Six Must-Ask Interview Questions
Six simple questions that can mean new leads, new stories, more $$
Sep 23, 2009
For freelance magazine writers, personal interviews with experts and others provide the foundation for our articles. Without real people to quote, we wouldn't have a story. But too often we get the answers we need for our current assignment or query, and there we stop.
If we want to get more assignments, earn more money, and get better bylines, that's a mistake. Asking interviewees just a few simple questions can help us transform a single, current idea into multiple spin-off assignments.
While interviewing an obstetrician for ePregnancy Magazine, Pennsylvania freelancer Lisa Beamer recalled hearing about an innovative pre-natal care program at the medical center where the doctor worked. Once her must-ask questions were out of the way, she mentioned the program and the doctor was happy to talk about it.
“I pitched a feature to my editor, and it turned into another assignment,” Beamer says.
Could that have been any easier?
Money-Making Questions
Not all of the following questions will be right for every interview. But adding even two or three to the conversation can lead you to a variety of new markets, new angles, and entirely new article ideas.
“Where do you live?" Sometimes all we know about a subject is her phone number, her area of expertise, and what time zone she’s in. While we're busy getting stories for national publications, though, we shouldn’t overlook stories that would also work for regional publications, city magazines, or even the local newspaper -- markets we won’t know about unless we ask.
“What’s the most unusual/best/remarkable. . . ?” New York-based writer Lisa Collier Cool says, “I've found that there's a good market for dramatic medical stories, so whenever I'm talking to doctors or hospital publicists, I always mention my interest in unusual medical stories.
"While I was interviewing a fetal surgeon for a Good Housekeeping article on experimental surgery, I asked the doctor what was the most unusual case he ever had. He mentioned one where he removed a tumor from a fetus that was bigger than the fetus!
"My ears perked up and I got all the information, then sold the story to Self.”
Cool ended up earning $7,500 for that second assignment.
“Where did you go to school?” If your source attended a large college or university, the institution probably publishes an alumni magazine. Editors at these magazines never tire of hearing from good writers with interesting stories about noteworthy former students.
“Do you have any religious or fraternal affiliations?” There are literally dozens of religious, denominational, and fraternal publications that would be interested in running a story on "one of their own."
“What are three things people don’t know about you?"For Rhode Island writer Lisa Palmer, this question leads to multiple story angles for a wide variety of publications. “I profiled a professional golfer for a regional lifestyle publication. His answer to this question was: ‘I am addicted to the TV show 24. I collect books about golf courses and the architecture of golf. And I love sushi and will eat things like octopus -- the more unusual, the better.”
Answers like that can lead to articles for a wide variety of consumer and trade magazines. For example, that one question gave Palmer follow-up ideas for magazines dealing with entertainment, lifestyles, and food.
“Do you know anyone else who. . . ?” Your sources can lead you to additional contacts and additional stories to sell. But you won’t know who they know without asking.
“I write home and garden features,” says Indiana freelancer Gretchen Roberts, “and I always ask, ‘Do you know of anyone else with a magazine-worthy home or garden?’ Chances are, if the owner has a snazzy house, she'll know others who do as well.”
Thanks to a referral, Roberts was able to impress an editor at Organic Gardening with one of her pitches. “He liked my style and started assigning me pieces. I’ve been writing for him ever since.”
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Interested in freelance writing for magazine and book publishers? The American Society of Journalists & Authors is the premier organization for nonfiction freelancers, with many resources available to non-members.
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