As someone who started designing games as a kid, I had a hard time imagining that anyone would ever want to play my games, much less spend even a few minutes of their invaluable time and space on their platform to interview me about those games. I’ll never take that for granted.
That’s why I say yes to every interview offer. It doesn’t matter how many readers or viewers you have–if you’ve cultivated content of any kind and want to share a conversation with me on that platform, I’m happy to chat with you.
If you’re a Kickstarter creator, game designer, and/or publisher, I recommend this approach, as every interview is a chance to connect with people who may want to learn more about you and your creations.
So today I’d like to share some information about which interviews to say yes to, figuring out guidelines that work best for you, how to be a great interviewee, and more.
When to Say “Yes, but…”
- Sometimes I hear from people who want to be content creators, but they haven’t actually started their blog/podcast/channel/etc. If they invite me to join them for an interview, I thank them and say I would be happy to join them after I see some of their posted content. The reason for this is that I’ve done a handful of interviews for potential content creators over the years, and almost none of those interviews were ever posted because the creators couldn’t get past the first barrier of actually making their first post.
- Occasionally I hear from someone who wants to interview me for their class or academic paper. I’m flattered by such requests, but all content I create is for public consumption–it’s only then that it’s mutually beneficial for the interviewer, me, and for consumers. Otherwise it’s just a fancy form of private consultation, which I don’t do. So I simply request that they post the interview publicly in addition to in their paper, and sometimes they decline.
Look After Your Mental Health with Stipulations
- Limit yourself to one interview a day. Or pick a number that’s right for you. Yes, I know it’s a luxury if you’re getting so many interview offers that they start to pile up, but even if you get 2 interview offers over your entire career, don’t put them on the same day. You’ll exhaust yourself, and you probably have other work you need to do too.
- Figure out which times of day work best for you. I used to say yes to interviews at any time of day, but as my life has changed and evolved, I’ve realized that there are certain days (not weekends) and times of day (not first thing in the morning, during lunch, or in the evening) that work best for me. I can be the most present to an interviewer late in the morning or in the early afternoon, leaving other times to focus on the other facets of my job.
- Set a time limit that works for you. I’ve done interviews as short as 10 minutes and as long as 2 hours, and I’ve found that my sweet spot is around 20-30 minutes. 30 minutes is enough for me to be excited about the conversation without feeling like I’m neglecting other parts of my job. So I request that up front.
- Choose a format that works for you (if possible). Sometimes interviewers offer different formats for the interview. Like, if there’s a language barrier, they may request a written interview that’s easier to translate. If you have the option, it’s okay to request the format with which you’re most comfortable.
- If you have the choice, don’t do it live. Live interviews can be fun, especially with real-time questions. But if you commit to doing something live, there’s no flexibility. You can’t be late, you can’t have something come up at the last minute, and the time may not be ideal for you.
How to Be a Great Interviewee
- Sign on a few minutes early. I’m the worst at this, but I really try to sign on a few minutes early to make sure everything is working properly. This is much more respectful of the interviewer’s time than showing up on time and struggling with your camera for a few minutes…or, even worse (as I did last week), showing up 10 minutes late.
- Turn off add blockers. If you use ad blockers, turn them off before joining a recorded interview. They can interfere with your camera, audio, etc.
- Offer to record on your end too. One of the worst feeling for an interviewer or interviewee is to realize that the awesome 45-minute chat you just recorded didn’t actually record. So download Audacity and offer to record your audio as a backup.
- Make it a conversation. The best interviews I participate in are those that become two-way conversations. But this rarely happens organically; rather, you have to make the choice as the interviewee to turn a few questions around to the interviewer.
How to Get an Interview If No One Is Asking
I’m sure there are Kickstarter creators, designers, and publishers reading this who are thinking, “I’d love be interviewed, but no one is asking!” I absolutely realize that I’m approaching this topic from a point of privilege based on what Stonemaier Games has grown to be over the last 9 years.
But here’s the deal: Content creators are actively looking for content all the time, especially if it’s topical, relevant, and interesting to them and their audience. So if no one is asking you for an interview, proactively reach out to content creators–especially those with smaller audiences–to join them for a conversation on their platform. Make it easier for them: Strategically propose a topic that isn’t entirely self-serving but is related to your project/design/company, list a few questions, and bullet point a few answers. Maybe they won’t respond or they’ll say no, but you might form some great relationships with those who respond, especially if you start with the foundation of adding value to them (instead of starting with a request for them to do something for you).
A Few Notes for Content Creators
- If you want to interview someone–literally anyone–just ask them. I’m surprised all the time by content creators who say, “I didn’t know if you’d even respond–I almost didn’t ask.” Like most people in the game industry, I love to talk about games–of course I’m going to respond! :)
- If you have any questions that require forethought, ask in advance. I generally prefer to just show up for an interview and start talking. Any preparation in advance is time I could have spent on my other duties at Stonemaier Games. But every now and then I get a question–usually about my favorite something–that would be helpful to know in advance, as I have lots of favorites, and they’re not always on the tip of my tongue.
***
Those are my thoughts! I’d love to hear any tips you’d add to any of these sections or if you have any questions about what I’ve shared here.
