Four Signs Your Media Interview Has Gone Off the Rails
By Jennifer R. Farmer
If you utilize traditional media to amplify your brand or campaign, you must know how to salvage a media interview when it has gone south. And listen, just because you have years of experience working with reporters doesn’t mean that a refresher from time to time isn’t warranted. When you speak or meet with reporters you have an opportunity to not only generate a story but build a relationship. It is important to be prepared for all that could occur in these high stakes interactions.
In the spirit of helping you prepare, here are four signs your media interview has taken a turn for the worst and how you can salvage it.
1. The reporter stops writing or typing.
If you are engaged in a media interview and the reporter stops typing as you’re talking or stops writing on their notepad (in the event this is an in-person conversation), please note that the conversation is not going well and it’s very likely the reporter has checked out of the interview. If this happens, ask the reporter if you are answering their questions, and whether they would like other examples. Do not ignore this sign. You cannot be included in a story if reporters do not record your comments and perspective.
2. The reporter abruptly asks you for recommendations for other groups they should speak with.
If you are in a media interview and midway through, the reporter asks for other people they should speak with, please note that you may have hit a snag. A journalist asking you – a source – for other sources could mean that you are not giving them what they need, and they’d prefer to speak with someone else. If their asking for other sources is coupled with other signs of disengagement, this is a sign that you need to try to re-engage the reporter. Alternatively, if you’ve spent considerable time with the journalist and they are engaged throughout the discussion, a request for other sources could be harmless.
3. The reporter stops asking you questions.
If a reporter stops asking questions during a conversation, and you sense they checking out of the conversation, you may want to follow-up with a detailed email reiterating the points you made in the discussion. You’ll want to include links for articles, reports and briefs that underscore your point. You can also ask the reporter directly whether there was something else they were looking to hear and how else you can support them in their research for their story.
4. The reporter is visibly or audibly frustrated.
Reporters are human beings capable of getting frustrated like anyone else. Some of the reasons that a reporter may get frustrated in an interview is if a source is not answering questions directly, evading questions, playing coy, or talking over them. They may also become annoyed if they sense a source is using talking points versus communicating with depth and substance. All these things may draw the journalist’s ire. If a reporter is visibly frustrated – as in they are raising their voice, rolling their eyes, or backing away from a table where you all are sitting – note that their patience is waning, and you need to pivot.
Remember that everything you say to a reporter can affect your story. In the words of media trainer Sally Stewart, “give yourself every advantage to make a good impression.” Come to the discussion prepared to tell the reporter something they do not know and be sure to have data and examples to underscore your point. Importantly, apply emotional intelligence to your engagement with reporters and pivot if you see the conversation going off the rails.
And if you are not receiving media requests, be sure to see this video.