Celebrity Interview Secrets: 5 Strategies For Writers To Score A Meeting

The celebrity interview might be one of the pleasant tasks in journalism. You conduct interviews with movie stars, musicians, and politicians. Perhaps you like authors, dancers, politicians, members, magicians, mega-church pastors, etc. Choose your favorite flavor and schedule a celebrity interview. Doesn’t it sound cool?

You rub shoulders with the affluent and famous. Pose a slew of perplexing questions. Make a proposal or a tale. And editors and fans are dribbling over your exclusive information. If only it were that simple, many people would have been taking interviews of celebrities.

It’s not always easy to get prominent individuals to give you an interview.

Here’s what I discovered: To convince family names to schedule an interview with you, you must be cunning, inventive, and unstoppable.

Ready? Use these five techniques as discussed by Craftive Content experts to conduct a celebrity interview.

1. Begin Small.

Popular celebrities like to be interviewed by someone who has experience interviewing public personalities. So, if you’re curious about how to become a writer interviewing celebrities, seek strategies to get started.

• Musicians. If you want to interview Lady Gaga, start by interviewing local performers for your town’s daily or alternative publication.
• Politicians. You’re interested in politics? Speak with your small-town mayor, or write about your city council for a local newspaper.
• Actors. If you’re a fan of actors, start by interviewing the lead in a local theatrical performance.

Every town has its celebrity, whether it’s a former Olympian or a TV star from the 1960s who have retired there, try to interview them first.

Tip: It’s normal for popular celebrities to hold group phone interviews these days, where hundreds of reporters may be on the line at the same time, taking turns asking questions. Don’t pass up these opportunities; instead, listen, study what the large outlets ask, and see if you can get in a question. It’s not an exclusive, but it’s a start toward communicating with celebrities.

Carry it out. Develop your celebrity-interview track record so you can present clips that prove you’re correct and know how to acquire interesting quotes from busy individuals.

2. Make Use Of Your Connections.

Never think you don’t know anyone who can put you in touch with a star. With the way we’re all connected online these days, we’re all six degrees of Kevin Bacon away from each other.

Keep in mind that you may not require a direct link to the celebrity. An introduction to one of their managers — manager, agent, publicist — may be as effective.

Tip: To work on your connections, you should:

• Be a priority giver
• Be Advisable
• Be authentic
• Be considerate
• Be specific
• Be Strong
• Be what you want to be

Carry it out. Begin by asking if anyone knows who handles your fantasy yacht (or Google it and see if you can find out). Getting a nice introduction to one of the team members may be all you need to have your interview suggestion heard.

3. Appeal To Their Subject Of Interest

Learn about your celebrity by doing some research.

• Are they Christian?
• Do they love motorbike riding?
• Did they start their charity?
• Do they have a favorite animal charity?

Tip: Consider which newspapers could be interested in an interview with your target regarding that element of their life. Celebrities do a lot of interviews, and they enjoy diversity.

They’re sick of being asked the same 10 questions about their next film and would rather chat about their next partner, their backyard organic garden, their customized Harley, or anything else.

Carry it out. Develop an off-the-beaten-path interview angle and notice a magazine in it, and you could receive a “yes.” “I want to interview Joe Famous for X magazine,” for example, makes the star concerned about what you could ask.

4. Be Present Where They Are.

Celebrities make personal appearances, which is as certain as the rising of the sun. They frequently appear at film premieres, charity events, and industry gatherings.

Greta Garbo and J.D. Salinger are no longer alive, and the notion of the reclusive superstar has died with them. They’ll all show up sooner or later, and they’ll all want press.

Tip: Try to attract celebs’ attention to your side.

• Approach them
• Make them feel special
• Make your interview needs clear in front of them
• Try to be respectful all the time
• Send a Thank You Note

Carry it out. You must figure out where they’ll be and show up. Yes, you may need to persuade or buy a ticket to an event. However, there will generally be a media question period during these celebrity sightings, and you may be able to ask a question or two.

5. Try to Dig Dirt

There is one surefire technique to persuade a celebrity to talk: discover something sensational about them that no one else is aware of.

• Look through court documents for litigation.
• Inquire about their former housekeeper.
• Check the veracity of any negative rumors you hear.

Tip: This strategy isn’t for everyone, but it’s the bread and butter of the tabloids. Everyone enjoys an exposé. Even better, if you gather your data, you’ll have a tale about a celebrity that you can tell even if they refuse to talk. But, most of the time, they’ll leap at the chance to spin bad news in their favor.

While it’s less usual, you may also break stories and put celebrities on the line by discovering something valuable that isn’t widely known. That new baby on the way, or the hot new job they’ve got – both of these things work.

Level Up Your Score For Next Meeting!

Be persistent if you want to land a star interview. Assume you’re an unstoppable force of nature who won’t give up until you’re on the phone or having coffee with the individual. If you have access to a celebrity, develop connections, move ahead, earn more, and have a living writing.

Carry it out.

• Don’t just sit on your hands if you don’t get a “yes.”
• Continue to generate thoughts, ideas, and questions…and send them over.
• Try speaking with a junior member of the PR team to see if you can pick their brain for advice.
• Consider a variety of perspectives. Look into what can cause the penny to drop.

~ Wish you luck!