It is fairly common knowledge that public relations requires strong writing skills…but interview skills? As PR professionals develop news releases and feature stories to support communication goals, it’s important to write and think like a journalist. This means interviewing with tenacity and tact.
In order to construct newsworthy, accurate pieces worth distributing to the media, you have to make an effort to get the facts and conduct the groundwork that creates interesting quotes. Nowadays, many colleges actually require “reporting” class as part of the public relations curriculum. This added practice interviewing people in the field strengthens one’s ability to ask the right questions and get quotes with personality.
Here are a few tips to consider:
- Research your interview subject in advance – don’t waste time on unnecessary questions.
- Have open-ended questions prepared (in-hand or in-head), so you don’t stumble awkwardly…
- But allow questions to develop as your subject responds.
- Be engaging and help the subject feel comfortable.
- Take good notes / record the interview (with permission), and transcribe information immediately to retain details.
- Gather relevant personal facts, including name, title, organization, age (as appropriate) and form of contact in case of follow-up.
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