Make the most of your video interview with these 9 must-do tips.
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Local media is always looking for people to interview on personal finance stuff, especially around holidays, end of the year, tax season and any other dates that have a price tag associated with them. Also, they are looking for comment or clarification on current events and recent trends in personal finance.
First, make yourself visible to the people that want to interview you.
Here are a few basic things you can do to land an interview with local media:
- Make sure your website is looking good. Continue to blog regularly, especially on current events and planning for upcoming holidays.
- Makes sure your clients are leaving Facebook and Google reviews. Producers will sometimes do a Google search for “budgeting expert Phoenix” or where ever they are so having reviews will put you higher on the list.
- Start to reach out to producers on local TV and Radio stations with ideas for segments. They are always looking segment ideas, and the less work they have to do the better. You can search for them on Facebook or Google, or you can contact a producer directly who is listed on the station’s website.
- Take advantage of Help a Reporter Out (or H.A.R.O.) which is a free mailing list for journalists looking for comments or interviews for their article. It is released three times a day.
You have made contact! Now what???
Once you land that interview you will need to do some simple things to make it go seamlessly. Your top priorities are to look good, sound good, make the entire interview sound good, and make the interviewer’s life easy. If all these things go as planned, you will be in their rotation as an expert in the personal finance field.
Location Doesn’t Matter
Don’t worry if you work from home or don’t have a very photogenic spot to do your interview. You can always ask the producer if they have a place they prefer. You can also ask one of your power referral partners if you can borrow their office or meeting room. This is instant street cred for you, and they get a chance to rub elbows with the producer too.
What If You Mess Up?
The producer and interview team are professionals. Don’t feel like you have to say everything perfectly in one take. They will ask you the right questions so you give the best answers. They will also let you make as many mistakes as you need to get it just right. Their job is to get the story and to take care of you!
Foundation Powder is a MUST. You don’t want to blind anyone.
Whether you are a man or woman, some type of foundation powder is necessary. Lighting for interviews is super bright, and you will invariably have some amazing shine going on your nose and/or forehead. If you normally wear make-up, apply a little more than you normally do. If you never wear makeup (men and women), at least put on some powder/ anti-shine foundation so you’re not blinding anyone.
Wear bright colors so you don’t get washed out
Wearing bright colors helps you stand out and be visually interesting. Avoid wearing white as you will be washed out. Also, try to avoid stripes and crazy patterns. If you do wear patterns, downplay them with a jacket.
Don’t wear a dress. You want easy access.
Most of the time during an interview you will be wearing a lapel microphone. You have seen them before as a little black ball that usually gets clipped to a collar or lapel. What you don’t see is that there is a cord the runs (under your clothes) to a battery pack that is clipped to your clothing somewhere. If you are wearing a dress, they will be forced to be creative with where the cord runs…if you get my drift. A skirt and blouse are absolutely fine as they usually want to clip it to your belt or waistband.
Do a quick touch up before they get started so you look fresh, especially at the end of the day.
The interview crew will take some time to figure out the best location and position to shoot your interview. Then they will need time to get their equipment set up. This is a perfect time to go touch up your hair, make up and outfit so you look sharp and fresh.
Smile and use bigger facial expressions than you normally do.
This is something that Michael really has to work on this whenever he does a Facebook live video or training video. I love him, but he naturally doesn’t have a very expressive face. During the interview, you really have to think about expressing your smile and facial expressions 10 times more than you think is necessary. When you are nervous and thinking about what you have to say, you are not going to be very emotive so a normal level of expression just won’t cut it. Over smile, be over joyful and really over express yourself!
Give them some fresh ideas for new segments when you are done being interviewed.
Before the crew even arrives, I want you to come up with three new segment ideas. Think of what events are coming up in the next two months or what are some current events happening that you can comment on. Share those pitches with the producer. They will more than likely be super happy that you did the leg work and made their job a lot easier. It will also keep you fresh in their minds for future interviews.
