What is media training?
Media training prepares your people to give interviews that are clear, confident and on message, whether that is a newspaper feature, a live radio slot, a TV crew or a long podcast conversation. It combines a practical understanding of how journalists work with recorded rehearsal, so your spokespeople find out how they come across before it counts.
Most people are good at explaining what they do over dinner and surprisingly poor at it in front of a microphone. Nerves, jargon and the urge to fill silence all get in the way. Media training is not about turning chefs and founders into polished performers. It is about helping them sound like the best version of themselves, and making sure they leave an interview having said what they came to say.
Who we train
We work with the people who speak for premium businesses, each of whom faces a particular kind of interview.
- Chefs, who are asked about their food, their sourcing and their story, and who increasingly appear on podcasts, radio and food television.
- Hoteliers and general managers, who talk to travel writers, local reporters and, occasionally, to journalists covering a complaint or an incident.
- Founders, who give profile interviews, business comment and podcast appearances, and who carry the brand’s reputation in every answer.
- Heads of independent schools, who talk to parents, local media and education journalists about fees, results and change.
- Spokespeople in estates, property firms, professional practices and lifestyle brands, who may be quoted on anything from a planning application to a trend in the market.
We also train small teams, so that more than one person can speak for the business when the usual spokesperson is away.
Print, radio, TV and podcasts: different skills
Each medium rewards something different, and good training prepares people for the ones they are most likely to face.
Print and online interviews feel relaxed, which is exactly why they catch people out. The conversation is long, the quote is short, and the journalist chooses which sentence to use. We practise speaking in clear, quotable lines, and explain what “on the record”, “off the record” and “on background” really mean in practice.
Radio is where many business owners do their first broadcast interview. For a Cotswold business, that often means BBC Radio Gloucestershire, local and community stations or a national programme calling for comment. Radio is intimate and fast. There are no pictures to help you, answers need to be short and conversational, and live interviews leave no room for a second take.
Television adds the camera, the lights and the knowledge that how you look matters as much as what you say. We rehearse on camera, in a studio-style set-up and down the line, and cover posture, eye contact and dealing with an interviewer who interrupts.
Podcasts are longer and more personal. They reward stories, warmth and opinion, but a relaxed hour of conversation can also produce the one careless remark that ends up in a clip. We help people enjoy the format without dropping their guard.
Broadcast is still a big part of how people follow the news. Ofcom’s News Consumption in the UK 2025 research found UK adults spend an average of 61 minutes a day on news, with 31% of that time spent on TV and 18% on radio.
Crisis interviews
The interview nobody wants is the one that matters most. A food safety complaint, a planning row with neighbours, an allegation from a former member of staff: these are the moments when a spokesperson’s tone can calm a story or make it much worse.
Crisis interview training is tougher than standard sessions, by design. We play the reporter who has done their homework, the presenter who keeps pushing and the camera crew at the door. Your spokesperson practises showing genuine concern, sticking to what is known, avoiding speculation and saying clearly what is being done. We also cover when not to give an interview, and how to decline gracefully when that is the right call.
For businesses that want to be ready before anything goes wrong, crisis rehearsal is part of our reputation and crisis PR planning.
What a session looks like
Every session is built for the people in the room, but most follow the same shape.
- Briefing call. Before the day, we learn about your business, your spokespeople and the stories and questions they are likely to face.
- How the media works. A short, practical explanation of what journalists need, how stories are put together and how interviews are edited.
- Messages. We agree three or four key points, each with a proof point or example, that your spokesperson can return to under pressure.
- Recorded practice. A series of interviews that build in difficulty, from a friendly profile to a hostile line of questioning, played back and reviewed after each one.
- Feedback and notes. Honest, specific and kind. You leave with a written summary of what to keep, what to change and what to practise.
We keep groups small so everyone gets time in the chair. Training can take place at your premises, which often helps people relax, or somewhere neutral if you prefer.
When media training is not the answer
Media training is valuable, but it is not always what a business needs. If your spokesperson has a single interview coming up with a friendly local title, a short briefing call covering the likely questions and two or three key points may be all that is required. We will suggest that rather than sell you a full day.
Training also cannot fix a weak story. If journalists are not interested in what you have to say, the problem is usually the angle, the timing or the target, not the delivery. In that case the better investment is in finding and shaping the stories, which is what our press office and campaign work is for.
And training is no substitute for doing the right thing. In a crisis, the most skilful answers in the world will not save a business that has not dealt with the underlying problem. We will always tell you if we think the issue needs fixing before anyone speaks about it.
After the training
Media training works best when it is used quickly. Where we run your press office, we put newly trained spokespeople forward for suitable interviews and comment soon after the session, so the skills are tested while they are fresh. Founders building a public profile often combine training with our founder and thought leadership PR programme.
We also offer short refresher sessions before a big moment, such as a launch, a major announcement or an interview you are nervous about.
If you have people who will be speaking for your business this year, book a discovery call and tell us who they are and what they are likely to face. We will suggest the right format and be clear about what a session will involve.