I’m 24 and have made just two appearances on TV news, so take this piece of advice as much or as little as you’d like.
But a friend was being interviewed by her local news affiliate and asked for any advice I might have.
I offered her what I thought was most important: have a sound byte ready.
If you know the topic you’re being asked about, prepare 30 at most and nearer to 10-15 words with a punch. Remember that TV interviews are meant to elicit simple answers, so the questions tend to be pretty straightforward. Slide your prepared byte in and move on.
I did this very thing when I was briefly on Philadelphia’s Fox affiliate talking about e-waste. My prepared byte didn’t even make the cut, but, as I’ve been told myself, if you don’t have a point, they’ll find one — and you might not like it.
Generally the advice is the same for any interview: be succinct, be clear and be on point. If you start rambling, that’s when journalists like me might quote you on something you won’t like.
