Interview Template | Content Templates | Rankwise

The Art of the Compelling Interview

Great interviews do more than capture words—they reveal wisdom, challenge assumptions, and create moments of genuine insight. In an era of AI-generated content, authentic human conversations become increasingly valuable, offering perspectives and stories that can't be synthesized.

The best interviews feel like eavesdropping on a fascinating conversation between friends, yet they're carefully orchestrated to extract maximum value for the audience. When someone searches for "[expert name] interview" or "[topic] insights," they're seeking not just information but perspective, context, and the human story behind the expertise.

Why Interviews Drive Exceptional Value

Unique Content: Every interview is inherently original, impossible for competitors to replicate.

Authority by Association: Featuring respected experts elevates your brand's credibility.

Network Effects: Guests share interviews with their audiences, expanding your reach exponentially.

Evergreen Insights: Well-conducted interviews remain valuable for years, especially with visionary guests.

Multi-Format Potential: One interview becomes a blog post, podcast, video, social clips, and email content.

Preparing for Interview Excellence

The Research Deep Dive

Before pressing record, become an expert on your expert:

Background Research Checklist:

Read their last 10 blog posts or articles
Watch their recent presentations or interviews
Review their book(s) or major publications
Study their career trajectory and pivotal moments
Understand their contrarian or unique viewpoints
Note what they're promoting currently
Find the questions they've never been asked

The Anti-Pattern: Avoid questions they've answered 100 times. Find fresh angles on familiar topics.

Crafting Questions That Unlock Insights

The Question Architecture:

Level 1: Warm-Up Questions (Build rapport)

"What's the most exciting project you're working on right now?"
"What initially drew you to [field]?"

Level 2: Expertise Questions (Establish authority)

"You've said [controversial statement]. Can you elaborate?"
"How has your thinking on [topic] evolved over the years?"

Level 3: Story Questions (Create engagement)

"Tell me about a time when [specific challenge]..."
"What's the biggest mistake you've made in [area]?"

Level 4: Prediction Questions (Generate headlines)

"Where do you see [industry] in 5 years?"
"What's the one thing everyone in [field] gets wrong?"

Level 5: Personal Questions (Build connection)

"How do you personally deal with [common challenge]?"
"What would you tell your 25-year-old self?"

The Pre-Interview Brief

Set your guest up for success:

Subject: Interview Prep - [Date] at [Time]

Hi [Guest Name],

Looking forward to our conversation! Here's everything you need:

**Technical Setup**:

- Platform: [Zoom/Platform link]
- Duration: 45 minutes
- Format: Video (camera optional but preferred)
- Recording: Yes, for [blog/podcast/video]

**What We'll Discuss**:

- Your journey to [current position]
- Your perspective on [topic 1]
- The future of [industry/topic]
- Advice for [target audience]
- Your new [book/project/initiative]

**No Prep Needed**: This will be a natural conversation. I've done my homework so we can skip the basics and dive into the interesting stuff.

**After the Interview**:

- I'll send you the draft for fact-checking
- Publication date: [Date]
- We'll promote across [channels]

Any questions? Reply here or text me at [number].

Best,
[Your name]

Conducting the Interview

The Opening Dynamics

Start strong but ease into depth:

The Soft Open: "Before we dive in, how's your day going?" (Builds rapport, relaxes guest, reveals mood)

The Context Set: "Our audience is primarily [description]. They're really interested in [topics]." (Helps guest calibrate responses)

The Permission Grant: "Feel free to go deep—we can always edit for clarity." (Encourages detailed responses)

Active Listening Techniques

The Follow-Up Probe: Guest: "That project failed spectacularly." You: "Failed how? Walk me through what happened."

The Clarification Request: Guest: "We increased efficiency by 300%." You: "Help me understand—what does that look like in practice?"

The Devil's Advocate: Guest: "Remote work is the future." You: "Some argue it kills innovation. How do you respond?"

