How To Prepare Your Clients For Media Interviews
A little prep can help make a story. Anyone in Vegas? Plus new pitch call.
Hope you had a good mother’s day weekend! It was my first weekend home after many weeks and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with my mom and my four-legged son. My body is finally feeling back in Atlanta time zone, but I am heading to Las Vegas today (-3 hours again!) If you are around in the area, come by and see me speak at a summer reading kick-off event. Yes, Las Vegas is going to be reading travel books this entire summer! Also, I am happy to join you for a coffee anytime over the weekend.
Off-late my speaking business has kept me busier than my writing. I am finding editors are slower to respond, publications are cutting budgets, and the global uncertainties are making everyone go into a “wait and watch” mode. On the other hand, there is a bigger need than ever to talk about how travel helps builds bridges, understand different cultural viewpoints, and show that we people are the same everywhere, regardless of our political, religious, or cultural differences. This is not DEI. This is common sense, it’s life, it’s being human.
On my super-luxury two-week cruise, I met this older gentleman from Northeast U.S. who had kind eyes and a sad smile. We had dinner together as he opened up about his wife’s battle with cancer and how now, 6 months after her passing, he is getting out of the house for the first time. He almost cried as he recalled their last cruises together and I could see how much he missed her, how lonely he felt. Then we talked about his profession (a weapons importer). He told me stories of traveling and making deals that sounded unconventional and dangerous to me. When I asked him where he wanted to travel to next, he showed interest in a hunting trip, to possibly go shoot big game. I have to say I was very uncomfortable with those specific topics, but kept my calm, trying to understand his points of view, learning more about his background, and seeing the sad human underneath. I did not confront, but questioned why he felt the need to always carry a gun living in the U.S. and how many times did he ever had to use it to protect his family? Over the days, we became good friends. He always found me at the lunch buffets, took photos of me during our excursions, and showed kindness towards all the staff and guides we met.
I site this story because I strongly feel that we need to talk to people who are different from ourselves. We can talk all about telling diverse stories, making press trips inclusive, and destinations marketing to broader audiences. But if we don’t sit across from each other and listen, it will not serve the grander purpose.
How To Prep Your Clients For Media
Thanks to the PR folks who took the time to respond to my pitch calls, find relevant story ideas, and coordinate the meetings with their clients.
During my brief time at my desk, I conducted many in-person and phone interviews for stories I am working on. I realized some of the clients were better prepared than others. As you can imagine, a big part of our work as PR and journalists is listening! When we listen to our clients, we can help craft and tell their stories better.
Here are some things publicists can do:
Familiarize the client with the journalist they are going to meet or talk to. Send a brief bio or bullet points about what they need to know. Identify common connections if there are any (for example: you both went to the same college). Include links to latest or related work. Share a photo or Instagram account (esp if they are meeting in person).
During one of my meetings this week, the interview asked me, “Have you been to New York? Are you familiar with Atlanta?” If they spent 30 second on Google they would have known.
I have heard many PR people say that they did send a media kit to the client, but when I meet them, it appears they never received it. I have also seen clients standing with a print out of my bio and picture in the hotel lobby. My suggestion is ensure they received and read it. Have a prep-call with the client a day prior to the meeting to make sure that they know who is coming and for what.
I can’t tell you how many times I walk into a one-on-one interview and the person asks me, “Whats this for?” I generally only conduct interviews when I have an assignment or a good idea of where the story will be published. I do not like to do preliminary interviews to extract the story for a potential pitch. Please don’t send me pitches saying, “Would you like to chat with chef ABC and learn more?” PR reps must do this.
Please share links to the publication and similar articles that the journalist has written. This is specially helpful for me because I write a lot of human interest stories. Also, certain publications have to follow a similar format style, so it helps when the interviewee understands how to tell their story. I have also found that by reading other stories, they often think of things they may not have thought of before.
Create a chronological storyboard for the client. It is quite confusing when the interviewee starts telling a story about a part of their life, going back and forth, not having an overarching theme or message. We all have a story to tell - it starts with where we grew up, what were the first impactful moments of our lives tying to what we do today, how we got into this line of work, and what were some key turning points. A few ups and downs to the story also help.
