When being interviewed…NOTHING is off the record. Some tips and tricks for registered dietitians to keep in mind when being interviewed by the media on nutrition topics.

When doing an interview, you always want to put your best foot forward, show your expertise, and come prepared with any and all facts and tidbits needed to make the final product as detailed and informative as possible. But don’t let your excitement and enthusiasm about being interviewed distract you from the actual subject matter at hand.
Because the truth is…No matter what the reporter says, assume that nothing is off the record. (Really, nothing!)

A perfect example from my own life and media career…

I did an interview years ago with a reporter — the topic was about healthy cereals. (At that time I was a Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, so we weren’t permitted to mention brand names.)

The reporter asked me “off the record” to give her some advice about how to get her kids to eat less sugary cereals. I mentioned a mantra that I used with my kids — if you want to eat a sugary cereal, you just have to mix it with an equal amount of yellow box Cheerios which practically cuts the sugar content in half since it only has one gram of sugar per serving. She loved the idea and then we moved on with our planned interview.

Well…of course, and much to my surprise, my tip was mentioned in the story and that was when I realized that “off the record” really meant “I’d like to ask you some personal questions and there’s a chance I might forget to leave those responses out of the story.”

So my biggest tip for media interviews?

Understand that everything that you say (yes, every word!) can be used to support your statements or be held against you. Choose your words carefully. Withhold information if necessary. And try your best to zone in on the interview questions and topic without going into personal anecdotes. You can share important, helpful information that will make for a GREAT interview without getting personal or being off brand…whatever that may mean for you a the time.

And keep this in mind if you have a contract with a brand

If you’re bound by a contract to a brand or a private client, you have to be extremely careful not to say anything that might be disparaging to them or to yourself, a representative of that brand/client. A slip of the lip could breach your agreement and sever your relationship.