The Longer the Interview, the Greater the Risk

When Seeking to Raise Your Profile, Be Wary of Long-Form Interviews

In today’s digital media landscape, many podcasts specialize in long-form content. It is not unusual for some podcasts to broadcast for 2 to 3 hours at a time. Podcast hosts love this and some viewers do as well.

I will admit, it is easy for me to listen to a person like Katt Williams on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast. Although the interview was three hours long, I listened with delight.

Quite honestly, I enjoy watching and listening to Katt Williams, even on platforms I don’t typically watch such as Joe Rogan or Theo Von. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that when viewing Williams (or clients) during lengthy interviews, I didn’t have concerns about his (or their) comments coming back to haunt him (or them).

Backlash

Sometimes we brace for an immediate backlash to our words. In many cases, the blowback comes later. Think of all the people who ran for political office, only to have prior comments brought up when they are campaigning. Some leaders give interviews or remarks that are celebrated in the moment, only for certain portions of it to fall out of favor down the line.

There is always the potential for this sort of thing, but the risk is greatly increased when a person sits for long interviews. When a person participates in a media interview, they may be on edge, ensuring they say the right thing and project the right image. The longer the interview, the greater the chance for a person to let their guard down. Even with the best of intentions, it is natural to relax over time. And when we relax, we may be more likely to say the wrong thing or say the right thing at the wrong time.

The Longer You Speak, The Greater the Risk

While I am mostly discussing media interviews, the same thing can happen when delivering public remarks. Public speakers can let their guard down when they are speaking with people who they believe support them. The longer they speak, the greater the chance for them to go off script.

To mitigate media mistakes, I recommend three things

• First, be wary of interviews that are longer than 20 to 30 minutes. With the abundance of words, there are ample opportunities for mistakes. You may get too comfortable and say too much or fail to offer needed context for your words.
• Next, if you are being asked to participate in an interview longer than 30 minutes, request to have a colleague participate in the interview with you. This can break up the length of time that you would be speaking. It can also offer much needed breaks for you to collect your thoughts and carefully consider your remarks.
• Finally, establish ground rules for what you will and will not discuss. The truth is you shouldn’t engage in any interview without setting parameters for what you will and will not discuss.

Many of us feel like we are the exception to the rules. But each of us is fallible. Experience is not an inoculation for human nature. Do what you can to establish guardrails that will protect your current and future self.

Jennifer R. Farmer is the principal of Spotlight PR LLC.  Check out our blog posts and subscribe for regular communications updates.