What To Do After An Interview
You just spoke to a top reporter with a major publication,
and the feature story is due out in one month…
so what do you do now?
Well, I’m sure you would like to yell it from the
rooftops and tell everyone you know. But before you
do, here are three things to keep in mind after an interview:
1. Keep Quiet.
As hard as this may be, you need to keep your interview a secret. Why?
Well, when it comes right down to it, you have no control
over the final product. The editor may cut your interview
due to a need for advertising space, a breaking story or
a personal reason.
With this in mind, think how you’ll feel if you tell everyone
you know about your upcoming media clip, and
then it doesn’t appear!
This is why it’s best to keep your interview quiet until
you actually see the published story.
2. Review Your Skills.
Right after the interview, think about how it went.
· Did you do a good job?
Why or why not? What can you do to improve your interview skills?
· Did you say the right things about your company and get
your message across?
If not, write down what you could have done differently to say what
you really needed to say.
· Did you leave a call-to-action, if appropriate?
By mentioning a Website address or phone number, you tell people who see the
interview where they can find more information about you, your
company and your products and services.
Don’t miss this opportunity to promote your business!
3. Move On.
Make a note of when your interview is scheduled to go live.
Then, move on with the rest of your public relations plan. If you sit around
waiting for your “big news,” you will miss other, PR opportunities.
Also, what if the interview never gets published?
To avoid embarrassment and wasted time, continue to pitch new media-members
specific stories. Write articles, blogs, social media, and other, pertinent content. Keep your
Website up to date and add valuable information for your target market.
Think First.
It can be very exciting to finish an interview with a major media venue. And your first
instinct may be to tell all of your customers, partners, investors, and more about
your upcoming news.
Instead, keep these three tips in mind. Wait until the story is published. Work on improving
your interview skills and continue to focus on the tactics outlined in your PR Plan.
This way, you’ll be more productive and have much better results over time.
And who knows?
You may get so busy talking to media members that it will be a nice surprise when
you open the paper and see your big interview. Then, you can tell everyone to build
buzz, credibility and sales for your business!
Do you need help with your small business public relations and SEO copywriting
to boost sales, awareness and credibility fast? For more information, please contact me
here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.
April 3rd, 2011 at 9:25 am
Melanie great information thank you!! Do you have any tips on blogging? As a small business owner it is difficult to balance twitter, blogging, facebook, website, email blasts etc.
April 3rd, 2011 at 3:00 pm
Hi Iani,
Thanks for your nice message. If you are short on time, focus on the places where your audience gathers most.
If they are not using social media a lot, and you don’t have time for a social media plan with daily updates on facebook and twitter, drop that aspect of your marketing and focus on your Website, blogging and/or e-mail blasts.
It’s better to focus on one area and do it well than spread yourself too thin and give a bad impression.
Then, when sales are up from your Website and e-mail activities, you can hire people to help you with your social media campaign.
For blogging, create an editorial calendar with all of the topics you want to write about and when. This way, you can work in advance and know what needs to be written and when.
Be sure to track your results so you know what is working and what isn’t.
Also, look for interns and part-time freelancers to help you with the content. This way, you can focus on core sales.
Hope this is helpful,
Melanie, rembrandtwrites.com