How to Interview Complete Strangers for a News Story

These three would make good interview subjects since they can't really run away.

News writing is not an arena in which you can be shy, especially when you’re sent on the street to get the next big story. You’ll often find you will have to interview complete strangers for a news story, something that may send shivers down your spine. With some simple tips, however, you can interview complete strangers for a news story with complete success. Here’s how.

Things You'll Need

• Courage
• Notebook and pen
• Identification and business cards

Instructions

1. Pick your subject with care. Look for a person who seems intelligent, not in too much of a hurry and not on drugs. Don’t approach the man sleeping on the park bench or the woman juggling 10 bags of groceries and two small children. Also refrain from interviewing anyone who doesn’t speak the same language you do unless they happen to have an interpreter nearby.

2. Grab the person’s attention. Walking up to someone and saying, “Hi, I’m John Doe from the Daily Telegram,” is not all that captivating. Approaching a person with an interesting question is more the way to go. “Do you care that gas is $4 per gallon?” “Where are you going to shop now that this supermarket is closing?” “Did you hear tomatoes carry salmonella?”

3. Explain who you are and what you’re doing once you’ve got their full attention. A complete stranger will usually be more apt to talk further once you tell them you’re working on the late breaking “Dangers of Tomatoes” story for the Daily Telegram.

4. Show your identification and hand them a business card. Get them to trust you even further by pointing out your prominently displayed Daily Telegram ID tag and handing them a business card.

5. Immediately ask more intriguing questions before they change their mind about discussing killer tomatoes. While you’ll want their name, of course, sometimes it’s best to save that question for the end once they’ve already opened up and feel comfortable with you.

Tips & Warnings

• Pick questions that matter to them. See what they are wearing, if they have kids with them, where they are going to gauge the kind of lifestyle they have and tailor your questions accordingly. A woman with stroller may want to discuss tomatoes in toddler food. A man in a business suit might open up if you ask about the salad bar he frequents for lunch.

• Encourage them. Tell them things like, “That’s a great answer,” “What interesting information you just gave me,” and “This will make an excellent story, thank you!”

• Don’t forget to thank them, thank them, thank them! It’s not always easy to interview a complete stranger, but it’s so fulfilling, and worthy of thanks, when it works out.

• Don’t intimidate people by marching up to them with pen poised on notebook ready to write down their first utterance. Get them comfortable with you and then start taking notes. You can always ask them to repeat an early answer if you missed writing it down.

• Don’t get discouraged. Complete strangers are often a hard sell and some people distrust the media. If a door slams in your face, so what. Think of it as skin thickening and use it to fuel your determination to find a meaningful interview.