Being interviewed is akin to the holy grail of p.r. It can give you instant credibility and an endorsement from somebody, other than you, who says, “Hey, this designer is all right.”

You sent out your press kits and a flurry of releases. After a while, the phone rings or the inbox jingles. You found an editor who’s hot for more and contacted you. They want an interview. You put out the big promise and now it’s time to deliver. Your head is spinning. “Can I do this?” “What if I screw things up?” Trust me, when your first interview rolls around, all this and plenty more will have your head whirling.

Step back. Breath. You’ll be fine. It’s no biggie. All it is, in reality, is a simple conversation. You do that all the time.

The most important thing prior to the interview is to prepare. Consider what they might ask. In most cases, you’ll be given a list of questions prior to the interview. You’ll have time to prepare. At least that’s how it’s been for me. Also, be up to snuff on the issues related to your topic and industry.

For example, I was interviewed by Chris Ritke of 49Sparks.com a while back. The topic was BoDo’s launch. I had to fly down to Fort Lauderdale on personal business and Chris and I emailed back and forth to set the day and time. He also sent me the questions he wanted to ask. I had several days to prepare. Whew!

We did the interview on a Saturday. Here’s where things get typical when it comes to interviews. I was so rushed at the time, I gave Chris the wrong phone number. Sheesh! It’s my family house and I couldn’t get the phone number right. I finally did get it right, he called, and the connection was so lousy we couldn’t make out what each other was saying. We finally connected by mobile phone.

I was in one of the bedrooms and had my papers all laid out on the bed. Nice and tidy and in the order I thought (Key phrase: “I thought”) Chris would ask. Well … the best laid plans of mice and men. Although we did talk about BoDo, one thing lead to another and we ended up talking about all sorts of design-related topics. It was fun and we did get several compliments on the interview. But, it sure didn’t go as I thought it would.

Lesson learned: Know the issues. Even with an agenda, you don’t really know where the conversation will go. Be flexible.

Also, you never know where an interview will originate. I was interviewed by Pitney-Bowes’ Priorities magazine about small business branding. The writer had seen a logo on my site that I had done for a client. From my point of view, he called me out of the blue to set up an interview.

I was also interviewed by a freelance writer for, of all things, American Massage Magazine. That one was about figuring hourly rates for service businesses. The writer had come across my article about how to calculate hourly rates and figured it would also work for massage therapists. She was right. But, I sure wouldn’t have thought to put American Massage Magazine on my media list.

Lesson learned: Get your articles, press kit and news releases out there. They might just result in an unexpected interview.

Until the next
Marketing Minute
all the best,
nt