What's the best way to handle a profile media interview?
It is something we are increasingly asked about, and we are seeing more delegates on our media training courses wanting to try their hand at this format.
So, we thought it was time to share some expert tips and advice about profile interviews in our media training blogs.
Here is what Verity Geere, one of our expert tutors, advises:
When agreeing to a profile interview, it’s worth understanding why you are doing it.
They tend to be a way to gather more information about a personality; background, motivations, how you handle situations and what drives you.
It’s also vital to be clear on who your audience is and why they care about hearing from you - the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) factor. Once you are sure who the profile interview is for, you can concentrate on the ‘gold’.
So, what do we mean by gold?
Ultimately, there needs to be something to give the journalist a strong hook. Something topical, relevant, unusual, troublesome or that tugs at the heartstrings.
And this is done through storytelling. Having examples from your career or personal life to bring a message alive and leave a lasting impact.
Think of it as a conversation instead of an interview, and it immediately becomes more engaging.
If you think about what makes a story compelling, it probably has a revelation, some jeopardy, an OMG moment or maybe even a laugh.
Even if the subject matter is innately dull, there will still be ways and means of making it more interesting and ensuring it sizzles.
The storytelling needs to be carefully planned to promote audience buy-in.
I remember interviewing a business leader who talked about the glass dome on the roof of his house, which immediately alienated audiences and demonstrated his lack of understanding and compassion for the cost-of-living crisis.
On the other end of the scale, I interviewed a famous singer who talked about saving all her Saturday job money to buy her first guitar, which harmonised with the audience.
I trained a couple of social media gurus to face the media.
They were so used to curating material for their YouTube channel and TikTok without too much scrutiny and had never been grilled by a journalist.
I put them through their paces so they were as prepared as possible. Then their first question live on Breakfast TV was, “Can you tell us your life story?”
The point is that a lot of the time, journalists will ask broad, open-ended questions, particularly at the start of a profile interview.
Sometimes, this is because of a lack of preparation from the journalist.
However, you can still take control of the narrative by acknowledging the question, no matter what it is and bridging to what you do want to talk about - “I’m glad you asked this… because it’s helped get me where I am today”.
Sharing personal anecdotes and challenges is crucial to making the profile interview gripping. Paint pictures with words, whether for print, radio or TV.
One of the pitfalls with business profile interviews can be when industry jargon slips in.
I recently interviewed a chap who was in charge of safety and security for a business, and he talked about a “flatter arrival experience”.
But when I drilled down, he gave me a much more insightful example about when it’s rush hour and pouring with rain, and he’s making sure people feel welcome and safe when they are dashing about to get in the building on time. I could immediately picture the scene.
Getting personal can also help with audience engagement.
I will always remember the stories of the entrepreneur who started off doing a paper round for £1.50 an hour aged 12, which gave them an understanding of money.
It showed how hard they worked to climb the ladder.
And it is much better than being bamboozled with facts and figures, which mean nothing unless they are brought to life.
When discussing numbers of people, it helps to quantify that with metaphorical images.
So, if Wembley stadium can seat 90,000 people, that might be the number of people who walk through the door of your business each month.
I remember interviewing a scientist whose facts were fascinating but hard to put into layman’s terms until he described it like “a star in a jar”. Suddenly, I had an image to help convey the science.
Profile interviews – if done well – can have a lasting impact on the audience and even provide a water cooler moment. I often regale a story I’ve learnt from one.
It’s worth thinking about how you want the audience to be left feeling after learning about you. With the help of some preparation, you should be clear on the audience, messages, examples and any possible negatives that might crop up.
Be yourself, inject personality and be crystal clear about who the audience is. And think of the journalist as the conduit between you and the audience.
Bridging can be part of your tool belt for navigating any tricky questions.
But, most importantly, be armed with brilliant stories of your own career or life that illustrate a point and resonate with the audience, leaving them feeling engaged, enlightened and even galvanised.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with nearly 40 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
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