16

Go Get the Interviews

You can be interviewing someone with whom you feel you have absolutely nothing in common — a medical doctor, a world traveler, an attorney — and yet, mention children, and there is a universal connection, understanding, and mutual respect that connects all of us parents.

~ SHARON CINDRICH, MOTHER OF TWO

If you are a shy or inexperienced writer mama, the thought of interviewing may trigger the cold sweats. But moms are all about asking questions and lots of them, right? What did you have for lunch? What time will you be home? Do you feel hot? Will his parents be there? Where's your homework? And if you start with short interviews, you will surely find that interviewing is a lot easier than you think. You'll also learn that one of the most important lessons of interviewing, whether long or short, is not to overdo what could just as easily be done in brief.

How to Conduct Short Interviews

As you learned in chapter fifteen, the more meaty your query, the better your chance of landing an assignment. So don't hope to get quotes for your feature after you get the assignment. Go get the key quotes and put them in your query before you submit it. And when you're ready to gather those key quotes, take a look at these tips. They will save you time and calm your pre-interview jitters.

Whom to Interview

Decide whom you need to interview, why, and what specific information you need. Consider the most appropriate sources for the topic, the market, and the editor's preferences. Take all of this into consideration before selecting your best source.

As always, don't forget to check published examples in the publication you are pitching. If you see a nationally or internationally known name in the publication you are pitching, make sure that your experts carry the same oomph. Cutting corners in this regard — using a local expert when a nationally known expert is called for — is a sign of laziness.

Where to Find Sources

If you want to decide quickly who is the best person to interview for your piece, just come up with three keywords that describe the kind of source your editor prefers (you know from your research). For example, doctor, research expert, nationally known all describe a different kind of doctor than doctor, general practitioner, local. Next ask yourself where you would find such a doctor and go straight to that source. “Smoke Out Qualified Experts” offers you a list of places to get started.

Smoke Out Qualified Experts

Authors with recently published books. Publishers Weekly and the Publishers Lunch e-mail newsletter are two places to learn what's coming up on the literary horizon. Soon-to-be-released books are often pre-posted on Amazon.com along with published books. Try typing into Google “author” or “expert” with your topic to see what comes up.

University faculty or researchers. Academics often conduct studies, surveys, and reports and publish scholarly texts and papers. If someone is on staff at a major university, you generally won't need to verify their credentials. If you're looking for a media-friendly academic, keep your eyes open while perusing articles in competitive publications in your specialty and make a note in your Rolodex for future reference.

Not-for-profit organizations and professional associations. Looking for a freelance journalist? Contact the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Looking for stats on women's career advancement? Try Catalyst, a nonprofit that specializes in expanding opportunities for women and business. Looking for an M.D.? Try the American Medical Association. Nonprofits and associations always like to see their members in the spotlight, so they will be more than willing to connect you with the qualified experts you seek.

Profnet. The purpose of Profnet is to put journalists in touch with expert sources. Enter as a “journalist,” register, and then you can send an inquiry or search the database to access thousands of experts for free. You can also sign up to receive e-mail tipsheets on Profnet experts' timely topics. More at http://profnet3.prnewswire.com.

The Yellow Pages. If all you need is a basic medical quote and not the latest groundbreaking study, try your own M.D. If a local car mechanic will work just as well as a syndicated columnist mechanic, call yours. When you are looking for everyday folks, you can always poll the friends, colleagues, and friends-of-friends who match the specifications you are looking for.

Phone vs. E-mail vs. In Person

Decide if you need to do the interview in person or by phone or if you can use e-mail. Obviously, e-mail is convenient, but sometimes the nature of your article — for example, if you need spontaneous responses or if you are doing an interview that is investigative or controversial — requires a phone or in-person interview.

Another factor is the “depth” of your story: For a filler, an e-mail interview might be adequate, assuming it works for your source, while for a feature profile, a phone or in-person interview would be more appropriate.

