{"id":18720,"date":"2022-02-11T11:47:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T16:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=18720"},"modified":"2022-04-07T15:37:47","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T19:37:47","slug":"conduct-better-interviews-marketers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/conduct-better-interviews-marketers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Ask Questions Like a Journalist (Even if You\u2019re a Marketer)"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 5<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

In a past life, I was a journalist. Okay, I was an amateur<\/em> one at my college newspaper, but I didn\u2019t treat it like a side hustle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A big chunk of my college years were spent in the newsroom, working mainly as a sports editor. While I cared about my classes, I definitely spent more time reporting, writing, and arguing with my friends in that room than I ever spent in the library. Journalism afforded me experiences I still cherish, like speaking with future pro athletes, chatting up legendary coaches, and traveling with teams for big road games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s how I learned how to interview. And in the marketing<\/a> world (where I now work), the simple art of asking questions is fast becoming an essential skill, too\u2014whether you\u2019re writing a blog, hosting a podcast, leading a panel discussion, or just hiring a new teammate. If content is king, asking good questions is the road into the palace.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interview might seem like a challenge\u2014when you\u2019re one-on-one in conversation, there\u2019s nowhere to hide. Many podcasts and webinars are conducted live, putting added pressure on the interviewer. Understanding a few simple tactics can improve these conversations and get the insights you (and your audience) are looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Be thoroughly prepared, research everything, and write out all of your questions before the interview starts. Then, barely refer to them, if you can\u2014because if all goes well, you won\u2019t need to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sticking exclusively to a list of pre-prepared questions will only scratch the surface and yield largely uninteresting (or well-known) answers. Refer to your prep strategically, perhaps to bring up an obscure fact about the individual; that knowledge could impress them, delight them, or make them feel important. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But listen carefully and know your stuff, because the most interesting information from the session will come from natural conversation. Listening\u2014the ability to identify an interesting nugget in an answer and go off-script to explore it further with the right follow-up questions\u2014is perhaps the single most important skill needed to be an interesting, effective interviewer. The best interviews are the ones where things just flow<\/em>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n