Should PR People Sit in on Media Interviews?

Nov 09, 2011 Beth Monaghan

Is Three a Crowd?

Last month a PR person for the New York Jets told Darrelle Revis to hang up on host Mike Francesa during a heated WFAN interview. I don’t recommend hanging up on reporters, but the bigger question is this: Should PR professionals sit in on press calls? I wrote a piece for PR News this month examining the pros and cons.

My advice? If you have a great spokesperson, let him or her go solo. It fosters transparency, which has never been more important than it is today, and facilitates a real relationship between the reporter and the spokesperson. However, if you are working with spokesperson who is forgetful of key messages, new to media interviews or isn’t good at following up, it’s a good idea to sit in…for now. Likewise, a crisis situation is an entirely different animal, and one that requires very tightly scripted communications that benefit immensely from the presence of a PR person.

I spelled out all of the scenarios above in the PR News article, which you can find at http://www.prnewsonline.com/prinsiders/Not-Always-Room-at-the-Table-for-PR-Pros-During-Media-Calls_15585.html.

Topics: Media Training, Public Relations
Beth Monaghan

Since the early days working around her kitchen table, Beth has grown Inkhouse into one of the top independent PR agencies in the country. She’s been named a Top Woman in PR by PR News, a Top 25 Innovator by PRovoke, and an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. Beth designed Inkhouse’s signature Storytelling Workshop to mirror the literary hero’s journey and to unearth the emotional connections that bind an audience to a brand or idea. She also uses narratives to build Inkhouse’s culture, most recently through two books of employee essays, “Hindsight 2020” and “Aren’t We Lucky?”

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