Decide which method is most suitable before you approach your source. And early in your career, it doesn't hurt to err toward the live interview side, just to get the practice. Conducting in-person or phone interviews will expand your interviewing skills in a way e-mail interviews cannot. So if you have your eye on a long-term career, go for live interviews.

How to Request an Interview

Imagine that you are reaching out your hand to meet someone while you introduce yourself. As in, “Hi, I'm Christina Katz. Nice to meet you. I'm preparing to write an article on …” That may sound formal, but this is an interview, so it's appropriate to be formal, no matter how brief your inquiry.

If you are simply collecting a few short quotes, you might try a strategy that Wendy Burt uses. She calls sources after business hours and leaves a quick list of questions on the answering machine or voicemail. She invites an e-mail response, which usually arrives the next day, thereby saving precious daytime work minutes.

If you can find a source's e-mail address and you have plenty of time, chances are good that this is an acceptable way to approach them. However, different people have different sensibilities about technology, so be sensitive to that. If you don't hear back within twenty-four hours or so after an inquiry, pick up the phone and call.

When making initial contact with a source via e-mail, be as straightforward as possible. Here's what a typical short interview request might look like:

Dear Ms. Expert,

My name is Christina Katz and I am writing an article on women making time for themselves. Since you [have recently published a book on this topic, etc], I wonder if you would have time to answer a few questions as part of my research. I hope to quote you directly in the article.

I have placed the article with [A Very Reputable magazine]. May I send you three or four questions via e-mail?

Sincerely,

Christina Katz Freelance Journalist (my e-mail address, phone number and Web site)

A phone contact would involve a similar introduction to who you are and what you need, only verbal.

How to Prepare for Your Interview

Get to know your source's background before the interview begins and come up with relevant questions. Obviously, the longer the interview, the more time you will spend preparing. For a filler, you need to know just the facts about your source, verify her identity (make sure the person is who she says she is), and move on to preparing your questions. For a feature, conduct more in-depth research, which may involve library or online research, reading books, articles, or blogs, or talking to people who know your source. Somewhere along this spectrum is the right amount of preparation for your interview. As you gain experience, you will learn how to gauge how much is just the right amount. In your early interviews, however, it's not going to hurt to be overprepared. Do your homework and trust your gut.

Note-Taking vs. Recording Devices

Journalists are trained to conduct interviews by taking notes. If you feel comfortable doing this, try to capture as many exact words as you can. If you are not, be sure you have a backup plan. Using a recording device is good if you ever need to provide evidence of a quote that is recanted — but you must always let people know when they are being taped and when they are not being taped. And don't be surprised if they make a remark, then qualify it by saying that they prefer that information or quote not appear in the interview. If that happens, you can always ask for another, more permissible quote.

I still use an old-fashioned answering machine that goes through my phone line and records onto regular-size audiotapes, but you can pick up the latest, greatest recording gizmos at your local electronics store, usually quite inexpensively. When purchasing any kind of technological equipment, I prefer to go to an actual store instead of ordering online, so I can get all my questions answered in advance by a salesperson.

How Familiar to Be During an Interview

You should be friendly and professional, focused but conversational. Don't expect your source to keep an interview on track, or alert you to how much time they have. If you are conducting a longer interview, let your source know in advance how long you estimate the interview will take.

A good rule of thumb is to remember that people are busy and will make room for what you ask for and not more than that. If your source is expecting a short interview but more questions come up in the moment, be courteous and ask if they have time for more questions before charging ahead. Then be sure not to run over that amount of time.

How to Ask Sharp Questions

Be engaged by your topic. Be sure you get your head into it before picking up the phone or sitting down in person for an interview. Some of the best questions will come up naturally as you compile your research and during the interview itself. Once you have about twice as many questions as you need, pare down your list according to which would be of most interest your readers. Choose an order that seems conversational. Be sure to include enough of your source's background information in your questions that you come across as informed and professional.

