Four More Tips to Better Interviews

Blogathon, day 12. (And if you're reading every day, what do you think? Are you finding the posts helpful?)

Yesterday we talked about some simple, effective ways to get better interviews from your sources. Here are four more: 

Talk market. Make sure you tell your source what market (and audience) you're writing for. If you're asking for tips on how to simplify your life from a clutter expert, for example, her advice will be different if you're writing a piece for a magazine for small business owners as opposed to a parenting publication. When your source knows who your audience is, you'll get better quotes. 

Drop a nugget. At the beginning of an interview, I let the source, especially an expert one, know that I've done some research on him or her. Saying something like, "I know you've been studying music's impact and exercise for years," or "I understand that you have a new book coming out" can set the tone for a better interview. 

Toss a softball. At the end of the interview, say something like, "is there anything you want to add that you haven't asked yet?" Then shut up and listen. Often your source will have something smart and insightful to say that you didn't think to ask.

Ask for a referral. I do this a lot with expert sources--I'll ask, "is there anyone else you think I should talk to for this piece?" Researchers know, for example, the other researchers in the field, and I may get a lead on a source I wouldn't have come across otherwise. 

In all, you have eight great tips for better interviews. Your assignment: Try all eight techniques next time you conduct an interview. 

**Want more advice about everything from interviews to pitching new markets to making money as a freelancer? Check out Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets is aimed at brand-new freelancers in search of their first clips. Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer's Guide to Making More Money, Second Edition is a freelancing classic that helps both new and experienced writers boost their bottom line. And my latest book,Goodbye Byline, Hello Big Bucks: Make Money Ghostwriting Books, Articles, Blogs and More, Second Edition, shows how to break into the ghostwriting/content marketing field. 

Four Tips to Better Interviews

Blogathon, day 11. 

Nothing strikes fear into the heart of new freelancers like interviews. There's the anxiety of finding the right person to speak with, the anxiety of getting what you need from the interview, and the anxiety of the interview itself!  

The manner in which you conduct an interview will depend on the subject matter you're writing about, and the type of expert you're interviewing. But there are several proven ways to get more from your interview. Here are four tips for both new and veteran freelancers: 

1. Double-check the date and time of the interview. Time zones can be tricky things. So I don't say, "I'll call you at 10:30 a.m." Instead, I say something like, "Okay, great. So I'll call you at 10:30 a.m. Central time, 11:30 Eastern time, on Wednesday, June 11." That hopefully ensures that both of us are on the same page. 

2. Tell your source what you plan to ask. No, you don't have to provide every question, but you'll get more productive interviews if your sources know in advance what you'll be covering. so I might say, "Jennifer, thanks for agreeing to this interview. As I said, the piece is on the health benefits of fiber. So I'll ask you about the different types of fiber, why it's important for good health, and how people can get more fiber into their diet. Sound good?" 

3. Do what you say you will. That means calling when you promised, not 10 or 15 minutes afterwards. It also means sticking to the time you planned for the interview. I usually tell sources that the interview will take 10 to 15 minutes, and I stick to that. If for some reason we're going to run over, I'll ask the source if we can take a few minutes to talk. 

4. Go the extra mile. For me, that means sending a personal thank-you note to my source after the interview. It also means letting the person know when the piece runs, even if it's months later. Sound like a pain in the butt? It can be, but it shows the person you spoke with that you appreciate his time--and if you have to interview the person again (which often is the case with experts in their field), I guarantee he'll remember you. 

Your assignment: Next time you do an interview, give the source an idea of what to expect before you speak with him. You'll get better answers, and stronger quotes. 

**Want more advice about successful interviewing? Check out Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets, which walks you through the process of pitching, researching, and writing 10 actual articles. 

The Sell-your-First-Article Series: Step 6

Welcome back to the sell-your-first-article series. (You'll find step 1 and steps 2 through 5 here.) Today we'll only be covering one step, but it's a critical one--step 6, interviewing your sources. 

Remember that for this short piece, I only needed to do one interview with one of the coauthors of the NEAT study. I'd already contacted him to see if he was willing to do an interview with me, and he was. 

