Television Interview Tips

Plan your attire.
-Don't wear White. It glows and it becomes the most noticeable thing on the TV screen.
-Don't wear black; it is too harsh and can suck up all the light. Solid colors work best. (This applies for long interviews only.)
-Don’t wear busy patterns; Thin stripes or busy tweeds and prints produce distracting onscreen effects – this applies to ties and prints on shirts and ladies’ scarves. Pastel shirts work well on TV.
-Don’t wear bright reds; they “bleed” on camera and are distracting. (However, a red accent is powerful)
-Be wrinkle-free.

Wear makeup. If you don’t wear powder on your nose, forehead and face, you will look shiny, oily and plastic. Make sure the powder makeup you use is the same color as your skin, not lighter and not darker. Also be sure to blot your face with a paper towel or napkin before the program begins.

Men: Keep your jacket buttoned. This will keep your tie in place, your suit symmetrical.

Watch other people being interviewed on the same program prior to your interview – look to see what they wear, the background colors on the set, and how it comes across. Then, watch the program with the sound off and see what mannerisms are distracting to you. Don’t repeat them.

Public Relations vs. Advertising - What You Must Consider
Before deciding to pursue a media relations program, you must remember that the ability to control the content (advertising) of the message decreases its credibility. Securing media coverage increases the credibility of the message. The desire for credibility is much the same as serving homemade food; it’s often better than store-bought and it takes longer to prepare but the rewards are great. Just as it’s much easier to purchase food ready-made it is also easier to create an advertisement and to purchase the ad space for placement. Media exposure enhances the reputation of the quoted individual by connecting it to the credibility of the media outlet, but it also places the content of the message at the mercy of the reporters, anchors and editors. Much like homemade food – you cannot always guarantee the outcome. This risk is unavoidable. To control the content, you must pay for the privilege through advertising.

How to Deal with"Less than Newsworthy Law Firm News"

A good way to deal with the "less than newsworthy news" situation is to establish guidelines within your firm and stick to them. Another way is to just send the press release to the people section of your local legal pubs and weekly community newspapers where your offices are located with a captioned headshot. Include it on your website (as it will help with your search engine optimization) and then call it quits.

We have all seen the words "news release" and "press release" too. I looked to Joe Marconi's book, "Public Relations, The Complete Guide," for the definitions. He says the difference is that a News Release is just that: "newsworthy, timely and containing all pertinent facts and at least a degree of impact. A press release is not necessarily time sensitive, nor does it have apparent impact. It is, however, a story with elements both interesting and perhaps valuable to a consumer of information."

Holiday Cards: To Sign or Not To Sign - That is the Question

Every year there is a debate among marketers and PR practitioners as to personalization of holiday cards. Some actually question if they're worth sending at all - my answer is, NO, not if you don't plan to sign them by hand. Case and point: this year our firm sent out nearly 500 cards to colleagues, clients, prospects and media (yes, media). Each card was handwritten (we did not handwrite the labels). We also ordered the cards back in June and began the personalization process in September. Does it take a long time? YES! Is it worth it? YES! To date we have received accolades from card recpients in person, by letter and via e-mail. All have said thank you for the card and for taking the time to handwrite them. One former client called and asked for a meeting to begin working together again. A long-time prospect called and asked to meet over lunch.

Now I also mentioned that we sent holiday cards to members of the media but I need to clarify: we only sent cards to members of the media who we deal with regularly and who know one of us very very well. We did not send cards to people we just want to get to know. Remember, as with anything, would you pick a person's name out of a hat and send a card? NO! So be smart when sending cards to the media. Make sure you actually know the person (and they know you)!

So - all that said, Happy Holidays from eachof us at Furia Rubel Communications and from me, Gina Rubel, The PR Lawyer!