Why you need media training

19 April 2023 | 3 min read | Crisis Comms
Portrait photo of James Gwinnett
James Gwinnett

Interviews. Does even the thought of them cause your heart to race? For some, simply mentioning the word is enough to induce a cold sweat.

And there’s some justification for that. Few of us are comfortable when having questions fired at us, and when there’s a reputation riding on the outcome – perhaps the added pressure of it being on live television – it’s easy to become flustered.

Think about the last time you watched a politician being put under the spotlight and trying to worm their way out of a tricky issue. It made for pretty tough viewing, right?

But media interviews are a powerful way to tell the world – or a specific target audience – about your vision and how your business is planning to achieve it. Done well, they can be a formidable weapon in your marketing arsenal. They can directly drive website traffic, engagement and, ultimately, sales.

The ‘doing well’ part is key, though, to coming across as authentic and relatable, and building a connection with your audience, whilst avoiding any feelings of panic. This means that media training is invaluable for anyone preparing to tell their story to the media, whether you’re doing it for the first time or looking to hone your skills ahead of the hundredth.

Our training focuses on two key areas:

1. How to prepare to deliver your messages
2. How to then deliver them effectively

That may sound oversimplified, but that’s the point; one of our tips is to ‘keep it simple’!

Alright, there’s a little more to it than that. Our half-day course will cover an overview of the media landscape and what journalists will be looking for, before exploring a range of interview techniques that will help you build that connection and tell your story.

We’ll study a series of strategies and tactics that will allow you to control the interview – yes, even as the interviewee, you can control proceedings – and bring it back to your key messages if it deviates, navigate difficult questions, and avoid unnecessary jargon or nervous waffle.

Most importantly, we’ll give participants the chance to practise their new-found skills in a series of mock interviews. (Tip two: practice makes perfect.)

All of this is crucial to articulating the values and purpose of your business, doing so in an engaging way that resonates with your audience and encourages them to visit your website, follow you on social media, support your cause or buy your product. (Another tip: always have a call to action.)

Remember, fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

If you would like to enquire about our media training packages, please contact James Gwinnett, our Associate Director, via james@clearlypr.co.uk or 01225 694353.