The best ways to become a go-to media expert in your industry

Media interviews are like nailing any new life skill, they require specific preparation, practice and execution to make you stand out and feel great doing it, explains Amber Daines, Chief Communicator at Bespoke Co.

Since 2010, I have media trained over 5000 individuals, from authors to beauty brand founders, nutritionists to horse riding coaches. Having media coverage is a great boost for your profile and business, but to make sure you create a lasting impression (for all the right reasons) and get a call back from the journalist or producer for future opportunities you need to make sure you communicate effectively.

Whether you’re speaking on TV, radio, or for a podcast, or doing a “phoner” for a print outlet, here are my go-to tips to help you excel in media interviews with poise and ensures your message lands easily.

7 tips to communicate like a media pro

1. Know the modern media landscape

You’d never go to a client pitch without having at least searched up their profile on LinkedIn, Instagram or maybe TikTok, right? The same goes for media – watch, read and listen to the channel you’re speaking to, see what stories the reporter has written recently that link to your expertise and understand their target audience. I am always amazed how few people engage these days with consuming traditional media, but it’s very important to dedicate time to getting to know the media you are appearing in.

2. Limit your key messages to media

I always say three messages are the ideal – sometimes four if you have a longer form interview, such as a magazine feature article. Be sure you know these messages off by heart but never sound like a marketing tagline or risk your quotes being chopped.

3. Be an active listener

Once the interview begins, you need to be aware and mindful of the questions asked, which may differ from what you’ve been briefed on or prepared. That is the journalist’s decision and sometimes major news in your industry has broken and you could be asked to comment on that too. Your job is to be talented enough to bridge to where you want the interview to go but never avoid the question like a politician might!

4. Avoid jargon

Acronyms and jargon are bad news for media interviews – they alienate the audience and also make you seem dry, and robotic. Be willing to break down ideas with metaphors and case studies from your experiences, and prove that message with colourful language that anyone can relate to. That makes you an approachable media star!

5. Practice ahead of time

Time your answers for broadcast media interviews, remembering most news grabs (quotes on air) will be 8-20 seconds maximum and in online article, you have maybe one to three sentences to get across your core idea, back up with evidence and always create a call to action that relates to the WHY you are doing this interview. Rambling on your back story or explaining where your career started, is not going to make the cut. Save the finer details for the biography you can send to media in your pitch.

6. It’s more than words

Your body language, the pace of speaking, and navigating “light and shade” in your voice will be important to get the audience to listen and even for print articles, a reporter will pick up on the parts where you emphasise the most important messages through how you say it, not just what you say.

7. Enjoy the experience

Media is a fickle beast and your chance to shine can come after years of hard work, so prepare, practice and then enjoy the chance to showcase your ideas with new audiences. The media needs experts to bring their stories to the world.

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