How to Conduct an Interview With Literally Anyone: A Guide 🎙️✨
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How to Conduct an Interview With Literally Anyone: A Guide 🎙️✨
my thoughts on community & conversation - welcome back to The Slush Pile!
It’s officially Issue 11 of The Slush Pile and almost the one-year anniversary of the original launch of the newsletter! When I first began this venture, I thought it would be an outlet for my rejected scraps of writing, only for it to become so much more—a how-to, an advice column, a personal diary, a community. This month, I wanted to write another how-to guide for writers at any stage/genre of their career: how to conduct an interview with literally anyone—family members, fellow writers, academics, field experts, etc—and for any occasion—project research, a panel, a published interview, a podcast, etc. Asking questions to learn and gain information about the other person is a delicate art and also a fun one if you allow it to be, with just a few important tips and tricks.
As someone who has conducted many interviews with dozens of writers and creatives (including mostly recently Sandra Cisneros), I’ve become a practiced hand at coordinating with PR reps, researching, preparing questions ahead of time, coming up with questions on the fly, subtly directing the conversation, and making an interviewee feel comfortable during each step of the process. If you’re hoping to interview someone, including your own idols and creative inspirations, I hope this newsletter can be a helpful tool for your ventures. May we all get the opportunity to speak to our favorite people at least once in our lives!
Requesting an interview
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, even if it seems impossible. At this stage in my career, I’ll often get interview requests from potential interviewees themselves or their PR or media representatives, or get assigned through my editors. But if there’s someone you really want to interview, send that request, even if you don’t know them personally! Whether it’s a contact form, their personal email or their rep’s email (you can usually find this on their website), stay professional and enthusiastic. Be sure to include the following:
who you are in one sentence! DO NOT send a full bio unless asked—while this process benefits you too, it should always be about the interviewee. Give a basic one-liner about you, your occupation, and where you’re based.
the publication or organization you’re writing from! If you’re not attached to a specific outlet or org, be honest and just say where you’re hoping to place it or what you would use the interview for because it will come up. (NOTE: personal blogs can count as an “outlet”!)
spell out what you want! Explain as specifically as possible what you’re looking for and how much time you’ll need. A Q+A style interview? A feature on a podcast? A quote or two for a larger article? It helps everyone if you’re upfront with what you want and show your control, confidence, and professionalism from the very beginning.
why you want this interviewee! This is your chance to show how your enthusiasm for the interviewee and personal reasons for reaching out. What makes them perfect for the project you’re working on? What do you hope to learn from them? If you’re writing from an outlet, why would they be perfect for your audience? It helps to name something they’ve done or worked on that you loved, like a book, film, album, article, etc. Make them feel special!
your portfolio (if applicable)! If you’ve conducted interviews before, be sure to mention the interviewees by name to show off your experience and include a link to your online portfolio or website. If this is your first time, don’t be afraid to share that too!
the next steps! In the last part of the email, offer them the option to reach out to you with any questions, what platforms you would be able to work on like Zoom, phone, or email, and what date(s) you may have in mind (but let them know you can be flexible!).
and finally, reiterate your thanks!
Setting the date
So you’ve made contact and received the green light for the interview! Next, you’ll need to finalize a date and a time, and the platform it will be conducted on. Is this in the morning or afternoon? What day? Is this in person? On Zoom or by phone? By email? Do what works best for both you and the interviewee by asking the PR rep (they’ll know the interviewee’s schedule and prior commitments), glancing at your calendar, and figuring out when is a good day and time to meet, when hopefully you won’t be as busy. Try to pick a slot when you’ll have wiggle room to arrive early and leave late. I’ve conducted interviews that were supposed to be 20 minutes and we ended up talking for 45!
Researching the interviewee
Now’s the time to start deep-diving into the research step and thinking about what you want to focus on during the interview. If you’re focusing on a certain project of theirs, become an expert on it until you might as well have written it yourself. Familiarize yourself with their website, their bio, their Wikipedia page if they have one, their social media. Even if you know them already, you never know what other gems you’ll find via their digital footprint, which can come up during the interview and become potential questions later! This is all essential to helping you in the next stage: preparing questions that are open-ended, specific, and engaging.
Preparing your questions
Regardless of how much time you have with your interviewee, it’s best to come prepared with a list of at least 5-10 solid questions, though it can certainly be more. Over time, I’ve found that no matter how many questions you have, you’ll want to find a good balance between three types of questions:
opening questions! These are basic questions about themselves to get everyone warmed up. How their upbringing influenced them, how they found their passion for their career or interest or field. Basically, how they started out. (NOTE: even something like how they’re doing today is a question you’re allowed and encouraged to ask!)
meaty questions! This is hopefully where you’ll spend the bulk of your interview time. These are the big questions about themselves and their projects, questions that could lead to stories or first-hand accounts. Try to reference specific aspects that show you’ve done your homework and want to get detailed and in-depth with them. This is not the time for yes/no questions unless you have an immediate follow-up—help them open up and share their stories!
wrapping up questions! I like to use these kinds of questions as a chance to look forward, get them thinking about the future, and offer advice to the interview’s audience. What can people expect next from you/What are you working on now? What advice would you give to those who…? What is something you wish you knew? This also politely signals to the interviewee that the interview is wrapping up.
