How to Turn an Interview into a Blog Post

There’s no doubt about it: blogging is one of the best tools modern businesses can utilize to excel in today’s market. With 56 percent of marketers who apply the strategy advocating for its effectiveness, there’s little reason why your efforts shouldn’t involve blogging.

Of course, determining what type of content to present to your audience can be a challenge. From identifying potential topics to sourcing references and resources, outlining your strategy might seem like a shot in the dark.

Don’t worry — we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll review one of the best kinds of blog posts you can use to kickstart your blogging journey — or keep it going strong!

Whether you’re a blogging novice or a veteran, here’s everything you need to know about turning an interview into a high-quality blog post.

Why turn an interview into a blog post?

Though it might not be the most popular approach, interview blog posts remain one of the most effective (and easiest) ways to expand your content and provide value to your audience.

So, why should you consider adding interviews to your blogging strategy?

For one, interviews are a surefire way to create unique content. Since the post revolves around the interviewee, readers will get to enjoy an unfiltered look into your subject that they can’t find anywhere else.

Furthermore, an interview gives you access to information you most likely wouldn’t have access to otherwise. For instance, if you’re a fashion boutique, a conversation with one of New York’s top designers could grant you exclusive insight into the season’s next wave of styles.

This leads into the final and most important benefit of them all: credibility.

Though readers will already be inclined to trust an established business or blogger, you’ll need to take things a step further to remain the top expert in your industry. Publishing interview blog posts featuring recognized leaders in the market is a foolproof way to build this sought-after credibility — and maintain it.

Considering that 86 percent of consumers consider a business’s authenticity prior to supporting it, you don’t want to miss incorporating this strategy into your marketing efforts.

So, now that you know the advantages of turning an interview into a blog post, let’s look at the steps you’ll follow to put them into action.

How to Turn an Interview into a Blog Post

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1. Ask good questions during your interview

This is often the most daunting step for bloggers to consider, and sometimes the reason why they avoid conducting interviews in the first place. After all, since the word “interview” holds so much importance, it’s easy to let doubts get in the way of your execution.

Well, there’s good news. If you take a deeper look, you’ll find that interviews aren’t as difficult as you might have assumed. Like most things, there’s a formula to follow that — nine times out of ten — ensures your interview is successful.

This formula starts with your interview questions, which you can outline using the following strategies:

· Ask open-ended questions: Don’t ask questions that your interviewee can answer with “yes” or “no”. Instead, ask open-ended questions that’ll encourage them to think critically about the topic.

· Ask unique questions: Even if your interviewee isn’t a renowned industry superstar, it’s worth double-checking that your questions haven’t been asked before. Remember: you’re trying to provide unique content!

· Ask relevant questions: As an interviewer, you have the incredible opportunity of receiving first hand insight into a topic from an expert. So, take advantage of it by asking questions relevant to your interviewee and their experiences. You can save the off-topic small talk for later.

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2. Record audio of your interview

There’s nothing worse than accidentally misquoting someone, even if it was an honest mistake.

Without an audio recording of your interview, it’s easy to miss out on a juicy piece of exclusive information or — even worse — publish something your interviewee didn’t say.

So, avoid disaster by having a device (or two) ready to capture the conversation. To achieve a high-quality, professional recording, be sure to:

· Use a good microphone: Though you don’t need to spend hundreds on a fancy device, almost anything is better than the stock microphones that come with your smartphone or laptop.

· Be aware of your positioning: Now that you have a quality microphone, make sure you understand how to use it prior to the interview. Review its proper positioning techniques, battery life, and more to prevent awkward tech issues.

· Choose a recording-friendly environment: Cafes and parks might be more comfortable than a studio setting, but the background noise in these environments can easily ruin your recording quality.

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3. Transcribe your interview

No matter how advanced it might be, technology can always find a way to fail us.

Regardless of how much trust you have in your devices, it’s never a good idea to solely rely on them for your interview. Imagine how devastating it would be if you lost an hour-long conversation with a busy industry executive, all because your audio was corrupted — and you didn’t have a physical transcript as a back-up!

So, do yourself a favor by transcribing your interview using one of the following methods. Regardless of which one you choose, remember to keep it as accurate as possible to avoid damaging your credibility.

· Transcribe the interview yourself: This is a more difficult method, but it’s a skill worth developing. Simply grab a notebook or a laptop and prepare to start writing.

