The excitement and anticipation of your first interview is hard to describe so here’s how you make the most of the opportunity and ensure that your first isn’t your last.

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The first time I got the call that I was going to be on television I thought they must have mixed me up with somebody else. I called every relative I could think of! It was an early (way too early) morning interview for a popular Montreal morning news show and for some reason I thought the interviewers would tell me what to do. Mistake. The interview went okay, so ‘okay’ that I burned the footage. I was unprepared. You won’t have to worry about that because GigSmacked is hooking you up with the good stuff.

Whether it’s television, radio or over the phone doing interviews is a daunting task because you never know what to expect. If you have a good publicist (Keith Sherman & Associates handled my show, I highly recommend them) it can be smooth and painless. But not everyone can afford a publicist and what if your publicist sucks? Here’s how to prevent getting caught with your pants down when it comes to your big day:

1. Ask for the questions in advance. This mostly applies to print media but it’s worth a try for tv and radio. If they balk at this then watch or listen to a previous broadcast of whatever station you’re about to interview with. This will give you an idea of the flavor of their show.

2. Get plenty of sleep the night before. Interviews especially TV can sometimes be VERY EARLY. Performers like to party, and nobody’s knocking it. But remember that your first responsibility is to your gig. It does you no good to show up for a BBC talk show looking like death warmed over expecting them to ‘understand’. Beware of the power of editing. They can make you disappear and nobody will know your interview existed.

3. Listen. This will prevent you from saying ‘um’, ‘uh’, and other things that make us sound like Cro-Magnon man. Don’t feel like you have to answer every question right away but on the other hand don’t give it a Forrest Gump pause. Listen to the question, think about the SHORTEST ANSWER possible and then let it rip as you stay on the subject. If the interviewer wants to hear more they’ll elaborate. Less is more.

4. If your gig is more than one person (a band, theatre troupe etc) get together and rehearse some questions in the mirror the day before the interview. Just make up a list of questions. If you can, record it and play it back. You’ll be surprised to see how your chemistry comes across on camera and you may decide that not all of you should speak.

5. Just be yourself. You got this interview because you have something unique and interesting to offer the audience. Don’t use words you don’t know the meaning of in an effort to sound intelligent. In the internet and social media age EVERYTHING you say exists online forever so let’s prevent the grandkids from asking you why you screwed the pooch on national television.

p.s. Don’t forget to promote your show or event during the interview! Television and radio are designed for short attention span. The quickest way to promote your gig? By quoting your website.

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If you don’t have a website get one. It’s 2010.

Got a good interview story or something to add? We want to hear from you. Leave us a comment about your experience. Share,Tweet, and spread this post! Facebook is cool too.

I can’t tell you how many horror stories I’ve heard from bands, actors, magicians and other performers who’s careers have stalled because in their opinion ‘xyz didn’t market me correctly.’

That’s like saying ‘we lost the game because the cheerleaders were ugly.

One has nothing to do with the other. Cheerleaders may be nice to look at (unless they’re knuckle-draggers) but it’s the players on the field who have to win the game.

Same goes for your career. You’re in control. Or you should be. If something falters with marketing or publicity the buck stops with you. (That doesn’t mean you become a micro-manager. There’s a difference.)

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Marketing is the process associated with the promotion of goods or services for sale. It begins with your ability to cultivate interest in your brand  using images, products or whatever you have at your disposal.  Your brand is you.  Or your show.  Oprah. Howard Stern.  Madonna. American Chopper. Are these people the best at what they do?  Depends on who you ask and frankly, who cares?  You know who they are because they market themselves well.

Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public’s perception of you and/or your show.  Publicists take the brand (you) and get you interviews and appearances to speak about it to the widest audience possible.  Don’t like doing interviews?  Suck it up.  It’s part of the game.

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Marketing and Publicity are both forms of promotion.

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Keep in mind that just because you hire someone doesn’t mean they have to do a good job.  On the other hand nobody wakes up and says ‘I can’t wait to get to work so I can fail today’.

It’s all about YOUR expectations and how effectively you communicate them with your team.  You’ll get better results if you approach your publicist/producers/etc with meaningful dialogue about how to stand out.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Not knowing is natural – you’re not supposed to know everything. Pretending to know is ignorant. Not sure who to hire? Google is a wonderful thing. If someone wants to work with you and you can’t find anything on them, beware. Any reputable marketing or publicity firm will happily hand you a list of references and former clients. Remember, it’s your name on the line here and you’re not the only game in town.

Refuse to be a victim of circumstance and your career will grow by leaps and bounds.

-Kahlil Ashanti

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