and weave these into your interview responses.
5. Anticipate questions you would rather not have asked. Do some “what if” planning for these questions. Prepare to briefly address those questions and then tie back into your main points.
6. Build relationships with the media as an ongoing goal, even before media interview opportunities occur.
7. Capitalize on every media interview opportunity and when you are asked at the end of the interview (which almost always happens) if there is anything else you would like to add, be ready to reiterate key messages and provide a positive summary of the interview.
8. Seek and engage outside counsel and training to develop your media interview skills.
9. Practice, practice, practice to hone your media interview skills.
10. Commit to viewing media interviews as opportunities, not crises.
Do you believe you have the necessary skills to perform well in media interviews? Do you look forward to those interview opportunities or asked to be excused from that task? Do you view media interviews as an opportunity? If you answered NO to these questions, I would suggest that you might benefit from an “attitude adjustment.” Please contact Glenn Ebersole today through his web site at: www.prdoctor4u.com or by email at jgeprman@aol.com so we can discuss the development of a personalized prescription to improve your media interview skills and your outlook on media interviews.
A Positive Look at Media Interviews and A Prescription for Successful Media Interviews - To learn more about this author, visit Glenn Ebersole's Website.
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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