Interview-based articles are super hot rn — here's how to do them like a pro
I’m calling it. As of 2026, interview-based articles are the hottest blogging format. And you should trust me on that — most of my income comes from blogging, and I have the privilege of doing it for some of the world’s largest companies. Ya know, the ones with massive SEO and marketing teams tracking how to beat AI from stealing their SERP rankings.
So, given my vast experience and generous nature, I thought I’d give you a crash course on how to plan, conduct, and write an interview-based article. And, if you get to the end and decide it’s a little too tricky for your tastes, you can always hire me to do it for you 😎
Why interviews, tho?
You have AI to (partially) thank for that, friend! Not only are Google’s AI Overviews delivering your insights to searchers without them needing to visit your site or read your words firsthand, but gen AI bots are also scraping your wonderful content to provide answers inside their own platforms.
Although credits have started appearing in these answers, having direct speech and a human voice delivering answers is a refreshing alternative to AI outputs (which are still so often incorrect), and it also sets your content apart from ‘AI slop’ blog posts.
There are more benefits to interview-based content than just getting one over on AI, though. As I just mentioned, direct speech within a post is much more engaging and appealing to our human need for connection and storytelling.
Interviews position your people front and centre, giving them a platform to show off their knowledge while also making your company look sick. You’ve already got the knowledge in-house, babes. Why not put it to work? People LOVE to hear from experts!
How to plan and conduct interviews like a pro
1. Create your outline BEFORE you write your questions
While it’s helpful to keep the body of your article loose so the questions dictate each section/point, it’s also important to have a clear intention. Is it an opinion piece? Educational? Fun puff? Whatever the case, keep the intention in mind throughout the entire process so you can easily flex during the interview. You never know what you’ll dig up during the convo, and a clear goal helps you move freely without losing sight of your intention.
It’s also helpful to have a flow in mind so you can bring the interviewee through the article from top to bottom, so their answers are all informed by context. An example structure would be 1) background info/context, 2) body/argument, 3) takeaways or conclusion, etc. This creates opportunities to get deeper, more unexpected insights from your people. Things a reader couldn’t Google.
2. Plot your question flow to the outline
Okay, now that we know the structure, we can begin listing our questions accordingly. Start with questions that explore the background or context and why now is the time to be focusing on it. Move through into the body of the piece with three or four questions that dig into your subject matter, and then finish with questions which explore the future or give action points or takeaways.
3. Do your research on the interviewee
This is a handy tip I picked up from my music journalism work, but I use it for corp clients, too. I dig around on my interviewee’s LinkedIn, look at previous places they’ve worked, roles they’ve had, initiatives they’ve been involved with. Give ‘em a good old Google. If they’re a public figure or have done a lot of press, you can trawl previous interviews and podcast appearances — they may have dropped a fact or opinion in the past that you can use in your line of questioning. Which brings us on to…
4. Wrap your context into your question
Let me start by telling you what we absolutely won’t do (unless your situation literally calls for it): we’re not going to ask basic, generic-ass questions that anyone could Google. We’re also not going to ask questions that elicit a yes-or-no response. Instead, you’re going to drop the context into the question and then ask something that prompts your interviewee to give their opinion. For example:
❌ Why is short-form video so critical to marketing right now?
✅ Most brands are making short-form video content to please algorithms, but attention spans are shrinking, and it's getting harder to stand out. In your opinion, why is short form still worth the investment?
That way, your interviewee doesn’t waste time covering the basics. Instead, they’re putting most of their time and effort into sharing their unique insights with you. And that’s what this is all about!
5. Leave space for tangents and exploration
In my experience, some of the best nuggets I’ve turned up in interview settings are the things I hadn’t planned for. To catch your own nuggets, don’t wed yourself to the structure of your interview questions — leave room to explore tangents or ask off-shoot questions if something piques your interest.
Putting your answers to work
I’d recommend using an AI-based transcription tool (I use Otter.ai) to record the interview while also getting an instant transcript. It’ll allow you to easily navigate your transcript during your write-up, search for key words and phrases, and make the business of typing the quotes much faster. ’d also recommend recording your interview via your video conferencing software and in QuickTime. You can never record in too many places, let me tell ya!
If you’ve followed your plan, you should be able to pull out the answers in chunks and pop them into the outline you made. Pick the most valuable quotes (usually the ones with personal opinions or experiences in them!) to use as direct speech and edit the rest of the insights into the body of the post itself, so you’ve got a good mix of speech and written word. Weave them in to keep the reader engaged.
When you’re all done and the post is up out in the world, tag your interviewee so they can repost or comment on it themselves to magnify reach. Et Voila!