How to Prepare for a TV Interview About Your Business

In the days before, do these four things

• 1.Write down the one question you are most afraid of. That is the question you rehearse first, not last. Most people avoid it until they are in the chair. Avoiding it is what makes it land.
• 2.Build your message map. Three key messages, each 27 words or less, each deliverable in 9 seconds out loud. These are what you return to no matter where the reporter takes the conversation. Empathy first. Most important point first and last.
• 3.List every question you can predict. You can usually anticipate 95% of what a reporter will ask. Write a short answer for each that ends by bridging to one of your three key messages.
• 4.Decide in advance what you will not discuss. It is much harder to draw a line under camera. If a topic is off-limits because of a legal matter, an HR matter, or because the facts are not confirmed, know the exact language you will use to redirect.

Weak answer vs. strong answer

Weak answer

Strong answer

Bridging language: how to get back to your message

A reporter's job is to push past your prepared lines. Your job is to acknowledge their question and return to what you came to say. These are the phrases professional spokespeople use to make that pivot feel natural, not evasive.

• "What I can tell you is..." for when you do not have the answer they want.
• "What we do know right now is..." for when facts are still being confirmed.
• "The most important thing here is..." for when you need to redirect to your key message.
• "I want to come back to what I was saying about..." for when they have interrupted you.
• "That is one way to frame it. Another way is..." for when they use loaded language.
• "Before I answer that, here is the context that matters..." for when the question rests on a false premise.

In the room: what to do once the camera is on

• Listen. Pause. Think. Answer. Pause longer than feels comfortable. Editors can cut silence; they cannot cut a sentence you wish you had not said.
• Sit slightly forward, feet flat, hands visible and still. Body language reads on camera before your words do.
• Never repeat the reporter's negative framing in your answer. "Why has your business failed?" does not get "We have not failed because…" It gets "Here is what we have accomplished…"
• Speak to the reporter, not the camera, unless directed otherwise. Eye contact with the camera reads as a campaign ad.
• Assume every microphone in the room is live, before the interview starts and after it ends. Many of the worst moments in modern media are from people speaking on a hot mic they thought was off.
• If you misspeak on a fact, stop, say "Let me correct that," and give the right answer. Do not let an error sit in the recording.

What to avoid

• Do not say "no comment." It reads as guilty. Use "What I can tell you is…" instead.
• Do not read from notes on camera. Audiences read scripted answers as untrustworthy. Memorize your three key messages cold.
• Do not lengthen your answer to fill silence. A short clear answer is much harder to misedit than a long rambling one.
• Do not argue with the reporter's premise. Bridge past it. Arguing makes you look defensive even when you are right.
• Do not promise a specific update time you may not be able to meet. "We will provide updates as we have them" is safer than "We will have an update at 3pm."
• Do not speak about the interview after the formal interview ends. Off-the-record is a working assumption, not a guarantee. If a microphone is still in the room, treat it as live.
• Do not lose your composure. One frame of visible irritation will be the clip that runs. The audience is judging you, not the reporter.

Frequently asked questions