I recently hit a big milestone in my business by participating in my first ever live TV segment! It was a roundtable discussion on how the U.S. presidential candidates are using social media and why some have been more successful than others in connecting with millennials.
Now, I’ve done quite a few media interviews for my business, but this one had me nervous because it was in Spanish. Even though I’m fluent, I still get just a little bit more nervous when speaking Spanish than I do if I’m speaking English.
Okay, let’s be honest, I was actually a nervous wreck. It was my first TV segment and it was in another language to boot. I was sweating through my blouse!
However, I got over it by applying the same concepts I use when I have media interviews in English. Here are some tips for rocking media interviews for your business.
Take your time when speaking (but not too much time).
One of the keys to rocking media interviews for your business is to take your time when speaking. Don’t try to get everything out in one breath because it’s not cute. Additionally, you’ll have nothing left to talk about.
Fortunately, this was actually easier to do for me in Spanish than in English simply because I will spend a little more time mentally formulating my thoughts to make sure what I’m saying is clear and concise.
It’s also important that you don’t take up too much time. Especially if, as it was in my case, there are other people on a panel or interview.
The best way to think about it is to see it as a regular conversation with a new friend. You have to ignore the microphones, lights, and cameras to the best of your ability.
Have some talking points ready.
If you can, see if you can get more information about the media interview. In my case, the producer called me the day before we were supposed to go live and we brainstormed some ideas for the segment.
From this, make sure to create some talking points for yourself. The conversation during the interview may go in a different direction (as it did during my segment), but at least you won’t be going in there blind and unprepared.
Just do it.
The day before my first live TV segment I had a colleague who had his first live TV segment. He gave me some advice on Facebook which I took with me. He said, “During the interview, I just kept telling myself ‘At least you’re actually doing it!'” This became my mantra before and during my own segment and it actually calmed my nerves.
Sometimes the only way to get over the fear of doing media interviews for your business is to give yourself credit for actually showing up. A lot of people wouldn’t go through with it, so the fact that you are is a big deal.
Get a copy!
The last tip is to actually get a copy of your media interview! Regardless of whether it was online, radio or TV you should always strive to get a copy of your interview so you can use it for your own marketing purposes.
