Ask these questions.
- What is your name?
- Which media outlet are you with?
- What is your story about?
- How are you approaching the story? What’s happened to trigger this story?
- Are you speaking to anyone else?
- What is your deadline?
- Ask when a story is going to run (and let your organization’s communications team know).
- How much do you know about the subject? Can I send you some background information?
- What is your phone number?
REMINDER: Please respond to media queries immediately, even if you are not prepared to do an interview that minute. Call back and see what they want – maybe you are not the right person for them to talk to. If you are, ask for some time to get prepared, even if it is just five minutes. Hang up the phone and prepare. If you can’t make their deadline, call them and let them know. A relationship built on trust and goodwill is important to establish between researchers and the media. And you never know when you will have a story idea you would like to share.