Like me, I’m sure many of you have been following the Paralympics and feeling very proud of our already very successful Team GB. Someone who has particularly captured my attention is swimmer, Ellie Simmonds. Not only has she smashed world records and won gold for Great Britain, but you instantly warm to Ellie when she’s being interviewed about her successes.

We regularly organise video interviews for our clients and it is a PR’s dream for them to seem as effortless and natural in interview, as Ellie is.  So, how do you achieve the perfect interview? Like many things, it is all in the preparation. Here are some tips from Firefly’s PR consultants on what you should be thinking about: 

Where the video is going? – Is the video to accompany a press release? Is it for the website? Where you’re looking to place your video will impact the content as well as the look and feel of the video. For example, for a company’s website, having logos in the background and emphasising products or services that the company has to offer is ok. However, looking to place this type of video in an online publication might not work. Publications tend to want content that isn’t heavily branded.

In the planning stages, it is worth having a conversation with the media outlets you’re looking to target and find out what types of video they already use/or would consider. For example, some publications like video interviews which covers the business and the market as well as future-gazing statements. Others like short snappy commentary on current ‘hot topics’.

Time with executives is precious so if you want a video for several purposes, consider creating different versions.

Don’t use a script – Write talking points and let your exec express himself or herself in their own words. This will give your video a more natural feel and will allow their personality to shine through.

Do a practice run – This means your interviewee can get a feel for being in front of the camera.  Full media training is even better – ensuring that the exec is more fully armed for future opportunities. 

Recruit a quality video production partner – Handheld camcorders might be good for video blogging but not for an interview. That said, back to my point on where you are planning on placing your video, you need to brief your partner so that the edit is right for where it is going. A lot of online publications are quick to dismiss video content that looks too ‘sleek’.

And with that, you should be on the right track to creating a video fit for purpose.

Thank you Ellie for the inspiration and happy shooting all.

This post was written by Charlotte.