· Hire someone else: If you have the resources to spare, hiring another person to transcribe your interview can be of great help. You’ll have the focus necessary to lead the interview wherever you please and the peace of mind knowing everything is being written down.

· Use a transcription service or software: Despite being a newer option, paying for a transcription service or software is another efficient strategy for receiving a written back-up of your conversation. If you're looking for software, check out Descript!

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4. Add a headline and subheadings to your interview blog post

Congratulations! You’ve completed your interview following the steps listed above, and now you’re ready to turn it into a blog post readers will love.

Still, just like you did with your interview questions, you’ll need to create an outline beforehand. Some ways to make your post readable and SEO-friendly include:

· Writing a great headline: If 36 percent of SEO experts claim the headline is the most crucial SEO element, you should be paying particular attention to yours. Consider using a headline analyzer to make yours as effective as possible, and don’t forget to make it compelling — you want to convince readers to keep scrolling!

· Using subheadings wisely: As amazing as your SEO may be, it ultimately won’t matter if your blog post isn’t readable. Use subheadings to break up long sections of text and to “guide” the reader, but not so often that they become a distraction.

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5. Choose the most interesting parts of the interview

It can be difficult to let parts of your transcript go, especially considering how much work you put into preparing questions and more. However, you’ll rarely find yourself needing every sentence from your interview.

If you’re having trouble deciding which parts to keep, review the following considerations:

· Keep it relevant: It’s normal to occasionally go off track during your interview, but you’ll want to avoid including too much filler, or else your readers could lose interest.

· Be aware of your word count: There’s always such a thing as too much information, just as there is the potential to provide too little. Keep it concise.

· Save the most compelling quotes: Adding too many quotes from your interviewee can reduce the impact of their best comments, so don’t be afraid to narrow it down.

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6. Create a narrative

Turning an interview into a blog post provides you with a unique advantage: the ability to edit.

Compared to something less structured, like a podcast, this method allows you to organize quotes and information however you see fit. As such, you can turn the conversation into a narrative that ensures optimum readability using a few simple techniques.

· Follow the story arc: Your blog post doesn’t need to be novel length to follow the traditional story arc. Like any written work, it can benefit greatly from a defined beginning, middle, and end.

· Keep it conversational: Even if you’re covering a stiff business topic, you should maintain a friendly, conversational tone that hooks readers — just write as if you’re telling the story to a friend!

· Start with the most interesting parts: Entice your readers with a compelling introduction that features the most noteworthy parts of your interview, followed by additional context and details.

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7. Make it authentic

Earlier, we mentioned how important it is for businesses to remain authentic to gain consumer trust. This is something you can continue to build upon with your blog content — especially through interviews.

Some ways to show your authenticity include:

· Using your own voice: Customers aren’t coming to your blog to read someone else’s voice; they want yours. Be confident in your unique skills and your authenticity will shine.

· Understanding your audience: Once you’ve identified what makes you special, it’s time to do the same with your audience. Identifying their likes, dislikes, and more will help you craft a consistent voice they will come to recognize.

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8. Use quotes from the interview

You’ll likely have an extensive supply of quotes you’re eager to use after your interview. While your blog post doesn’t need to solely contain comments from the interviewee, it should have a reasonable number of them scattered throughout.

The quotes acquired from an interview blog post present a huge advantage, since they:

· Increase credibility: Readers won’t question your information, as everything you write can be linked back to a qualified source.

· Connect with readers: Even if they seem simple, direct quotes have a huge impact on readers. hey will appreciate your efforts and have more trust in your other content.

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9. End with a closing statement

At this point, you’ve reached the final part of your blog post’s story arc: the conclusion.

Before you let your readers go, take the opportunity to leave a closing statement that reminds them what they’ve learned and how they can put that knowledge into action.

Be sure to include:

· Why you chose the interviewee: This is a good place to provide additional information about your interviewee and thank them again for their input.

· What your reader can learn from them: Discuss how this information could help them in their own lives, highlighting the most valuable points provided by the discussion.

· A final quote: To keep your readers thinking about the interview long after they’ve closed the tab, sign off using a quote from the conversation that is especially memorable or inspiring.

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10. Fact-check the information prior to sharing

Though you’re probably eager to share your finished blog post with the world, you still have one crucial step to complete!

Prior to clicking “publish”, it’s always necessary to fact-check the information presented in your post. Not only will this maintain your credibility, but it will also prevent issues between you and your interviewee should you accidentally link them to inaccurate information.

Once you’re certain every point has been double and triple-checked, you can finally make your hard work available to your readers.

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