Tip #14: Why talking less during interviews leads to better quotes
The "everything answer" rarely makes it into the article, but there's a better approach
In recent tips, I've written about how word choice impacts quotability. But there's an even simpler practice that can increase your odds of landing a great quote: talking less.
That might sound counterintuitive or even mean — I promise it’s not. Journalists usually love chatty sources; the more information, the better. But when we're writing about a specific study, for a traditional study story, the rules change.
Unlike other article formats, study stories focus narrowly on one paper's findings. Even the most skilled journalists can struggle to fit tangential details into this story structure.
So the best thing you can do — as the expert or study author — is keep your answers simple and direct. This helps the journalist stay on track with your study's key findings, and it ensures your quotes are well-focused and specific to the topic of the article.
For Tip #14, I’m going to show you a few tricks for limiting your interview responses to the most essential elements — and delivering the most succinct quotes possible in the process.
The Tip: How to say less and still deliver your best quotes
Media interviews can be intimidating, and it can be difficult to know exactly what a journalist wants to know (unless you’re a regular reader of Press Ready Science, that is). Given this dynamic, it’s not surprising that this pressure leads researchers to overshare — in an attempt to make sure they cover everything.
But trying to cover everything at once usually leads to wordy, meandering statements that are nearly impossible to quote. Besides, journalists know how to ask the right questions to get the right answers — give us a few minutes and we'll eventually get there.
Sharing everything simply isn’t necessary or beneficial to you or the journalist.
With that in mind, here are three tricks you can use to improve — and focus — your talking during media interviews.
First, answer the first question… and only the first question.
It might seem efficient to deliver all your key talking points in the first answer. Why not get everything out at once, right?
I’ve had plenty of interviews start with the “everything answer.” I ask about the key findings, and I end up with every details from the methods to the conclusions. Yet, I’ve never cut an interview short because I got everything right away (I mean, I’ve thought about it, but I’ve never done it).
I’m never sure exactly why researchers decide to share all that information all at once, right at the beginning of the call. Maybe they’re nervous. Maybe they don’t trust themselves to remember everything. Maybe they don’t trust me to ask the right questions.
Here's the thing: I'm going to ask all of my questions anyway. Every answer has the potential to provide the best quote of the interview, so journalists never skip ahead. You're not saving anyone time by frontloading everything, you're just adding extra words and making it a little harder to find the focused quotes we need.
So answer the question you were asked, then stop. If I ask "What was the most surprising finding?" don't add details about your methodology, cite related research, and preview your next study. Just tell me what surprised you.
And remember, you’ll always have the chance to bring up something unique or nuanced at the end of the interview.
Second, slow down and think it over.
Most of the time, the “everything answer” sounds more like a prepared speech than a genuine response to my question.
I find the best quotes usually come from answers later in the interview, after I’ve asked about a specific idea directly — and the researcher has relaxed a bit more.
There’s an easy way to ensure all of your answers are as natural as those later ones though. Slow down, think, and answer the actual question.
And — this is a critical step — once you’ve given the answer, pause and wait for the next question. There’s no need to add more.
Finally, it’s ok to just stop.
This might sound scary (or a little mean), but the best thing you can do sometimes is stop talking all together. If you find yourself wandering from one point to another in your response to an interview question, with no off-ramp in sight; just stop.
It doesn’t have to be awkward. Pause at the end of your current statement. Trail off. Or — if you’re desperate — drop the classic “does that make sense?” and send the conversation back to the journalist.
Whatever gets you to pause — do it. This gives you a chance to reset and lets the journalist move the conversation forward.
It might sound odd, but trust me, this makes interviews easier for everyone.
If you can answer each question directly, slow down between responses, and stop when you start to wander, you'll feel less stressed — and journalists will have clearer, more quotable material to work with. It’s a win-win approach.
Here’s to taking another step toward being press ready.
One more thing—before your next interview.
If you’ve ever finished a media interview and immediately replayed everything you said, this is for you.
I built the Press Ready Science Interview Prep Worksheet for researchers who don’t need more advice—they need a clear, repeatable way to prepare when time is tight and the stakes feel high.
It’s a reusable, 30-minute system that helps you organize your thinking, deliver clearer answers, and walk away knowing you did your best.
This is also how I fund Press Ready Science—without putting the newsletter behind a paywall.