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Ask a question and get an answer.
Ask the next question and get the next answer.
Repeat until done.
This is the basic formula of every interview.
However, for an interview to be successful, you need to do more than just ask questions and let the interviewer answer them.
A good interview is characterized by a thoughtful approach that allows the interviewee to share his or her thoughts and takes him or her on a journey that may lead to some surprising answers (for both the interviewer and the interviewee).
As a reporter, editor and content marketer, I have interviewed thousands of people, from the random person on the street for a walk-and-talk piece to the well-known person sitting on stage in front of an audience. My approach to interviews is different in the past than it is now.
To help you shorten the learning curve, here are some of the tricks I learned:
Know the purpose
Content marketers interview all kinds of people for all kinds of reasons. You want to gain the knowledge of a subject matter expert. You need to ghostwrite an editorial for an executive. You want to learn more about customer experiences.
This is the basis for your interview strategy.
But you also need to know how the interview will be used. Will you take notes or create a transcript and create a written article? Will you post audio clips on social media or your brand's website? Will you publish a video on YouTube? Will you conduct the interview live in front of the audience (virtually or in person)? Or will you use the interview for multiple tactics?
Knowing what the interview is for will help you navigate the right path and get what you need out of it.
Prepare for the interview
You need to research both the topic and the person. How much research you do depends on your level of knowledge, but don't improvise.
Much has been written about researching topics, but less about researching the interviewee. But both are crucial for a successful interview.
I look at what the person has said or written. It may be the same topic as the interview or something different, but it is all informative. This helps me better understand what they know, how they think, and how they communicate those thoughts. This not only helps answer the questions, but also prepares me for how they might respond to those questions.
For example, if someone typically gives yes-no answers or writes absurdly short sentences and paragraphs, I better be prepared with follow-up questions to get more information out of them. If someone writes tomes on a topic or answers a question endlessly, I better be prepared to interrupt them and steer the conversation if they stray from the original topic.
If you're doing a live interview, such as a livestream or in-person event, pre-interview the person if possible. Use a video conferencing tool so you're face-to-face. During the 15-20 minute call, ask some of the questions you planned and build rapport with the person.
Put yourself in the position of the interviewee
Building a bond, even if only temporary, with your interviewee goes a long way toward delivering great content.
Think about it. This person, even though they know little or nothing, is trusting you to tell their story or share their insights with a public audience.
Some people have no problem with this. Others hesitate because they worry about the impression they are making or whether the information they are sharing might be misrepresented (intentionally or unintentionally).
In your initial correspondence with the person, include a short bio, LinkedIn profile, and any other relevant links to you and your work. This will make it easy for the interviewee to learn even more about you.
Then, at the beginning or during the pre-interview, talk a little about yourself. Share something that interests you about the topic or how you heard about the person. For example, talk about where you live or even the weather. Maybe give them an explanation of your role or a brief background on your relevant experience. You don't have to verbalize your resume, but dropping in bits of your life helps build rapport and establish credibility.
Before the interview, some people want to see the questions. I completely understand that. They want to be prepared and not be faced with a question that surprises or upsets them. But I don't send a list of all the planned questions. Instead, I send a summary of what is expected in the interview and some of the questions. I explain that I can't send a long list of questions because I often let the interviewee's answers dictate the next questions.
Do the interview
When I was in school, I would write down my questions and leave space for the answers. I quickly realized that I never left enough space for the answers. I also learned that the formal question-and-answer style led to stilted, banal interviews.
Now I write down a few points or questions that I absolutely need to address to create a cohesive narrative. This helps me develop the story in front of a live audience and shortens the post-interview process of figuring out what to include in the content.
Find a style that works best for you, just make sure it makes you feel prepared and leaves room for flexibility.
Too many interviewers stick to their planned questions. They just listen until the interviewee has finished answering so they can move on to the next question. They don't really hear what the person is saying. They miss the opportunity to ask a valuable follow-up question or invite the interviewee to explore the topic further.
If you listen well, you can also sense when the person you're talking to is getting off topic or going into too much detail. You can bring the conversation back to the original topic. Start by using nonverbal signals, such as opening your mouth as if you were going to say something, stopping, nodding in agreement, or shuffling your index cards.
If they don't take the hint, raise your hand to take the conversation to a new level. Say something like, “That's so interesting. I realize we could talk about this for much longer, but I want to respect your time, so let me ask another question.” If the interview is live, say something like, “That's great information. I just wish we had all afternoon to talk more about it. But since we don't, I'm going to ask you this…”
At the end of the interview, ask one of the following questions: “What did I not ask that you wish I had?” or “What else should our audience know about this?”
I find that these final answers often elicit reactions that become the key quote or crux of the resulting content piece.
Repeat, repeat, repeat
You never know what you're going to get with interviews – that's the fun and challenging part of talking to subject matter experts, executives, customers, etc. But you know that every interview is an opportunity to refine your process. You can gauge the interviewer's style more quickly. You can figure out what types of questions elicit better responses. You can see how much research you really need to do.
Fortunately, you don't necessarily need to practice, practice, and practice your interviewing style. You need to conduct interviews, interviews, and interviews – all the while producing publishable content.
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Cover photo by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