To make sure I wouldn’t forget any relevant questions, I wrote them down beforehand. Here’s my list:

1. Confirm name and title

2. Mailing address (so I can send him a thank-you note after the interview)/email address

3. Explain research findings briefly 

4. Was he surprised by this? Why or why not?

5. Take-away message for women who want to lose/maintain their weight?

6. Anything else you want to add that I haven’t asked?

Questions in hand, I called Dr. Jensen at the time we’d agreed. The first question I asked him was, “Is this still a good time for you to talk?” That shows respect for his time, and if he needs to push back the time, I can accommodate him. Then I asked permission to record the interview (I use a digital recorder that hooks into my phone jack); in some states, it’s illegal to record without the subject’s permission. (You don’t have to record interviews, but it makes it easier to quote your sources accurately, especially if they turn out to be fast talkers. Check out Hello Direct, www.hellodirect.com, for headsets and digital recorders. On the other hand, if you take notes quickly, you may not need to record your interviews.)

At the conclusion of the interview, I thanked Dr. Jensen for his time, and told him I’d be in touch with any further questions via email. I also asked whether he’d be available in the next month or two in case my editor had any follow-up questions. Finally, I promised him I’d be in touch to let him know when the story was published. And then I sent him a thank-you note via snail mail, expressing appreciation for his time. 

Scared about conducting an interview? I used to be, too. In fact, I’d say I was petrified I’d forget to ask something, or that I’d sound stupid (or both!) during pretty much every interview I conducted for the first year or two of freelancing. But I’ll tell you something—the person you’re interviewing doesn’t care about you sounding stupid—he’s more concerned about whether he sounds stupid.

Keeping that in mind, I’d like to give you some tips to get better interviews, regardless of who you’re speaking with. First, always do your homework ahead of time. Second, let your source know that you have. I’ve interviewed hundreds of experts and real people over the years, many of whom are busy professionals. They may be willing to be interviewing, but that doesn’t mean they’re eager to be. As soon as I make sure that it’s still a good time for the person to speak with me, I demonstrate that I’m prepared to speak with him.

So, for example, with Dr. Jensen, I told him that I’d already read the entirejournal article, but wanted some “live” quotes from him for the story. With another source, I might let him know that I’d visited his website or mention one of his books or some of his latest research. It depends on the source and the subject, but even with an anecdotal source, I can say something like, “Becky, thanks so much for agreeing to speak with me. I understand from Sarah that you’ve been homeschooling your kids for three years, and I had a chance to check out your homeschooling blog. Is this still a good time for you?” It’s that easy to start your interview off on a positive note.

I always tell the person I’m interviewing how much time I’ll need (say, 15 minutes) and I stick to that estimate. Watch the clock. If the interview is going to go over, tell your source. “I’ll say something like, ‘You know, I told you I only needed 15 minutes to speak with you, but we’re about to hit that. Can we speak for a few minutes, please?” It’s another way of doing what you said you would, and demonstrating your professionalism.

Finally, I always send a thank-you note. I mentioned that already but I’ll tell you that it’s made a huge difference in my career. Sources remember me! They remember my name even years later because, “You’re the one who sent that note!” People think of me as a professional, thoughtful writer—and there are much worse things to be known of in a business where your reputation may precede you.

               For this story, I only needed a couple of brief quotes from Jensen, so the interview took less than five minutes. My transcript included Dr. Jensen’s contact information and several short statements about the study. With the study and my transcript in hand, I sat down to write the story. That's step 7, which will be the subject of my next post! 

               **In the next post, we'll talk about how to start researching this short piece. In the meantime, Dollars and Deadlines: Make Money Writing Articles for Print and Online Markets, from which this post is drawn, in now in print. (Prefer the Kindle edition?) 

               If you're interested in writing articles, be sure to sign up for next week's Write Now! Mastermind class. Rochelle Melander will be  interviewing me for How To Pitch And Sell Articles To A Variety Of Freelance Markets. The call is free, but you need to sign up at http://www.writenowcoach.com/resources/write-now-mastermind.html. I hope to "see" you on the call!  

Hot Freelance Tip of the Day: Say, "Enough, Already"

When I started out as a freelancer, I over-researched pretty much everything. I would spend hours researching a particular topic for a query letter. Then, if the piece was assigned (and if it wasn't, then all of that time was pretty much wasted), I'd over-research some more. I'd do background reading, identify way too many potential sources, line up interviews, and conduct interviews. Usually too many interviews. Trust me, you don't need to interview four sources for a 300-word piece. But yeah, I did that.

