Adrian Dayton is a lawyer, speaker on social media for the legal profession and author. His book Social Media for Lawyers: Twitter Edition (Ark Group, 2012) is in its second edition. See his Web site, adriandayton.com, or contact him at info@adriandayton.com.
"In the future, everybody will be world-famous for 15 minutes," Andy Warhol once said.
Let's say your time has arrived—your social media messaging has caught the attention of an old-media platform and you have the chance to be interviewed on national TV.
Will you be ready? How should you prepare to make a great first impression? How will you make the most of your 15 minutes of fame?
I asked this question of Joel Staley, who has worked with celebrities, senior executives and brand representatives for Fortune 500 companies.
"Lawyers know how to do their homework" when preparing for a deposition or researching a brief, Staley said. "They need to take that same preparation when getting ready for the media. Don't turn off your research and inquisitive approach, because you are going to need it. Keep that mindset."
Your first question should be: Who is the reporter?
"What is their interview style? Watch them online. Read them. Get a sense of their style," Staley said. "Are they a Diane Sawyer, who is so sweet and pretty, then throws darts—these barbed questions that leave you looking like a deer in the headlights?
"Or are they like Ed Bradley, the machine-gunner who relentlessly attacks people with questions? This tends to make a person look flustered and inarticulate. Inarticulate can make you look guilty."
Staley advises interviewees to research how the reporter has handled the subject matter before. "You could be sucked into a story where the interviewer already has a bias. Be aware of what their slant is before you talk to them."
You'll need to map out what your posture should be. "The key to success is to know your story," Staley said. "This is not a time for improvisation; this is not a time for creativity. Know the key points that you need to insert into the story."
