Videos are exceedingly popular nowadays, and one type of video that has always garnered a lot of attention is an interview with someone relevant – be it a music artist like Nicki Minaj, a well-known book author, a politician, or any other type of public figure.
With a video interview, you are creating a unique type of content – one that is not only interesting, but refreshing as well – for your target audience. Video interviews are also a good way for you to increase your authority in your niche and make your audience respect and listen to what it is you have to say. However, we should be quick to point out that conducting an interview has its own set of challenges as well.
Following are a few key tips on conducting an excellent (and memorable) interview:
Don’t forget your audience
In the excitement of interviewing someone celebrated for the first time, we often neglect to think of our audience, and focus entirely on the person we are interviewing. But whilst it’s essential to make sure that the person you are interviewing has his say, you should also not neglect what your audience wants to hear. You should have a goal to give your audience the information they are looking for, whether you are interviewing someone for their artistic prowess, their views on the political and social scene, or what-not.
Do your homework
It is also important to make sure that you are amply prepared for your interview. The first step, then, is to learn as much as you can about the person you are set to interview. As an interviewer, even if your objective is to learn something more about the interviewee, you should still make it a point to gather information about them beforehand. At the very least, this should help you come up with the right questions.
Along with this, you should also make sure that all technical details are cleared up in advance, such as the date and time of the interview, where the interview will take place, and the length of time you have for the interview. You should also take care of your equipment for recording the interview and make sure that it works. If you have the budget for it, you can always rely on the services of professional video production companies such as Rawproductions.tv so you can be sure that your video is done well and to exacting standards.
Choose your questions carefully
On the heels of proper preparation and knowledge about your interviewee come the proper questions. It should be your priority to make a list of questions for the interview. Mind you, you don’t have to stick to these questions as the interview progresses – these can just serve as a template or guide for how the interview should go along.
When you prepare your questions, avoid questions that are only answered by yes or no. Be careful as well not to ask too many questions about a certain topic, and when making your questions for the interview, make sure that they are creative yet relevant at the same time. You also have to pay attention to the phrasing of your questions – the right phrasing will allow the interviewee to expound on their answer and help you come up with more interesting follow-up questions as well.
Whilst video production experts such as Raw Productions (check out their services at http://www.rawproductions.tv) are readily available to give your video interview the leverage it needs, a great part still depends on you – your preparation, your attitude, and your aptitude.
Image: Nicki Minaj Interview
