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You pick up your business phone and a pet owner is on the other line. She was so impressed by your recent television interview and the expertise you conveyed that she wants to schedule a meet and greet to engage your pet-sitting services for her dog and cat.

It’s a great scenario. After all, getting quoted or featured by local media outlets is an inexpensive (and relatively easy) way to let your community know that you are a professional resource on pet care. But a great outcome like this doesn’t come without preparation.

Even if you send out a stellar press release or media pitch and land an interview with a local newspaper, television show or radio station, there are a few questions you should ask yourself: What will I actually say when I am interviewed, and how can I portray the most professional image possible?

Fortunately, there are some tips you can keep in mind to ensure that you have done your part to prepare.

1. Remember fundamental principles.

Whenever you are interviewed by any media representative—whether it’s an on-camera interview for radio and television or an interview for an article on the web or in print—remember these four fundamental principles:

• Content is key. You must have something new, exciting, innovative or unique to talk about. The reporter has specific content to include, too, so it’s essential to anticipate the questions that will most likely be asked.
• The best interview is conversation, not testimony. You’re part of a two-way exchange of ideas, not testifying on a witness stand. And you’re not obligated to answer all questions exactly as they were posed.
• Remember who the real audience is. Your objective is not to score points with the reporter, but to communicate with the viewers, listeners or readers.
• Perception is reality. If your real audience perceives you to be confident, well informed and authoritative, then you are—as far as they’re concerned—confident, well informed and authoritative…and worth listening to! At the end of the interview you want audience members to be thinking, “I want that person to take care of my pets!”

2. Know your message.

It’s helpful to gather as much information as you can prior to the interview by:

• Finding out what the reporter is after
• Reviewing a sample of the broadcast or publication
• Anticipating the possible questions you may be asked
• Knowing who else will be interviewed

To ensure you “hit your target” during a media interview, create two or three key message points in advance. Write them down and practice saying them before the interview. These points should be relevant to the reporter’s interview topic, but they should also be relevant to your goals of being an expert in pet care. During the interview, make sure you bridge your key message points to a reporter’s questions whenever possible. Look for opportunities during the interview to communicate your key points.

Also keep in mind that plain talk sells. Don’t use jargon or terms that only other experts would use among each other. Be as clear and concise as you can. Practice speaking in sound bites that are less than 10 seconds while still getting your point across. You want to be friendly, but also succinct.

3. Convey your professionalism.

Whether you will be doing a live interview for television or you will be meeting with a reporter for an off-camera interview, it’s important to look and feel the part. You’re a professional pet sitter, and you want that to come across in the way that you dress, carry yourself and speak.

As a professional pet sitter, there’s no need for you to wear a business suit to an interview (unless a special situation calls for it), but clean, company-branded attire can go a long way in making a good impression on the journalist and/or audience, as can your posture, demeanor and natural hand gestures.

If you are preparing for a television interview, it may help to practice answering questions in front of a mirror, with a friend or on camera (a smart phone will do), so you can see whether your mannerisms, body language and pace of speech need some fine tuning. And if they do—that’s okay! It’s why you’re practicing. When you’re confident about your preparation, you’ll convey that confidence and ease to the audience.

And most importantly, be prepared to explain what makes you a professional and why pet-sitter training and credentials matter. You don’t have to bad-mouth hobbyists to get your point across, but you can highlight why it’s important to choose a professional and why you are one. After all—pets deserve the very best care, and you want pet owners to know how to ensure their pets receive it!

An important reminder:

Everything you have said, emailed, written, texted or even posted on social media can be fair game for a journalist. And avoid requesting to make comments “off the record.” Different journalists have different ideas about what that phrase entails.

As a professional pet sitter and business owner, it is important to have a consistent media relations strategy. If you are not sure how to get started with developing a media relations plan, consider taking advantage of this PSI ebook:  The Professional Pet Sitter’s Guide to Media Relations.

Have you had success with being interviewed by a local media outlet? Let us know in the comments below.