“Should I do that interview with…” is a question that I get asked all of the time by clients.
My response is: it depends.
The first consideration: are you one of those people who believes that there is no such thing as bad publicity? If you are– and you feel confident in your ability to handle tough questions– go for it.
If you disagree– and I personally do– then you should do some investigating before you agree to any interview.
CHECKLIST
1. Who is doing the interview? What’s his reputation? Does he have an axe to grind?
2. What, if any, news organization is he affiliated with? If he is, check out the organization’s reputation. For example, do they have political leanings that you need to know about?
3. Check out the interviewer’s last six stories, blogs, interviews etc. and see what topics they covered. Was his writing fair and balanced? Were both sides of the story represented?
After you’ve done your homework, weigh the pros and cons. If the person is fair and balanced, I’d recommend doing the interview. If the interviewer has an axe to grind or a bad reputation, I’d recommend skipping it unless there was a good reason for you to take him on. And even then– I’d only recommend it if you’d been through an executive media training program and were good at handling tough questions.
More Blogs
If you’re interested in more tips, check out our other media training blogs.
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