Preparing for Media Interview in Thailand

It’s always a good idea to check out the journalist’s previous publications and do some research on them before your media interview. Investigate the journalist and the publication in which they work, and be prepared for their style, as well as the type of content they are likely to demand – or enjoy receiving.

When preparing for an interview, it is generally beneficial to know some background info; know your enemy, as they say. Actually, this is just a gentle joke, as nearly all of the journalists we work with at Gemini are absolutely awesome, and want you to succeed. This is one of the key differences between media in Thailand and in the opposite example, such as the UK, where journalists are out for blood and not particularly know for reporting the absolute truth.

Continue to keep up with current events in the news and in business. Understanding the questions that are likely to be thrown at you gets easier in this manner. Understand the publication, the producer, or the reporter, as well as their target audience. The more a company knows about a candidate, the better prepared they will be for an interview with the organisation in question.

A media interview can be an excellent opportunity to promote a company’s products or services and explain the advantages of doing business with them. Going into one unprepared, on the other hand, could be disastrous. An interviewer may pose difficult-to-answer questions on the spot, or – even worse – they may repeat the same question multiple times in a variety of different ways. When this occurs, unintended contradictions may occur, casting a business in a negative light.

Businesses, or rather their spokesperson or marketing representative, should decide what to say and how to say it. This is where key message development comes in, and you should let your PR agency partner guide this as it’s right in the wheelhouse, and a key function of the relationship.

This is where the value of a well-crafted brand positioning statement becomes apparent, too.  Again, this is something your PR should help drive in collaboration with your decision maker.  Once the message for the interview has been determined, the following step is to choose the most effective method of communicating it, as well as the supporting points that will assist in doing so.

The interviewee should then rehearse. Practice several scenarios and responses to various interview questions until you feel comfortable with your message and delivery. Additionally, interviewees may wish to practise with a friend or colleague who can provide constructive comments on their performance.

Practice runs will help you prepare for the interview. Friends and co-workers can serve as reporters to assist with any questions that may arise (or Gemini can give you real journalists on site with you to practice with!).

The next step is to make a video recording of the soon-to-be interviewee responding to these types of questions, so that the responses can be evaluated afterwards to determine areas for improvement.

Speak clearly and enunciate. Before doing any media interview, check that the lighting is adequate and that there is no background noise that will interfere with the interview’s recording. Additionally, when responding to questions, each word must be enunciated well so that the responses are easily understood by anyone watching, listening, or reading the responses.

A media interview is an excellent opportunity to market not just a product or service, but also business owners and directors as experts. Businesses can obtain favourable exposure by providing valuable information to the media that can be freely shared. To prepare for an interview, it’s critical to consider potential discussion topics and then jot down three or four crucial points to present.

Finally, psychologically prepare for the interview. Rest well and eat a nutritious meal prior to your interview to ensure that you perform at your best.