THE EXPLORATIVE INTERVIEW

A journalist or features editor phones and asks for some help with a feature, review or article that his publication’s putting together. Typically he might want market statistics and/or information about technical developments or market trends in your field.

You’ve arrived! All those articles designed to make your company an Industry Guru have borne fruit, and it’s your big moment. Make the most of it! Here are a few tips:

• Find out exactly what information the journo is looking for, because you need to nominate a suitably well-informed (and press-friendly) person in your organisation to talk to him.
• Don’t sell – inform. Banging on about your wonderful product range and what an efficient organisation you are isn’t what the journalist wants to hear. He wants facts, calmly and authoritatively presented.
• If he wants, say, an overview of the market, give him just that. What’s happening at the moment? Who’s buying what? What are the trends, now and in the foreseeable future? Any sunshine or darkness on the horizon? Then, after the overview, you can seamlessly go on to explain how your organisation’s strategy fits into this picture – again, factually please.

When your ‘expert’ is talking to a journalist, said expert may feel that the journalist doesn’t seem to understand what he’s telling him, obviously knows little or nothing about the subject, and keeps asking the same questions in three different ways. To some experts this can be irritating and frustrating, but keep cool. Do not get impatient. Remember – the poor guy’s only doing his job, and if he had as much in-depth knowledge about your industry as you do, he wouldn’t need to give you this opportunity to get your name in his magazine, would he? Aim to be the ‘approachable authority’ that’s always a pleasure to deal with.

Always bear in mind, when you’re talking to a journalist directly or by phone, that this is a great opportunity to project a positive image of your organisation and yourself. By handling media questions in a competent, professional and friendly way, and by appearing as open and honest as possible, your organisation also gains an image of professionalism, openness, friendliness and honesty – and so do you!