Is It time for a media training refresher?
Media training isn’t like riding a bike. You don’t just do it once and expect to stay sharp forever.
If you’ve had media training before, whether it was last year or back when TV screens were still square, you might be wondering,

“Do I really need to do it again?”

Short answer? Probably.
Long answer? Let’s find out.

Media opportunities don’t come along every day. And when they do, you want to nail them – not sit there thinking, Oh no, I should have prepped for this. So, before you find yourself in front of a microphone, take a moment to check in with yourself.

Read through the questions below and be brutally honest. If any of them make you hesitate, it might be time for a refresher.
When Was Your Last Media Training?
Be honest, was it years ago? Did you do a quick one-off session, tick the box, and move on?

We meet plenty of people who had media training in a different job, a different decade, or a completely different world of work.

They vaguely remember sitting through a session, maybe answering a few practice questions and then never touching it again.

And that’s fine, except the media moves fast. The way we communicate, the way interviews are done and even the platforms people use have changed dramatically.

If the last time you had training was before podcasts were mainstream or before LinkedIn became a video-heavy platform, you might be relying on outdated techniques without realising it.

Think about it, if you had media training five years ago and haven’t done an interview since, how much of that training do you think has stuck? Would you feel prepared to speak with confidence if a journalist called you tomorrow?

How to get your boss on board with media appearances.

Hi I’m Steve Blears, this time on the media training podcast.

We’re discussing How to Get Your recluctant Boss, or client to say yes to Media Appearances..

Now this is a regular gripe I hear from PR professionals and heads of Comms. Requests come in from journalists but the MD, or CEO just won’t do it.

So in this episode, my best advice on twisting their arm to get involved..

I’ve got 10 super persuasive tips.

Is it okay to say “I don’t know” in a media interview? Well, the short answer is yes, but it doesn’t happen very often.

Rather than saying, I don’t know, it’s usually a good idea just to bridge onto something you do want to discuss. So you might say, that’s a good question, I don’t have an answer right now. But what I can tell you is (my key messages).

This way, you’re playing the interview game. Interviews are pretend conversations where a casual chat happens in front of tens of thousands or millions of people on air.

Saying you don’t know breaks that pretence and can feel like you’re the wrong guest or wasting everyone’s time.

We’re discussing why you should avoid repeating negative questions in media interviews. Now, I think the best way to illustrate this is with perhaps the number one example of how to get this wrong. It is very old, but it’s a brilliant example, so apologies to anyone under the age of 65.

I’ll let you Google the circumstances, but roughly speaking, in 1973, the then US President Richard Nixon was at the height of the Watergate scandal, and he said this in his defence:

Example: Nixon – I’m not a crook – 1973
Richard Nixon: “And want to say this to the television audience. I made my mistakes, but in all of my years of public life, I have never profited, never profited from public service.

I’ve earned every cent. And in all of my years of public life, I have never obstructed justice.

And I think, too, that I can say that in my years of public life, that I welcome this kind of examination because people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook.

Well I’m not a crook. I’ve earned everything I’ve got.”

Repeat a negative statement or question in the media can make it appear more believable.

How to look and sound relaxed in a media interview, performance tips. First up, performance tip No.1 is don’t speak too fast. This is a common problem and it’s completely understandable. You’ll be highly adrenalised especially if you are new to performing on TV, radio or podcasts.

Many people feel like they’ve got to fill airtime and get the whole experience over as soon as possible. Some people gabble, hardly take a breath and just keep going.

From a performance aspect, this leaves the impression that you are very nervous, and you probably are!

Slowing your delivery slightly, taking a beat between sentences, allowing time to take a breath can solve this.

5 tips for profile interviews in the media.
Profile interviews are generally longer and can focus on your life, career, beliefs, achievements, and personality. They aim to give the audience a deeper understanding of who you really are.

Now, I’m doing this episode because MJ, a model based in the USA, has been in touch. She sent me a fashion magazine profile interview she appeared in called “The State of Plus Size Fashion.” There’s a link in the show notes.

MJ’s issue was that she felt the interview was just a bit meh—it didn’t do her justice. She asked me how it could have been better. I’ve already sent her my tips, and she’s agreed to let me share them with you. So here are my five ideas to inject some sparkle into profile interviews.

Media Interviews: The Unwritten Rules. We are discussing the unwritten rules of appearing in the media, specifically TV and radio news. But a lot of this advice also extends to other media, print, online, and podcasts.

Right, let’s get into it.
Unwritten rule No. 1: You won’t get the questions in advance
What? That doesn’t seem fair. Why does this happen?
Well, there are a couple of reasons.
Journalists prefer not to share interview questions beforehand because it’s 100% likely that you’ll over-rehearse your answers, possibly even script them in advance, and that will look and sound terrible on air.

Journalists want to encourage spontaneous, authentic responses

Journalists want to encourage spontaneous, authentic responses rather than over-rehearsed answers. You’ll sound better speaking naturally and off the cuff.
I can hear you thinking, off-the-cuff! That sounds like a nightmare…

Don’t worry, some tips are coming up.

Public apologies, how to say sorry in the media and mean it. If you are here because you’re a company executive with a serious cock-up on your hand, buckle up! In the next 10 minutes, I’m going to walk you through how to say sorry and mean it.
How to write a media apology: The fine line between expressing regret and apologising
When planning an apology firstly, ask yourself:

Do I need to express regret, or do I need to apologise?

Now this may sound like the same thing, but being sorry about something and actually apologising are very different. And the difference is: Fault.

Understanding off-the-record. What do these phrases mean and when should you use them:
-Off-the-record
-This is for background
-This is for guidance
Let’s get started with the term everyone’s heard but rarely fully understands – and that is off-the-record.
What does off-the-record mean?
In my 25 years as a journalist, I rarely encountered this and rarely agreed to it. Reason coming up.
So, what does it mean? Well, the common belief is it means, “Let me tell you a story, but you didn’t hear it from me.” Strictly speaking, that’s not the case.

Here’s how the Associated Press news agency defines off-the-record:

On-the-record means the information you share can be used without any restrictions whatsoever.

Off-the-record. This means the information cannot be used for publication.

And that means everything, no detail, no names, no hints, no “a source from within so-and-so says so-and-so”.

Nothing.

Off-the-record means, just that. This shouldn’t appear on air or in print.

Just to confuse things, some journalists and their sources think off-the-record means “unattributable.” You can use this but just don’t quote me.

My advice is, before going off-the-record you need to be clear that both you and the journalist you’re dealing with have an understanding of what you mean.

What are key messages in the media? Key messages are designed to be concise and clear, They’ll include the most important points for your audience to remember. And they’re designed to engage your audience, influence their thoughts, and motivate action.

What should be left out of key media messaging?

Let’s kick off by talking about stuff that shouldn’t go in your key messaging.

Here’s my brief and incomplete list of elements to avoid:

Excessive Details: Avoid cluttering your message with too much information, phone numbers, addresses, or complex technical details. That’s just distracting.
Repetition of your business name: Yes, reinforcing key points is a good idea, but excessively repeating the name of your organisation will make you look and sound like a chump. Also, you’ll never get invited back.
Jargon and technical terms: I’ve done a whole podcast episode on this topic: Why avoid corporate speak and office jargon in media interviews?
Off-topic information: “Oh, here’s another point on top of my point, I’ve just remembered.”
Sales pitches: Nothing is more of an audience turn-off during a media interview. If it’s pre-recorded, it’ll get cut, so save your breath.