The Emotional Dig: Guest: "It was a challenging time." You: "How did that feel in the moment?"

Managing Interview Flow

The Redirect: When answers drift off-topic "That's fascinating. Bringing it back to [original question]..."

The Time Bridge: When running short on time "I want to be respectful of your time. Two more questions..."

The Golden Quote Hunt: When you need something quotable "If you had to sum that up in one sentence..."

The Surprise Pivot: To get unexpected insights "Complete change of direction—what's your guilty pleasure?"

Structuring the Published Interview

The Compelling Introduction

Hook readers immediately:

The Accomplishment Lead: "Sarah Chen has failed more times than most people try. As the founder of three unicorn startups and two spectacular failures, she's learned that the path to success is paved with intelligent mistakes. We sat down with Sarah to discuss risk, resilience, and why she believes failure is a competitive advantage."

The Contrarian Lead: "Everyone in marketing is obsessed with AI. Marcus Rodriguez thinks they're looking in the wrong direction. The CMO of Fortune 500 company TechCorp believes human creativity is about to experience a renaissance. Here's why he's betting against the robots."

The Story Lead: "At age 16, Jennifer Park was sleeping in her car. At 35, she's running a $100M nonprofit that's housed 10,000 homeless youth. This is the conversation about how rock bottom became her foundation."

The Question-Answer Format

Standard Format:

**You've said that traditional marketing is dead. That's a bold claim. Can you elaborate?**

Traditional marketing assumed you could interrupt people into caring about your product. You bought attention through ads, hoping some would convert. But we're living in an attention recession. People have installed ad blockers in their minds, not just their browsers.

Modern marketing is about earning attention through value. Instead of interrupting what people want to watch, become what they want to watch. Red Bull doesn't run ads about energy drinks—they create content about extreme sports. They became a media company that happens to sell beverages.

The brands winning today are publishers, educators, and entertainers first, sellers second. Traditional marketing isn't just dead—it's counterproductive. Every interruption erodes trust.

**How should brands make this transition?**

[Continue...]

Pull Quote Integration:

Break up long sections with highlighted quotes:

"Every interruption erodes trust. Modern marketing is about earning attention through value."

The Insight Extraction

After Q&A, synthesize learnings:

Key Takeaways from Sarah Chen:

Fail Fast, Learn Faster: "I give new projects 90 days to show traction. No traction? Kill it and move on."
Network Before You Need It: "Build relationships when you don't need anything. It's the only authentic way."
Focus Beats Intelligence: "I'm not the smartest founder. But I'm the most focused on one problem."
Money Follows Mission: "Every successful company started by solving a real problem, not chasing a market."
Rest Is Productive: "I do my best thinking on vacation. Burnout is a lack of imagination."

The Rapid-Fire Round

End with energy:

## Quick Questions with Sarah

**Morning routine?** "5 AM workout, no exceptions. Physical energy creates mental energy."

**Can't live without?** "Noise-canceling headphones. Deep work requires deep silence."

**Biggest misconception about success?** "That it feels good. Success is mostly anxiety with occasional moments of satisfaction."

**Book that changed your life?** "'The Hard Thing About Hard Things' by Ben Horowitz. It normalized struggle."

**Advice to your younger self?** "Trust your weird ideas. The conventional path leads to conventional results."

**What's next?** "Teaching. I want to help 1,000 entrepreneurs avoid my mistakes."

Optimizing Interviews for Discovery

SEO for Interview Content

Title Formulas:

"[Guest Name] on [Compelling Topic]: Exclusive Interview"
"[Guest Name] Reveals [Surprising Insight] in New Interview"
"How [Guest Name] [Achieved Result]: Full Interview"
"[Guest Name]: '[Quotable Quote]' - Interview"

Meta Description: "Exclusive interview with [Guest Name], [credentials]. Discover their insights on [topic], [controversial opinion], and [practical advice]. Key quotes and takeaways included."

