THE INTERVIEW PROCESS often scares writers. When the interviewer and the client are the same person, though, fear dissipates. Unfortunately, the interview often disappears also.  

When writing text for a personal web page, writers should take the time to look through their own marketing materials and then interview themselves.  

Interviewing yourself is similar to any other interview process. First, you as the interviewer should have a tape recorder handy to record information quickly without interrupting the flow of questions, ideas, and answers. Second, ask yourself only open-ended questions. In other words, do not ask questions with "yes" or "no" answers. As the interviewer and the client, your job is to make yourself look good online.

The Beginning of the Interview

All interviews are scripted like a story. There is a beginning, middle, and end. Each area has specific roles and requirements.  

In the beginning, have your pen/pencil/paper or computer in place and a tape recorder. Before beginning with questions, make notes about how your marketing material--brochures, pamphlets, business cards, etc.--tie together for a single, whole-writer perspective.  

Then ask yourself:

·        What single focus links your marketing materials together so that when a client/editor/consumer sees them, s/he thinks of you? (Think about this in terms of a catchy phrase that would be repeated about you in a television commercial.)

·        For each piece of marketing material, recognize its purpose. For example, which segment of your target users would be most interested in a brochure, business card, pitch sheet, etc.? Write a sentence that delineates the purpose of each piece of marketing material and when each tool is best used to advantage.

·        Is there overlap in your marketing materials? How can you differentiate your marketing materials so that they do not overlap in purpose?

·        How will your web page add to your base of marketing materials?

·        How can your web page complement your other marketing materials?

·        Is your web page directed toward the same audience as your other marketing materials?

·        Make a list of phrases, items, ideas, or sentences that are contained in your other marketing materials that should be included on your web page.

The Middle of the Interview

The middle of the interview covers the essential information you will need to complete your web page content.  

When giving an answer, try to concentrate on what you are saying and not on getting the information down on paper. Let the tape recorder do its job. You can transcribe your words later.  

Some writers are unable to do a good job of interviewing themselves because they cut too many corners. If you are one of these people, try getting a friend or relative to ask you the questions below. With another human being asking the questions and a tape recorder retaining your answers, you can focus on your answers.  

If you do choose to have a friend interview you, make sure your friend is given the freedom to ask clarifying questions and those that strikes his/her interest.  

The question below are only meant as a guide to help you begin thinking about what should be included on your web page. The list is not all-inclusive, and you should take the time to come up with some questions of your own. 

VERIFYING THE "TYPE" OF WEB PAGE

·        What do you hope to accomplish through this web page?

·        What do you hope will be the return on this web page?

·        How do you see this return happening from the text of your web page?

·        What would need to happen to make you feel your web page is a success?

·        What is your goal for having a web page?

·        What do you see as the purpose for writing this page?

From the answers to these questions, you can discern if you are truly geared toward business transactions, creating a web presence, or disseminating information.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE WEB PAGE

·        When users view your pages, what do you think would most interest them?

·        Although many want web pages that are on the cutting edge of their industry, most do not have an idea what this looks like. To determine a structure, make a list of at least three web pages for writers that you feel are on the cutting-edge.

·        What makes you think these three web pages are cutting-edge? Is it the graphics, content, design, or subject matter?

This step is often ignored, and yet it is one of the easiest ways to learn about yourself and how you want your web page to look.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

·        What is the one service that you will be promoting the most on your web page (this one service can be a general category in which individual services fall; for example, if you are promoting yourself as a business consultant, then there are many types of services you can list under that one general heading)?

·        What one image would you like to project to get this service across to users?

·        How is your service unique?

SERVICES:

People often know what they do so well, that they cannot compartmentalize their work. Try asking yourself the following questions:

·        If you broke down the general heading of your services into three to five specific areas, what would these areas be?

·        Take one of these areas. What does this area entail? (Repeat for each of the 3-5 areas.)

·        If users want to use your services, what steps should they take from first contact to a completed project?

·        What types of needs or challenges would users have to require your services?

·        If you are including training, conferences, or seminars, give the titles of your courses and a brief description of each. How does being a speaker relate to your one general service?

·        If you entered an elevator on the sixth floor and someone in the elevator asked you, "What do you do for a living?" what would you answer? (Keep in mind that you only have until the first floor to answer. In other words, you have to sum up what you do in a couple of sentences.)

·        If you and another writer are going for the same contract, why should you get it?

·        What would your ideal user and job be? (This gives you a hint as to what you want emphasized.)

·        What would be your description of the "user from h***" and the nightmare job? (This will show you more about your users' priorities.)

·        What does the industry have to learn from you?

