The phone interview, or the ‘phoner’ as it is more colloquially known is a very important part of any band or musician’s career. The phoner is a chance to talk one on one with an interviewer about youself, your band, and your music in a much more in depth way than perhaps an email or quick video interview would normally allow. It also means your story is going to be in print, and if all goes well, will get others interested in your band. Doing press, particularly interviews is an invaluable and important part of getting out there and building your brand, nd your band. Here are five top tips for dealing with the phoner:
- If you are the one that has to call in, as opposed to the interviewer calling you – and this is generally how it should work – please make sure that you call in on time, perhaps even a few minutes early, as the interviewer has probably planned their whole day around interviews, perhaps even specifically your interview. While they may understand the ‘rockstar mentality’ where you show up when you feel like it, that understanding only goes so far, particularly when you’re only just starting out. Be courteous to your interviewer, and be professional by calling in when you’re supposed to.
- If you don’t want them to know your phone number, use a phone somewhere like a hotel or office, or use your manager or publicist (if you have one)friend’s phone, alternatively figure out how to block your incoming call’s caller ID, most times they will be doing the interview from an office phone as opposed to a cellphone so it’s less likely they will see and save your number, but definitely use another phone or block your number if you are at all concerned – and even if you are not it’s more professional and industry-standard this way. You don’t want someone getting a hold of your number and calling you whenever they feel like it, do you?
- Speak up, generally the interviewer will be recording your conversation, if you don’t speak up and enunciate difficult words, you may not be correctly caught on tape – which means the interviewer might think you said something completely different and you will be misquoted – something which it is almost impossible to fix once it has gone to print, so do what you can to be heard at the time and avoid this completely.
- Be prepared ahead of time – what kind of outlet are they? A webzine? A Tattoo Magazine? A Drum magazine? Knowing this might give you some kind of clue on what subjects they might ask you about, so you can think about what you might say ahead of time. You don’t want to be completely rehearsed, but knowing what you’re dealing with can definitely help. Even if you have no idea who the outlet is, simply being clued up on the information about your latest CD release – who produced it, where you recorded it, what your favourite song on the album is etc, your current tour plans, where your band came from, what you consider your style and sound to be etc, will give you plenty to talk about with the interviewer and really help you promote yourself and your music.
- Always be polite and gracious where possible, yet if the interviewer is being rude to you, or asking questions of a nature you are not happy to talk about then simply tell them ‘no comment’ or ‘can we move on to the next question please?’ and if they still persist with this or are otherwise unprofessional tell them ‘unfortunately the interview has to be cut short thanks so much’ and blame it on your management or publicist if you have to and simply end the phone call. Do your best to avoid getting into a fight with media people, it can get ugly, but don’t take bad and unprofessional treatment. Luckily most interviewers will be professional and hopefully you should even have fun talking to them about your music, it’s just always best to be prepared for anything.