TIP: If this is a person who is a seasoned interviewee, skim those previous interviews and take note of what they get asked a lot/the most, and try to avoid repeating them unless absolutely necessary, say, for context. Don’t be afraid to bring new, fresh questions to the table. What do you specifically want to know? What haven’t they had the chance to say about themselves? What haven’t they yet talked about that needs to be said? How can you make them feel like this isn’t just another interview? If they ever say “That’s a good question!” or light up, you know you’re doing a good job—that’s what you’re aiming for!
Setting the tone & conducting yourself
How you begin the interview will set the tone for the rest of your time with them. Are you open or withdrawn? Interested or bored? Excited or impatient, like you’re just waiting for this to be over? Just by the way you say hello, you’re letting the interviewee know what to expect and how to respond in kind.
Remember, this is not like a job interview! You’re not asking questions to determine if they’re worthy of your time, attention, and energy. You’re not even really asking questions to extract information that benefits you, though it could. This is a conversation. Granted, a still professional one, but don’t be afraid to loosen the tension and have fun! Here are a few quick tips:
Smile naturally to help them feel comfortable
Record the audio/video for the transcription and don’t take notes (if you have permission from both the PR rep and the interviewee beforehand)
Maintain eye contact to show your interest
Be mindful of time! Keep an eye on the clock and determine when it’s appropriate to move on. Feel free to skip around your questions too or skip a few altogether. And keep in mind: this is a conversation and you’re encouraged to respond to what they say, not just move on to the next question without comment or reaction. But don’t go on long tangents yourself or take time away from the interviewee. Remember, this isn’t about you!
Creating questions on the fly & following up
I know I previously emphasized the importance of showing up prepared with interview questions, but it’s equally as important to consider these as guidelines, a suggested set of directions, rather than as rules. Don’t be afraid to go off the path you made for yourself and follow the flow of the conversation as it’s happening in real time. I’ve even had interviews where I only ended up asking half of my prepped questions, and that’s okay too! The last thing you want is for your interviewee to feel like you’re reading off a script. Instead, engage. Show them you’re interested by listening to what they’re saying and trying to extract your next question from that answer, even if it’s not one you planned on asking. Basically, you’re doing the hardest part of the process by doing two things at once throughout the interview: listening AND getting your next question ready. It’s a learned art but all it takes is a little practice!
Direct the conversation—subtly!
You are in control of this space. You’re choosing when to move on or stay on a certain topic. To help establish this, I will mark transitions in the conversation by saying them aloud before I ask my next question so everyone is on the same page and the interviewee feels guided and secure. But don’t say them so aggressively that they feel like they’re being dragged behind. For example:
To kick us off…
Turning now to…
Diving a little deeper into…
Going back to…
Speaking of that…
To wrap us up…
For my last question(s)…
Another way to direct the conversation is with a polite interjection. Especially if this is a timed interview and the interviewee doesn’t seem to be stopping their flow or train of thought, find an appropriate place to interrupt and say something like, So sorry, but that me thinking about…; Actually, I was wondering about…; I’d love to hear more about… Then, either ask a follow-up question related to what they’re saying or use a transition phrase to redirect them back to the main conversation. If it’s done delicately and with care, they won’t see it as rude—they’ll be glad to have you there to reel them back in!
Wrapping up the conversation
Once you’ve asked your last question, thank them for their time, flexibility, ability to meet with you, what they shared, and what you learned. You can never show too much gratitude for someone taking the time out of their schedule to speak with you. Then, walk them briefly through the next steps, such as where they’ll be able to access the interview or if any follow-up may be needed. Offer an approximate date, too, just to give them an idea of when to expect to see the final interview or outcome—be realistic! It’s always better to give them a later date and be early than an earlier one and be wrong.
TIP: If you’re creating a full interview transcription, send the draft to the PR rep and/or the interviewee for final review and approval before publishing. This has helped me so often with misspellings of people’s names and mistakes in stories and personal information. Better to catch it in private than have to fix it in public!
P.S. Looking for even more interview tips? I recently invited my Twitter following to offer up the strategies they use to conduct interviews. Simply click on the tweet embed below or click this link!
notes from the writer’s desk ✍️
my favorite recently pub’d pieces:
updates:
STREAMING SERVICE: season two, the sequel to my self-published debut poetry chapbook STREAMING SERVICE: golden shovels made for tv, IS NOW OUT! Digital and signed physical copies are available, as well as the option to bundle both chapbooks and receive a bookmark and sticker with every physical order! Order your copy today! Thank you as always for your support :’)
I am now a media mentor for Tectonic Media! If you are a young/aspiring journalist, I am available for consultation and mentorship on a variety of topics. Learn more about my areas of specialty and how we can connect here.
resources:
Looking for book recommendations? Check out my Bookstagram and TikTok to keep up with what I’m reading and loving right now! On TikTok, you’ll also get more snippets of my everyday writing life and lifestyle/fashion content. See you there!
other stories i’m loving 📖
currently reading:
Ancestor Approved, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
currently watching:
Bob’s Burgers, S13
currently listening to:
“House by the Water” by Cloe Wilder
all my love,
sofía xx