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Journalists Share the Best Setting for a CEO Media Interview

Location is crucial to success in the real estate world … and it can also be key to your CEO’s next media interview by helping to create the right impression with the journalist.

According to study results shared by our partners in the Public Relations Global Network — PRGN — the top location preferences for a CEO media interview vary, depending on the journalists geography.

• North American journalists overwhelmingly prefer the CEO’s office or a company facility (88 percent), followed by a phone interview (70 percent), email interview (20 percent) and a restaurant or public place (10 percent),
• While the top choice for European journalists was the CEO‘s office or a company location (67 percent), European reporters were more likely to prefer a restaurant or public place (55 percent), a phone interview (53 percent) and email interview (27 percent).

Yet, interview setting preferences for journalists in one European country can be very different from the next. For example, the PRGN survey results indicate:

• In France, Italy and Spain, the overwhelming top choice (average 78 percent) for a CEO interview setting was a restaurant or public place which allows a more informal and personal atmosphere , while
• In Denmark (100 percent), Ireland (75 percent) and the United Kingdom (100 percent), the top choice was the phone interview – due to time and availability constraints – making it more difficult for the CEO’s personality to come through.

To help you make the most of your CEO’s next media interviews, here are four location-oriented tips:

• Accommodate the reporter’s preference for the interview setting if possible. If the reporter has no preference, choose the setting that helps the CEO to communicate her/his personality and/or can support key messages. For example, if the key focus is innovation, the interview may be best conducted in the company’s R&D center.
• Make sure the setting is free of interruptions and distractions so the CEO can focus on the reporter’s needs. This includes turning off computers and mobile phones.
• Encourage the CEO to be a gracious host for the interview – be on-time (or early), well-prepared, make the reporter feel welcome, and allow the reporter ample time to get the information needed.
• Get specific local logistical and cultural insight from a PR agency that knows the local market intimately. (PRGN has offices in 50 key markets around the world that are run by local PR experts.)

For more insights into how journalists around the world prepare for CEO interviews and how you can enhance interview outcomes, visit: (http://bit.ly/18DOK4t).