Our Account Manager Lucie kicks off a series of articles dedicated to introducing some PR concepts to founders of startups looking at making ramping up communication activities. In this first article, Lucie introduces a couple tips to follow when media get in touch for an interview. Follow them, and you will shine!

As the leader of a start-up company, you and your team typically need to work non-stop for days and nights. It is always encouraging to see the company grow and the products or services be recognized by the clients. Then, surprisingly, one day a reporter may call your company to express his interest in interviewing the founders, it is a great news of course, but if you are a totally green hand, here are some tips to help you prepare yourself for the interview that could result in an ideal media coverage to further promote your company, not ruin it. 

Tip 1: Do background research of the media and the reporter

Open Baidu or Google and type in the name of the media as well as the reporter to get as much information as possible. Below are two questions you must figure out: 1) Is it an influential media, especially to the target audience similar to your business focus? – You may not want to appear in some media with only 10 views per article since running a start-up is already very time-consuming. 2) Does it constantly report negative news about companies? – This usually happens with finance media which are very figure-sensitive. Then, you should also find some previous articles written by the reporter to see his interested area, writing style, story angle, etc.

Tip 2: Confirm the interview and send background information

If the media and the reporter seem to be fine, call back to confirm more information: Is it a guaranteed coverage? When will it come out? How many pages will it be? If everything is ok, confirm the date and the type of interview (we will discuss later), and send some background documents to the reporter so that he can have better understanding. Do not send tons of documents to the media since he is probably as busy as you. (Reporter is considered as one of the occupations with the longest working hours.) Make sure to include two types of documents: The introduction of your company and its products and services, and your personal biography. Web-links of recent press releases and events can be handy too.

Tip 3: Always ask for an interview outline

An interview outline can help you understand how much the reporter knows about you and your company. It is also extremely helpful for you to prepare in advance. Reporters are not only interested in your experience which you can tell without much preparation, but they may also desire to get some detailed data about your company and the industry. Think about what data yoi should not disclose, and what data can back you up. Remember there is no such thing as “off the record”, always assume what you say will be published, so only disclose information you are comfortable seeing published.

Tip 4: Choose the right form of interview that you feel most confident about

Interviews can be in three forms: face-to-face interview, phone interview or written interview. It is hard to say which one is better because they have different advantages. For face-to-face and phone interview, you need to arrange a time that works for both you and the reporter, it is good if you are properly trained (preferably by an experienced PR expert) to talk to media so the interview can help the reporter to know you and the company much better. Face-to-face interview also requires booking of venue and media allowance for transportation for Chinese media. If you are not confident to talk with the media or just do not have enough time to do so, written interview can be a very good choice. You can also involve other colleagues to add inputs and help review the answers before you sent it to the reporter. Do remember to confirm with the reporter when is the deadline, and try to send the written answers asap.

Tip 5: Follow-up with the reporter

After the interview, thank the reporter for his time and interest, and confirm when the article will come out. Send the reporter more information or data (make it simple) if you did not cover it well during the interview. With some Chinese media, sometimes it is possible to have a look of the article before publishing. If you get the chance to have a look, do not act as an editor to proof-read each sentence, just correct the typos, wrong figures and misunderstanding of your business or yourself, and make sure you go through with it with the reporter so he understands and accepts your amendments.

Tip 6: Share the article

After the coverage comes out, give the reporter a thank-you note and ask for his written approval for re-posting it (to avoid copyright problems). The article can be a good endorsement for your company’s credibility so buy some copies (if it is print version) or print it out (for e-versions) to showcase in your office or show it to your business partners and clients. Also, put it on your website, social media platforms, blogs and even send it to other media (make sure you ask those media to mark the original media and report’s name) to maximize the influence.

Well, well, hope you get all the tips and get you and your company famous and more profitable!