interviews

How to Score a Celebrity Interview: 7 Simple Strategies

Posted by: Carol Tice — 32 Comments ↓

Beautiful blond girl looking like a superstar posing and lots of

It can be one of the most enjoyable assignments in journalism — interview movie stars! Or music artists, politicians, magicians, authors, dancers, mega-church pastors. Pick your favorite celebrity flavor.

But it’s often difficult to get famous people to grant you an interview. I spent 12 years pursuing CEOs of major corporations for interviews as a staff reporter, and I was a movie-industry secretary for several years, so I speak from experience on both sides of the fence here.

Here’s what I learned: To get household names to slot you an interview time, you have to be wily, creative, and unstoppable.

Ready?

Here are my tips for landing celebrity interviews:

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One Writer’s Fear-Busting Journey to $1,500 a Month in Blogging Gigs

Posted by: Editor — 49 Comments ↓

freelance writer walks a tightrope to better pay

As a new mom trying to juggle a toddler and run a household, I blamed the busyness of life for my lackluster freelance writing success.

But that was a total cop-out.

Fear was the true culprit. It stifled my creativity, filling my head with “what ifs” the way only a failure mentality can.

I’d like to say I faced those fears strategically, or that I faced them head-on. But in my case, it was more of a happy accident. But that accident netted me $1,500 a month in new blogging gigs. Here’s how:

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The Trick to Writing Business Profiles So They Aren’t Sleazy PR

Posted by: Carol Tice — 20 Comments ↓

Freelance writer comes off like PR person

One well-paid niche many freelance writers aspire to get into is writing business profiles. But often, when writers try this niche, they discover a problem.

The piece reads more like a press release for the company. This business owner is awesome! Their product is amazing!

One writer recently asked me:

“I’m interviewing a local businesswoman tomorrow that I pitched to my editor. This piece will appear in the business section of the newspaper. The editor asked that I not make the story too advertorial. My question is, what should I ask to help balance the story?”–Janet

Great question. Because too many writers turn in pieces that end up getting killed because they aren’t balanced, hard-hitting business profiles — they’re more like “puff” pieces or thinly disguised PR work.

The editor might start to wonder if you’re secretly on that business’s payroll and just posing as a journalist. That’s why badly done business profiles die.

How can you please business editors with your profile? Here are my tips:

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When Your Interview Source is a Total Blowhard: 5 Survival Tips

Posted by: Carol Tice — 26 Comments ↓

If you write articles and interview people, sooner or later, it’s going to happen: You’ll get an expert on the phone, and they’re a gabber. You ask a question, and off they tear on some odd tangent that has nothing…

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Never Run Out of Story Ideas by Asking This Quick Question

Posted by: Carol Tice — 24 Comments ↓

Are good story ideas hard to find? When you open up your favorite magazines, it can seem like other writers are always beating you to the interesting angles on a piece of news. However, it’s not really true. If you…

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Are You An Ethical Article Writer? Not If You Do These 4 Things

Posted by: Carol Tice — 27 Comments ↓

By Linda Formichelli You’re an ethical writer — right? You don’t rip off other writers, you charge fair rates, and you deliver what you promise. Surprise: If you you’re an article writer for magazines and newspapers, there’s more — way…

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