For example, I grew up in a small town in India - never traveled or ate international foods but was always curious about them - came to Atlanta in 1997 - ate my way around the city and gained 30 lbs. in 1 month - started writing for a local magazine, and so on….
Another poor start to the interview is when the person I am about to talk to starts off with, “So, what would you like to know?” Again, this goes back to have a clear, crafted story idea with the client. Yes you want the client to tell their own story in their own words, but a lot of people are ramblers. They may go all over the place, not give a succinct answer, or miss the important points. If you spend a few extra minutes providing media training to your clients, it will save time for both parties and result in a more powerful story.
I do craft my own story angles and spend considerable time preparing for the interview. This means, I research the client’s website, bio, previous articles, and social media to find out everything about them, so I can ask relevant (and not Have you been to New York?) questions. You can help make this process a little easier by sending the journalist a one-page summary with client bio, current businesses, previous articles, social media links, etc.
It is super important to fact check what the clients tell you and what they tell the journalist. One time, an executive chef at a luxury hotel I interviewed was not happy with the published story and told the publicist that he did not share some of those controversial facts. I had a recording of our conversation to prove. Then he said he did not approve me recording, even though I had put the recorder right in front of his face during our in person sit-down formal interview!
You know what comes right after an interview - digital assets to go along. Please be ready with images, headshots, photos of the subject matter (restaurant, hotel, business, etc). Make sure the pictures are clear, in hi-res, follows copyright guidelines, and each picture is labeled with captions and photographer credits. And for the 100th time, do not email me pictures as attachments! We have plenty of free file sharing tools.
Another question publicist ask me if I want them to be on the call when I interview their client. My general answer is No. If you have prepared your client well, you should not be there. But if for some reason, your client tends to be late or miss meetings, maybe you can get things started.
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If you are interested in organizing informative panels, learning sessions, and masterclasses for your organization, please contact me.
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Call for Pitches
I received many pitches recently from people who had not read the pitch call fully (only the first sentence, she said), didn’t understand what I was asking for, sent bullet points asking if I wanted to hear more, or a completely unrelated topic. Please save some time for both of us, and send me relevant and well crafted pitches only.
Please take a moment to read my Substack on pitching tips before sending me your email.
Where can you learn new skills on a family vacation? Looking for family-friendly enriching destinations, resorts, and experiences that offer a chance to learn new skills. Please note the difference between SKILLS and activities (learning to dive vs. building a reef, getting a yoga certification vs. taking a yoga class). This can be anywhere in the world, however I already have plenty in the Caribbean. I also have surfing and diving already.
Please keep your pitch succinct and include link to photos (no attachments).
Examples of Skills:
Hard Skills:
Technical skills: Programming (Python, Java, etc.), software proficiency (Microsoft Office Suite), accounting, data analysis, web development, graphic design.
Crafts and trades: Carpentry, plumbing, welding, electrical work.
Specific knowledge-based skills: Medical diagnosis, legal expertise, engineering design.
Soft Skills:
Communication: Active listening, public speaking, written communication.
Interpersonal: Teamwork, leadership, conflict resolution, empathy.
Personal: Time management, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity.
Adaptability: Learning new things, adjusting to change, staying flexible.
Other examples:
Typing, driving, playing a musical instrument, knitting, crocheting, basic first aid, problem-solving, critical thinking.
Hotels at major international hub airport that are worth extending a layover for. Not just a place to sleep. The hotel should be inside the airport or walkable. For example TWA at JFK, Oryx at Doha. Still looking for a few more.
For my monthly column in Khabar Magazine - South Asian (Indian) food trends, culinary products, recipe books, and human centric stories (in US only). No “authentic, elevated, inspired by grandma” cooking please!
Accepting Press Trips. I am interested in visiting Paris, Puglia, and Luxembourg on individual press trips. If you have clients interested in hosting, please reach out.
Travel Assistance Needed. I am heading to The Philippines in December and open to media hosted flights, stays, meals, tours, etc.
Opportunities for Intern. I have a summer marketing and communications intern who would like to attend media events in and around New York. Please help me mentor this young man :)
Travel The World With My Cat - Beato
I started writing ‘Beato Goes To’ children’s books to share stories about the kids I met in different countries who led unique lives. As seen through the eyes of my curious cat Beato these colorful picture books inspire kids to be curious, open minded and dream of traveling.