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5 Tips for a Successful TV Interview

Lights. Camera. Action. You’ve been asked to participate in a media interview, but this time it’ll be on camera.

How does one prepare for an on-camera situation? Well, we have 5 tips that will help you shine and make you feel camera ready in no time.

1. Prepare for the interview. Know the three to four key messages you want to deliver and make sure you can deliver them succinctly. Be sure to practice those key messages or talking points. Also, prepare some interesting anecdotes or examples that will help bring your key messages to life.

2. Be confident and, most importantly, be yourself. Keep it brief and simple by using soundbites and familiar terms. Enunciate, speak slowly and clearly using short, but complete phrases. Also stick to your key messages, revert back to them throughout the course of the interview to help stay on topic.

3. Control the interview. Find the quickest way to bridge from the reporter question to your key messages. Begin with the most compelling facts. If the question is something you can’t answer, don’t. Instead, explain that either you can’t speak to the question or that it is outside your area of expertise.

4. Avoid common media interview pitfalls. Remember an interview is not a commercial. Message delivery should sound both organic and natural. Be prepared to bridge to an appropriate response, if asked an off-topic question. And assume the microphone is always on.

5. Look Your Best. Avoid wearing distracting patterns, white, black or green. Blue tends to look best on camera. And wear a shirt or jacket with lapels, so the microphone can attach easily.

If you want to learn more about Bianchi PR’s media interview expertise, email us at bianchipr@bianchipr.com.

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