When you have completed answering these questions, you should have a better handle on why your services are unique.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR USERS

·        Within what market segment did you complete your last three writing-related tasks?

·        What market segment would you like to break into?

·        What do you feel the leaders of this market segment would want to read on your page?

·        Are there any markets that you would refuse to work with?

·        Do you usually work for small, medium, or large-sized markets?

In this section, you are trying to explore more about potential users. The tone of your web page will be written from the information gleaned in this section.

MISSION STATEMENT, PHILOSOPHY, AND APPROACH

To arrive at your own mission statement, philosophy, or approach, ask yourself questions about how you began, who you are, and the values you hold. If you already have a mission statement, philosophy, and approach, you can write them down. If not, ask yourself the following questions:

·        What need did you see in the industry that prompted you to become a writer?

·        How does what you are doing meet the needs listed in the last question?

·        How is your focus different from the focus of other writers?

·        What do you see as your focus (i.e., relationships, processes, measured results, etc.)?

·        Why is this area your focus? What makes it important to you?

·        Human beings have core values of who they are, regardless of circumstances, situations, and physical elements. What would you say is the core of your writing? What makes this the core?

WRITING HISTORY

·        When did you begin as a writer and what prompted you to start?

·        What original purpose did your writing play?

·        What is its industry focus?

·        What are the major transformational changes that have taken place since you began?

·        Where does your writing business stand in the industry today?

·        Where do you hope your company will realistically be ten years from now?

BIOGRAPHY OF PRINCIPAL

·        How many years of industry experience do you have?

·        What are your areas of expertise?

·        Prior to becoming a writer, which companies and in what positions did you glean your experience?

·        What is your educational background? (Include both degrees and continuing education courses)

·        List what you think are the top five highlights in your professional career.

·        List the names of the top three publications and presentations. (This will display how into your industry you are and let you know what else you need to research to be a true player.)

CLIENTS/PREVIOUS PROJECTS

This section is straightforward and is easily understandable.

·        List the names of the top ten to twenty publishers and/or clients that you have worked for.

·        List the last ten to twenty projects you have completed.

·        Are all proper names spelled correctly?

CASE STUDY

Depending on your focus, you may want to include a case study of one or more of your recent projects. The following are some questions to explore this area (ask all five questions for each project):

·        If you could wave a magic wand and change any part of the project what would you change?

·        Either animate or inanimate, who were the heroes or heroines of it?

·        Within what areas were you able to rely on others with this project? 

·        In what areas did your publisher/client most trust you?

·        What was the initial project? Was it part of a much larger industry-wide project?

·        What were the short-term benefits of this project? What were the long-term benefits?

YOUR COMPANY'S CULTURE

The culture of your business will be reflected in the tone of your web page. To explore your writing culture, ask yourself the following:

·        What do you see as your general responsibilities when taking on a new project?

·        What characteristics do you think future publishers/clients will find most important when working with you?

·        What kind of leadership do you provide within your realm of expertise?

·        What is your reputation as far as your competitors are concerned?  If you don’t know, what would you guess?

·        List ten to twenty testimonials from satisfied clients/publishers.

If you find it too difficult to interview yourself, ask a friend to review the web pages of others in the industry with you. Put on your tape recorder and discuss (out loud) what you like and don't like about these web pages.

The End of the Interview

As you pull your notes together, make sure you listening to what isn't said on your tape recorder as well as what is.

·        Did you seem in a hurry?

·        Did you add family stories?

·        Which of these areas should be included and which should be cut?

·        After listening to your own words, do you have an additional question that you would like to ask yourself?

·        Do you feel like an area was missed? Write down that area so you don't forget it.

When the questions have been answered, you will have a body of information to organize beneath the major and minor headings of your web page. Then once organized, you can set up the words so that users can glance at what is important.

Type up the text the way you would like it to appear on your web page. Then let it set for a few days and revise it.

Tips:

Ø      The more focused a page is, the easier it is to write and the more successful it will be online

Ø      From the interview, you can set up a map and a structure that you think will work best. 

Once you have completed your text, you can give it to a web developer or combine the text, graphics, and design yourself to accomplish the necessary visual effectiveness. 

If you do not know how to program and do not have software that makes programming easier for you, do an Internet search on "webmaster," "web developer," "web page programmer," and similar terms to find the programmer that is perfect for you.  

To find the web space you need to post your material, you should ask your ISP if you receive free web space with your subscription, or you can purchase space on a server for a monthly fee.  

Writing Web Page Content. Copyright © 1999 ©2003 by Sheila Seifert. Printed electronically in the United States of America. All rights reserved.  No part of this seminar may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage or retrieval systems without permission in writing from the author except by a review or when used for educational purposes where brief passages may be quoted.