Your First Media Interview: A Prep Checklist for Founders

The best media interview tip for a first-time founder is to prepare three key messages, each backed by one proof point, and to practise bridging back to them out loud before the call. Agree the ground rules (on the record, embargo, what's off limits) in writing beforehand, decide which numbers you can share, keep answers to 30 to 60 seconds, and send a short follow-up with facts and links within an hour. Assume everything you say is on the record unless the reporter has explicitly agreed otherwise.

Most founders don't lose interviews because they say something outrageous. They lose them by rambling, by giving the reporter a better quote about something they didn't want to talk about, or by sharing a number they then try to retract. This checklist exists to prevent those three things.

Before the interview: logistics and ground rules

Start here, ideally two to five days before the interview. If a PR person set it up, they should hand you most of this. If you set it up yourself, ask the reporter directly; it's a normal question.

• Confirm the outlet, reporter's name, format (phone, video, in person, email Q&A) and length.
• Ask what the story is about and whether you're the main subject or one of several sources.
• Ask who else they're speaking to, if they'll say.
• Confirm whether the conversation is on the record, and agree any embargo time in writing.
• Ask whether it will be recorded and whether you'll be quoted by name and title.
• Ask about deadline and when the piece is likely to run.
• Read the reporter's last five to ten articles. Note their angle, tone and what they push on.
• Check your own coverage and your competitors' recent coverage so nothing catches you off guard.

On the record, off the record and on background

These terms aren't legally binding, and different outlets use them slightly differently. That's exactly why you agree them before you speak, not after.

My rule for first interviews: there is no off the record. If you don't want to read it in print, don't say it. Requesting off the record halfway through a sentence doesn't work, and it puts a reporter in an awkward position. My longer guide to crypto founder media training for tier-1 interviews covers what happens when these rules get tested.

Before the interview: your key messages

Write down three key messages. Each message should be one sentence a reporter could quote, followed by one proof point. Here's a template you can fill in:

Message 1 (what we do and why it matters now):
[One sentence, no jargon]
Proof: [number, customer type, or concrete fact you can share]

Message 2 (what's different about our approach):
[One sentence]
Proof: [specific comparison or technical fact]

Message 3 (where the market is heading):
[One sentence with a point of view]
Proof: [trend, data, or example]

Never say: [list of topics, numbers or names to avoid]

Say you run an AI legal-review startup. An illustration of message 3 might be: "Mid-size law firms will adopt AI faster than the big firms, because they can't afford to throw associates at document review." That's a quotable opinion, not a slogan. Reporters quote opinions with reasons. They paraphrase or skip slogans.

Numbers you can and can't share

Decide this before the call, with your co-founder and, if needed, your lead investor. The worst moment to decide is when a reporter asks "so what's your revenue?"

If you decline, say so plainly: "We're not sharing revenue, but I can tell you we tripled paying customers this year." A clean decline with an alternative is fine. Dodging or making up a vague figure is what gets written about.

During the interview: answers, bridging and pacing

Keep answers to 30 to 60 seconds. Long answers give the reporter more to choose from, which means less control over what gets quoted.

Bridging means acknowledging a question and moving to one of your key messages. It's not dodging, as long as you actually answer first.

Bridging phrases:
"That's a fair question. What we're seeing is [key message]."
"The bigger point there is [key message]."
"I can't speak to [competitor], but for us [key message]."
"What matters for customers is [proof point]."
"Before I answer, one bit of context: [fact]."

During the interview:

• Answer the question first, then bridge. Never bridge without answering.
• Use plain words. If you'd need to explain a term to your parents, explain it to the reporter.
• Pause before difficult questions. Silence reads better in print than a rushed answer.
• Don't repeat a negative phrase from a question ("We're not a scam" becomes the headline).
• Don't speculate about competitors, regulators or rumors.
• If you don't know, say you'll check and follow up, then actually do it.
• Repeat your strongest message at least twice, in slightly different words.
• At the end, ask: "Is there anything I can send you to make this easier?"

Questions you should rehearse out loud

Every founder interview includes some version of these. Practise answering each in under 45 seconds, ideally on a recorded video call with a colleague playing the reporter.

1. In one sentence, what does your company do?
2. Why now? What changed that makes this possible or necessary?
3. Who are your competitors, and why will you win?
4. How do you make money?
5. What's the biggest risk to your business?
6. What did you raise, and what will you spend it on?
7. What do critics of your space get right?
8. What happens if the big incumbents copy you?

Questions 5 and 7 are the ones founders tend to fumble, because they feel like traps. They're often the source of the best quotes in the piece if you answer them honestly.

Print, podcast, broadcast and email Q&A: what changes

The checklist above works for any format, but each one rewards slightly different habits.

Email Q&A deserves a warning. Founders often hand it to a marketer, who writes polished, adjective-heavy answers that read like a brochure. Reporters notice and quote less of it. Write the first draft yourself, in your own voice, then have someone check facts.

If podcasts are your main channel, the sibling guide on podcast guesting for founders covers booking and prep in more depth.

After the interview: follow-up and what to expect

• Within an hour, email a thank-you with any facts, links, figures or images you promised.
• Correct any factual errors you said during the call, clearly and briefly.
• Don't ask to see the article before publication. Most outlets won't allow it.
• You can ask to check the accuracy of specific technical facts or quotes; some reporters will.
• When it runs, share it with a comment, not just the link.
• If there's a factual error, request a correction politely with evidence. Don't contest opinions or framing.
• Log the reporter, beat and date in your media list for future stories.
• Debrief: which answers worked, which didn't, and update your key messages.

When to get professional media training

You can absolutely prepare for a first trade-press interview with this checklist and a colleague. Where outside help pays off is the high-stakes interview: a tier-1 business outlet, a broadcast segment, a hostile or investigative reporter, or any interview during a crisis or regulatory event.

A senior operator runs mock interviews with the questions that reporter actually asks, pressure-tests your numbers policy and tightens messages until they're quotable. Founder media training is part of my founder profiling work, and there's more detail on the format on the founder media training page.

Your first interview won't be perfect. It just needs one clear quote that you'd be happy to see in the headline.

Got a big interview coming up and want a dry run first? Book a 30-minute teardown.