So you’ve started building your brand. Let’s say, you’ve been following the ultimate advice of being omniscient and present…And you’re already being noticed…Then someone within your network realizes how amazing you are…

And finally, they reached out to you and said, you’re a perfect fit for their show…or their podcast…or their blog… but now you have zero idea how to nail this and so you’re here looking for some PR interview tips…

What should you do?

Do you have to prepare anything?

How can you even use that media appearance to your advantage?

Don’t worry! I’ve got you 😉

Well, you’ve stumbled in the right post today.

I’ll be giving you practical PR Interview Tips that will help you

Maximize the interview and still ADD VALUE to their audience.

There is a way for you to milk and maximize that interview.

I know it sounds bad, but hey, I’m all here to tell you the truth.

Keep in mind that showing up, doesn’t only mean publishing on your own channel, it also means, you show up in the right channels.

If you are new to the PR game, the idea of having an interview can be nerve-wracking. It’s a challenge going through the process of interviews. And chances are, you have no idea what not to say in a media interview. And for the most part, you are looking for some PR interview tips and media interview best practices.

So let’s start by knowing…

THE TWO IMPORTANT REASONS INTERVIEWS ARE IMPORTANT FOR YOUR BRAND

I don’t know if you’ve thought about it, but interviews always serve a purpose. And if you have no idea why you should get into one, then it’s better not going on a conversation at all.

But since you MUST GO to one, you have to understand why you have to do it.

There are two reasons why you need to have an interview.

• To Amplify your branding
• To drive more traffic to your brand

First of all, a brand isn’t complete if it isn’t shown. This means that you need every bit of positive exposure you can get. Interviews are one of the best ways to do that. Because in an interview, you get to show your…

• personality
• expertise
• story

Interviews are a great way to get positive attention that you need. As much as possible, you have to place some priority to do these interviews.

Also, you need people to go to your online assets and profiles. Once you’ve got the awareness from the audience, you need to drive traffic to your…

• social media accounts
• websites
• other instances of online presence

People becoming aware of your brand isn’t enough. You need to form a relationship with them. No doubt that you can’t speak to them . This is where your online assets and profiles come in. The content you create in these accounts will amplify your message. , this will not only build up your brand. It will also show you the authority that your audience needs.

Now that you know that let’s look at…

THE WORST THING YOU COULD DO WHEN INVITED ON AN INTERVIEW

One beautiful day, your phone rings, and you answer. After some pleasantries, the voice on the other line tells you,

“You know what, I called you because the podcast was producing wants you to guest next week. Is it alright if we included you on this lineup? And can you tell us what talking points to include?”

Now assuming that you’re starting out, this leaves you with two feelings. The first is a feeling of happiness. Finally, you’re being noticed! This could be your next break.

But since you’re new to this, you then get that feeling of uncertainty. Why? Because Lord knows what you’re going to do next! You have so many questions, and you don’t know where to proceed.

And while we’re going to learn what to do next, let’s start first by knowing what the absolute worst thing to do. And that is to …

IMMEDIATELY AGREE TO DO THE INTERVIEW

Why? Because if you agree to an interview, you won’t be able to create the right kind of talking points for it. Also, you won’t be able to maximize that guesting. So…

When someone invites you to be on a show, which could be an FB live, a podcast, or whatever, the first thing that you’re going to do is not to say, “yes we can talk about that.” Don’t agree right away. Because this shows that you are an amateur. The best thing to do is…

YOU HAVE TO COME PREPARED

So how do you do that? Well, let’s look at …

THE THREE IMPORTANT PREPARATION STEPS BEFORE AN INTERVIEW THAT HELPED ME AND MY CLIENTS BUILD THEIR BRAND

Before confirming, the first thing you do is to ask for some time to check some items. In this way, you can then prepare for the interview.

Your preparation would have to include the following:

RECONNAISSANCE. You can’t agree to an interview without knowing who you’ll talk to. Think of this like a country going to war without the knowledge of the enemy. If that happens, they will always lose the war. Why? They missed out on important information gathering – reconnaissance.

In your information gathering, you should be able to know who is interviewing you. You need to understand who they are and their target audience. You need to know who this person is attracting and how they are perceived. This is important because it will help you in…

PREPARATION AND FRAMING. You’ve already gathered information on your interviewer and their audience. Now you have to prepare and frame your talk. And you do this by choosing something that will appeal and entice the audience.

This means looking at your brand strategy sheet or the list of topics that relate to your brand. Identify a topic that would strike the most to the audience of the person who invited you.

You can’t come up with something general! You have to frame your talking points so that it’s attractive to the listeners.

For example, in our PR work for our clients, we ask them to give us a summary of their origin story. This could include the following information:

• where they came from
• how they got to where they are
• what’s their future plans

When it comes to telling your story for interviews, you can be selective. Do this by picking things that highlight the best of you during the interview. You have to pick it out and curate it. You have to curate the stuff in your origin story that will be appealing and relatable for the audience.

Once you have chosen a topic, you then have to create your…

When it comes to invites for interviews, you can be selective. This means choosing the things that you can highlight during the meeting. You have to pick it out and curate it. You have to curate the stuff in your origin story that will be appealing and enticing for the audience.

Once you have chosen a topic, you then have to create your…

OVERVIEW AND TALKING POINTS. You need to create an overview and three talking points. Give this to the person who invited you. Of course…

This should be short and sweet. You don’t want to overwhelm and bore your listeners. Remember that thing about skirts? It should be long enough to cover the subject matter and short enough to be interesting. Also…

Pick up the most enticing things that anchor your main content. The interview should show what you do and who you do it for. This means highlighting information related to what you do and how it will help people as much as possible.

Finally, you have to choose three things you can discuss that’s going to drive people to check you out even further.

Remember the two reasons to get an interview? Because if you fail at that, when you come unprepared, you’re going to screw it. You’re not going to maximize that media appearance. It’s not going to help you drive traffic. In the end, it’s going to fail your personal brand.

Keep in mind that anything posted online is forever unless deleted.

That being said, you can proceed to agree to the interview. Finally, your interview is a way to “sell yourself” to the audience. In which case, you have to realize …

WHY THE HARD SELL IS A NO-NO – EVER!

Let’s say that you’re selling something. It could be your book, service, or products. Now, this is important. You’re going to tell a story that highlights the reason why you’re selling something.

Don’t sell it directly. That is hard-selling! You don’t want to be disrespectful to the person who invited you. And you’ve got to pay if that’s the case because that is blatant advertising. And there’s a significant chance that you might not ever be asked again for another interview.

You have to be subtle. After all, you are invited to another person’s network. When you highlight what you are selling through a story instead of a hard-sell, you provide entertainment, education, and enlightenment. And this will make help you will come back again for another interview.

Again, we realize that interviews are a vital part of our branding. So with what you’ve learned here, good luck and have a fun time with your interviews!

Melissa Profeta

Melissa Profeta is a mompreneur and a community growth specialist who leads social media, community, PR, & brand launch campaigns while eating Samgyeopsal and spicy Kimchi. She specializes in client retention by growing communities and strengthening personal brands with PR & SMM.

She is also the co-founder of Social Media Academy, and the Directress and marketing consultant in Melpro Marketing.

Melissa is the managing partner of the Digital Dynasty, a profitable personal branding agency.

melissaprofeta.com