An unprepared executive in a live interview is the fastest way to generate a crisis. A well-prepared executive is one of the most effective tools in a comms team's arsenal. The difference is not natural talent -- it is a repeatable preparation process that takes 30-60 minutes per interview and prevents the off-message moments that end up as headlines.
This checklist covers everything from interview request to post-interview review. It works for print briefings (FT, Guardian, Times, Telegraph, trade press), broadcast appearances (BBC Today, Newsnight, Sky News, LBC, Channel 4 News), and podcast/panel formats.
Before accepting: the triage decision
Not every interview request should be accepted. Before saying yes, assess:
- Outlet and journalist. Who is asking? A feature request from the FT's insurance correspondent is different from a cold call from a freelancer you have never heard of. Check the journalist's recent work in Meltwater or Cision -- have they written about your sector? What angle did they take?
- Topic and angle. What specifically do they want to discuss? "We'd like to talk about your results" is very different from "We're looking into claims handling delays in the industry." Ask the journalist directly: "What's the focus of the piece?" Most will tell you.
- Risk assessment. Is the topic one where your organisation has a strong position, or one where you are exposed? If the FCA has recently raised concerns about your sector, a live BBC interview on that topic carries higher risk than a trade press feature about your new product.
- Spokesperson match. Is the CEO the right person, or is a subject-matter expert better? The CEO should handle strategic topics, results, and crisis. A CTO, medical director, or head of underwriting may be more credible on technical topics.
Default rule: If the topic is sensitive or the outlet is Tier 1 (FT, Guardian, Times, BBC, Sky News), the head of comms should be involved in the triage decision, not the spokesperson alone.
The message map
For every interview, build a one-page message map. This is the single most important preparation document.
Core message (1 sentence)
The one thing you want the audience to take away. Derived from your corporate narrative framework.
Example: "We paid 98.2% of all claims last year, the highest rate among mid-tier UK insurers, because we designed our process around speed and fairness."
Three supporting messages
Points that reinforce and evidence the core message:
1. "Average claims settlement time of 11 days, versus the sector average of 23 days." 2. "We invested GBP 4m in digital claims processing last year, which reduced processing steps from 12 to 5." 3. "Financial Ombudsman Service complaints against us fell 27% year-on-year, while the sector average rose 8%."
Bridging phrases
Pre-written phrases that help the spokesperson navigate from a difficult question back to a key message:
- "That's an important question. What I can tell you is..."
- "The broader context here is..."
- "What matters most to our customers is..."
- "I understand the concern, and here's what we're doing about it..."
Bridging is not evasion. A good bridge acknowledges the question and redirects to substance. A bad bridge ("I'm glad you asked that") signals to the journalist that you are avoiding the question.
Risk question preparation
For every interview, identify the 5-7 most likely difficult questions and prepare concise answers.
How to identify risk questions
- Check recent media monitoring. What negative coverage has your organisation or sector received in the past 30 days? If the Guardian ran a piece about claims delays last week, expect the question.
- Check regulatory activity. Has the FCA, CMA, ICO, or Ofcom published anything relevant? Parliamentary questions? Select committee hearings?
- Check competitor activity. Has a competitor faced a crisis that could reflect on your sector?
- Ask the journalist. It is entirely appropriate to ask: "Are there specific topics you'd like to cover so we can prepare the right data?" Most journalists will share their broad focus.
Structure for risk question answers
For each risk question, prepare a response in this format:
Question: "Your sector has been criticised by the FCA for slow claims handling. How do you respond?"
Acknowledge: "Claims handling speed is a legitimate concern for customers and the FCA is right to raise it."
Answer: "Our average settlement time is 11 days, compared to 23 days for the sector. We invested GBP 4m last year specifically to improve this."
Bridge: "What matters most is whether customers are getting paid promptly, and our data shows they are."
Write these out in full. Do not rely on the spokesperson to ad-lib under pressure. Even experienced executives benefit from seeing the words on paper before the interview.
Format-specific preparation
Print/online interviews (FT, Guardian, Times, trade press)
- Interview will typically last 20-40 minutes.
- The journalist will take notes and may record. Assume everything is on the record unless explicitly agreed otherwise.
- You can request to see direct quotes before publication (not the full article -- just quotes). Some journalists will agree; others will not. Ask politely.
- Provide data and proof points in writing after the interview. This increases the chance they are included accurately.
Live broadcast (Today, Newsnight, Sky News, LBC, Channel 4 News)
- Duration: 3-5 minutes is typical for a news interview. Newsnight panels may run 8-12 minutes.
- Rehearse the opening line. The first 10 seconds set the tone. If the spokesperson stumbles on the opening, the rest of the interview is uphill.
- Prepare for interruption. Today programme presenters and LBC hosts will interrupt. The spokesperson needs to complete the key point concisely, not fight the interruption.
- Avoid numbers overload. One or two numbers maximum in a broadcast interview. "11 days versus 23 days" is memorable. Five statistics in a row are not.
- Dress and setting. For TV, plain colours work best (no stripes, no bright patterns). For remote broadcasts, ensure the background is professional and the lighting is from the front.
Pre-recorded broadcast or podcast
- Longer format allows more depth (15-30 minutes).
- The edit will cut the interview down. Assume the strongest 2-3 minutes will be used.
- Treat every answer as if it will be the clip that runs. No throwaway lines.
The rehearsal
A single 15-minute rehearsal dramatically improves interview quality. The comms manager or head of comms plays the journalist.
Rehearsal structure:
1. Opening question. Test the spokesperson's opening answer. Is it concise? Does it land the core message in the first 15 seconds? 2. Three follow-up questions. Including at least one that pushes back on the core message. 3. The hardest question. The one the spokesperson least wants to answer. Deliver it without warning. Assess whether the prepared answer holds up under pressure. 4. Feedback. Note what worked and what to adjust. Be specific: "Your answer on claims delays was too long -- cut from 45 seconds to 20 seconds" is useful. "Good job" is not.
For high-stakes interviews (Newsnight, FT front page, crisis response), do two rehearsals: one the evening before and one the morning of.
Post-interview review
After every media interview, complete a short debrief:
- What key messages landed? Which of the three supporting messages did the spokesperson deliver?
- What questions were unexpected? Add them to the risk question bank for next time.
- How was the spokesperson's delivery? Pace, clarity, confidence.
- What appeared in coverage? Track the resulting article or broadcast segment in Meltwater or Signal AI. Did the quotes used match the prepared messages? If not, why?
- Journalist relationship note. Was the journalist fair? Would you do another interview with them? Log this in your media list for future reference.
Build a simple log over time. After 10-15 interviews, patterns emerge: certain journalists always ask about regulation, certain topics always generate difficult follow-ups, certain spokespeople are stronger on specific themes. Use these patterns to improve preparation for every subsequent interview.
Common mistake: prepping the CEO but not the diary
A UK tech company secured a live interview on BBC Breakfast for their CEO to discuss a product launch. The comms team prepared a detailed message map, risk questions, and bridging statements. The rehearsal went well. On the morning of the interview, the CEO's EA had scheduled a 07:00 investor call that overran. The CEO arrived at the BBC studio at 07:28 for a 07:35 slot, flustered and without having reviewed the message map. The interview was adequate but missed every key message. The product launch data -- the strongest part of the story -- was never mentioned on air.
Preparation includes logistics. Block the spokesperson's diary for 60 minutes before any broadcast interview and 30 minutes before any print interview. No calls, no emails, no other meetings. The message map is useless if the spokesperson does not have 10 minutes of quiet time to review it before going on air.