Better Blogging, Part 2: How to Conduct Interviews

The value of the interview for good content is obvious.  The intricate how-to details might not be, especially for the novice business blogger.  Before leaping right into the formatting of interview content, it is vital to actually have content to work with, and that requires, not surprisingly, strategy.  The best interviews will be planned out beforehand because that, ironically enough, is the way to get a good - honest, compelling, and even surprising - story.

Many people who you'd want to interview have likely been asked to be interviewed before.  This is not advice to attempt to track down someone famous for every story you want to post, but it is to say that there are some principles to be garnered from those that do that for a living.  That is, interviews are best conducted "journalist" style.  Unless you're meeting your best friend from kindergarten over a cup of apple juice and coloring books, you're going to want to be professional.  Not only are you representing your business (which hopefully would be compelling enough reason to act professionally), but you're also asking to represent the person you are interviewing...on paper...or worse: the technology age's equivalent, the World Wide Web.  Because it is much easier to get things on the Internet than it is to get them off, people - at least people who are aware of the life-and-times we live in - will be understandably wary of giving out personal information.

So, it's your job as the writer of interesting info (for the web, no less) to provide a professional atmosphere: that is, the reassurance that you will be discerning with any information they provide you, that you, though you may be an amateur, understand what you are doing when you are asking for another person's story, and that you aren't just "in it" for you.  People's stories are practically sacred; it is a honorable thing to be told another person's story, so don't give the air that it's "just" for a blog.  Even a blog is a publication, and it's especially important for those you've gathering story from to be confident that they are making a good choice to tell their story - however small a piece of it - to you.  So, be professional, be private, and be prepared.

Think about your story angle ahead of time so you know what you're wanting to hear about from them.  Formulate as many questions as you can beforehand.  Set a time limit and keep to it.  Thank them for their time - by sending a snail mail thank you card afterwards, as well as a firm handshake at the end of the actual meeting.  Communicate that you are sincere, or you won't get a sincere, honest (and thus compelling) story back.

(Oh, and after you've gathered the makings for your story, be sure to check the copyright laws for blog writers.  Copyright law is tricky, especially when it pertains to blogging and publishing on the web!)

Photo Credit: Derek Brower