Below is an example of a release we issued about 10 years ago which is being used as a training aide by former radio host and TV news anchor-turned-PR-consultant-and-author, George McKenzie.  It was faxed to the radio station where George had a show at the time.  This interview sheet was tremendously successful, resulting in many hundreds of interviews for our client, boosting both sales of his book and sales of a nutritional supplement he formulated.

George did a good job of dissecting the press release.  If you’re interested in what goes through the mind of an actual TV/radio host when he scans a release, read on.

We found George’s comments at Press Release Success .

Following George’s commentary, our company’s Creative Director and author of the release, Steve Town, makes a few comments of his own.

——————————————————————————-
A Press Release Example
Critique by George McKenzie
Former TV News Anchor and Radio Talk Show Host

The press release example below arrived via fax at a San Antonio radio station where I hosted a talk show called “Healthy, Wealthy and Wise.” The intent of the release was to book the author of a book for an interview.

First, a transcript of the release itself, followed by my critique.

————-start of press release————–

Good Fats, Bad Fats

Dr. Udo Erasmus discusses The Low Fat Conspiracy:
Has Madison avenue created a health crisis in America

We’ve all heard these familiar expressions:

“Low fat is healthier”
“Fatty foods clog your arteries”
“Use margarine instead of butter”
“Cut out oil to lose weight”

Sensible dietary maxims, right?

“Wrong!” says North America’s leading expert on fats and oils.

According to Dr. Udo Erasmus, author of Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill, these so-called “sensible dietary maxims” come not from the science of nutrition, but from high paid advertising execs on Madison Ave.

Madison Avenue’s “War on Fat” is being waged to improve corporate profits, not health.

“The giant food makers know that low fat foods have much longer shelf lives than fatty foods,” says Dr. Erasmus.  “So they’ve hired high-powered advertisers to create “fat phobia” in the minds of consumers – and they’ve succeeded.”

According to Dr. Erasmus, studies have proven that low fat diets do not improve health.  One recent study proved that people who switched from butter to margarine had twice as many heart attacks.

“Fresh fats and oils are an essential part of a healthy diet,” says Dr. Erasmus.  “They should never be damaged or removed.”

Dr. Erasmus says that the “War on Fat” has stripped America’s food supply of vital nutrients called “essential fatty acids – triggering a variety of degenerative diseases including heart attacks, strokes, cancer and diabetes.

Children’s health is another casualty in the “war on fat.”

Children raised on diets without essential fatty acids are more likely to be sick – and they frequently manifest behavioral problems and learning disabilities.”

“After years of ‘low-fat propaganda,’ fatty acid deficiency has become the number one nutritional (next line cut off by fax machine)

Is fatty acid deficiency correctable?

“Yes,” says Dr. Erasmus.  “but you have to stop listening to all this “low-fat” hype and start eating properly prepared food containing essential fats and oils.”

To ensure adequate fatty acid intake, Dr. Erasmus recommends drinking one or two tablespoons of fresh seed oil made to his specifications by  (company name), called “Udo’s Choice Oil,” which can be found in health stores nationwide or by calling (number).

“Don’t be a victim of “fat phobia”, encourages Dr. Erasmus.  Stay healthy by eating lots of fresh, properly prepared foods rich in essential fats and oils.

A list of foods supplying essential fatty acids can be found in Dr. Erasmus’ book, Fats That Heal – Fats that Kill.

Sample Interview Questions

1. Why do most Americans think that “low fat is healthier”?
2. Why is it more profitable for food processors to sell low-fat foods?
3. Is margarine healthier than butter?
4. What diseases are linked to low-fat and no-fat diets?
5. What are “essential fatty acids” and why are they “essential”?
6. Why does lack of fat and oil cause heart disease?
7. How are behavioral disorders linked to nonfat diets?
8. What foods contain the essential fatty acids?
9. What supplements are available to adequate intake of essential fatty acids?

The Book Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill has been hailed as “the first book to make sense out of the role of fats in health” (Richard Kunin, MD – President, Society for Orthomolecular Medicine)

About Dr. Erasmus

Udo Erasmus, Ph.D Nutrition, is one of America’s foremost authority on the role that dietary fats and oils play in human health. Trained in biochemistry, and genetics at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Dr. Erasmus has been an invited guest on over 800 radio and television programs.  His advice on health and nutrition has appeared in newspapers and magazines worldwide.

