Six simple rules of good publicity

After three decades of working in public relations, I have a few PR rules that generally apply to any client. Follow these and you'll never have to hire someone who specializes in Crisis PR:

• Love dogs and cats the same. 
  This means—always avoid splitting your audience during an interview. Think about the sides of any argument that might come up and then figure out how to navigate them ahead of time.. And yes, sometimes the subject of pets makes it into a conversation. You would be surprised the gulf that lies between dog people and cat people. Not. Kidding.
  
  
• Never talk politics.
  Unless you are a politician or have written a book about politics, stay away from politicized issues. I know what you're thinking..."Is that even possible?" Yes, it is if you...
  
  
• Learn to control the interview.
  There are many techniques for this. Any good PR person can show you how. One important thing to do first is find out who will be interviewing you and watch/read their previous interviews. That will go a long way to help you learn the personality of the host/writer, how they frame questions, and their interview style. 
  
  
• You don't have to answer dumb questions.
  Again, there are techniques for avoiding stupid questions that will still make the interviewer look good and create a great interview. Learn them.
  
  
• Disagree without being defensive. 
  You will get into a combative interview situation now and again. Someone in the media may try to do a "gotcha" interview to get ratings and views. Don't lose your cool. Learn to be comfortable in your own skin and sure of what you believe. Woody Allen tried to make a fool of Billy Graham in an interview some years ago, but Billy didn't flinch. Instead, he remained cheerful, self-deprecating, and yet completely unyielding with the Gospel message. At the end of the interview, Woody even offered an "I'm sorry if I offended you" moment to which Reverend Graham replied with an authentic appreciation for being on the show and a heartfelt,  "God bless you, Woody."
  
  
• Everything is public relations.
  In our social media, smartphone-driven world, a public figure who yells at a clerk in a store can find themselves in the midst of a national scandal with 24 hours. Being unkind to an airline agent who is just doing his/her job can make the evening news.  Stop and think before you react to anyone or anything whether it be in person, on the phone, or on social media. Be careful what posts you "like" or comments you retweet. Someone may see it and blow it into a national offense. This is good advice for anyone, but especially for those who are in the public eye.  What a different world it might be if we all just followed this one rule.