How to Conduct a Blog Interview

By Business & Finance Last updated Thursday, July/11/2024

Gain Interest

1). Contact multiple individuals with whom you are interested in speaking via mail or email.
2). Include in your letter a brief description of your project and why you are interested in speaking with the individual.
3). Inform each interviewee that you are willing to work around his schedule. You may offer to send him a list of sample questions to review before scheduling a phone or face-to-face meeting.
4). Provide your contact information and simple instructions to reach you. State days and times when you are available in order to avoid a frustrating game of phone tag.

1). Do your research. Once you have received an affirmative response from a potential interviewee, gather information relevant to his position and career success. For instance, find out if and where he attended school, if he has earned any awards and if he has been featured in any other publications. Being knowledgeable about an interviewee displays professionalism and respect.
2). Prepare questions that answer the five W's and one H: who, what, where, when, why and how. Providing a response to each of these is essential in effective journalism.
3). Devise interesting questions. This applies not only to the topics in Step 2 but also to any other relevant information. Unique questions will entertain both the interviewee and your readers. Keep the questions open-ended in order to gain as much information as possible.

1). Thank the individual for taking the time to speak with you. If he seems to have a tight schedule, proceed straight to the interview with minimal small talk.
2). Display active listening skills. Provide brief responses to his answers to encourage a friendly conversational attitude rather than a rigid question and answer session.
3). Let him do most of the talking. You should respond here and there when appropriate, but don't hog the conversation. Though this may seem obvious, it is common for a nervous interviewer to ramble unintentionally.
4). Thank the individual again once the interview is complete and end the conversation humbly and professionally. You may do so simply by saying "I'll let you get back to your day," or "I won't take up any more of your time."

1). Weed out the fluff. Include only relevant information in your published blog interview. You may mention that your interviewee has two children but exclude superfluous facts about his report cards or how much he loves his new puppy. You should, however, include fun facts that will enhance your article. For instance, if you run a website about subsistence farming, you can mention that his family are vegetarians.
2). Include a quote. Quotes add a considerable amount of credibility to your article, but always first ask your interviewee's permission to include one.
3). Double-check your blog interview for confusing phrasing or misspelled words. Seemingly small grammatical errors are unprofessional and can discredit your website.