To schedule an interview, call (PR Firm number)

————-end of press release————–

Critique of This Press Release Example

Instant Eyeball Test:

Easy on the eyes.  Uncluttered.  Contact info is where it should be.  Name of the PR firm is there, but it takes up little space, which will score points with news people.

Paragraphs are short, which makes it easier to scan quickly.  Several sentences are written in bullet point style.

Section headlines are in bold type and centered.  Again, easy to scan and compartmentalize at a glance.

Overall, this one will probably be placed aside for later review.
Headline Test:

Good headline.  Uses a media catch word: “Conspiracy” in the primary headline. Implies that someone has been trying to get away with something, and that’s always good grist for the media mill.

In the sub-headline, we get details on the perpetrators of this conspiracy.

Has Madison avenue created a health crisis in America

Madison Avenue, of course, is famous for its huge, high-powered advertising agencies.  There are people who live in New York City, drive fancy cars, drink three martinis at lunch, and then bombard us with untruths about products they fool us into thinking we just can’t live without.  Or so the writer would have us think.

The sub-headline uses another catchword:  “crisis.”  There may or may not really be a crisis, but the news person will read on just in case.  Besides, even if there’s no crisis, but enough people think there is, it’s worth talking about.

Newsworthiness Test:

A winner because it hits several universal news themes:

Myth-busting: the writer opens by quoting “conventional wisdom” about diet and nutrition:

“Low fat is healthier”

“Fatty foods clog your arteries”

“Use margarine instead of butter”

“Cut out oil to lose weight”

She then claims all those ideas are (excuse the expression) bologna.

Sensible dietary maxims, right?  “Wrong!”

Conspiracy Theory (mentioned above): someone is trying to get away with something:  in this case, it’s “Madison Avenue.”  The writer elaborates a few sentences below the headline

Madison Avenue’s “war on fat” is being waged to improve corporate profits, not health.

This implies that Madison Avenue’s ‘war on fat” is not only taking money out of our pocketbooks, but it’s costing us our health as well.

Read a little further down the release, and the writer nails another universal theme:

Children’s health is another casualty in the “war on fat.”

Anything involving children has relevance.

Children raised on diets without essential fatty acids are more likely to be sick – and they frequently manifest behavioral problems and learning disabilities.

Body:

The writer offers credentials immediately after making the myth-busting claim:

says Dr. So-and So, North America’s leading expert on fats and oils.

She also continues to imply that someone’s getting rich at the public’s expense (which the media, as watchdog of the public welfare, has a duty to expose):

high paid advertising execs on Madison Ave.

Quotes:

The writer does a nice job of making them fit the tone of the release.  There’s a connection to ideas and themes that have been introduced previously:

I say the writer does a nice job of this, because in all likelihood, the writer made up the quotes, took them to the doctor and said,

“Hey is it okay if I say this?”

So they’ve hired high-powered advertisers…

Yes,” says Dr. Erasmus.  “but you have to stop listening to all this “low-fat” hype…

After years of ‘low-fat propaganda…

Q&A  and Bio sections:

Not much to add here.  They’re short, relevant, easy to pick out of the release on first glance.  Just what the news person is looking for.

Medium Match:

I personally think this release would pass the test with any medium, but it’s especially suited to radio and TV talk shows.

This release was faxed to me at a radio station where I hosted a talk show, so I’m not surprised it’s “talk show friendly.”  I suspect the writer may have also sent releases written especially for TV and newspaper, but I don’t know that for sure.

Worth Mentioning:

This news release was so well constructed that it was easy to miss the purpose of the release FROM THE PR AGENCY’S POINT OF VIEW.

They want to get publicity for their client, obviously.  But their client wants to sell something.

Do you know what?

If you said, the doctor wants to sell his book, you only got it half right.  Guess again.

And no cheating.  Don’t go back and look more closely at the release.

Okay.  Here’s what the doctor is really selling—quoting from the second page of the release:

To ensure adequate fatty acid intake, Dr. Erasmus recommends drinking one or two tablespoons of fresh seed oil made to his specifications by  (company name called “Udo’s Choice Oil,” which can be found in health stores nationwide or by calling (number).

The doctor is selling what, in my mind anyway, is a food supplement.

