Have you ever had to prepare a Lakeland public relations client for a big interview? How did it go? How did the client manage not to completely disintegrate in front of the whole audience?
The problem with some Lakeland public relations clients is they are not used to dealing with stressful situations (which is why they hired you). But at the same time, they are the ones who need to face the audience and the customers and answer questions about their businesses.
One of the most influential and powerful Lakeland public relations strategies is to clinch a TV interview in a nationally- or locally-televised show. This would help reach your target audience without looking like you are actively seeking them.
Know who will be the interviewer and what his preferences are
Who will do the interview? What are his political, economic, and social preferences? Could he be biased? How does he do his interviews? You need to know how to answer the interview—is he going to be formal?
Is he more of a fun, casual interviewer? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you determine a sound strategy that could be beneficial for the client in the end.
Prepare answers to possible questions
As a PR practitioner in Lakeland public relations, you should know what questions will be asked. That is part of your role and your expertise. You should know how the media will craft the questions and you should be able to field them and answer them well.
Prepare questions that you think will be asked and see how your client will answer them. This is a good way for you to determine just how much “help” your client needs.
Learn how not to be mechanical
Some clients can be robotic when being interviewed. This means that they will follow the script (questions and answers) to a T and they will look and sound unnatural.
Let your clients know that the audience will be watching and they should be able to relate well to the client. The client needs to talk as if there was no script. He should let it all flow naturally.
Understand the magnitude of the interview
Some people prefer not to know how important the TV interview is for the issue on hand. This is not the way to go.
Your Lakeland public relations client should realize how essential the interview is, so he would give all his focus and attention to it. He should be able to handle the pressure because that’s what good businessmen do—handle pressure all the time.
