How to Start an Interview Essay

In case you are required to write an interview essay for an assignment, be attentive during the interview to find or notice a "hook" on which you will base your article. We recommend that you take notes or ask permission to record the interview. Once you’ve done with the interview, you will have to create a compelling introduction for your paper.

As you interviewed the subject chosen for your task, it would be perfect if one part of the writing an interview paper struck you as being provocative, humorous, or shrewd. Use this information to craft a memorable introduction that will engage your readers and enlighten them about the unique person interviewed. Here are the great hints on how to write an interview essay introduction:

• Tell a fascinating story

Edit your words and sentences when you are writing an interview essay remembering that you are a storyteller and an audience is depending on you to be engaging and interesting. To this end, choose crisp, lively and descriptive words and eliminate any information that fails to move your essay forward or is irrelevant. Stay focused on your topic.

Compelling interview essay examples might tell a story of how your subject overcame poverty, received a Purple Heart or patented an invention. Even everyday people in your life have remarkable stories to share. Ordinary but inspirational interview writing examples might include how your parents met or started a family business.

• Share some biographical information

The introduction for an interview paper starts by identifying the person chosen for your writing assignment. Weave in timely information about the interviewee without bogging down the introduction of your essay with extraneous detail. Long rambling introductions may bore the reader. Briefly note important biographical information. For instance, you might include how long the interviewee has been president of the company, her credentials and how many people she supervises. Include biographical details that help explain why you selected that particular person to interview.

• Tell interesting anecdotes

Choose an anecdote that captures the essence of the person you interviewed or the main idea of the essay. The anecdote should serve as a microcosm of the essay to come. For example, if the person you interviewed is now president of a company and admitted that a childhood turning point was becoming president of the student council in high school, focus your anecdote on the interviewee’s fledgling leadership skills or determination.

Polish the anecdote so that it goes directly to the heart of the action and put your reader in the center of a revealing turning point. You might do this, for example, by recounting the suspense of election night as vote returns were being counted in high school or the day the interviewee gave her first speech as student council president.

• Use piquant or touching quotes

Choose an outspoken quote or statement from the interviewee that deftly underlines the main idea of the essay or the spirit of the anecdote. For brevity’s sake, choose a direct quote that is no more than two sentences long. Letting your readers “hear” from the interviewee is a great way to segue from the introduction to the remainder of your paper.