How to prepare your spokespeople so every interview builds trust

A journalist calls on a Tuesday afternoon. They are writing about a change in your market, the deadline is five o’clock, and they want someone from your firm on the phone within the hour. Who takes the call? What will they say? What if the reporter asks about the complaint your firm settled last year?

In many companies the answer is improvised, and that is expensive. An interview is one of the few moments when a firm is judged by a person rather than a logo. A prepared spokesperson can build a reputation for clear, honest expertise in ten minutes; an unprepared one can spend it just as quickly. This guide shows how to choose, prepare and rehearse the people who speak for you.

Why the spokesperson matters to trust

People trust those close to them more than distant institutions. The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, based on online interviews with nearly 34,000 people in 28 countries, found trust “increasingly concentrated among those closest to us”: respondents trusted their own CEO at 66%[1]. Employees trusted their employer at 78%, 14 points ahead of business in general at 64%, while nearly seven in ten fear institutional leaders are deliberately misleading the public[1].

The right voice also depends on the subject. Fortune’s report on Edelman’s 2024 Barometer found that, when it comes to informing them about innovations, people trusted scientists and their own peers at 74%, company technical experts at 66% and CEOs at 51%[2]. That is one question, not trust in general, but it suggests that on a technical subject the person who does the work can outweigh the person who runs the company.

Journalists ask for experts too. Cision’s 2026 State of the Media survey of 1,899 journalists lists expert access among what they value most in pitches, and names accuracy, fact-checking and combating misinformation as their No. 1 challenge[3]. In Muck Rack’s State of Journalism 2026, 58% said a pitch should ideally offer interview access to relevant sources, and 26% immediately delete pitches that lack any source access[4]. Muck Rack’s 897 analysed responses were mostly from the US, so treat them as direction for European markets[4].

An available spokesperson who knows the subject and answers straight is part of what makes a firm worth quoting. To build that profile, start with how to become the expert your industry’s media quotes.

Choose the right spokespeople

Seniority alone is not the test. Look for four things:

• Expertise. They can explain the subject simply and handle a follow-up they did not expect.
• Authority to speak. They are cleared to speak on this topic, and journalists may check. The Reuters Handbook of Journalism tells reporters who doubt a source to call back through the organisation’s switchboard to confirm “the source’s name, title and authority to speak”[5].
• Availability. Newsrooms work in hours. An expert who replies on Thursday to Tuesday’s request is not a spokesperson.
• Willingness to train. The crisis communication manual of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says “few people are born crisis spokespersons” and that spokespeople should be trained[6].

CEO voice or expert voice?

Most firms need both. The chief executive speaks for direction and accountability: strategy, results, an apology. A technical expert, such as a head of research, explains how something works and what it means for clients. Match the voice to the question, and name a trained backup for each topic.

Prepare messages, proof and honest answers

Three messages, each with proof

Agree no more than three key messages, the points you want the audience to remember, and give each a proof point: a figure, a client example you may share, or named research. A claim without proof sounds like marketing; with proof, it sounds like expertise.

The CDC advises making the key point first, “in 30 seconds and in fewer than 90 words”, and warns that if key messages have not been developed, “it may not be the right time for an interview”[6]. Interviews often follow an announcement, so write the messages alongside it; see how to write a press release that journalists and AI assistants pick up.

Anticipate the difficult questions

List the ten questions you would least like to be asked: competitors, past problems, fees, regulators, this week’s news. The CDC suggests writing each answer in full, then finding the bottom line and making that the 30-second answer[6].

Answer first, then bridge

Bridging means answering the question and then moving to the point that matters, with phrases such as “What’s important to remember is…”[6]. A bridge that skips the answer looks evasive, and the unanswered question can become the story.

Be honest about what you cannot say

Client details, live legal matters and unpublished results are off limits. Say so, and say why. The CDC advises against “no comment”; instead, explain that the matter is under investigation, a decision has not been made, or you are not the right person to answer[6]. “I don’t know” is fine if followed by a commitment to find out[6].

Agree the ground rules, then assume everything is on the record

The NYU Journalism Handbook for Students, revised in 2020, defines the main terms[7]:

• On the record: anything the source says can be reported, published or aired.
• Off the record: the reporter may not use the information the source is about to give.
• On background: the reporter may print what the source says without using their name.
• Not for attribution: the reporter agrees not to identify the source by name.
• Embargo: the journalist gets material in advance and agrees not to publish until a set date.

Three cautions matter more. The handbook assumes conversations are on the record unless both sides agree otherwise in advance: “These deals must be agreed to beforehand, never after”[7]. Reuters reminds its journalists that off the record and on background “mean different things in different countries”[5]. And the CDC tells spokespeople there is “no such thing as ‘off the record’”; the interview “is not over until the reporter and all equipment have left”[6].

The safe rule: say nothing you would not be happy to see published under your name.

