Preparing for an interview

Media relations toolkit

Engaging the media to elevate sexual violence prevention

Coverage in local, regional, and national media is important — news coverage across 
formats keeps communities and leaders up to date on key issues and informs public 
understanding. When sexual violence prevention practitioners engage the media, it is 
an opportunity to elevate sexual violence prevention, connect with new audiences, and 
increase your organization’s credibility and recognition.

One way you may find yourself engaged in news coverage is 
as an expert source for reporters. This is a great opportunity 
to share your key messages and inform the public about the 
prevention work your organization is doing in the community. 
Reporters are more likely to contact you if you’ve built a 
relationship with them. For ways to engage journalists, please 
see Chapter 3 of Moving toward prevention: A guide for reframing 
sexual violence.1

Whether a journalist is reaching out for background information 
(like statistics on rates of prevalence) or comments on breaking 
news, it’s important to make the interaction count by adding 
value to their news coverage while also speaking to your key 
goals and messages. The trouble is that sexual violence is a 
complex topic for journalists to cover, and it can be even more 
difficult for the general public to understand. Generally, reporters 
covering this topic are also limited by quick turnarounds to meet 
publication deadlines and brief word counts for their stories.

To be prepared and ensure that you and the journalist both get 
the most out of this interview, remember to:

Organize logistics

– Most reporters are on a deadline, so it’s important to 
respond promptly. 

– Ask the reporter about their deadline, the focus of the 
story, and who else they’ve contacted.

– Do background research on the outlet and journalist.
 Check out their social media and read some of their recent 
stories to get an idea of their style and angle.

– Remember: You’re in control of the interview. You decide if 
and when it takes place, for how long, and what is discussed. 

Prepare your message

– It is not possible to be both comprehensive and strategic. 
Since you can’t tell the journalist everything you know, 
think about how this interview could fit into the larger 
goals you are trying to accomplish. What do you want 
the journalist to leave the interview knowing? Have two to 
three messages (or talking points) you plan to get across, 
no matter what questions you’re asked. (See Chapter 2 
of Moving toward prevention: A guide for reframing 
sexual violence1)

– Have at the ready any resources or information you want 
to disseminate or refer the reporter to.

– Gather your notes and supporting statistics with citations, 
but avoid overloading the reporter with numbers. If you 
do use any stats, follow up with the reporter afterward to 
provide citations.

– Many reporters end an interview by asking if you have 
anything else you’d like to say on the topic. Be prepared to 
draw on your talking points and repeat your key messages.

Stay on message

– The most important thing to remember is that an interview 
is not a conversation. In other words, don’t assume 
anything is off the record or private. Play it safe and 
never say anything to a reporter you wouldn’t want to hear 
on the evening news. 

– Prepare for difficult questions. You can’t predict every tough 
question a reporter might ask, but based on your own 
experiences or conversations with your colleagues, you can 
probably brainstorm at least a few of the tougher questions 
you might be asked. (See Appendix B of Moving toward 
prevention: A guide for reframing sexual violence1)

– Practice pivoting, or refocusing the conversation, back to 
your talking points using phrases like: 

What is most important for people to know is…

I think it’s important we take a step back…

Many people don’t realize that… (State a fact instead of 
answering questions about myths)

We want people to know that… (An opportunity to 
promote local resources)

– For more examples of phrases that can help you refocus 
the interview, see Appendix A of Moving toward prevention: 
A guide for reframing sexual violence.1

Reporters may call to talk about breaking news, asking 
questions such as “How can there be monsters like this in our 
community?” or speculating about how a local case compares to 
a story in the public eye. This is a great time to pivot to your key 
messages — saying something like, “What’s really important for 
people to take away from this situation is…”

Focus on your delivery

– It’s understandable than an on-the-record interview about 
a sensitive topic can be nerve racking. Preparation and 
practice are the best tactics to minimize nervousness. 
Practice your talking points out loud. If possible, you might 
want to try practicing with a friend or colleague to build 
your confidence.
 
– Remind yourself to slow down. People tend to talk faster 
when they’re nervous, so remember to pace yourself.

– Think of your responses as media bites. Less is often 
more. (See Chapter 3 of Moving toward prevention: A guide 
for reframing sexual violence1) 

– Present information in plain language and avoid using 
acronyms or “insider” language. Instead of “rape culture,” 
you might talk about norms and expectations that could 
make abuse or assault seem normal or less serious. 
Instead of “bystander intervention,” could you talk about 
taking care of one another? (See Chapter 2 of Moving 
toward prevention: A guide for reframing sexual violence1)

– Be positive and speak with confidence. Remember, you 
are the authority on this topic. 

– Be transparent and honest about what you don’t know 
or are unsure about. For example, you may be asked 
to comment on a topic that is beyond the scope of your 
expertise or an event or case you are not prepared to 
comment on. It is OK to let the reporter know you are not 
able to speak to a specific question or topic at that time. 
You may be able to follow up later to share information or 
make a referral to another source.

– Be brief, and be comfortable with silence. When you’ve 
finished your answer, there may be a pause before the 
reporter responds or asks the next question. Don’t feel as 
though you need to fill this gap.

Remember to follow up

– Offer to follow up if there are questions you are not sure 
how to answer.

– Send any further resources you think it will be helpful for 
the reporter to have.

– Follow the journalist on social media and post a thank-you:

Thank you to @Reporter @station for talking with us about 
preventing #sexualassault (include a link to the article) 

References

1. Berkeley Media Studies Group, & National Sexual Violence 
Resource Center. (2018). Moving toward prevention:
 A guide for reframing sexual violence. Retrieved from

https://www.nsvrc.org/moving-toward-prevention-guide-reframing-sexual-violence


© 2018 National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Berkeley 
Media Studies Group, a program of the Public Health Institute. 
All rights reserved. www.bmsg.org  •  www.nsvrc.org