Working With Media: Five Tips For Answering a Reporter's Questions Via Email

Email interviews are commonplace in media today. But for years they were rarely considered an acceptable form of information gathering or story mining in major newsrooms.

That's because conducting interviews by email doesn't allow a reporter to build rapport with their source, or hear the tone of their voice when they're describing something important. Email also doesn't allow a journalist to pose spontaneous follow-up questions that really get to the heart of an issue. And written responses to questions don't sound like conversational sound bytes. Which makes stories less readable and far more boring.

And what about those answering a reporter's questions via email? For starters, typing out a response may feel like etching your words in granite. There's anxiety around the finality of hitting "send" because there seems to be no chance to quickly correct your statement – or add context to ensure your point gets across.

The TL;DR - Email interviews can be dicey for reporters and for the people they're interviewing. But there's still a way to get good results out of email interviews. It just requires a little extra know-how before you say yes to a reporter's query.

Here are five tips for answering a reporter's questions via email. Keep them handy to get ready for your next response.

1 - Reply quickly and graciously If you get a query from a reporter on a Monday, don't sit on the email until Thursday afternoon while you gather your response. Get back to them immediately, ask about deadlines, and go from there. And thank them for thinking of you for their story. That goes a long way, even if your quotes don't end up in their final piece. You'll be on their friendlies list for the future.

2 - Write like you'd talk, and don't over explain

Keep in mind that interviews are ideally done by phone, via video conference, or in person. So, when you write your responses out, craft them as if you would've said them out loud in an IRL conversation. This will help you sound like you, and it may also help you avoid using too much wonky industry jargon.

3 - Include context for stats and data visualizations with sourcing Journalists (still) want and need sound, factually accurate data. Or access to high-quality and original research reports. It bolsters their credibility during a time when trust in media is at an all-time low. What's more, they're on the hunt for publishable charts, graphs, short videos and the like – i.e., ready-made data visualization. Cision's 2024 State of the Media report showed that more than a third of journalists used data visualizations that a source provided in their published work. And this year's report showed that 55% of reporters want to receive trends and market data from their sources.

4 - Respond quickly to follow-up questions

No explanation needed here. Just common sense when working with professionals who are beholden to deadlines every single day, sometimes multiple times a day.

5 - Thank the reporter and share the story

This one may ruffle a few old-school reporters' feathers, but today many journalists feel good about – even welcome – sources taking to social to share stories they were quoted in. Superb feature articles and profiles illustrate the art of relationship building, while great explanatory journalism highlights the craft of deconstructing complex issues or esoteric concepts into explanations that are simple enough for an everyman to understand. Today, when a source thanks a reporter, it's a hat tip for solid work at a time when the news industry is disrespected and distrusted by so many.