Customer Interviews
How to interview clients and their customers to uncover strategic insights.
Key points
- Customer interviews provide insights no other research method can
- Good interviews are conversations, not interrogations
- The best insights come from follow-up questions
- Recording and documentation make interviews much more valuable
What the Code says
The Code of Practice emphasises that professionals should “base copy on genuine understanding of the audience” and “conduct appropriate research.”
Customer interviews are one of the most powerful research tools available. Direct conversation reveals insights that surveys, data, and secondary research simply can’t provide.
Why interview customers?
Customer interviews offer unique value:
Depth of insight
Interviews let you probe beneath surface answers. When someone says “it was easy to use,” you can ask “what made it easy?” and get specific, usable insights.
Emotional understanding
Buying decisions are emotional. Interviews reveal the feelings, fears, and aspirations that drive behaviour — things surveys rarely capture.
Language and framing
Customers describe their experiences in their own words. This language is gold for copywriting — authentic, relatable, and persuasive.
Unexpected discoveries
Interviews surface things you didn’t know to ask about. The most valuable insights often come from tangents and unexpected answers.
You don’t need dozens of interviews. Even 3-5 good conversations can transform your understanding and dramatically improve your copy.
Planning interviews
Preparation improves results:
Define your objectives
What do you need to learn? Common goals include:
- Understanding the buying journey
- Identifying key decision factors
- Uncovering objections and concerns
- Finding language that resonates
- Gathering testimonial material
Choose the right interviewees
Different customers offer different insights:
- Recent customers remember the decision process clearly
- Long-term customers understand ongoing value
- Lost prospects reveal why people don’t buy
- Different segments may have different perspectives
Logistics
- 20-30 minutes is usually enough
- Video calls work well (easy to schedule, allows face reading)
- Get permission to record
- Consider incentives for their time
Conducting effective interviews
Good technique gets better insights:
Create comfort
Start with easy questions. Explain there are no wrong answers. You want their honest experience, not what they think you want to hear.
Ask open questions
Questions that can’t be answered “yes” or “no” produce richer responses:
- “Tell me about…” instead of “Did you…”
- “How did you…” instead of “Did you feel…”
- “What was that like?” instead of “Was it good?”
Follow the thread
When someone says something interesting, probe deeper:
- “Can you tell me more about that?”
- “What do you mean by…?”
- “Why was that important to you?”
- “Can you give me an example?”
Embrace silence
Don’t rush to fill pauses. People often share their most thoughtful insights after a moment of reflection.
“What else?” — asked after they’ve answered, often prompts the most valuable additional insights. People frequently save the best for last.
Key questions to ask
Adapt these to your specific project:
The journey
- “What prompted you to look for a solution?”
- “What alternatives did you consider?”
- “What made you choose [this product/service]?”
- “What nearly stopped you from buying?”
The experience
- “What was your first impression?”
- “What surprised you?”
- “What’s been the biggest benefit?”
- “What would you change?”
The outcome
- “How has this changed things for you?”
- “Would you recommend this? Why?”
- “What would you tell someone considering this?”
For testimonial material
- “If you were describing this to a colleague, what would you say?”
- “What results have you seen?”
- “What would you say to someone who’s hesitating?”
Processing interview insights
Raw interviews need analysis to be useful:
Transcribe key sections
Full transcription is often unnecessary. Focus on quotes and insights relevant to your objectives.
Look for patterns
What themes recur across interviews? Repeated points are likely to resonate with the broader audience.
Note exact language
The specific words customers use are valuable. “It just works” is more authentic than your polished equivalent.
Identify compelling quotes
Strong quotes make powerful testimonials. Flag the best ones for potential use (with permission).
Share findings
A summary of customer insights adds value for the client and demonstrates thoroughness. It can also surface misalignments before you start writing.
Using insights in copy
Interview insights improve copy in multiple ways:
Headlines and hooks
Customer language often provides the most compelling headlines — phrases that feel authentic because they are.
Objection handling
Knowing real objections lets you address them directly. Copy that anticipates concerns is more persuasive.
Benefit framing
Customers explain benefits in their own terms. Their framing often resonates better than feature-focused language.
Social proof
Direct quotes from real customers are powerful. Get permission to use memorable quotes as testimonials.
Emotional resonance
Understanding how customers feel lets you write copy that connects emotionally, not just rationally.
Summary
Customer interviews are worth the investment. The depth of insight, the authentic language, and the emotional understanding they provide transform good copy into great copy.
You don’t need to be a professional researcher. With thoughtful questions, genuine curiosity, and willingness to follow interesting threads, you can uncover insights that make your copy significantly more effective.