Some book sales would be nice, but I’m guessing the book is mainly a promotional vehicle for the supplement.

Trying to promote a product like seed oil would be a tough sell to any reporter or talk show producer.

But promoting a book that warns about a “conspiracy” that affects our health, pocketbooks, and kids…well, that’s a different story.

The person who wrote this release did a masterful job of keeping any mention of the seed oil as low profile as she could.

But she did mention it, and for a good reason.

If she hadn’t written about it at all, and then the doctor started talking about it during the interview, the producer/host would have felt duped – and irritated enough that they’d remember her name next time she contacted them.

But she gave the news folks what they wanted first.  She pushed all the right hot buttons in the first page and a half of the release so the fact that the doctor was selling a product probably wouldn’t have mattered.

The truth is…since most news releases are SCANNED but not READ, a lot of people might have zipped right over this paragraph and not even noticed.

Did you?

In Summary…

In my opinion, this was a extremely well done release.  Yes, there were a couple of punctuation errors, including two glaring mistakes in the subheadline:  the word “avenue” should have been capitalized in

Has Madison avenue created a health crisis in America

and there’s a “?” missing at the end of the sentence.

When I first read the release, I was a little put off by both these oversights, but the release had already passed the eyeball test and the headline test, so I kept reading.

I’m glad I did.

I wouldn’t hesitate to call these folks to set up an interview.  They know how to play the press release “game.” They probably also know how to do “good radio.”

——————————–End of George’s comments –——————————

Steve’s comments;
1.  This press release was written for radio stations.  Before writing it, I spent 90 minutes interviewing the client, who recited for me dozens of clinical studies on how adding omega-3 to the diet improved various physical conditions.  It wasn’t until the end of the interview that he mentioned, in passing, that taking fats out of the food supply was a decision made by food manufacturers to increase shelf life of their products at which point it was up to their advertising agencies to convince us that the fat-stripped food was better than fatty foods.  The phrase “low fat conspiracy” immediately jumped into my head, and I knew then we had stumbled on a topic that would allow him to discuss more than just the health benefits of his product (his radio tour was to promote his omega-3 oil supplement, as George correctly surmised).   I had to convince the client to speak on this topic, as his initial reaction was that he didn’t want to stir up any controversy or ruffle anyone’s feathers.  Over the next ten years he learned that controversy makes for good radio and TV, and he participated in hundreds of media appearances using the “low fat conspiracy” angle to promoting his supplement.

2. As a point of pride we strive to send out mistake proof, uncluttered, aesthetically pleasing press releases.  The punctuation errors that George noted were likely caused by a glitch in the faxing software we were using at the time, well before HTML email became the way to reach media contacts.  We do apologize to him for those goofs even though they occurred years ago and are most likely protected by the statue of limitations for typographical errors.

You’ve investigated, researched and found every possible media contact for your media list.  Good job — I know it wasn’t easy, but it was worth the investment, in fact it was essential.

The next essential step is organizing your media contacts.   What?  There’s more preparation before I even send out my first press release?  Yeah.  There is.  Because without organization, and without the ability to know who you sent what to – you run the risk of looking —foolish.

Organizing Your Contacts

Overall, you’ll find there’s a pretty high turnover of personnel at most television networks, radio stations, magazines and newspapers.  Therefore, your contacts will need to be verified and refreshed from time to time.  Maintaining your media contacts database by adding new names and taking out old names, will be an on-going process.

Choose a method to manage your contacts, keeping in mind that you may have a hundred contacts or thousands of contacts, depending on your company and product(s) and how wide the media interest could be.  Whatever program you use, think simple.  If you’re already using a database management program –just add your media list.  If you’re not already using a database management program, or you’re not ready to buy a program you can still organize your contacts the old-fashioned way by using large index cards or folders –one per individual person and media contact.

You will call your media contact and you will also email and snail-mail press releases to them.  You will need to keep track of this activity as well at automate the information exchange as much as possible.
Next – Part Three in the series – How to Write a Press Release that Grabs Attention.

You only have to view the products that sell on Amazon – they’re based on customer reviews, to see that people tend to listen to honest 3rd-party reviews by people not benefiting from a sale.

