Going on the record

The secret of being a good media interviewee? Be interesting

 
If you ask most journalists what makes a good interview, they will almost certainly tell you it is one that isn’t boring. This may sound horribly flippant but what it really boils down to is ‘usability’. Whether it is print, radio, web or television, how interesting an interviewee is will determine whether or not they have wasted the journalist’s time or are worth including in the final story. We all know why organisations and individuals agree to interviews, but their value to journalists may be less clear.

Laura Shields

Laura Shields is founder and managing director of Red Thread EU, a consultancy base din Brussels, where she also works as a journalist, media trainer and panel moderator. Her communications clients include Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies, non-governmental and scientific organisations, trade associations, think-tanks, politicians and UN agencies.