How to Turn Long-Form Interviews into Compelling Ads

The other day, I reviewed Polestar’s ad for their new Polestar 2 100% electric car. I said that more brands should partner with real life influencers, instead of celebrities. They interviewed Karen Nyberg, an astronaut who spent 180 days in outer space, orbiting earth. They pulled sound bites from a long-form interview, and put together a compelling ad. 

I wanted to break down how to do this, and how to maximize the content you would have to capture to make an ad like this. This blog won’t really make sense until you take a few minutes to read the Polestar Ads Review, so go do that first. 

Step 1 - Identify Your Angle

Step one is to find out what thought-process, storyline, or values serve the product you’re trying to sell. To identify your angle. The reason Polestar’s ad is so good is because the questions they asked Karen Nyberg led to an electric car as the solution. She riffed on how progress is important to humankind, and also how fragile the earth is. Polestar identified their angle and asked questions that fit into that. Identify the angle that serves your marketing, and then go find someone who can help that. 

Step 2 - Book a Real Influencer 

Step two is to book a real-life influencer. Celebrities are cool, and they get Ad Age articles written about them. But they inspire audiences less and less as time goes on. Find someone who fits your angle that virtually everyone can respect. Polestar chose Karen Nyberg, because most people think astronauts are pretty cool. Small business owners, firefighters, award-winning teachers, rockstars, hot-air balloon pilots are all good choices. You know better than I do here.

Step 3 - Capture a Long-Form Interview 

Step three is to record a long-form interview. Influencers are not actors–they’re reactors. When influencers read scripted voice-overs, they fall flat. But when they have real conversations, their humanity shines through, and captures audience attention. Over the course of a long-form interview, the influencer you book is bound to say something profound. This is where you start chopping up the interview. 

Step 4 - Cut an Ad

Step four is to start cutting. It’s easier on the editor to make a video with a scripted voice-over. But it’s not better. Find a director-editor, who can pull compelling story pieces out of a long-form interview. The real-life, conversational tone means that the sentences don’t need to make perfect grammatical sense. As long as the idea comes across, people will be engaged. If the editor can find 30-seconds worth of compelling storytelling from the influencer that fits the angle, then you’re set to start adding footage in. Polestar added creative b-roll with one establishing shot of Nyberg. This will do. For more inspiration, check out the piece I produced in this style for MVMT.

Step 5 - Post the Full Interview and Cut-Downs 

Step five is to maximize the content you captured. Once you finish the ad, link the full interview on your site. Make 8-10 short cut-downs form the interview. Create graphics with compelling quotes. Let this conversation be the backbone of your marketing for the next two months. 

Then, find another influencer and do it again.