Interview expectations. What can I anticipate?

Have you ever been asked to do an interview? Most likely you were excited about it. Though depending upon how many interviews you have done, it may seem like work. It has been my experience that most artists love to be interviewed. It is an opportunity to promote your name, your music, and accomplishments. An interview allows you to connect with your fans. An interview is a rich resource.

Time for the interview, what next?

Unfortunately, some artists do not prepare themselves for an interview. The lack of mental preparation often leads to an uncomfortable situation. There is a misunderstanding regarding interviews. They can be confusing, even intimidating at times. Here is an opportunity to define your character. Interviews are designed to enable you to prove yourself. What is the depth of your real world experience and knowledge. What is your level of intelligence? Yes, interviewing can be a challenge. However, here is your chance to rise above your “self esteem” and take on character building questions.

Interviewing with Guitar Thrills Magazine

Interviewing with Guitar Thrills Magazine is not rocket science. Neither do we ask questions, that would offend. We ask for honest, and transparency. We do not imply, or suggest wrong motives. Guitar Thrills Magazine would never present nor publish false or misleading information. Again, questions can cast you in a brilliant light, or disqualify you from future interviews with Guitar Thrills Magazine

Setting Expectations

Anyone that is asked to interview, will be provided a topic based interview. The subject will applicable to the music industry or artist related. There will be questions at the end directed to the subject. He/She may not have all the answers. Which is fair. Think of the last time you went to a job interview and a question made you feel uncomfortable or confused? Were you able to answer it? Yes, but it wasn’t your most brilliant answer. It often left you guessing if you would ever get the job. Remember, we pointed out earlier, that mental preparation is key. It may be necessary that you take the time to prepare yourself before answering questions from an interview.

Getting to know you

Most of the time interviews are built around information that is already available. Anyone that is going to provide an interview is going to do research first. The more Guitar Thrills Magazine knows about the artist, the better the interview will be. We might build interviews with questions where we can already anticipate your response. However, your readers do not think that way. It is like they are getting to know you on a deeper level. Thus connecting relationship between artist and fan. Which often results in a “benefit”. That could be defined as followers, audiences, buyers, etc. Connecting with your viewers is extremely important for the longevity of your music career. Your first mistake, is to think a fan is expendable. If that is your mindset, than you have initiated a downward spiral to your career.

Consider the objective

As I mentioned fan building through interviews is crucial. However, it doesn’t mean that you have to subject yourself to unfair or unpopular topics, questions, or opinions. At the same time, you don’t want to miss out on your chances to connect with your fan base. In the instance where a question is unclear or makes you feel uncomfortable, “pause”. It is time to take a deep breath, sit back and think about how you follow through with rest of the interview. The answer to this should be easy. It is as simple as communicating to the person that is interviewing you. Ask for clarification, make suggestions on the wording, request modifications. An interview is open for discussion. Just like a business agreement or contract. When was the last time you signed off on contract before making an indemnification to it?

Ask questions, be open and honest. This contributes to a successful interview for both parties.