4. The personality profile is an article about an
individual.
A portrait of a person in words.
It should include description, action and
dialogue (plenty of quotations).
It’s a feature about a person; not a Q&A.
5. “Exhaustive research is the basic building block of
a successful interview.” - Clyde Haberman,
columnist with The New York Times.
“The preparation is the same whether you are
going to interview a diplomat, a jockey, or an
ichthyologist. From the man's past you learn what
questions are likely to stimulate a response.” - A.J.
Liebling, The Most of A.J. Liebling
6. Google the person for background: Twitter,
personal websites, books written, etc.
Check Google News for any recent news on
him/her.
It if it’s a local story, check the local papers
for any recent news.
Read other interviews with the person you are
profiling.
7. Research gives the reporter ideas for themes
and specific questions.
Research gives the reporter a feel for the
story and for the person they will be
interviewing.
Research provides the reporter with useful
background information
8. Research shows the subject that you have
done the work and you understand the story.
Research will help you to avoid embarrassing
situations such as: “That information is on my
website, you should look it up.”
Research will separate the boys from the
men, and will mean the difference between a
boring discussion for the interviewee, or a
chat that they enjoy.
9. Find someone you think it
interesting/newsworthy.
Why are they interesting/newsworthy?
Take 10 or 15 minutes to discuss this person
and what would be relevant for a profile.
Consider what type of publication you would
do this profile for.
Feel free to consider it as part of your end-
of-year group project.
10. Like all other stories, profiles must have an
angle or primary theme.
The theme should be introduced at the
beginning and should run throughout the
article.
Aim to reveal something about the person’s
character through that theme.
11. Do the interview in person.
Watch and listen.
Spend time with the person while they work,
if possible.
Bring a recording device with you to capture
quotes.
Bring a notepad with you to capture
observations.
12. What’s your goal?
What type of story do you want to write?
What space will you have to tell your story?
Where will it be published?
Who will read it?
What’s your angle?
What’s interesting about this person?
13. Decide your angle
Get background information
Talk to people who know them
Prepare your questions
Prepare your equipment.
14. Make sure you have your tools: notepad, pen,
recorder, camera if necessary.
Test your tape recorder: use headphones to
check the sound.
Meet the interviewee somewhere they will be
comfortable and at a time they aren’t too busy.
Ask for consent before recording.
Get that resent on tape: “I’ve just pressed record,
is that ok?”
Prepare questions in advance and group them
into categories if necessary.
15. Relax: he/she is probable more nervous than
you are.
Make sure he/she is comfortable speaking to
you. Begin with small talk if needed.
Be friendly to encourage them to open up.
Nod and smile to encourage them to keep
speaking.
Listen and add impromptu questions where
needed.
Go with the flow.
16. Observe the interviewee and take in little
details of their personality.
Use your notepad to record these.
Note details of the subject’s environment as
well as personality and habits.
Note what he/she is wearing.
Take some notes even if you’re recording.
Batteries die and technology can let you
down.
Check on the recorder from time to time to
make sure it’s still going.
17. Thank them for their time.
Ask if you can contact them if you have any
further questions.
Tell them to contact you if they feel they’ve
missed something.
Give them a timeline for when you plan to
write the piece and where it will be published.
Don’t agree to show it to them before
publication unless it’s necessary.
18. Reflect on the interview and try to list your
pain points of the story.
Come up with a theme if you’ve spotted a
better one during the conversation.
Transcribe the recording if you have one.
Rewrite your notes as soon as possible to
make sure they make sense.
Contact the source again to supply missing
information.
There’s no harm in a friendly email to thank
them for their time.
19. Look at the newspapers provided and try to
find a profile piece.
Is this a good profile or a bad profile?
What is good or bad about the profile?
What extra questions do you think you would
have asked?
Background: birth, upbringing, education, occupation.
Anecdotes: These give the reader a feel for the character and personality of the interviewee.
Quotes relevent to the person’s newsworthiness.
Observations: What you’ve picked up about this person from their character.
Comments: From other people who know the person in the profile (optional)
News Peg: Wherever possible, to make the profile relevant to now.
Google: Twitter will give you a feel for what the person is interested in. If they have a personal website, they’ll have a biography to give you plenty of background information. If they have written books, that’s always a good talking point.
Google News: This will help you to find a relevant news peg if they have been in the news recently. The same goes for local newspapers.
Other Interviews: This will give you an idea of what they’ve talked about before. Good profiles will also give you a feel for the person’s personality, what they might be happy to talk about, etc.
Watch for body language
Listen for something newsworthy
Spend time with them: if you’re interviewing a musician, go to his/her gig.
Angle: What’s interesting about this person? What is his/her story?
Background: Do a LexisNexis search for old newspaper articles about the interviewee and/or search google for websites, Twitter feeds, etc.