I don’t usually do self-promotion. But I’ve been doing so many shows lately I wanted to talk about the process and promote the great interviewers I’ve spoken with recently. Interviews not only give you a chance to share your ideas, but if you pay attention to the questions and your answers you can learn a lot about yourself.

I did a really FUN interview with Angela Schaefers a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know if I’m getting better at being interviewed, or if she is just that good, but it’s probably both! The interview will post on the Your Story Matters radio show tonight at 9pm/EST & tomorrow at 8am/GMT. The link to the site is: http://yourstorymatters.net/category/radio-show and will be posted and available on the site after the live streaming. I’ll post that link later!

I also spoke to Dave Thackery from Inspiradio prior to Angela’s interview. Dave is in the UK and was one of several interviews I’ve done overseas. I also spoke to NPR in the Netherlands a while back. All of those interviews have led to additional ones.

The reason all were great interviews was that they were familiar with my story. They took time to read up on me, to watch the TED Global video and to find out what they could about me BEFORE they interviewed me. As a journalist I did this myself, although the majority of journalists I worked with over the years did NOT and it was not encouraged at the Landmark newspaper I was at because the editor considered it “a waste of time.” Then she wondered why we never won any awards…. lol!!!

Think of pre-interview research like looking at a map before you start off on a trip. The more information you have, the easier it is to take a different route to where you want to go if one route doesn’t work. If you research your subject before you interview them you have a better idea of what not to say (like endorsing or being enthusiastic about a topic/product they hate) to get the best interaction possible. Plus, most celebrities HATE answering the same questions over and over and tend to give a canned response. You won’t get a great interview if you can’t come up with something different and RELEVANT to ask.

I remember interviewing Country Music star Alan Jackson years ago when his daughters were young. In doing my research I found out he HAD three girls, but never read anything about them or his relationship with them. So when I interviewed him I asked him about his daughters, his relationship with them and what his most critical piece of advice for them, as a father, was. (It was to NEVER need to depend on a man financially) Readers loved it because it revealed a very human and personal side of Jackson they hadn’t seen before.

When Dave interviewed me he asked about how I managed to get all the great testimonials on my website. He’d obviously spent time ON my website - kudos to him! John Furst, one of the top 100 email marketing genius’ in the WORLD happens to be a friend of mine and a long-time supporter of what I’m about. Unbeknownst to me, John solicited the testimonials on my behalf and surprised me with them. John is not only an awesome marketing genius - he’s a good friend. He cares. He treats his clients with the same consideration and caring that he treats his friend. HIRE HIM!!! if you can get him. He’s generally booked, but if you can get him to work with you - he TOTALLY rocks! Seriously. That testimonial piece was a great story and Dave picked up on it and asked about it.

Angela asked for more information and spent time learning my story as well. If you’re going to do podcast interviews with people there are several things YOU can do to make them fascinating:

• Do your research prior to the interview. Give yourself a few days for this - depending on the notoriety of the subject. If they’re well-known it will take you longer to read what’s out there. Request a press or media kit if they’re a celebrity. That will contain the basic information/stories about them and will give you a foundation to build on, but don’t focus on that or you’ll simply be regurgitating what everyone else is saying.
• Read their twitter feed. What do they tweet about and why? Follow the links and the retweets! Check to see who they follow and who follows them. Lots of info there!
• Read any and all articles, mentions, and even complaints or criticisms about them. I am highly criticized for saying I was homeless by the segment of the homeless population who believes that unless you’re sleeping in a gutter and an addict or dependent on a shelter for food that you’re not truly homeless. According to any state, federal and local regulations however - I was homeless - meaning “not living or abiding in a permanent shelter designed for human habitation.” Knowing that criticism is out there opens up a great window for discussion on what homelessness really is. Explore the criticisms though, don’t challenge the person on them.
• Ask them what causes or books or projects they’re working on or would like to “plug” or promote. These are typically things they’re passionate about and prompting them to promote them will give you some different directions to pursue - such as (1) how they became involved (2) why they became involved (3) what they hope to do with the project in the future etc

Who to Interview and How:

The reason journalists like to interview average citizens at the scene of a fire or crime scene or accident is that viewers and readers believe them. They don’t usually have an agenda. They speak honestly, although sometimes not very articulately - making them authentic. So non-celebrities and up and coming stars often make the best interview subjects for that very reason. They haven’t been coached on what to say. They tend to be more authentic and in the moment, and they have a story not everyone has heard and they’re passionate about what they’re talking about.

If you’re looking for people to interview, try interviewing people in the industry or profession who blog about their passion and interest. They’re more likely to agree to an interview and will promote it (and you!) after the fact. There aren’t many people who don’t enjoy being interviewed and getting a chance to talk about themselves, so start looking. If you have a favorite blog, or read a news story you’re interested in, contact the person via email and tell them what you want. If they say “No,” move on to the next person. Have a website or blog they can check out before they agree to the interview. If they ask why you want to interview them, be honest. Tell them you find them fascinating, or odd, or funny or whatever and that you think YOUR readers will too.

Things you should know about interviewing people not used to being interviewed:

• Use short questions. Don’t ramble on and on about some topic and then ask the question at the end. They won’t be following you and won’t answer the question you want answered. While you’re talking they’re listening for what you want THEM to comment on. For instance, a reporter may recap the economy to a subject: “The unemployment rate is up to 16% here and the mayor is warning of even more cuts in the budget. City council will be meeting for a workshop this week to see if they can make cuts before the mayor does, but it doesn’t look good. What do you think about the upcoming cuts?”
• Instead, ask: “How will you be affected if the mayor makes the budget cuts he’s proposing?”
• Ask open ended questions, not questions that can be answered “Yes,” or “No.” This forces the subject to elaborate or talk more - helpful if they’re shy or scared by the interview.
• Start with easy questions and add tougher or more thought provoking questions as the interviewee becomes relaxed.
• Prior to your interview (for podcasting etc) talk to the person without recording them to get a feel for what is important to them and to let them know what questions you want to ask. Don’t go into too much detail because that will spoil the spontaneity of the answer and sound rehearsed.
• Don’t interrupt when the person is talking. You can edit out long-winded replies later. “Stepping” on their words with an interruption makes editing a difficult process. If the person is a talker - like me - ask them to limit their answers to 15-30 seconds by reminding them, “We have a lot of great things to address in this interview and I want to get to them all. If you can limit your answers to less than a minute I think we can do that!”

Podcasting and interviews are FUN! Don’t get all worked up about perfection. Have fun, be real. More on the whole topic later, but this should get you started!