Part of my PR-in-training requires me to conduct various author and blogger interviews. People have very strong opinions about conducting interviews. Some despise the process of question conception, others allow it to be dull and boring. Me, I absolutely love creating custom questions for each interviewee. I'm hoping to pass on my passion to all of you, or at the least ease the question creation process you may or may not despise. Here is a typical run down of how I create questions for someone I'e never met, talked to, or had any previous knowledge of.
Go to their website - This may seem like an obvious first step, but it's also a crucial step. Poke around on their site, look at the design, the layout, the font and the mood the website gives the reader. This gives you a really good look at the person, well that's if they have a nice website.
Click on the about me & FAQ - Make sure you read through the FAQ. You don't want to ask someone a question that is already on that page. You want to give your readers this exclusive, interesting, inside look at the person.
Master the art of skimming - Skim some recent and some old blog posts. Is the tone different? Have they changed, or has their writing changed?
Think about your audience - Think about what your audience wants, what are their interests? Tweak your questions to interest them.
Have a database to fall back on - Not every single question is super customized and personal. Have a list of questions in your back pocket to pull out and fill in needed space.
Have fun with it - It depends on your platform and audience, but don't be afraid to ask fun questions. Ask them about their favorite cocktail or what they do to let loose. Don't make the interview too serious.
Click on the about me & FAQ - Make sure you read through the FAQ. You don't want to ask someone a question that is already on that page. You want to give your readers this exclusive, interesting, inside look at the person.
Master the art of skimming - Skim some recent and some old blog posts. Is the tone different? Have they changed, or has their writing changed?
Think about your audience - Think about what your audience wants, what are their interests? Tweak your questions to interest them.
Have a database to fall back on - Not every single question is super customized and personal. Have a list of questions in your back pocket to pull out and fill in needed space.
Have fun with it - It depends on your platform and audience, but don't be afraid to ask fun questions. Ask them about their favorite cocktail or what they do to let loose. Don't make the interview too serious.