Perceptions of people, companies, products and services can be made or broken through a single appearance in the media. Despite this, people seem to underestimate the importance of being trained to deal with the media and carry out effective interviews. In a time where competition is severe and the ever fickle consumer has less money to spend, organisations are pushing to be more focused on customers and service. Every opportunity to highlight your organisation in the media through an effective interview is a golden one. Irrespective of whether your interview is face to face, telephonic, or via email, every interview is an opportunity and not a threat, so be excited to tell your story. It is crucial to not only prioritise your key messages/points, but to know them and stick to them. Some interviews could be really short so remember to prioritise your messages – this will help prevent using prime media time talking about something that is unimportant. An outcome that doesn't carry your key messages is truly a missed opportunity. It is also crucial that you know the market that you are talking too and adjust your message accordingly. Just because you know what you are talking about, don't presume that the audience does too. Tune into the audience just as they will be tuning into you and think about what understanding they may have on the topic, and what they may actually want to hear. Avoid being too personal, try not to refer to 'us' or 'we'. You are more than likely there as a representative of your company so take the opportunity to refer to your company name. This will help create awareness around your brand as well. Too many radio and TV interviews pass without the spokesperson ever mentioning their company name. When an interview opportunity presents itself you need to define your audience, prioritise your messages, be excited to tell your story, remain calm and enjoy the opportunity. Let no opportunity be a missed one.