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22 Comments on “Say Yes to Every Interview (KS Lesson #276)”
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[…] I Say Yes to Every Interview: No matter the size of your channel, podcast, or blog, if you want to chat with me to post a public interview on your platform, I’m happy to join you (and I think you’d be surprised by how many designers, publishers, and artists will do the same). There are a few small caveats to this–for example, you need to have some body of work posted publicly for me to first take a look at–but odds are very high I’ll agree to join you. Read more about this here. […]
[…] I Say Yes to Every Interview: No matter the size of your channel, podcast, or blog, if you want to chat with me to post an interview on your platform, I’m happy to join you (and I think you’d be surprised by how many designers, publishers, and artists will do the same). There are a few small caveats to this–for example, you need to have some body of work posted publicly for me to first take a look at–but odds are very high I’ll agree to join you. Read more about this here. […]
I think the limits of 1 interview per day is good. Though I’ve never been interviewed (except for jobs) I can imagine that it takes a lot out of you. Something that I think would help me and people like me is a ‘warm up’ period before an interview, just to get in the zone and ready to talk if it’s something like a podcast.
And remember ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get!”.
Hello Jamey,
As you mentioned that you have been game designing for quite a long time now, I would like to ask if you could give more insight how to build a strategy and how to figure out probability in game designing. I am not a game designer and just started my first game and I would like to learn from you, your Youtube channel has really helped me in the first few phases of the game design process but I am slightly stuck with developing my own strategy and probability.
Thankyou for taking time to read this.
Thanks for asking about that! It’s a very different topic than this blog post, but we can discuss game design in the comments of my game design channel if you post there. :)
Hi Jamey, I’ve recorded over 80 episodes for the Nerdlab Podcast now and I have to say that your interview is still in my mind. And it’s for a reason you mention in your article. I didn’t have any other guest who has turned the interview into a conversation the way you did. It was a diverse experience for me as an interviewer and very well received by my audience. Great advice!
Thanks Marvin! I just recently listened to your interview with Richard Garfield–it was excellent!
Thx a lot for the kind words! Richard was also a great guest. He also tries to say yes to many interviews.
Great stuff, Jamey!
Having been interviewed as a designer when TAU CETI was published and most recently as a developer for many designers and publishers, one of the things I always request is a copy of the questions in advance. This isn’t to bullet-point every single answer, because you DO want the conversation to have a normal back-and-forth between the interviewer and the interviewee, but it does help to have some context to the questions so you can think about the response as opposed to being caught flat-footed during the interview.
The other day I was contacted via email about a potential TV interview segment on my game by a company called “NewsWatch TV” and I was super excited to think that I would be on TV but then I googled their company name a bit and found out that they want you to pay a bunch of money to be interviewed which felt very scammy to me.
I asked them if the interview would be free and they haven’t responded. I guess it’s a scam.
Yep, you should not need to pay to be interviewed.
Great advice, Jamey. I remember interviewing you for The Mill and being terrified, but also being surprised by you turning it around and asking me questions too. That made it feel more like a conversation and it was a nice surprise.
Thanks Dusty! I think questions generally help to put interviewers at ease (though on occasion it backfires and makes them even more nervous!)
I love this! It also makes me think about the other end of things as a content creator and receiving requests for coming on my show. I have my own set of guidelines for accepting interviewees when they reach out to me. And like you, I almost always like to say “Yes, but…” and it usually comes down to what can the interviewee offer my audience.
P.S. I might have to reach out for an interview soon!
-Dustin, Board Gaming with Education
Great advice as always. Another good reason for always saying yes to interview requests is that your interview technique will improve with practice, and you’ll get better at getting your point across effectively. So I see interviews with content creators with small audiences as an opportunity to hone my skills for future interviews.
The other thought I have on being a great interviewee is to be conscious of the content creator’s audience, and so try to make what you’re saying relevant to them – a similar approach I suppose to knowing your customer.
Dave: That’s a great point that with every interview, you get a little better at answering questions. I also really like how you try to be aware of the interviewer’s content and audience.
This is less to comment on this specific post content but really to highlight the value and contribution Jamey makes to the community of people trying to make board games. The “content creators” link in this post to another post that has a spreadsheet of reviewers and media is a great example of the kind of things shared on this website to help others. It would be so much easier for Jamey to not share these kind of things – yet he does, constantly. So just a thanks from an appreciative reader.
That’s really kind of you to say, Mike–thank you.
Once again, you are on point. I feel this on so many levels. Designers are often just waiting to be interviewed.
I have yet to interview others, but maybe a time will come for that.
I appreciate your content greatly Jamey. It has been an inspiration.
I completely agree! Designers love to talk about games, even if it’s not their games.
Thank you for posting this. I want to do content creation…and I saw your blog about the first post…so I’ll be reading that later today.
I also love as you mentioned to just ask people. I haven’t don’t interviews yet…but I’ve just talked to people in the industry and everyone has chatted back with me. It’s been a wonderful experience so far.
Thanks Justin! I hope you take that first step to make the first post and see where it goes from there. :)