You might think that getting a journalist interested in interviewing you is the difficult bit. Pulling off the interview with a polished performance can be just as tricky - with scope for ruining your reputation as well as enhancing it. It's not easy - but handling press and media interviews it is a skill worth mastering.

A media interview is your chance to sell yourself and the company you are representing to the public. Whether you appear in a newspaper article, on a radio show, or a TV programme, you want to present yourself and your company in a professional manner. 
 
If you are going to embark on press and media interviews then there are some basic rules worth considering:

•Asking the right questions - you need to know where the journalist got the story from and who else they have spoken to. This helps to put you in the best position regarding the possible angle the journalist may be looking at and whether this is an opportunity worth pursuing.

•Preparing your material - you should never think about speaking to the press and media without doing some preparation. What are the points you want to get across, what the are examples and anecdotes, statistics etc that you can use to support your points.

•Researching and understanding your audience - to get your points across effectively in a press or media interview you need to know who the audience is - what they know about you and your organisation, their profile etc. You need to tailor what you say to suit. Don't use industry jargon if your audience is the general public - they won't appreciate it and chances are you won't be asked back.

•Rehearsing - get colleagues or friends to fire questions at you. Some people find that it is useful to do this just before an interview to 'warm up' - you'll find what works for you but do take time to think about and rehearse handling questions.

•Dress Code - follow basic guidelines for what to wear and what not to wear. Avoid black and white for television interviews as these colors can make you look washed out. Busy patterns are also best avoided so too is jewelery that could be distracting for the audience.

•Body language - this is important whether you are on television, radio or doing a press interview. You need to ensure that your body language is open and that it matches the tone of the interview. Even if you sound convincing the audience will not believe you if you look defensive with arms folded and eyes shifting about the room.

•Logistics - give yourself a good amount of time for the interview. Be at the right place ahead of time. For television and radio interviews you may need to wait around a bit but that is, of course, much better than arriving late and flustered or missing your slot completely and the waiting time can be used productively to remind yourself of what you hope to achieve by the interview.

•Stay calm - and believe in yourself. Whatever a journalist throws at you, you can handle it. Using a media trainer is helpful, particularly to help arm yourself with the tools to handle difficult journalist questioning.

•Persevere - you will only improve if you keep on doing it. The more experience you get the more confident and in control you will become.

If you are looking to raise your profile then it is a good idea to get support from a media trainer. It's much easier to iron out any issues in the training room rather than in front of the camera. Coming across well in a press or media interview is a skill that can be learned and is a great asset to your publicity efforts.

Practice these techniques to stay in control of your interviews. Positive press is a very powerful engine for success!