Smith Myth: 3 Myths About Media Interviews

By Courtney Link and Mariam Ata

Communicating effectively when speaking publicly can be a daunting task at first. There is always the fear that we might embarrass ourselves, are not prepared enough, or don’t have enough knowledge to speak to an audience. Even celebrities, entrepreneurs, and well-known authors have had struggles with confidence during media interviews. So, even though it may seem frightening at first, remember that all of those successful people that you look up to had to start somewhere, too. With the right guidance and preparation, you can become an expert, too. And what is the best way to promote a book? Getting your audience familiar with your name is one of the first steps.

Myth #1: Self-Promotion is Tacky

Self-promotion is key when interviewing as an author because it grows your brand and introduces that audience to who you are and what you have to offer. The audience is tuned in to learn from you, so we have to assume that they want to learn more about you and your message. 

During the interview, have an angle/topic prepared and ready to go, with tips and insights to dive into. Then, throughout the interview, you can reference back to your book, which is a more tactful way to self-promote. Quickly add in that the audience can learn more from your website and your book. For example, “Chapter 4 of my book, [Title], actually discusses this topic further…”

Also, have a few copies of your book clearly visible in the background. Then you’ll have that visibility without having to say anything extra.

Self-promotion is a balance between being strategic and tactful.

Myth #2: You Need a New Message for Each Interview

It’s likely you’ll have a different angle or audience for certain interviews if you’re in either the business or health and wellness space, but overall, it’s unnecessary to have a completely new message. It can be overwhelming to constantly create and bring new ideas to every interview, and oftentimes, detrimental to the interview as the angles become more niche and farfetched. The takeaways can be unique, but we want your overall message to remain consistent. For example, if you have crafted four unique ways to calm your nervous system in stressful situations, you can use these same takeaways whether you are speaking to young professionals who are starting their careers and looking for how to calm their nerves before an interview OR new mothers who are overwhelmed and looking for tips on how to relieve stress in the middle of their days.

The exception is if there is an interview with national media. That’s when your content needs to be more exclusive but still consistent with your overall message and expert brand. A good way to do this is to tell a unique story related to the topic or give a specific example you haven’t yet used elsewhere.

In most cases though, there is no need to produce brand new content. It is best to prepare with what you are qualified to speak on, and do so in an impactful way for that specific audience.

Myth #3: You Should Have a Complete Script Ready to Go and Memorized

Having a script prepped and memorized can be a good approach to any interview, but oftentimes it comes off as staged and stagnant, which is less engaging. The best interviews are more conversational, and you’re able to go off the cuff. This is especially true of TV interviews. 

Being prepared to answer more personal questions is beneficial so that you are not surprised by anything you’re not ready to answer, and you can prepare a list of topics and key points/themes to speak on, but try not to have a whole script ready to read off. Hosts and interviewers almost never have scripts, so what happens when they don’t follow yours word-for-word? It’s more likely you’ll be thrown off when asked a question you don’t have an answer written down for. Instead, practice talking through your list of key points a few different times before the interview, a different way each time. This strategy will allow you to be more flexible and the conversation to flow more naturally.