Weekend Discussion: Where do You Find Interview Subjects?
by Lorie Witkop
Guest Blogger
Years before I ever contemplated the idea of freelance writing, I
volunteered to write a piece for my college yearbook on the local shopping
scene. I loved browsing the stores on the city’s equivalent of Main
Street, so I thought I had created a great piece. However, it was quickly
returned with comments like, “Who said Chios was ‘a great hippie
hangout’”? Well…I did. My editor immediately saw something I hadn’t yet
realized. All of the clever descriptions in the world weren’t going to
give my piece what it lacked. I needed outside opinions and an authentic
student voice. I needed interviews.
So how do you find these interviews to add weight to your writing? I
prefer to go online. Sometimes getting an interview is as easy as finding
a relevant website and emailing the owner. In my continuing efforts to
geek up any site I touch, I decided to interview a cosplayer for
LoveToKnow Costumes. I typed “cosplay” into Google, picked one of the top
results, and emailed the site owner. Within 24 hours, I had my
interview. When requesting an interview, the appropriate contact
information will most likely be found on a page labeled “Contact Us”,
“Media”, “Press”, or “Public Relations”. Don’t be afraid to dream big,
but smaller site owners may be more willing to agree to an interview to
spread the word about their services.
ProfNet is my
favorite source for expert opinions. The site offers thousands of
professionals in every field imaginable, just waiting to be interviewed.
Plan ahead when using Profnet. You must be validated as a journalist to
access the experts, and you’ll need time to post a query and gather
responses from potential interview subjects.
Another great source for finding interview subjects is the
Interview Requests section of WritersWeekly.com. In addition toappearing on the forum, interview requests are mentioned at the end of the site’s weekly newsletter. While ProfNet is the place to go for experts, I find that WritersWeekly is great for gathering opinions from “average”
people.
Once you’ve secured a willing interview subject, how do you conduct the
interview? I love email interviews because of the convenience. You type
up your questions, and your subject answers at his or her convenience.
I’m also a shy person with a bit of an anti-phone phobia. Coaches giving
their players a final-quarter pep talk had nothing on me trying to rev
myself up for my first phone interview. I have to admit, though,
sometimes I feel guilty about email interviews because the subject is
doing so much of the writing work.
So what is your preferred interview method? How do you find your
interview subjects? Are you a part of the plot to get your interview subject to do all the
work in the name of the “convenience” of email interviews or is it
face-to-face or nothing for you? Do you have any fun horror stories?
Share your thoughts, techniques, and interviewing woes in the comments.
Lorie Witkop is a freelance writer from Michigan who primarily focuses on
online venues. You can see some of her work at http://lwitkop.blogspot.com, or
visit All Info About TeenReading.
Posted
on
Friday, April 20th, 2007 at 4:31 am under
As an old school type, I am not big on email interviews. I can get better info, follow up on questions and so on, by calling. I use a #2 pencil to take notes–graphite goes over the page quicker. I have my own sort of shorthand. One note on Profnet–they also have experts you can search, without putting out a query. I don’t know how we did without them before they were invented.
June 28th, 2007 at 4:32 amI like Profnet too, but I also ask friends and neighbors to help. For instance, when writing an article about college savings plans, I interviewed a neighbor who works with Merrill Lynch.
Email interviews are fine,but I don’t mind doing phone interviews. You can learn a lot more when you hear a person and discuss the different aspects to each question.
June 28th, 2007 at 4:32 amSame here. I do my interviews through email. I am very shy and don’t want to sound unprofessional. I think my writing allows me to be taken seriously. I too wonder if email interviews are unprofessional. Thanks for bringing that up. I can’t wait to read other’s replies.
June 28th, 2007 at 4:33 amI prefer e-mail interviews. 100% accuracy of quotes gives me a sense of security. And wasting time on playing telephone tag with people who say they’ll be in their office at a given time and then, mysteriously, they’re out of the office and never return the call is very frustrating. But about half of the people I contact refuse to answer questions via e-mail. Some are obviously not good at writing. Others prefer to have an out if they take a stand and later change their mind about something.
June 28th, 2007 at 4:33 amMy most regular writing gig is for my undergrad college’s alumni magazine, which means I’m usually given the interview subject(s) upfront. Otherwise, I poke around student forums for students and university/college and government websites for experts.
I absolutely prefer face-to-face or phone in most cases; it makes for a more conversational and spontaneous interview, and I can get relevant details of gesture, tone, and setting to use in longer articles. I’ve had difficulties in the past with email interviews and subjects who weren’t comfortable with writing (non-native speakers, inclined to be technical, terrible grammar, etc.), and trying to draw out a terse subject over email can take longer than over the phone. A 15-minute phone interview might take the subject 45 minutes to think out for email, and I’d have to ask follow-up questions separately instead of having an organic conversation, so it saves time for both of us in the end.