Talk about instant credibility.  When your product or service is talked about on the air or written up in a magazine or newspaper, you get instant power status as a product that can be trusted and in a noisy marketplace; this is a value that is invaluable.  With a position of authority talking favorably about you, a story becomes a product endorsement and suddenly your sales are soaring.  So how important is credibility?  Super important.  If 60 Minutes says Shark Cartilage is good, shark cartilage will fly off the shelves until the shelves are bare.  If your local radio talk show says a book is good, sales for that book will increase.  If Oprah likes a book, consider it a bestseller.  We call this effective public relations –Creating Credibility through 3rd party endorsement.

So when you want to create your own effective public relations and 3rd party endorsement, start by rolling up your sleeves and investing some time into your media list.   Your media list will become a valuable, comprehensive database of media contacts at newspapers, magazines, television stations, radio stations and bloggers who would be interested in you, your products, services or ideas.

Steps to Creating a Media List

1. If you can afford to purchase media lists, this would be the easiest way to compile your media contacts.   To find these, do an online search for media lists.  Also check Cision or BurellesLuce
2. Visit your local library’s reference desk and go through the reference books with media outlets and their contacts.
3. Newspapers.com and other free online resources can help you find local, regional and national media contacts
4. The Yellow Pages is another resource for obtaining local media contacts.  Look up “Radio Stations & Broadcasting Companies”, “TV stations” and “Newspapers”.
5. You can usually find magazines on a specific subject if you type in the subject followed by the word magazine, such as: “health magazine”, “men’s magazine”, “women’s magazine”, “sports magazine”, etc.
6. Search for radio and TV shows by using “radio show”, “TV show”, “cooking show”, followed by the city name for local shows, but type in the city name outside of the quotes.  For example: “radio show” Boston Health, will get you health radio shows in Boston.

Visit us next week for part two of “Creating Your Own Publicity Campaign: I’ve got my media list, Now What?”

Last week I drove from Tampa to Orlando and never changed the dial on my radio station.  I was completely wrapped up in what amounted to a free radio ad listening to an automobile expert talk about, “How to maintain your car and save money.”  Please understand that when it comes to automobiles, my only concern is that I put my foot on the gas pedal and the car moves.  I have no intentions of ever opening the hood of my car to fix anything, yet I continued to listen to his interview and purchased his book for my husband to read.  Why?  Because he engaged me.  He did what I emphasize with all my clients; he talked to the audience that was listening.   By using several examples on how I could save money fixing my car based on the climate in Florida, not the climate in New York he utilized the interview to sell his product to me.  He hooked me.  He was talking to me.  I found myself nodding and agreeing.  And that’s what you want from an audience, agreement.  You don’t want them to switch the radio dial or touch the remote.  Bottom line – he turned his interview a free radio ad because I purchased the book.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Before your interview, research the listening area.   Find out if there’s anything special going on in the area and mention it.  By doing this, you’ve just closed a gap between you and the audience by including them.

BE SENSITIVE
Be culturally sensitive.  Again, take into consideration at all times, the viewpoint of the audience you’re talking to.

Remember Shock Jocks?  Thankfully, these types of shows are fewer in number than several years ago.   And it’s not likely you’ll be interviewing with any of these shows anyway, but if you do, the audience will be different on one of these shows than a station with a country music format who does interviews in between music sets.  My personal advice:  Stay away from the Shock Jocks!

SPEAK LIKE AN EXPERT
Give the audience confidence that you know your subject.  Don’t say “Umm” or “You know.”  Give concrete examples.  Don’t use jargon; speak in simple, easy to understand sentences.

Your job is to inform, educate, entertain and inspire.  The host/anchor wants you to be an interesting guest for his or her audience, and that usually means providing the audience with useful information.  If you gear your answers to the audience that is listening, you’ll have more people tuning in than turning off.  More opportunities for ‘free radio’ ads.  And more than likely, you’ll be invited back for another interview.  Now that’s effective publicity.

The purpose of appearing on radio or TV is to obtain effective publicity.  However, at some point in your publicity tour you might run into an interviewer that asks a question that puts you or your product in a negative light.  It happens.  Maybe they received misinformation about you or your product from a last minute unexpected source.  Maybe they decided to boost ratings by creating controversy.  Or maybe they just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.   It doesn’t matter.  You need to be prepared for ANY question you’re asked and turn a negative question into a positive.  Don’t be caught with your publicity pants down, if you know your main message and key talking points you can turn any potentially disastrous pr situation into effective publicity.

