Here’s a great tip from Publicity Hound Kay Canavino, a photographer from Adams, Massachusetts, for anone who wants to sharpen their interviewing skills for radio and TV appearances: “They can hone their speaking skills by joining a local chapter of Toastmasters. Talk about a big bang for your buck! It is the best way to get comfortable speaking… Read More
How to Interview
Authors: Your big advantage on local TV talk shows
UPDATE ON SEPT. 14, 2012: We really rocked the “Get On TV” webinar yesterday. Here’s the replay, including what I think is the best part: Step-by-step instructions on how to write a segment proposal. Access the replay here. * * * Any author who has been booked as a guest on a… Read More
Don’t freak if reporter asks, ‘OK to record our interview?’
It starts innocently enough when you meet a reporter for lunch at a local restaurant. You spend the first 10 minutes making nice, and then the reporter pulls a notebook and pen out of his pocket. After the first few easy questions to put you at ease, he asks, “Is it OK if I record… Read More
5 reasons it’s OK to say “I don’t know” in interviews
The next time a reporter interviews you, and you don’t know the answer to a question, resist the urge to panic. Too many interview subjects think reporters expect them to know all the answers to every potential question. Reporters don’t. All they want is a good story. Here, then, are five reasons why it’s OK to say “I don’t… Read More
10 ways to be an indispensable media source
What separates people who are masters at generating publicity from those who are constantly grousing that “the media doesn’t care about my story?” Often, it’s knowing how to be a valuable media source. Here are 10 ways to make yourself indispensable to reporters, editors, freelancers, broadcasters, bloggers, ezine editors and all new media. 1. Understand your Number One… Read More
Appearing on TV? Plan for these 7 emergencies
Pitching yourself to TV talk show bookers or your local TV news directors, and convincing them to say yes, just seems like the hard part. It really isn’t. The far more difficult task is knowing how to respond to the many emergencies that can pop up from the time you’re booked to the second you walk… Read More
Fail to prepare for an interview? Prepare to fail
If you, or your PR client, are interviewing with the media, and you haven’t prepared answers to difficult questions, particularly if you’re in a bad news situation, you’ve blown it. That’s what happened last week when a correspondent for the BBC interviewed Mike Lazaridis, the co-chief executive of Research In Motion (RIM), the Canadian firm… Read More
Beware of journalists’ trick questions during an interview
Let’s see how savvy you are when it comes to interviewing with journalists. Which of the following would you consider a trick question: A. “What’s your annual revenue?” B. “I know you feel uncomfortable commenting on that topic, but how about telling me off the record?” C. “What’s the worst business mistake you’ve ever made,… Read More
Email interviews with journalists? 5 reasons to say yes
As more newspapers and magazines cut staff, don’t be surprised if a journalist who you pitch—or one who finds you online—emails you and asks: “I’m writing an article for The Daily Tattler, and I’m pressed for time. Is it OK if I email you questions and, if so, can you provide a response by the… Read More
Which of these author TV-interviews-from-hell is the worst?
I love showing you clips of TV interviews that are perfect examples of how NOT to act on camera. This week, you get not one, but two videos. Each can best be described as, uh, a “teaching moment.” Both authors start stumbling, right out of the gate. In the first video, author Uri Man’s comments… Read More