In a news interview, do not expect to approve the article. Reuters tells its reporters to resist requests to see quotes before publication and never to submit a story for approval[5]. The CDC suggests offering to clarify information instead[6].

Adapt to the format

The messages stay the same; the shape of the answer changes.

• Print and online. Longer conversations, with quotes chosen later. Have figures and documents ready to send afterwards.
• Television and radio. The CDC recommends practising answers in 10 to 20 second phrases, notes that most television news outlets post entire unedited interviews online, and advises assuming every microphone is live[6].
• Live. There is no second take. Land the key message early and rehearse stopping cleanly; the CDC warns that hard breaks in mid-sentence look unprofessional[6].
• Panels and stages. Agree your ground with the moderator, bring one example no one else will have, and assume the session is recorded and clipped.

Podcasts and video interviews

Podcasts are increasingly watched as well as heard. Edison Research’s Infinite Dial 2026, a US survey of 2,050 people aged 12 and over, found 58% had consumed a podcast in the past month and 57% had both listened to and watched one[8]. Treat every podcast as a video appearance.

Room for longer answers and personal stories makes a friendly long-form conversation with a well-prepared host a good first interview for a new spokesperson. If you plan to host your own, see how to launch a company podcast that listeners finish.

For remote interviews, use a wired connection, a camera at eye level, light in front of the face, a plain background and a proper microphone, and test the set-up with the producer beforehand. If your spokespeople also present to camera, see how to write a video script people watch to the end.

In regulated firms, an interview is not an advert

In the EU, ESMA and national regulators have warned that “any video or any other type of public communications” in which a person gives ideas about buying or selling a financial instrument, or an opinion on its future price, may constitute an investment recommendation under the Market Abuse Regulation, assessed case by case[9]. Investment firms and credit institutions count as professionals[9].

Where a comment is a recommendation, the rules require, among other things, facts “clearly distinguished from interpretations, estimates and opinions” and clear disclosure of conflicts of interest; professionals must also give an appropriate risk warning[9]. Outside the EU, check the local regime.

Agree with compliance beforehand what the spokesperson may say about markets, products and prices. Explain trends and risks rather than naming trades, and never present a product without its risks. Promotion also backfires: 71% in Muck Rack’s survey reject overly promotional pitches[4].

When the news is bad

The CDC’s guidance was written for public health emergencies and last updated in 2014, but the principles carry over to business[6]:

• Name the spokesperson and have a plan before the crisis.
• Be visible as soon as it happens, explain who is in charge, and show concern from the beginning.
• Be candid about what is known and what is unknown.
• Do not speculate or make premature promises that may have to be reversed.
• Give regular updates and keep one consistent message.

When you do not know yet, say what you know, what you are doing and when you will update. A hypothetical broker facing an outage might say: “Some clients could not log in this morning. Our team is investigating, and we will update at 2pm.” Then keep the promise, and do not assign blame through the media[6]. If the criticism is already online, our guide on how to respond when traders call your brokerage a scam online covers sorting and answering it.

Rehearse on camera until it sounds like you

The CDC recommends rehearsing answers to anticipated questions and follow-ups, including aggressive, rapid-fire questioning, and says practice reduces anxiety and gives a more natural delivery[6]. Learn the ideas, facts and anecdotes rather than memorising answers, which tends to sound rote[6].

Watching the recording back appears to help. A meta-analysis of twelve published studies found that videotaped feedback in public speaking courses “results in better content of student speeches” and “greater acquisition of public speaking skills”, without a significant increase in anxiety[10]. The evidence dates from 1998 and involves students, not executives, so treat it as support for the method, not proof of results.

1. Run a mock interview with a colleague playing a sceptical journalist.
2. Record it on camera in the format you expect: studio, remote call or panel.
3. Watch it back together: did each message land, how long did answers run, what did the face and hands do?
4. Repeat until the messages sound like conversation, not recitation.

After the interview

• Check the facts. Raise any factual error promptly and politely with the journalist, then the editor. In the UK, the Editors’ Code of Practice, in force since 1 January 2025, says “a significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion must be corrected, promptly and with due prominence”[11]. Elsewhere, check the local press code.
• Correct facts, not opinions. The CDC notes that a reporter who shows you a piece expects corrections of fact, “not viewpoints that may differ from yours”[6].
• Share the coverage with clients and on your channels. One strong interview can feed weeks of material: see how to turn one executive interview into a month of credible content.
• Debrief within a day. Note which messages were used, which questions surprised you and what to change.

Your spokesperson checklist

1. Name a spokesperson and a trained backup for each core topic, cleared to speak.
2. Write three key messages per topic, each with a proof point.
3. Draft answers to the ten hardest questions, plus an honest line for what you cannot discuss.
4. In regulated firms, pre-clear market commentary with compliance.
5. Before each interview, confirm the outlet, format, length, topics and ground rules.
6. Rehearse on camera in the right format and review the recording together.
7. Assume everything is on the record, before, during and after.
8. Check the piece, correct factual errors, share the coverage and debrief.