

How to Handle a Press Interview - JayNeely
http://www.yourtechstuff.com/techwire/2009/01/how-to-approach-a-newspaper-interview.html

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jkincaid
Hi, I write for TechCrunch and figured I could add a few thoughts (this is a
great article, BTW).

Don't say things that are clearly bullshit. I'd rather hear a 'no comment'
than an outright lie. Example: I once asked a CEO who had laid off most of his
staff how many employees he had left. His response after an awkward pause: "I
don't know". Uh, right.

Stats are great and can definitely help your cause, but don't take them from
an obscure source or try to make them sound better than they are.

Regarding the competition: know who's out there, what they're doing, and how
you're different. If I ask you about the competition and you say you're not
sure, I know you're either lying or incompetent.

Also, to the people saying that it's okay to ask about seeing an article
before publication, let me reiterate: don't do it. It immediately makes me
think you're a jackass, even if you do it politely.

If you know your website or company has a major flaw, you're taking a risk
whenever you try to hide it. If the journalist misses it, then great. But if
we stumble across it later then there's a good chance we'll get annoyed. I
prefer a tactic that lawyers tend to use: preempt the tough questions by
pointing out your flaws ahead of time and explain how you're going to fix
them.

------
Angostura
I was a tech journalist and an analyst for many years and there is one point
that is implied, but not mentioned explicitly:

* If you can talk knowledgably and interestingly about the the industry and a bit of technology, apart from your specific products do so - if asked. Journalists are always on the look out for knowledgable people who can tell them little bits of information about what is going on in their patch. It is fairly easy to build up a decent rapport with an journalist if you're a domain expert.

This one was not mentioned at all:

* Know the journalist. Not all journalists are created equal, so find out a bit about what he/she has written previously. Is (s)he a tech geek? interested in the business side? After user case-stories? Where are they in terms of experience - a new staff writer who would welcome a bit of hand-holding in the technology, or an old lag who knows the industry backwards?

Knowing this can make all the difference.

In terms of showing copy, I never did. But if you have someone who you think
is a bit wobbly on some aspects of the story it does no harm to say: "If you
want me to have a quick look through once your done and check the detail, it's
not a problem".

Regarding the advice: "journalists are generally not out to trick you or trip
you up." Well actually some of us are, a bit. Particularly when presented with
a glossy, to-good-to-be-true presentation, the natural inclination is to look
for problems. We don't (well I didn't) like writing puff pieces. So we'll use
our smarts to say "well what about this?".

Try to be straight forward when answering these kind of questions: Someone
saying: "yes, you're right that is a potential problem, we are looking at it
and in the meantime there's a workaround that - while not elegant - does the
trick" ALWAYS works better than blushing, getting aggressive or whatever.

Finally - don't try power hand-shakes. During the '80s bloody U.S. execs
always turned hand-shakes into an arm wrestling match. Occassionally, I just
used to say: "ouch" it always put them off their stride wonderfully.

------
eli
As a former tech journalist of sorts, I have to agree that this is pretty
solid advice. For example, I _always_ asked about competitors. And it's always
great to have numbers -- especially internal numbers (number new downloads per
week, internal market research/survey results, etc)

Only thing I would add (and maybe this is a personal thing) is that you should
be prepared to answer slightly technical questions about how your product
works. If the person giving the interview isn't qualified, then it's great if
there's also an engineer on the line. You would be amazed at how many VPs of
Marketing don't know how their products work beyond what it says in the
marketing materials.

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fallentimes
Wow, I almost didn't read this because I expected fluff, but this was
excellent. If you deal with the press in any capacity, check it out.

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tolmasky
Don't talk like a Californian eh?... Unless his interviews involve people
telling him, a "dude", how the surf is "up" and how "radical" their new
product is, I'm not really sure what he's talking about.

~~~
ConradHex
The writer is from Ireland. What does someone from Ireland think someone from
California sounds like? I suspect they think a "California accent" is pretty
close to the "non-regional dialect" that U.S. newscasters use.

~~~
ojbyrne
I'm not sure this is what he's getting at, but my first impression of
California is that everyone (or maybe just everyone in tech) talks _fast_. I'm
Irish-born, so maybe I'm correct.

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Tangurena
I ran for public office last November. Very little in this article appears to
be useful, except as "one reporters rant" - i.e. take it with a pinch of salt.
With one exception, every newspaper interview I had was conducted via email.

One of the books available at my public library, which I felt was helpful is
this one: [http://www.amazon.com/Make-Most-Every-Media-
Appearance/dp/00...](http://www.amazon.com/Make-Most-Every-Media-
Appearance/dp/0071416714)

If that book isn't available, get any book you can from the library and/or
local bookstore on media appearances. The skill you use when interviewing for
a job isn't that different from being interviewed by a journalist.

One of the essential points is that you have a few (hopefully compelling) set
of "talking points." The ranter called it _"stick religiously to some pre-
cooked three point memo and ignore all other questions"_. Sticking to them
"religiously" is wrong, but having 3 (and _three_ is an extremely powerful
storytelling number) points is important. The key is to _not_ sound like a
drone reading a powerpointless slide.

As for the "off the record" remark... nothing is off the record. Ever. You
might say it is, but it will get printed anyway if the editor wants it in.

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mixmax
Good advice, but I disagree with this: _Don't ask to see an article before
publication._

I've always asked to see articles before publication, and have never had any
problems with it. I have, however, caught a few mistakes that have been
corrected before they went out. Nothing like seeing your company name spelled
wrong...

~~~
eli
I don't think it's wrong to ask politely, but understand that 1) many
journalists won't do it out of principle, 2) It does _not_ mean that the
journalist is obligated to change anything based on your input, and 3) You are
unlikely to get a _final_ version of the article before publication -- an
editor may make changes even after the author is done with it.

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dan_sim
I think that a lot of these points are good not just for press interview but
for meeting a new client, keep a good relation with an old one or when
negociating a contract.

