The Satellite Media Tour
Tips and tricks for a successful satellite interview.
A satellite media tour is a different kind of animal. It is not a hard-news interview, not a talk show and not a business presentation. You are in a studio, facing a camera, and an earplug is your only connection to those who are interviewing you. In most cases you will not see the media personalities who will interview you in rapid succession from several different cities. You must look into the camera and talk and act as if you are talking to a person you can see. This can be unnerving. It is more like a radio news interview over the phone, but with one major exception: you are on live TV!
Here are some SMT performance tips:
If there are two cameras present, make sure you know which one will be on you. Realize that the interviews can come quickly because of valuable satellite time. You may do three interviews with three “anchors” in three cities in 6 minutes. Don’t try to remember the names or the cities; you may become “lost” and say the wrong name or city.
Most of these live interviews will be from 1 to 3 minutes. Don’t say anything after the anchor indicates they are moving on to another story or commercial. If the anchors get “cute” or ask negative questions, acknowledge them briefly and get to your message. Stay focused. Stay on-message no matter what. Always rehearse your bit before you do it by holding, taping and critiquing a “mock” SMT. Write your message-points in large letters on flip chart sheets and post them behind the camera…four or five-word statements that remind you of your core message. If you have never done a news interview, or have done very few, go through professional media training.
Decide on two or three positive things you want to say and get one of them in every response, no matter what the question. Never forget you are (usually) LIVE…LIVE…LIVE!
Where in the World is Anthony?
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