There are definitely times when I do use email, though–vast timezone differences (I just had an article published about a Peace Corps volunteer stationed in Albania), follow-up questions, very brief interviews for background, checking that I have a quote or an explanation of something technical/medical correct, etc.
I think all three methods have strengths and weaknesses, but for in-depth interviews where I want to get a strong idea of the subject’s personality, face-to-face is definitely my first choice.
P.S. I’m definitely shy, and my first few phone interviews terrified me, but now I don’t mind them. I do prefer setting up interview times by email, though!
June 28th, 2007 at 4:33 amBeing deaf, I absolutely love email interviews as well as chat interviews. I’ve written many articles with that approach and it works well for me. Writers Weekly is also a great source for interview subjects.
June 28th, 2007 at 4:34 amThis is a great subject to talk about.
June 28th, 2007 at 4:34 amWhen it comes to finding subjects to interview, I do use Profnet, a lot, but since I write for local parenting publications, I often contact parenting groups to find sources, or I’ll e-mail my group of friends from my son’s preschool, or from my older son’s Scout Troop.
I do my interviews via e-mail or over the phone, but I have to use a tape recorder when I do that (and yes, I do ask their permission, first). I don’t trust my written notes when it comes to quotes, accuracy, etc.
I have done in-person and email interviews. I do not care for phone interviews. With email you have an accurate record of the quotes written by the interviewee themselves so there can be no disputes at a later date that, “I didn’t say that!”
June 28th, 2007 at 4:34 amSince I also work full-time a copywriter, email interviews are the most convenient option for me (however, if I think it will require a phone interview I’ll try to find a source on the west coast so that I can interview them after work, while it’s 4pm for them).
However, if I’m writing a lengthy profile on someone local, I’ll try to meet them on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon so I get a sense of their personality and the nuances of how they move and dress. Amazon.com is a good source for experts. Find a book that’s coming out in 3-6 months and contact the author, who will be in book promotion mode and happy to get ink.
June 28th, 2007 at 4:35 amFantastic topic! As a fellow shy writer, I too prefer email interviews, but have chosen a writing path where phone and face-to-face interviews are more appropriate. I interview musicians about upcoming albums and tours. With phone interviews, I use a fantastic, inexpensive software called Skype that places phone calls over the internet and can record them for easy reference and transcription. With face-to-face interviews, I use a recorder and mics to record the audio–unfortunately most of my interviews remain in an audio format which means more pressure to be prepared and ask the right the questions!
June 28th, 2007 at 4:35 amRecording is a whole different ballgame. I can’t currently record phone conversations, but I type fast and generally confirm the quotes I decide to use by email. I suppose I’m *really* old-school (despite being young!) in that I prefer to take notes. Listening to recordings takes a huge amount of time, and the way my ear “smooths out” the ums and ahs of speech when I take notes is handy.
I’m very careful about confirming quotes and I haven’t had anyone complain yet. *crosses fingers*
June 28th, 2007 at 4:35 amI hadn’t heard of ProfNet. Thanks for the tip. I had been doing what you suggested in any case. I search for websites under the topic I’m interested in and then contact people who appear to have the knowledge I seek. Since I live in Tokyo, email works best for me and the accuracy of quotations certainly is a plus. I’ve always thought of the convenience on their end as well. They can reply when they have time. It can be hard to catch some people on the phone.
Now what do you do when someone doesn’t email back? I’m in this situation now and am under a loose deadline for a monthly article submission. Do I follow up with another email or call? Should I go ahead and try to contact another expert on another topic to have an article ready in case?
Any thoughts anyone?
June 28th, 2007 at 4:36 amPatrizia, I would find a back-up source for the original topic. I’m having to do the same thing for an article I’m writing. What a pain!
June 28th, 2007 at 4:36 amI’m happy to know that email interviews are so accepted…I’m not the greatest phone person and always have to give myself a little pep talk . If only subjects took their email answers as seriously as I do….
http://www.catalogs.com
June 28th, 2007 at 4:36 amEmail interviews are great because:
- They give the respondent a chance to give you his/her answers in their own time frame
- They give you an accurate record of what was and what was not said (can be very important!)
- They help to avoid phone tag.
I tend to ask interview subjects their preference, then go with that.
June 28th, 2007 at 4:37 amI actually had a reporter from NPR’s Marketplace Money find me on Craigslist! She put up a post in the self-employment forum with her contact info and, because I met the profile of someone she wanted to speak with, I responded. She interviewed me at my office after work one evening.
I’ve never had to interview anyone, but I’d like to start doing it. I imagine I’d prefer e-mail interviews because then I would not have to worry about hearing something wrong and misquoting someone.
August 15th, 2007 at 10:21 am