6/2 Class: Guest Speaker Tracy Barba

Guest Speaker: Tracy Barba (Director of Marketing for Duarte Design, Inc)

In today’s class, Tracy presented strategies for interacting with the press. She provided an overview on interacting with the media and some helpful interviewing tips that she has acquired over her 15 years in the marketing field.

Preparation: Take a strategic approach

• Target what you want the reporter to learn from you whether it be on new material or in response to material that is already circulating.
• It is good to look at what are the top stories, what reporters are writing about, what is the slant of the stories (i.e. human focus stories such as profiles of CEOs as would be found in Forbes magazine), and what their readers care about.
  
• After learning about what the audience wants, then you can start the process of talking to a number of different reporters or journalists or bloggers
  
• Best interviews have been when reporters are just looking for information and do not have a particular angle in mind, but are just about having a conversation
• Use a conversational format in order to build rapport with the reporter for future meetings
• Reporters often do not have time to do research, so wrapping the information or research you are doing around a particular trend that is going on, or a trend that the reporter likes to cover can be helpful for them
• Synthesizing information can also be a very helpful way of building a relationship with a reporter
• If you can tie your research into something that, for example, the local community can relate to, is something that can be very effective and gives the audience proof points
• It might be a good approach to frequently check in with a reporter, follow the pieces they write, and take notes of topics they write about or are interested in and then shoot them an email and fill them in on something you know or are currently researching. It is a way of keeping them informed and often times the reporter will appreciate it.
  
• Focus on relationship building

Interviewing Tips

• Having 2-3 things that you really want to convey to the reporter about your company or product is very important. Have statistics and facts readily available
  
• Dialogue is key - ask follow-up questions, ask the interviewer if the interview is going in the right direction or if there is anything else that they want to know about
  
• Always assume that everything you say to a reporter is on the record
  
• Need to be more cautious about junior reporters because they are still learning and finding their own voice and are using a lot of different tactics, as opposed to more seasoned senior reporters
  
• Best way to be prepared for interviews with junior reporters is to just keep in mind 2-3 key things that you want to convey and to try and relate those things with a trend

Reasons you might get quoted:

1. You are seen as an authority on the topic because of your research and knowledge
2. Something you say is edgy or funny - don’t be afraid to be funny, you might say something that challenges conventional wisdom or relates to a popular trend
3. If there is a human element to it, it is more likely to attract the attention of the reporter
4. Reporters love “firsts” – good way to get their attention

The Don'ts and "other" guidelines

• Never do a cold interview! Always feel like you have the ability to tell your interviewer that you need some time and that you will call them back, or ask if they can shoot you over some questions that you two can talk about.

• Think of the questions as conversation starters, do not necessarily just answer the question. It's good to answer the questions asked, but then be able to bridge the interview to something that you would like to talk about or something you think the reporter might be interested in.

• Be respectful of commitments you make - remember that reporters are on a deadline and if you commit to doing an interview, you should stick to it. It is a good way to build a trustful relationship with a reporter.

--Julie Randall & Nikki Maciejowski