Most Media Mistakes Happen Before the Interview Start

TL;DR: Most media mistakes happen before the interview starts. The strongest spokespeople are not necessarily the smartest people in the room. They are the ones who know their message, understand their audience and can explain their work in a way people actually remember.

Many people assume media interviews are won or lost by how they answer difficult questions.

Most are decided much earlier.

The mistake often happens when a spokesperson, executive, subject matter expert, advocate or community representative walks into an interview believing the work, expertise or facts will speak for themselves.

They rarely do.

Reporters are not responsible for translating years of experience, institutional knowledge or technical expertise into a compelling public narrative. They are responsible for producing a story. If a person or organization cannot explain their work, impact or perspective in clear language, even important contributions can disappear into a generic quote or a passing mention.

That reality creates frustration across industries and sectors. People know the stakes are high. They understand their work. They know the details. Then the story appears and somehow the most important parts feel absent.

The problem is often communication rather than coverage.

Brad Phillips explores this dynamic in The Media Training Bible, a practical guide that remains one of the most useful resources for anyone who speaks publicly on behalf of an organization, cause or area of expertise. His central lesson is straightforward: preparation determines performance.

The strongest interviews begin long before a reporter asks the first question.

One theme that surfaces repeatedly in our media training workshops and one-on-one sessions at DeSoto & State Communications is that strong interviews are built long before the camera turns on or the phone rings. Preparation creates clarity, and clarity gives important ideas a better chance of reaching the people who need to hear them.

People and organizations need clarity about what matters most. If a reporter remembers three points, what should those points be? If someone reads only a headline, what should they understand? If a policymaker, customer, donor, investor or community member sees a thirty-second clip online, what message should survive the edit?

Many people try to answer every question with maximum detail. That instinct is understandable. They care deeply about the subject.

The public experiences information differently.

People absorb ideas in fragments. They encounter stories while scrolling through a phone, listening to the radio during a commute, reading an article between meetings or watching a short clip online. Messages compete with thousands of others every day. Clarity matters because attention is limited.

The people and organizations that communicate effectively understand this constraint. They speak plainly. They avoid jargon. They use stories to illustrate impact. They answer questions directly and provide context that helps audiences understand why an issue matters.

This is one of the lessons we emphasize in media training workshops at DeSoto & State Communications. Preparation is rarely about memorizing answers. It is about identifying the ideas that matter most and developing the discipline to communicate them clearly when the opportunity arrives.

Most important, they remember who they are speaking to.

The reporter may be conducting the interview, but the audience is much larger. It may include customers, employees, donors, volunteers, community partners, policymakers, investors, stakeholders or members of the public. Every answer should help those audiences understand the value, relevance and purpose behind the work being discussed.

That does not mean turning interviews into marketing exercises. Audiences recognize promotional language immediately. Credibility comes from transparency, accuracy and a willingness to stay grounded in facts.

When people speculate, exaggerate or wander beyond their expertise, they create risks that often outlast the interview itself. Trust is easier to preserve than rebuild.

Whether you represent a nonprofit, a business, a government agency, an educational institution or a professional practice, public confidence cannot be taken for granted. Decisions about support, engagement, funding, partnerships and reputation increasingly depend on whether people can communicate clearly about what they do and why it matters.

Media preparation is often treated as a defensive exercise. The better approach is to view it as an opportunity to educate and inform.

Every interview is an opportunity to help the public understand a problem, a solution, an idea or a community need. People who prepare thoughtfully give themselves a better chance to ensure their work and expertise are represented accurately.

Most media mistakes happen before the interview starts.

Fortunately, most media successes do too.

AI-generated image. Not representative of real individuals or events.