BE CURRENT/BE THE EXPERT
Before the interview, make sure you’re current on the latest news relating to your product.  There’s nothing than can catch you off guard quicker during an interview than being unaware of a new breakthrough, a pending law suit, or bad press relating to your topic.  You’re the ‘expert’, be current.

Set up a Google alert for the areas that relate to your topic. Log onto http://www.google.com/alerts  and fill in the information and select the types of alerts you’re interested in receiving.  Once set up, Google will send you a daily email listing press releases, news articles and blogs relating to your area of interest.  You can choose to explore each article further by clicking on the item’s title.  This alert system is handy for keeping you well versed in the news that relates to your topic.

DON’T BE DEFENSIVE
Whether its radio or television, keep in mind that the host has credibility and is probably well liked by their audience.  When faced with a negative question, don’t get angry or defensive. The interviewer will continue to maintain their loyal following long after your interview.  All you will have accomplished is the alienation of a large group of potential customers.  Most people don’t buy products from angry spokespeople.  When a negative question is asked, take a moment and breathe.  Correct any inaccuracies and neutralize the negative with facts, then bridge to present a positive view.  This is also where all the rehearsal you’ve done helps you to focus on emphasizing the benefits of your product.

SPEAK TRUTHFULLY
When responding to any question, don’t exaggerate claims or give information that’s false. Misrepresentation can jeopardize your credibility.  If you misspeak, stop and correct the statement for the record.

You can always turn a negative into a positive by knowing your message and making your primary goal to get your message across.  Always be prepared and you too can achieve effective publicity.

Next:  Part Four in the series Tips on Media Interviews

Who: Joe V and the executives at PCDJ asked The PR Group for media exposure.  They said lots of it.  As much as we can get to promote our new MP3 playing software which would became the first music player/mixer for the “online DJ generation”.

What: The PR Group got them media exposure.  Boy did we get them media exposure.  And they grew and grew and grew.  The client was blown away.  We got them  on MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, ABC, CBS, NBC and hundreds of radio shows.  We got them hundreds of magazine articles, newspaper articles and so many online article placements that we lost count.  They became the preeminent music software application with over 10 million player downloads.

What else: Our writers wrote 5-Star press releases.  Our publicists got media placements that showed this company to the world in the best possible ways and they built a worldwide market share.

What next: Like many ambitious executives, Joe V eventually moved on and when he did he called The PR Group. This time, with a request to book radio shows for lead generation for nutritional health products.  And now, 11 years later, we’re still working for Joe V.

Some executives just know who to take along to build a successful team and Joe V takes along The PR Group!

To take us along for success with your publicity and media bookings, CALL US, we are a pay per placement agency, what you pay for is what you get.  WYPIWYG  (WipyWig)

That said, I am a believer in Radio Interview Exposure.  Many people will say why would I want to waste my time doing interviews when I can tape a :30 second spot ad and have it play all day long?  My first response is, how much more can you say in 10 minutes?  And how much more believable are you when you’re talking live on-air?  Millions of people listen to the radio while they’re in their cars driving, sitting in the dentist chair, or have the radio on in the background as they’re working.  So there’s a pretty good chance that your clients and potential clients are listening to the radio.

Plain and simple.  Radio interviews are not just another place for you to place an ad.  Radio interviews are a place where you can talk with your potential clients and many other smart people who know people who could be potential clients.  Information goes viral when you’re on radio interviews.  You never know who will contact you back and what path they take to get back with you.

While on the air, you will need to do a little work to engage these people… no one just sits around listing to the radio.  Radio is background but when you reach people and get them listening to you, and reacting to your call-to-action by going to your website or ordering product, there are huge payoffs and accelerated growth.

Why would a small business need this?  The answer is simple.  Credibility and authenticity.  People love to work with people that are referred by those they like and trust.  The host –and even the radio station are entities that people like and trust.  The radio interviews come off as a referral.   It’s not to say that other promotional actions aren’t effective, but when it comes to a 3rd party referral, how will you ever get that kind of a referral from post cards or email campaigns?  When someone is allowed to hear you and learn from you –as they do while you’re on the air, they purchase with confidence.  Maybe it takes more than one interview before they gain trust.  Or it takes one interview where they’ll sign up for your newsletter and then your marketing department takes over with the interactive newsletter contact.  Over a period of time the potential customers will grow to trust you.  Guess who they call when they need a product like yours? … YOU.  That’s the point.

