How to set up a news interview

The best way to set up a news interview is to call the subject. There are some subjects who happily agree to be interviewed. But there are several who play tough. They will either refuse to take the call or ask you to call again.

In such cases, you need to be patient. A good way is to locate a source who knows the subject, and use his reference. Another way is to persuade the secretary to put in a good word with the boss.

You should, however, avoid calling such subjects at their home. Your first priority should be to reach them during office hours. Many subjects are very reluctant to take calls at home, and may not respond positively.

Three questions that you can expect while fixing a news interview on phone are:

One, who are you?

Two, which organisation do you represent?

Three, what is the purpose of the interview?

It always pays to introduce yourself at the first opportunity. You should also be ready with a broad answer as to the purpose of the news interview. This should not be offensive, and give the interviewee a reason to believe that he stands to gain by giving the interview.

There are several companies that have a public relations division. In these cases, the interview request has to go through the PR team. Most reporters have a good rapport with the PR team because the PR officials often have to take the help of reporters to get the company press releases published. Make sure that you have a good relationship with as many PR officials as possible. They can be a useful source to help you get the all-elusive interview.

Today, you also have the e-mail option. Almost every organisation has a web presence. You can e-mail an interview request to the subject directly or to the corporate address, requesting that the mail may be forwarded to the subject.

However, you should avoid e-mailing questions. This gives the subject a chance to study the questions carefully, and answer them in a way that suit him most. It is always a good policy to seek a personal interview; otherwise, try and interview a reluctant subject on the phone.