You can make a surprisingly good amount of money from interviewing people and selling the recordings. It all depends, of course, on who you will interview. Interviewing a nobody won’t get any hits, no matter how interesting the actual content is – at least, that’s how it is at the start.
Why do interviews sell? Maybe it’s because people like knowing how other people think. Maybe they want to understand why someone did something. Or maybe there’s some drive to uncover more private and intimate details about other people. Whatever the case, interviews can make for some prime salable digital products.
You can generally conduct your interviews in two ways. The first is the traditional Q-and-A format. In this format, you can have questions prepared and then ask them and get answers in return. While this can be a little dull at times due to lack of spontaneity, it does keep things organized and on track.
The other method to conduct an interview is free talking. In this format, you come up with questions and ask them as they come to mind. This can be a little less organized but more credible because the result comes out as natural and not constructed. Moreover, this leaves you freer to pursue follow-up questions when needed.
If you will use the free talk format, here are a couple of things to keep in mind. One, learn what you can about your interviewee, so you know what avenues of inquiry to pursue. Two, keep a written list of questions on hand, for quick reference when you need to change the topic or simply avoid dead air.
Be sensitive to your interviewee’s preferences when it comes to questions. Asking questions that they really don’t want to answer can lead to trouble. Your interviewee may clam up, lash out, or simply walk out on your interview. A little sensitivity can go a long way.
As for formats, you can sell text transcripts, audio recordings, or videos of the interview.