Make sure your interview prep is failproof enough to get you what you need and not act like a fool. No one has an unlimited amount of time to research everything there is to know about your subject. Unless you’re on a particular beat, you’re not being paid to think like that either. You don’t need to be an expert to make a decent story. In fact, it’s best to let your source do the talking.
Now, the beginning of an interview is extremely important; it’s where you can lay the foundation of making your source comfortable, if that’s your intention. It’s easier to make your source comfortable in person, or even over video chat, in my opinion. They’re able to see you, your style, and your surroundings—largely, you as a person. Plus, with more visual cues, there’s more you can connect on and even relate over. You never know where shared interests or histories will occur.
Feel free to chat them up, thanking them for the interview and telling them why you’re excited to talk. This is a good strategy as it potentially can remind them why they’re also excited about the subject you’re interviewing them for. It also shows that you care and likely won’t waste their time. Some of my best interviews have resulted from getting sources excited about their work.
Let them know you’re recording them. This was what I practiced during my time as a nearly daily-interviewing writer. The pieces I wrote were more features than journalistic pieces, much less exposures. It typically built an extra level of trust to disclose that I was not only recording them but going to take quotes from our conversation. Most sources know the name of the game, but if there’s a more timid first-timer, this can speak volumes. I always budgeted time for my writing to sift through a PR team at the end anyway, so if a source asked to review the text, I could comfortably say yes.
Finally, vocalize your expectations. This can allow the person you’re talking to a build a quick mental map of things they want to say. They can also help you stay on track!
Start with contextual questions that can lead into other questions. Jog your source’s memory and get their brain warm for some deeper pulls. Make your asks, but it’s best to provide some nuance between questions toward the middle of the interview (depending on how much time you’ve allotted and how many questions). Acknowledging and building from the thoughts your source is pouring out for you shows not only that you’re highly engaged, but that you appreciate their effort.
Next, try to build what they’ve said into a question on your list to keep the flow going. You can do this by clarifying, sharing your own thoughts or excitement, or sharing something similar you learned about the project from another source.
Be mindful of your source’s time. Keep an eye on your clock and, when in doubt, ask how much more time they’re willing to spend talking. It’s also a nice touch to ask whether there’s anything else they’d like to add as you’re finishing up. Sometimes you’re not asking the questions they truly want to answer, and sometimes they’re waiting patiently for you to get your fill so they can talk about a new aspect of the topic that you (and possibly several interviewers before you) haven’t asked.
Get their info. Always make sure you have a reliable email or phone number you can follow-up at, either for questions or resources like other sources mentioned in-conversation or photo references.
Thank them, sincerely, for their time and end the conversation with something that they can appreciate! Did they tell you what they were up to this weekend at the beginning of the interview? Remember it and wish them a good time. Pull all of these off, and they’ll likely remember you as a thoughtful, and even good, interviewer.
https://www.writersdigest.com/journalism/10-interviewing-tips-for-journalists
https://muckrack.com/blog/2021/10/07/how-to-conduct-a-good-interview