A Freelancer’s Guide to Interviewing (in 2024) — Part 1
I have been talking to people for more than a decade. Here are my best tips.
So, maybe you have written a few articles and want to incorporate some expert opinions into your next one, or maybe you’re curious about writing a profile. Maybe you’ve been assigned a story and told to find some sources.
Fourteen years ago, I found myself going on my first “official” interviews for assignments for my MFA program. I was terrified. I am good at talking to people — I love it — but I had no idea what the rules were, how to reach out and ask someone to be interviewed, and what to actually do once I got there. Did I need a recorder? Ack!
I gathered tips from two good friends who both happened to be excellent journalists (Jennie Latson and Larry Clow). I also picked up good info from my professors. However, more than a decade after I got started interviewing, some things have changed. Here’s an up-to-date guide to getting started with interviews in 2024.
Some things are the same
A good rule of thumb you might have learned in journalism school (or English class) is to have three sources. I find that three is still a good number for me to aim for. It’s good if the sources have different viewpoints (for example, a shop owner and a customer, or…
