Tips for Conducting Email Interviews

Once upon a time, as recently as three years ago, even, email interviews were uncommon and often considered an undesirable option. But in a post-COVID-19 environment, the value of email interviews has become apparent. 

In a world that must use digital tools to stay connected when separated by something as powerful as a pandemic, egos are not necessarily part of the equation – despite email interviews being touted as not “real” or otherwise a “last resort.” Now that their value has risen, it is evident that what was missing in the past was a niche of responsibility that these email interviews could occupy and still deliver important results. In being forced to explore this resource, journalists have uncovered a few tips for working over email.

OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS WORK BEST

One of the key things missing from email interviews is tone, cadence, or any piece of human nuance that can’t be interpreted simply through text, so specific or leading questions do not elicit the desired effect. For example, a tricky question can be craftily answered when the respondent has time to think about and shape the answer, compared to an interview in person where they may get flustered (and the flustered response IS the answer). Using open-ended questions offers not just a way to avoid this, but also a way to create a comfortable space for the person to discuss their expertise and experience.

IF YOU TREAT IT LIKE A SUBPAR FORM OF COMMUNICATION,, IT WILL BE A SUBPAR FORM OF COMMUNICATION. 

Freelance journalist S.E. Smith says that journalists’ approach to email is hesitant, pejorative, and often pedantic, which couldn’t be further from what they should be doing:

“They are formulaic, bland and add nothing of interest to the piece. They are often written in a way that presupposes or prompts the answer, and not out of a sense of genuine curiosity.”

Instead, Smith says, email interviews should be treated exactly the same as live interviews. “The goal should be to take advantage of the source’s expertise/experience, not to repeat information that is obvious and readily publicly available.”

LOOK FOR INSIGHTS, NOT SOUNDBITES 

Another major mistake that freelance journalists will often make is to seek out simple, easy-to-obtain soundbites from the person they are approaching rather than engaging the person in a conversation that will lead to more information. Canadian freelancer Luke Ottenhof says this method can lead to more “nuance and clarity”:

“I think journalists can (tend to) treat email questions/interviews as just ‘I need X quote so I will ask X questions to elicit exactly that response.’ That’s unfair and a bit disrespectful… Don’t treat it any differently than you would an in-person interaction. Give people time, agency, etc. It makes for a better story, and it’s just the right thing to do, not treating people like a quote machine for your work.”

The issue underlying this, Ottenhoff says, is that journalists are liable to treat their less personally-engaged interviews as “different” or “less than” rather than trying to keep their exceptional conversation skills on the forefront of email communication.

CONSIDER QUESTION ORDER

Much like a real conversation or interview, jumping straight into touchy topics or questions is a recipe for disaster. However, making your key topic clear from the get-go is also very important so that the interviewee is clear you are not there to waste their time. After that, consider scaffolding questions appropriately so that you can elicit an open, genuine response from the interviewee. This will make the difference between a useful email interview and a not so useful one.

BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT FROM THEIR ANSWERS

Most often, journalists are after things that demonstrate the truth, such as statistics, data, experiences, and expert opinions, but over text, interpreting these can be more complicated. Ask your interviewee for exactly what you want. If it’s data you’re after, ask them to back up their answer with data. If it’s an example to set the stakes and present images more clearly for readers, ask for those things. If you are not given those things when you clearly ask for them, that too may provide more insight into the truth.

Making sure your interviewee feels like you are interested in what they have to say will elicit the best answers and even open the door to more discussion for your piece. Even though nothing really ever beats interacting in person, resources should be culled from when they can be, and no resource – even one that’s not ideal – is ever a bad thing when trying to work with what’s possible in our new, changed world.