Multi-Channel Distribution

Maximize interview reach:

Content Atomization:

Full interview (blog post)
Video clips (social media)
Quote graphics (Instagram/LinkedIn)
Audio podcast (Spotify/Apple)
Email newsletter feature
Thread summary (Twitter/X)
Key insights (LinkedIn article)

Guest Collaboration:

## Promotion Kit for Guest

Thanks for the amazing interview! Here's everything for easy sharing:

**Quick Share Links**:

- Full interview: [link]
- 2-minute video clip: [link]
- Podcast episode: [link]

**Social Media Copy** (feel free to modify):

LinkedIn:
"Had a fascinating conversation with [Interviewer] about [topic]. We discussed [insight 1], [insight 2], and why [controversial take]. Full interview here: [link]"

Twitter/X:
"Just did an interview on [topic] with @[handle]. Key insight: [quotable quote]

Full conversation: [link]"

**Quote Graphics**:

- [Download graphic 1]
- [Download graphic 2]
- [Download graphic 3]

**Email Template**:
Subject: My recent interview on [topic]

I recently sat down with [Interviewer] to discuss [topics]. We went deep on [specific area] and I shared some thoughts on [controversial topic] that you might find interesting.

[Link to interview]

Advanced Interview Techniques

The Controversial Question Strategy

Push boundaries respectfully:

"Many people in the industry would disagree with your stance on [topic]. Steel man their argument for me—what's the best case against your position?"

This shows intellectual honesty while extracting nuanced thinking.

The Callback Technique

Reference earlier answers to go deeper:

"Earlier you mentioned [concept]. I'm curious how that squares with your decision to [seemingly contradictory action]?"

This creates coherent narrative and reveals complexity.

The Hypothetical Scenario

Extract principles through imagination:

"If you were starting from zero today—no network, no capital, just your knowledge—what would be your first three moves?"

This reveals core strategies stripped of advantages.

Post-Interview Excellence

The Editing Framework

What to Keep:

Unique insights
Personal stories
Controversial opinions
Practical advice
Emotional moments
Surprising revelations

What to Cut:

Repetitive points
Off-topic tangents
Promotional excess
Unclear explanations
False starts
Filler words (unless characteristic)

The Fact-Check Process

Maintain accuracy and trust:

Subject: Interview Draft for Review

Hi [Guest],

Attached is the edited version of our interview. Please review for:

1. **Factual accuracy** - Did I get the details right?
2. **Quotes** - Are you comfortable with how you're quoted?
3. **Context** - Anything need clarification?

No need for line edits—just flag anything concerning.

If I don't hear back by [date], I'll assume everything looks good.

Thanks again for the fantastic conversation!

[Your name]

The Relationship Maintenance

Keep doors open for future collaboration:

Post-Publication:

Send link when live
Share performance metrics
Thank them publicly
Offer reciprocal value
Stay connected quarterly

Measuring Interview Impact

Success Metrics

Engagement Indicators:

Read time (target: 80% above average)
Shares (especially by industry peers)
Comments quality (insights, not just "great post!")
Backlinks from guest promotion
Podcast downloads/views

Business Metrics:

Email subscribers from interview
Guest's audience crossover
Speaking opportunity invitations
Future guest interest
Partnership opportunities

Your Interview Preparation Checklist

Pre-Interview:

During Interview:

Post-Interview:

Publication:

Follow-Up:

Remember: The best interviews feel like conversations between curious friends but are structured like investigative journalism. Your role is to be the audience's representative, asking what they wish they could ask, pushing where they'd want to push, and clarifying what they need clarified. When done right, interviews become the cornerstone content that everything else references—the primary source that AI and humans alike cite for years to come.

Best Used For

Thought Leadership

Content Marketing

Relationship Building

Audience Insights

Social Proof

Template Structure

Interview Introduction

Guest Background

Core Interview

Key Takeaways

Pull Quotes

Rapid Fire Round

Resources & Links

Call to Action

Example Outputs