By Leslie McKerns-McKerns Development

As a Publicist and writer, I am constantly called upon to interview subjects for magazine feature and news articles. People always ask me, can you get me published? What they are really asking is, why would the news or feature magazines want a story about me?

Magazines want a story when it is lively, unusual, informative, educational or entertaining and follows the format that the publication uses and the public reads. Before you are interviewed for a print publication, do some advance preparation.

Here are five top tips I can share on what will make your interview outstanding and contribute to a great article.

1. Take responsibility for giving a great media interview. Know exactly what you would like to get across to the reader. Practice steering your interview back to your central topic with bridging statements. Bridging statements are used during the interview when you sense that a reporter is veering off course from your chosen message. Examples of bridging statements are, I think your readers would be interested to know, that reminds me of a similar issue, let me just add that, I think you'll agree, another relevant point is, you are correct in that, but I think I'd add.

2. Send the interviewer advance information. Include background information on you and your topic. If you know something particularly interesting about the subject, share it in your notes.

3. Be interesting. Use colorful, lively and descriptive wording. Think about the central theme of your article and craft one or two quotes that you can weave into the interview. If you don't know how to be interesting, study how other people provide great interviews. Start a clip file and review it often. Think about your work or the information you want to share with the media. What comments could you make that are a lively take on the issues? What unusual or informative perspective can you share? What stories, incidents or statistics back up your news?

4. Use only great photographs. Unless you know that the publication is going to do a photo shoot, you will be asked to supply quality artwork to accompany your article. Never send a reporter or publicist a photograph representing you or your work unless it is outstanding. You have read magazines, right? When reading your favorite magazine, do you want to read an article with a blurry, dark, or poor resolution photo? Your excellent photograph should be publication resolution of at least 300 dpi and open to 5x7 or larger.

5. Subscribe and read. Make a list of the publications that you and your potential clients actually read. Make the list as diverse as possible by including trade, consumer, financial and business publications. Read these publications and take note of the style and content. You will be prepared to participate in excellent media interviews when you fully understand the publication.

In order to give great media interviews you must prepare in advance, be a lively and interesting subject and take active steps to guide the interview to keep it on course.

Leslie McKerns is owner of McKerns Development, a Florida based PR, media relations, marketing and strategic business development firm. She specializes on getting businesses to the next level by promoting their goals in the press. Get more tips on media interviews, samples and service packages for press and PR at http://www.freewebs.com/mckernsdevelopment