I’m not granola. I like vinyl and processed cheese.

But I do have a strong appreciation for some things natural – especially dialogue.

When it comes to testimonials or sound bites on the news, nothing speaks to me more as a consumer than naturally delivered statements. In this issue of the 5ives, I want to give you five simple ways to get natural responses when conducting testimonial interviews.

Before I get going, let me preface this article by saying I’m not a journalist. I’m a creative copywriter. Big difference. (See me break AP Style there to prove my point?) As a copywriter, I’m concerned with tone and sound of the messaging more so than unbiased, standardized style journalism.

In other words, if you want to write a news story, keep searching the Web.
If you want marketing testimonials that sound like dinner conversation, let me be your guide.

And now, your 5ives.

1. Do the Interview in Person or on the Phone

Everyone has read a testimonial and thinks they know what it should sound like. Most people hate paperwork. Don’t combine the two. If you want to have a natural sounding and honest testimonial, you need to have an honest conversation. Besides, why would you want to miss out on all the inflection and body language that goes into human speech? It can tell a lot about how that customer feels about your particular product.

2. Schedule Plenty of Time

This is important for two reasons. First, in order for your interview to be conversational, you need to have a conversation. Second, when people are put on the spot, they will say either what they think you want to hear or what they’ve heard before. Your audience will read through a canned message and your interviewee will come off sounding like a puppet or a robot – bad news bears.

3. Come Prepared with Questions, Not Expectations

Have a list of questions you want to ask, not answers you want to hear. As an interviewer, you need to embrace and encourage honesty. This also means it’s okay to get off track. Don’t ask questions in order if there is a better segue to a question. Since you have plenty of time, go off the beaten path and let your interviewee talk. Keep them talking.

4. Start with an Unrelated Question

I studied radio for a semester in England. My professor worked for the BBC and told us a little interview trick. Before every interview, you need to make sure the sound levels are right. Rather than asking a person to say “check, check,” you’d ask them what they had for breakfast. This gets the individual talking. And that’s the point. Get your interviewee talking. Everyone is uncomfortable at first, so before you get to the nitty gritty, set the mood. Maybe you talk sports or ask about the family. Smooth out the stiffness and you’ll have a relaxed conversation with a natural dialogue.

5. Listen for the Throw Away Comments

Here’s the creme de la creme. Pay attention to the sentence fragments and segues of thought. When you ask a question, most people will try and respond with a profound answer. I have met very few people who blow me away with their everyday speech. When you’re being real, you don’t sound like an essay unless you’re Noam Chomsky.

What’s great about throw away comments is how sincere they are. Here’s an example for Bob’s Shoes – an imaginary company:

“What was the most recent pair of shoes you bought at Bob’s?”

“I purchased a pair of Nike Running Shoes on sale.”

“You’re a big runner?”

“Not really, running’s not my thing but it’s something I should do, right?”

“And the shoes were on sale”

“True. Totally a good price. Cheeseburgers or shoes, I didn’t really have a choice.”

Boom.  There’s your quote “Running’s not really my thing, but it’s something I should do, right? Cheeseburgers or shoes, I didn’t really have a choice.”

See what I did in that example I completely made up? You ask a question, pry into the issue and wait for the interviewee to add some sugar on the substance. Is it journalistically accurate? No. But does it carry the same tone without manipulating the message? Yes.

“But Jason, how could you fabricate such a thing?! This is why people don’t trust ads.”   To you I say, I just omitted the ellipses you would find in AP style. The best way to keep a conscious clear? Always, always send your interviewee a copy of the final product before you deliver it.

I’ve been misquoted a few times in local publications. That’s infuriating. And if you’re really off base, your interviewee will let you know. Talk with him or her again and change the draft as need be.

Always go for natural dialogue. It’s fresh. It’s refreshing. It makes for better reading and better advertising.