Today, I've gotten smart. Or you might say lazy. Probably both. But in general, I do the least amount of work necessary to research a piece and complete an assignment. If I'm writing a piece on "mommy guilt," for example, I don't need to read books on the psychology of mothers, the working mom vs. SAHM debate, or on the changing role that parents play in society. I can get by a lot less than that and I do. In this article's case, that meant:

• locating and interviewing a parenting/psychology expert (maybe two) who could talk about why moms feel guilty; and
• locating and interviewing two Chicago-area moms who could talk about their experiences with mommy guilt. (This was for Chicago Parent, so I wanted to use local sources.)

That's it. My story of 1,330 words was based on four interviews, each of which took less than fifteen minutes to conduct (and write a thank-you note afterwards). Including background research to identity and locate my sources, I spent less than two hours researching the story, and another hour or two writing it.

In the past, though, I would have gone online, read about mommy guilt for hours (and then probably feel guilty for spending too much time working!), talked to at least a half-dozen potential sources before I felt that I had the "best" anecdotes, and generally done a lot of unnecessary work. As a working writer with limited time, I've learned to do the least amount possible to make a story work.

So today's Hot Freelance Tip of the Day is: Say, "Enough, Already." (See Secret 28, Find facts and experts fast, and Secret 36, Find sources more quickly, from Writer for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success.)

***There's still time to register for the giveaway and win a copy of Writer for Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success! And if you enjoy contemporary women's fiction, check out Did You Get the Vibe?, my first novel which was translated into four languages. I'm offering it as a free ebook for a limited time, or buy it from Kindle for a mere $0.99 (hopefully it will be free soon).

Coming soon...I share another royalty statement, explain why ebooks are essential for authors, and tell you why you're not making money as a freelancer. Stay tuned!

8 Tips for Writing True-Life Features

Chances are your day-to-day life isn’t all that exciting. That’s one of the reasons true-life features remain a staple of magazines, newspapers, and websites. We love to read about other people’s lives, especially when they have a fascinating story to tell.

As a writer, however, there’s more to finding, researching, selling and writing true-life features than meets the eye. In addition to excellent reporting skills, you must have the ability to tell a good story, and put your reader in the subject’s Crocs, heels, or sneakers to master the genre.

Here are eight tips for writing true-life features:

1. Separate Stellar from So-so Stories
While everyone has a story to tell, most of those are not saleable stories. In other words, the person herself, the inherent drama of her story, and the market you’re pitching to will all determine whether your pitch will sell. There has to be real drama, and a somewhat unique angle, to sell it.

2. Consider the Market

Often, but not always, the subject of a true-life feature will reflect the readership of the publication. Think about it. Sports Illustrated runs features about athletes who have overcome the odds to stellar careers; college alumni magazines run features about their noteworthy alumni; and parenting publications include stories about parents who have faced some kind of child-rearing challenges.

3. Break the Query Rule
When pitching a true-life feature, include enough details about the story to give the editor a sense of its inherent drama and why readers will be interested in it. In this case, I go beyond my usual four-paragraph template to make the case for the particular story.

4. Get Face-to-Face
If you’re writing a simple service story (e.g. “10 Ways to…”), you can do all of your interviews by phone or email. For true-life features, though, a face-to-face interview is preferable. You want to be able to observe the person's body language, gestures, and environment to provide details that will make the story come alive.

5. Ask Every Question
Don’t be afraid to ask “obvious” questions that remain unanswered. For example, if a young woman was being stalked by a former boyfriend and she didn’t call the police, ask why not. Maybe she’d called them before and they’d said they couldn’t do anything—or maybe his father was chief of police in her small town. The more questions you ask, the more information and detail you’ll have about the story.

6. Record your Interviews

Even if you’re an excellent note-taker, recording your interviews is essential. You may want to videotape to capture even more detail. During your research, let your subject(s) know that you may be back in touch with follow-up questions.

7. Write a Story, not a Report
Before you begin writing the story, review your transcripts, videotapes, and any other information you gathered while researching the piece. Remember that a true-life feature should tell a story that includes a narrative arc, not just report what happened. Details will make the story come alive.

8. Close with Confidence
When it comes to ending the story, use as much care as writing the lead. Don’t just stop—look for a twist, insight or quote showing how this experience changed the person to close the piece. That will give your story—and your readers—a sense of resolution.

