When it comes to interviews, Producers have a motto: Get what you need before going for what you want. In TV, leaving the set without what you need can cost you thousands. Or even worse, your job. So I learned how to reverse-engineer my questions. First, figure out what your video needs. Think of it like a recipe. Your needs are the key ingredients. Your wants are the seasoning. Then know your runway. How much time do you have? With a long runway, you can chase tangents and circle back when an answer falls flat. If it's short, every question needs to earn its place. So ask in a way that gets a tight answer. Let's say that you have a channel focused on tech, and you land an interview with a founder launching a groundbreaking new product. But they can only stay for 30 minutes. Ingredients: what it does and who should (and shouldn't) use it. Seasoning: the origin story and the moments of doubt. Skip "Tell me about the product." Ask "What's one thing it does that nothing else can?" Get your ingredients first. Then season to taste. Because in my experience, no amount of seasoning will make a meal taste right when it's missing a key ingredient.