How to Give a Great Interview

Pin It

Kathy Cano-Murillo, contributor

1 user recommends

The Crafty Chica knows how to hold a crowd spellbound with her fantastic energy and can-do spirit. In this post, Kathy shares her secret.

(Photo courtesy of Alisa of San Diego via Flicker)

Add Comment
Print

You’ve worked hard to build your business, refine your designs, and build your brand. Now you have people knocking on your door asking to interview you for their blog, magazine, or podcast. Congrats!

Once the excitement subsides, it’s time to take a deep breath and prepare for the event. Every interview is an opportunity to share your work and vision with hundreds, if not thousands of people. Do it right, and you will drive traffic to your business and maybe even score a few golden referrals.

I’ve spent years on both sides of the questions and gathered a list of tips for making the most of your time in the spotlight.

• Send the interviewer a list of interesting facts ahead of time about yourself that he/she can build questions around. Many times, interviewers will go off the info on your site, but if you have anything out of the ordinary, they will want to know!
 
• Always submit a headshot and a picture of your work.

• Make sure all the info on your website bio is correct and updated. There is nothing worse than seeing errors in print because they were cut and pasted from your site!

• Focus on the question, and answer it specifically. Do not get sidetracked and veer into another direction. Time is limited, and you want to make sure to get all the good stuff in. Plus, the clearer and more concise your answers are, the less chance your words will be taken out of context.

• Jot down a list of topics you want to include in your interview so you don’t forget them.

• Do your best not to repeat the same information over and over. If you have an interesting story to share, pick out bits and pieces so each interview will be different and exciting for the reader/listener.

• Always edit and proofread your answers if it is an e-mail interview.

• While it is good to keep your answers tight, you don’t want to be too skimpy. Do your best to mention specific examples of what you are talking about. Try to “show’ instead of “tell.” You can do this by storytelling. For example, if you say, “I used to sell my art on weekends,” you can say, “Every Saturday morning, I used to load up 30 glittered chihuahua banks in my '49 Chevy and haul them to the corner flea market…”

• Brush up on your grammar. If you are doing a live interview or a demo, practice different ways to deliver your presentation.

• Read other interviews and take note of what you like about them. See how you can do your own version. Remember, the whole point is to draw new people to your business. The more captivating you seem, the higher the interest.

• Always remember to plug your website, book, product, etc. Make sure to repeat the interviewer's contact information, and don’t forget to thank him or her!

You can read a review of The Crafty Chica's new book, The Crafty Chica's Guide to Artful Sewing, here.

Enter to win a copy of your own here.

Add Comment Print

Super Tips on How to Score a Great Interview  

Back to List

Cathy of California Is on the Martha Show!