How to prepare for an interview

If you’re an executive, senior manager or subject matter expert, contributing to the marketing department will be a part of your role. You are a representation of your brand and it is marketing's job to put that message forward—and they benefit from your input.

At some point, you'll sit down for an interview with a content writer. Many people find the idea intimidating. Yet if you are ready, you'll have nothing to worry about.

How to prepare

Marketing vs. media interview: A marketing interview with a content writer differs from a media interview. Your marketing team will commission an interview. You should expect opportunities to review, alter and approve the material. You can be relatively candid during an interview with a content writer. In contrast, you will have no approval control of a media interview. You can request to see the resulting material, but the interviewer is under no obligation to agree.

Know the process: Be mindful that the further you are into the process, the more complicated and expensive it will be to make changes. For example, shooting a marketing video interview and deciding on the raw edit that you don't like the message will cost time and money to shoot new footage. Ask your marketing contact to give an overview of the process.

Expect a brief: Ask for a brief from your marketing team, written either by them or the interviewer (a brief can also be oral). The brief should give a synopsis of the topic, the intended audience, where the material could appear, and potential questions or talking points. The brief can also reveal other considerations, such as the length of the interview, if there is a dress code (in case of video or photos), and what you shouldn't discuss (such as sensitive topics).

Marketing representation: Are you comfortable being on your own? Would you like a marketing person present? It's marketing's job to represent your interests. That person is your liaison during the interview and your shield from any issues. They manage the process and the allocated time, and answer questions that might not be in the brief.

Check the format: Your interview will contribute to a video or a written article. It might be content about market trends or an official view on something topical. The resulting material might be a thought leader piece (similar to an opinion column), an article (which will quote you), a use case (explaining a product or service), a customer story (revealing your or a customer's experience and outcome), a Q&A (a question-answer format), or a mix of different elements. Your interview might also be used as source material for marketing and sales enablement materials like whitepapers, infographics, sales decks, video scripts and more. Be sure to check which format the final material will take.

Branding vs. editorial: Check how far you can take branding. Some marketing material might be for editorial use, in which case you can't explicitly mention your brand, services or products.

Add your personality: People relate better to messages that have a human quality. Metaphors and relatable examples are powerful in this respect, especially if they reflect something of your personality, world view or vision. Use your strengths: if you like a particular sport or hobby, use it. But keep it broad. Your audience might relate to a general metaphor but not a point that requires specific knowledge. For example, you can talk about red cards and goalies but avoid mentioning the names of specific players or matches.

Interview vs. written answers: You can sometimes request to submit written answers. If you have a knack for writing, you can compose your answers. Alternatively, you can create information points that a content writer uses to write final answers. Lastly, if you have access to a writer who understands your message, they can ghost-write the answers. Don't just copy-and-paste information from other sources - this will make the writer's job much harder.

Q&A vs. conversation: Will your interview be a traditional question-answer session? Do you prefer talking at length, and the interviewer interjects with clarifying questions? Know which will work better for you.

Decide on specific points: Every good piece of marketing orbits a few specific and related points. The content writer will look for such points and construct a narrative. You can give them a lot of information and leave those decisions to them. But the more you focus on specific points, the more you can control the final narrative. You don't need many points – in fact, less is often better - yet consider how those points come across. Your marketing team may also have some key points they want you to include.

Research: Research for an interview is always valuable. You will have those areas you know well and can speak about confidently. But do you have some contemporary and recent examples? Do you have any useful statistics or figures? The best way to give reliable off-the-cuff information is to research beforehand. Even a few useful statistics from a recent research report will help the copywriter and make you look even more confident.

Dress code: If you are doing a phone call with the interviewer, the dress code won't matter. But if it's a video shoot or someone might be taking photos, you want to dress accordingly. If you’re doing a podcast or radio interview, don’t assume it will be audio only – many broad- and podcasters record their interviews for visual channels too.

What to expect afterwards: Once the interview concludes, the writer or video editor will create the first draft. Your marketing team will review this version and ask you to do the same. Use the opportunity - the earlier in the process you can note issues, the simpler it will be to make changes. Yet avoid being a sub-editor who hunts down grammar or spelling mistakes. You can note such errors, but that is someone else's responsibility. However, take your role seriously: many people rely on your approval as the final and most crucial step.

When it comes to content writing, you’re in control. You can expect people to brief you and expect to see the outcome before it is used. Just remember that many people are involved in this process so the more you consider their time and effort, the smoother things will go.