• Home
  • Publishing
  • Ad Sales
  • About Us
  • Upload an Ad
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
LLM Association PublicationsLLM Association Publications
LLM Association Publications
  • Publishing
  • Ad Sales
  • About Us
  • Current Advertisers
    • Upload an Ad
    • Make a Payment
  • News Center
  • Contact Us

Use Q&A to Spice Up One-Person Interviews

April 2, 2021 News

Do you have an article scheduled for an upcoming issue of your association magazine or a social media post that requires an interview with an industry expert, association board member, or high-profile member? Use a Q&A format to make the article stand out from typical feature articles.

The key to a compelling Q&A article that catches readers’ attention and keeps them on the page is a combination of interesting person or topic and brevity. One professional communicator offers five tips to ensure the best results for your Q&A article. Here’s a summary of her tips:

  1. Keep the article short to be sure you don’t wear out your welcome with the reader – even if you are fascinated by the topic and person.
  2. Focus on one particular aspect of the subject – which helps you keep the article short.
  3. Ask unexpected questions to stimulate the interviewee to give interesting answers and keep readers reading.
  4. Vary the pace by following long answers with short ones in the finished piece.
  5. Edit aggressively to keep the article short, focused, and filled with the most interesting bits of information.

Rowan University’s journalism students were given these examples for Q&A articles that you might find interesting. Note that each example includes a well-crafted introduction that sets the stage for the Q&A and includes background information that lets the reader know why he or she will find the article interesting.

Looking for design ideas for your Q&A?  There are a number of different layout ideas in this Pinterest collection that might provide inspiration.

Most importantly – remember that Q&A-style articles are a “break” in routine for most publications. While a regular column, such as a “meet your association leaders,” is okay to run each issue, don’t default to Q&A for all or many other articles or it becomes the norm rather than a surprising change.

Share

You also might be interested in

Convey Value of Membership for Potential New Members

Mar 5, 2021

Effective recruitment of new members requires associations to explain the[...]

Not Just a Pretty Picture: Infographics Convey Complex Data Effectively

Aug 10, 2020

A few years ago, infographics dominated social media, publication content,[...]

Does Your Social Media Really Increase Engagement?

Does Your Social Media Really Increase Engagement?

Nov 3, 2021

All association marketers have seen the reports listing the number[...]

Search

Latest Posts

  • Create a Magazine that Adds Value to Membership
  • Association Event Planners Tackle In-Person Meetings
  • Microlearning: Text Message Courses Add Value and Increase Engagement
  • Differences Between Writing for Online and Print
  • Promoting Innovation in an Association

Archives

  • March 2022 (2)
  • January 2022 (4)
  • November 2021 (4)
  • October 2021 (2)
  • September 2021 (2)
  • August 2021 (2)
  • June 2021 (6)
  • May 2021 (3)
  • April 2021 (3)
  • March 2021 (3)
  • February 2021 (3)
  • January 2021 (2)
  • November 2020 (3)
  • October 2020 (6)
  • September 2020 (3)
  • August 2020 (3)
  • July 2020 (2)
  • June 2020 (2)

Contact Us

Have questions or need more info? Please let us know how we can help!

Send Message
Logo

Print and Digital Association Contract Publishing

Contact Us

  • LLM Publications
  • 503-445-2220
  • support@llmpubs.com

Business & Mailing Address

  • PO Box 25120, Portland, OR 97298-0120

© 2021 LLM Publications

  • Home
Prev Next