How to Get the Best Quotes

Even when you're using a tape recorder, it's always a good idea to take notes during the interview by hand. (I always print my questions out triple-spaced so I have plenty of room to jot remarks and reminders during a live interview.) As soon as possible after the interview, take a few minutes to list or circle specific points relevant to your current assignment. If you do this while the material is fresh in your mind, it will be easier later to pull out the key responses you need, without having to transcribe or listen to the entire tape. For feature-length interviews, you will need to transcribe the entire tape yourself or hire a transcriptionist.

What to Do If Your Source Goes On and On — or Worse, Clams Up

If your source runs at the mouth, you want to be friendly, but to the point. Steer the conversation clear of excessive digressions, both yours and the source's. Try not to interrupt, but take advantage of natural pauses to take command of the interview and keep it moving in the direction you'd like it to go.

The way to avoid sources who clam up is to let the conversation warm up for a few moments before you plunge in to the interview. Ask him what kind of day he is having, if he's read the latest book on the topic about which you are interviewing him, the weather where he lives … anything! If your source senses that you are relaxed, he will relax. If you are looking for a scoop, try a straightforward but cheerful approach. Most people who tense up feel nervous and self-conscious. They may have been burned in an interview before — misquoted or misrepresented — which makes them mistrustful of journalists in general.

Explore Your Children's Networks

Who do your children know? What do their parents do? How else can your children help you network for interesting sources? For example, if your son makes friends at school with a girl whose father is a pediatric dentist, you might interview him for some tips on helping kids deal with dental-visit jitters. If your child's teacher won the state Teacher of the Year award last year, you can probably pitch a profile or how-to article featuring her tips and tricks for inspiring excellence in her students. Think about the people your children know, and then make a list of parents, teachers, coaches, professionals, specialists — anyone you can think of who might be interesting to contact now or in the future. These are all good places to find interview subjects.

What Sources Expect From You

Sources expect you to be courteous and respectful and to communicate clearly what you need and what they can expect. If you will send a copy of the article, say so (if your editor won't take care of it, ask for an extra copy of the publication so you can send the issue to the source). If not, let them know how they can get it. For short interviews, an e-mail thank you is appropriate; for long interviews, a handwritten note should be sent. Use your judgment. Every time you contact an expert, leave the door open for working with them again in the future.

What-Ifs

What if the source wants to “approve” the article before it goes to your editor? There is really only one scenario in which this is appropriate, and that is if you are not sure you understood the quoted material correctly: a statement was hard to hear on the tape, for example, or easily misunderstood. Either way, if you are unsure, simply call the source and run the quote by them verbally. Give them the context, if necessary. But avoid sending transcribed interviews to sources for “approval.” In blunt terms, you didn't ask them to write the interview; you asked them to give you an interview. It's in your capable hands after that.

On the other hand, if you get home, start typing, and realize that you've forgotten something that is a key point, call them up and ask for a few more minutes of their time. For a short request, you might be able to use e-mail. If, as recommended above, you left the door open after the initial interview, your source won't be surprised or perturbed to hear from you. But if he is, emphasize your intention to deliver the best possible interview for readers, and he will appreciate your conscientiousness.

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Interview Practice

When I was assigned an interview in a junior high school class, I was so scared that I interviewed my own mother! So don't think I don't know that interviewing can be scary. That's why your assignment is to conduct two interviews. For the first, come up with five questions on a fairly narrow topic and interview a friend or friend of a friend. Tell her it's just for practice, but put yourself through all the steps. I'd be willing to bet that you quickly learn interviewing is fun and want to do it again.

For the second, stretch yourself by lining up an interview outside your comfort zone. If you've never interacted with an author, that's a good goal. If you're nervous about talking to doctors at prestigious universities, try them. Choose an expert whose input you can use on an upcoming query, and make it a short interview, so you'll actually do it. You don't need to have an assignment in hand as long as you let them know what publication you are aiming for. Ready? Prepare! Dial! You can do it! Once you get going you will never look back.

