Tips
The Five Questions You Are Most Likely To Be Asked by a Reporter
As a newsmaker, every interview you conduct is different. Every day brings its own set of topics, investigations, inquiries and demands. Every news outlet may be distinctive in the angle or information it is seeking. Despite this daily variability, however, you should anticipate some potential areas of questioning that you're most likely to face in any interview. Here are five such questions to which every newsmaker should be ready to reply with a constructive message.
1. "What is your opinion/response to the story in today's newspapers/wire reports?"
Reporters consistently look for ways to link their interviews to the most topical stories, typically those that appear in the papers today or that are being headlined on the Internet and the airwaves. These may be specific to your industry, such as a product recall; specific to your executive position, such as a corporate scandal surrounding stock manipulation; or non-specific but of urgent general concern, such as steps being taken to prevent terrorism or workplace violence. They may be positive stories as well, resulting in questions about the potential impact of a new technological development on your company or the likely impact of an economic trend on your business.
Review current news events to determine which may impact you or your company and be prepared to handle questions relating to that impact.
2. "What makes your product/service any better than that of your competitors?"
You should have a very clear sense of your organization's competitive position in the marketplace, as well as the specific benefits that you offer your customers. Especially if you're not the leader in your market sector, you should highlight the ways in which your company is distinct from the leaders and the practical, emotional or financial difference that your product or service offers consumers. This tactic has been played out in slogans from "We Try Harder" to "We'll Leave a Light on for You."
If you're not asked this question, you should work hard to get a message relating to your value proposition into your answers to other questions, since promotion of your business is one of the main reasons for your doing the interview.
3. "What is new about this development?"
If you aren't prepared to discuss a new product, service, study, development, perspective, trend or analysis, you probably shouldn't be doing a news interview. Determine the news value of your story before you seek an interview, and do all that you can to enhance it newsworthiness. A visual setting (a manufacturing operation, a demonstration, an illustration) helps increase understanding. Memorable and forward-looking statements can provide good quotes for a story. And relating your story to a local, national or global trend will boost the reporter's interest considerably.
If you're seeking a news interview merely because sales have dropped and you want to your name in front of the public, the resulting story likely will focus on the fact that your sales have dropped. Find a new angle on the way your product is being used or developed or a new market niche that is employing your services.
4. "What is the biggest problem you face right now?"
The media deal in problems, and the reporter's questions often reflect that fact. Interviewers may try to explore difficulties relating to union negotiations, market demands, regulatory issues, product safety. In fact, some reporters may be more aware of the ramifications of the problems your industry faces than you are, because they have been able to talk with your competitors and industry analysts.
Know where your company's difficulties lie and be prepared with a truthful and reassuring answer if you are asked about a specific problem. If the question is simply a fishing expedition to encourage you to reveal problems, turn your answer into a positive statement. For example, "My biggest problem right now is containing my enthusiasm for our new widget"; or, "The mission of our company is to help businesses solve their problems with widgetry, so we thrive on challenges and always are eager to develop solutions that make life easier and operations more profitable for our customers."
5. "Who is to blame?"
Media are in the business of tracking down and assigning responsibility (read, "blame") for everything from space shuttle disasters to poor reading scores. As a newsmaker, you may be the target of a pointed finger in relation to use, abuse or shortcomings of your product or service. Be sure to understand the real source of any problems within your company; at the point when it's legally advisable, own up to mistakes that were made or circumstances that were not foreseen; and, above all, reassure the reporter's audience that you are taking steps to prevent the problem from recurring.
If you are being interviewed to comment on a problem blamed on a competitor or on an industry, refrain from pointing your own finger. While the trouble may initially appear to be related only to one competitor's product or one industry practice, it could quickly spread to engulf your own company. A problem with tires may impact the vehicle manufacturer as much as the tire maker. A problem with one prescription drug can erupt into warnings about an entire class of pharmaceuticals. One breakout of e coli can discourage restaurant sales across the nation. Be alert for emerging problems in your industry, be aware of the potential impact of those problems on your own business, and be focused in your interviews on your customers' concerns when issues arise.