Why would a large business need this?  Large businesses need to educate and implement long term branding goals to firmly plant themselves in the minds of the consumer.

Why does your business need radio interview exposure?  To build wider range of loyal customers that have been educated by you or your radio interview spokesperson.  Once a consumer is educated, you have a loyal customer for life.  This, helps you make more money.  Plain and simple.  If you implement a radio interview campaign and spend the time perfecting your spokesperson delivery skills, people will find you that never would have found you otherwise and you.  Doors will open and you will make money.

Shameless plug:  Request an Intro Radio Interview Exposure campaign.

Effective publicity is achieved by getting your main message across.  That comes from knowing exactly what your message is and making sure it is said several times during the interview.  This may sound like a no brainer, but getting through an entire interview and not delivering your main message more than once is more common than you think and is a ‘publicity killer.’  It’s great to be charming and witty during an interview, and as an audience we love to see A-list celebrities talk about their latest love interest, children or vacation get away.  But don’t be fooled, the A-list celebs are selling their latest book, movie or charity – they just don’t have to work as hard as you, because many people will buy what they’re selling even if they never mention the product.  We mere mortals have to work just a bit harder during the interview to make sure the listener thinks we’re personable, understands what the product is and afterwards is interested in purchasing

How do you ensure your main message is communicated to listeners?

To gain effective publicity know your message
Write your key message down, refine it, rehearse and rehearse it again.  Your main message needs to be thoroughly engrained in every fiber of your soul so you can artfully talk about it even if the interviewer doesn’t ask you a single question from your suggested question list.

For example, one of our clients never mentions his product until the very end of the interview.  His main message is information, information and still more valuable information so by the end of the interview the host and listeners are begging for him to tell them what the product is and what they can buy from him.  This is effective publicity.

Correctly structure your answers
When preparing for the interview you should create several answers to each question, along with several answers to each potential question the host could ask.  After you’ve done a couple dozen interviews you’ll get to the point that you’ve heard all questions and there will be very few surprises.  Structure your answers so your most important message gets communicated first.  Speak in small sentences, called sound bytees.  This way, your key message and information isn’t left unsaid if you are cut short or interrupted.

Speak English
Get your message across as simply as possible.  You don’t want to lose your audience by using technical terms or jargon they won’t understand.  Approach your subject from the audience’s point of view.

You will create effective publicity for you and your business by communicating your main message naturally within the course of the interview and often as possible.

Next in the series:
Tips on Media Interviews

Effective publicity begins before the interview. You’ve got a terrific product, you’ve hired a publicist and you’ve been booked to appear on radio and television.  Now what?   Appearing on radio and TV doesn’t always mean your product will go flying off the shelf. Getting the interview is only half the battle.  The other half is all YOU.  What you say and how you are perceived during the interview will determine whether your product sells. So once the interview is booked, it’s time for you to get to work.

Preparation is the first step in creating effective publicity
Find out who is conducting the interview and then gain some insight into their style or reputation by listening to or watching their program.  You can research programs outside your area by downloading the broadcast from their websites.  You can also Google the host’s name and read through the information listed about them.  You want to be as prepared as possible

Define your Message
Define your message.  Read through the press release prepared by your PR agency and determine 3 -5 main talking points.  List each point on a separate sheet of paper in order of importance.

For radio, keep the list in front of you during all interviews.  For TV, memorize the list of talking points and write them on a small index card for quick reference.  You won’t be able to glance at the card during the interview but you can look at it right before the interview.

Practice
Now that you’ve got all your talking points written down, it’s time to practice.  Start by sitting in front of a mirror and having a ‘conversation’ that includes your talking points.  This will help you ‘see’ how others see you.  If it’s a radio interview, this step should not be eliminated.  When you smile, you sound like you’re smiling, so it’s important to practice in front of a mirror.  You’ll notice immediately if you’re relaxed, smiling and looking confident.  These are all key elements during a media interview.

Once you’re confident, you know your talking points and can communicate them, find someone to practice with.  Have them ask you ‘mock’ questions so you’ll be prepared for anything.

These first three steps will give you firm footing in giving the best interview possible and creating effective publicity for you and your product.

Next in the series:
How to make sure your most important message gets communicated first, regardless of the question you’re asked.