Rolodex Power

Journalists know they are only as good as the breadth and depth of their Rolodex. But from a more poetic point of view, every person is a doorway to a whole new world when you take the time to ask a few thoughtful questions. And sometimes, people you already know — or meet in passing — make fascinating sources for articles, interviews, and profiles that keep the cash rolling in.

POLLING POWER

Early in my career, when I was overwhelmed and didn't know where to start, I took a closer look at four of my college friends and realized that three of them were working moms trying to stay sane as they juggled work and motherhood. I wasn't a mom yet myself, but when I found a Web site purchasing articles on this topic, I started asking my friends some questions. And they told a friend, who told a friend, and next thing you know — thanks to e-mail — I never ran out of story ideas or sources for my eventual thirteen articles on Bluesuitmom.com. When one of my stories was spotted by a producer on Good Morning America four years later, my daughter and I were flown to New York to chat on live TV with Diane Sawyer. All because I asked a few good friends some nosy questions!

CONNECT LOCALLY

When we moved to a new town so my husband could take a job at the local high school, I didn't know a soul for hundreds of miles. But after I took a gig writing for The Oregonian, I was isolated no more. In fact, four of the recreation stories I covered introduced me to instructors I liked so much that my daughter has attended their swimming, horseback riding, dance, and soccer activities. You can't beat the combination of a steady paycheck with work that gets you out and about connecting with interesting people you might not otherwise meet.

RESHUFFLE YOUR CARDS

If you haven't done so lately, bring your list of contacts up to date. Go through every entry and jot a few notes about what each person does or what words characterize them (like you did in chapter two for yourself): Mom, Poet, Gardener, Business Owner, Lawyer.

When you are done, sort your contacts into lists by their characteristic words. With an electronic Rolodex you can usually use a sorting feature to group your contacts. With the old-fashioned Rolodex, pull out the associated cards and place them next to each other. How many folks do you have in each category? Notice any patterns among them based on what you know about them? Perhaps two columns emerge, coming from opposite perspectives — for example, organic and non-organic gardeners. That's interesting. Perhaps your poets are openly poets or secret poets. Is there an article idea there? No doubt when you are finished brainstorming, you will have some fresh article ideas and a new appreciation for your friends.

PLEASED TO MEET YOU!

Every time you leave the house, you encounter people who are experts. I discovered this when my husband and I attended a reading at a local Barnes & Noble. Afterwards, I took the opportunity to ask the author if I could interview her. She said yes, and I ended up with a long version of the interview, which I pared down and sent to Science of Mind. Because the author was a former United Church of Religious Science minister and Science of Mind is their publication, I had a reply from the editor within twenty-four hours. When I mentioned that there was a longer version, he wanted to see it, and I had a contract.

CAN I COME OVER TO YOUR HOUSE?

I had a hunch that the shop owner of my favorite home décor store in Bellingham, Washington probably had an amazing home. One day while she was restocking shelves, I struck up a conversation about the possibility of shooting some photos. As it turns out, I guessed right: Her home is stunning! I submitted my query to Editor One, who passed it on to an editor at a sister publication (which I had actually queried a year earlier, unsuccessfully). But this time, Editor Two gave me an assignment. (Unfortunately, my source sold her retail store before I received the assignment, but Editor Two assigned me another story, so my efforts still paid off in the long run.) After a couple of pitches and rejections, I placed the eight-page home tour.

WRITE ABOUT AUTHORS YOU LIKE TO READ

If you are a writer, chances are good that you are also a reader. And if you'd like to read books pre-publication, you could probably line up some book review gigs with your local paper based on your genre preference. Or you could interview authors who interest you for profiles and features. Because editors constantly need interviews and profiles related to news, this is a great way to crack publications that might otherwise be difficult for you to break into.

Always look for win-win-win situations: Interview people who interest you, hone your interview writing and profiling skills, and break in to better-paying, wider-circulation publications as you become a more skillful interviewer.