Court Story Communications

The Live Interview Via Remote

There's nothing like live TV. It offers your firm enormous exposure and provides an opportunity to establish yourself as a talking head. Naturally, it comes with perils. Blow it and you won't be invited back. Worse yet, you can come off as inexperienced and unprepared. Here's how to deliver:

Prepare for the interview and ask the show's producers what questions are likely to be asked
Come in well-rested and looking your best
Apply make-up evenly
Make sure the chord on your microphone is clipped neatly inside your jacket or hidden under a blouse
Also make sure the wire attaching your IFB or earpiece is tucked behind you and out of view
Look straight into the camera and avoid darting your eyes from side to side
Listen carefully to the question
Speak confidently, conversationally and concisely
Bring energy and sound enthused
Offer insight, analysis and opinion
Avoid critiquing or complimenting the anchor
Use the anchor's name at least once when beginning a sentence

Giving Good Soundbites

The average soundbite on TV is just over seven seconds. That means you have to get to the point immediately. Below are some tips for taped interviews:

Keep your sentences short and crisp
Avoid industry jargon that most people fail to understand
Speak in a conversational tone
Sound enthused
Each sentence should contain only one thought
If a reporter asks you the same question in a different way, it means (s)he is looking for a better soundbite on this particular line of questioning
If you don't like the way you said something, clean it up and say it again
Look at the reporter not the camera

News Releases Masquerading as News

While news releases do serve a valuable purpose -- to widely disseminate information announcing an event or idea that will interest the media -- too often they are used as a masquerade for real news.

Public relations practitioners and in-house communicators are fond of pointing out all the press releases they've produced on behalf of a firm or client. But if the press releases don't generate news coverage, what good are they?

Sure, they might turn up on Google, which is always welcome; and the higher-ups get to see their name in print. But that's getting away from your main goal, which is to generate publicity to enhance your reputation and help market your firm. That's what generating real news does.

If your news releases aren't generating news, it may be time to rethink your strategy. A more personalized approach of targeting individual reporters who cover your industry is far more apt to obtain results than blasting out news releases that largely go unread.