30 Tips on How to Interview Like a Journalist
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Give the people what they want. And that's what I did with the newest episode of Content Marketing Tips on YouTube.
One of the most popular articles on Spark Minute is 30 Tips on How to Interview Like a Journalist. I transformed that piece into a video where I squeezed all 30 tips in 10 minutes. Here are my five favorite tips.
- Reboot a failing interview: Sometimes interviewees have their shields up and they just don't want to open up. As you keep pressing on, they simply won't reveal anything. For the moment, don't push it. Pretend to end the interview. Engage in some small talk. After you've loosened them up, say, "Wait a moment. I just thought of something. Can we start again?" You do, and their on-camera performance is a lot better.
- Throw a curve ball: If you're conducting a lot of sports interviews you'll find yourself asking the same questions over and over again. Questions don't need to be so linear to a traditional story line. You can ask oddball questions that allow the interviewee to think creatively. For example, if you were interviewing an athlete you could ask, "Which of your teammates would perform best on The Gong Show?" Or, "What rule would you like to change in the game?"
- Repeat back the story in the middle of the interview: I lean on this tip a lot because I conduct many interviews covering very complicated technologies. Sometimes, I'm not confident that I fully understand the process/components/environment so I'll stop the interview midway through and say, "I'm going to repeat back to you what you just said just to make sure I understand it. Please correct me if I'm wrong." I inevitably get something wrong or I leave a gaping hole in the story that they fill in which always provides excellent context for my piece.
- Let the interviewee ask their own question: This is a simple technique to throw in at the very end of the interview. You've asked all your questions and you turn the interview over to the interviewee and let them ask their own question. Simply say, "Is there anything I've left out that you'd like to add?" About half of the time they say 'yes' and do have something to add. The advantage of this is they walk away from the interview feeling they got a chance to say everything they wanted to say.
- Trick them into getting the sound bite you want: This is a technique 60 Minutes uses all the time and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver put together a compilation to show how egregious this behavior is. But if you want that sound bite, for text or video, simply prompt them with "Would you say ________?" And if they agree, they will inevitably give you the sound bite you want.
Like those tips? Want 25 more?
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13 Easy Hacks to Put On-Camera Interview Subjects at Ease
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OK, I'm going to be straight up with you. This article on Forbes pulls out 11 of the tips from the previous video, but adds a couple more. If you're more interested in just tips to make interview subjects feel more comfortable in front of the camera, then just read this article.
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TEAR DOWN SHOW #177:
We Implant Microchips in Our Hands to Get Easy Access to Break Room Snacks
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Oh, the aggravation of having to reach into your pants or purse and pull out your wallet just to purchase a salty or sweet snack. If only there was a way I could enjoy all that unhealthy goodness without having to endure that arduous task. Great news, you can! Employees at a Wisconsin company are volunteering to have chips implanted into their bodies so they can purchase snacks from the break room vending machine with just a wave of their hand. Michael and I get implanted and then discuss a few more stories on this episode of Tear Down Show.
Make sure to listen and SUBSCRIBE.
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"I like Halloween because no one questions the human skulls I keep on my front porch as long as I put candles in them." - @JediGigi
"I don't care how old I am, the first thing I'll always do when I get to my parent's house is checking out what's in the fridge." - @Lil_Booty_Boss
"If my dog doesn't like you, then I don't like you. Unless you're hot, then the dog can go in the crate for a couple hours." - @ninjadinosaur1
"My daughter wants to be really scary this Halloween so instead of a costume she is going to carry a school fundraising packet to every door." - @simoncholland
"No trip to Home Depot is complete without at least two more trips to Home Depot for what you didn't know you needed to buy the first time." - @AbbyHasIssues
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OCTOBER 5th, SAN FRANCISCO:
Next Big Thing in Video Production
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I'm honored to be hosting legendary broadcaster Richard Hart for the next SF Video Marketing meetup held at Brightcove in San Francisco. As the original host of CNet TV, Hart has been on the forefront of reporting about technology and using the latest video technologies. He will be speaking about trends in video technology and what he believes will take off and what will be a complete dud. This event is co-produced by Spark Media Solutions and Brightcove.
WHEN: October 5th, 6pm
WHERE: Brightcove, 149 9th Street, #300, San Francisco, CA
Join the SF Video Marketing group on Meetup.com to register.
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Get your copy of
THREE FEET FROM SEVEN FIGURES
One-on-One Engagement Techniques to Qualify More Leads at Trade Shows
ThreeFeetBook.com
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