***

Want to know more about true-life features? My popular book, Ready, Aim, Specialize! Create your own Writing Specialty and Make More Money, includes a chapter on writing profiles and true-life features as well as chapter on nine other hot nonfiction specialties.

Five Techniques to Better Interviews

If you freelance for magazines or write books, interviewing experts and "real people" sources is part of your job. The more you get from your sources, the more material you have to work with--and the more compelling your writing will be.

Here are five simple ways to get more from your interviews, whether you're interviewing an expert in her field or someone who's had personal experience with the subject:

1. Do your homework! In other words, prepare in advance. I was just interviewed by a college student about freelancing. Many of the answers to questions he asked me ("How long have you been freelancing?" "What kinds of work do you do?") could be found on my website. Do some background research before you do your interview--and let the person know you did so by saying something like, "So, you've been conducting research on the glycemic index for years. What led to that interest?" or "In your new book, you talk about the relationship between body image and happiness. Tell me more about that." When your sources knows you've prepared for the interview, you'll get better quotes, guaranteed.

2. Ask if it's a good time for the person to speak. The first question out of your mouth should be, "Is this still a good time for you talk?" About one-quarter of the time, my source asks me to call back in ten minutes, or a half-hour. That's fine with me--I want the person's undivided attention, after all. And this shows respect for the person you're interviewing.

3. Give your source a heads-up about what you'll ask ahead of time. I want the best quotes possible, so when we schedule the interview I give the source a general idea of what I plan to ask, and who the audience for the piece is. A prepared source=good interview. That's why I typically don't contact someone and do the interview right then--I know I'll get better quotes if I give her a chance to think about the subject beforehand.

4. Listen. Sure, I have questions I need answered, but I listen to what my source is saying so I can ask additional questions, or let the interview go in a different direction. Early in my career, I was so focused on getting what I needed I would just run down a list of questions without really listening to the subtext of what was being said. I've since learned that a good interview is a conversation between two people, not just canned questions and answers.

5. Say thank you. Better yet, send an actual thank-you note. This person is giving you her time--so show your appreciation. I send a personal thank-you to do so--and let me tell you, people remember me as a result. I also let sources know when they're quoted in print. That has let me develop a Rolodex of hundreds of expert sources in a variety of areas--and if I'm stuck and need a "quick-and-dirty" interview for a rush assignment, they come through for me.

Use these five strategies and you'll get more from your interviews--and develop your own stable of expert sources as well, which saves you time researching other stories.

Are you a new freelancer who wants to know more about researching articles? Ready, Aim, Specialize! Create your own Writing Specialty and Make More Money includes a chapter on research (including interviewing) as well as a how-to chapter that walks you through the process of writing an article for publication from scratch--and ten chapters about the ten hottest nonfiction specialties and how to write about them.

Coming soon: posts on goal-setting, the best markets for new writers to pitch, and making clients love you.

Double-Dip Technique #1: Squeeze More from your Interviews

One of the easiest ways to work more efficiently is to write about the same subjects more than once, approaching each from a different angle for a new audience and market.

In fact, I often find that as I'm researching one story, I have an idea for another one—and I may already have information I can use for my next query. For example, when researching a piece for a women's magazine, I interviewed an expert from the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research. I used that interview for my new query to a custom magazine for business owners on a similar subject:

Dear Mr. Fuller:

Millions of people frequently resolve that we’ll get more exercise. But if you're running your own business, it may seem impossible to fit regular workouts into your busy schedule. How can you reap the benefits of a more active lifestyle—and still have time for everything else?

First, toss out the notion that exercise only "counts" if you do it for thirty minutes or more. Even ten-minute sessions of everyday activities like walking stairs will help strengthen your heart, burn calories, and tone your muscles, says Cyndi Ford, research associate at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research.

“Sneaky Fitness: Get More Exercise into your Day” will include a number of easy methods that business owners can use to incorporate more activity into their busy lives. I’ll include advice from experts such as Ford as well as real-life anecdotes to flesh out the story. While I estimate 1,000 words for this article, that’s flexible depending on your editorial needs.

Interested in this topic for your “For your Health” section or as a feature? [rest of query deleted]

Does it matter I used information from researching another story for my query? Nope. Once I get the assignment, I'll do another interview with the source for quotes for this particular piece, and use other experts as well. This technique (one of the ways I "double-dip") helps me spin off other ideas and cuts my marketing time as well.