Legal Marketing Consultants

Alyn Weiss and Associates

Ground Rules for Dealing with the Press

The best way to deal with the press is to always assume that whatever you say to a reporter will be repeated to thousands of readers or viewers, read carefully by your clients and referral sources, and attributed to you.

Do's

• Always return a reporter's phone call in a timely manner. (This does not mean the next day. It does mean within an hour or two maximum, if possible.)
• Decide if you want to conduct an interview. Don't accept or decline by reflex.
• On telephone inquiries, be sure to cover: What is your deadline? What do you need? With whom have you already spoken? Who else do you plan to interview?
• Prepare for the interview. Find out who the reporter is, how informed, what he or she has written about the topic previously, etc. Most papers and many TV stations have searchable databases on their Web sites so you can obtain stories about the topic that recently were aired or written. You can read a reporter's recent stories to find out how aggressively/conservatively/sensationally they present the facts.
• Write out your messages in advance, and look for opportunities to make those points.
• Create a sparkling quote or anecdote: a short, concrete, preferably human example that reinforces your point.
• Agree on any ground rules in advance. (Recognize that the more rules you try to put in place, the less likely the reporter is to interview you.)
• Get your most important message across first, and keep it simple and brief.
• Be prepared to answer those questions you didn't want the reporter to ask. (And try to think of them in advance, and rehearse your answer. If you have time, call your PR person.)
• For photos and television, control your body language and maintain good eye contact.

Don'ts

• Don't say the first thing that comes into your head. Take some time and think about the question before responding.
• Don't ramble. When you're finished, stop talking. If there is a pause, use it to reinforce a previous point.
• Don't say "no comment." If you don't know the answer, say so, and say whether you ever will. If you will know the answer, tell the reporter when you will be able to respond. And then call with the response. If you cannot answer, say, "I am not at liberty to say," but indicate whether someone else is. If material is proprietary, say so: "That's proprietary business information, and it would be inappropriate for me to discuss it."
• Don't conduct an interview on a topic you know little or nothing about.
• Don't be afraid to say you don't know the answer to a question.
• Don't lie.
• Don't miss the reporter's deadline.
• Don't put an unprepared person on the phone.
• Don't lose your temper.
• Don't use sarcasm. It doesn't translate well.

If Noting Else Remember To...

• Talk to the press.
• Know what the interview is about.
• Have a message and get it across.
• Be honest.
• Build a relationship by understanding the reporter's needs.
• Speak to the public through the reporter.
• Keep it simple, and only say it if you want to see it in print.

Click any of the following for additional information:

What To Do When a Reporter Calls

Handling a Media Interview

Special Tips for Television Interview

Realities of Dealing With the Press

Assume You're On Record When Talking to the Press

7 Words or Phrases That Should Never Appear In a News Release

9 Rules of Crisis Communication

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Please call us at 303.298.1676 or email us to schedule a private consultation with Bob.