Before an article can be written, there must be an interview and initial contact. Since this internship consists of interviewing/contacting professionals in Tallahassee and Faculty at FSU, it is important that you are presenting a respectful, professional image in all correspondents made.
Email Tips
1. Include a short, descriptive subject line. [This is really important because everyone's email Inbox is crowded, and you want yours to grab the person's attention.]
2. Use appropriate titles for first contact and any subsequent contact, unless the professor/interview subject gives you the OK to be more casual. For example, use “Dear Dr. X” when contacting professors. Graduate students, even Ph.D. students, are not yet officially “doctors,” but go ahead and use that title when emailing them anyway. The courtesy will get you off to a good start with them.
***It is always safe to use "Professor" if unsure about faculty titles***
Faculty webpage: https://english.fsu.edu/people/faculty (can use to look up appropriate titles etc)
3. Don't sound too demanding with your request for a specific time to conduct the interview. [See below for possible ways to word this part.]
4. Wait at least two days before sending a follow-up email if you don't get a response to the first one. Then follow up with something along the lines of, "Hello again, Dr. X. I am following up on the email I sent to you on Monday. Please let me know if you are OK with the story idea and interview process." Or something similar, depending on the circumstances.
5. When you are finalizing the interview time, inform the person that you would like to have photographs for the posted article, and ask them if it is OK to take them during the interview. This also allows the person to wear appropriate clothes or look nice, if they choose to do so.
Sample Email
Dear Dr./Professor [last name],
My name is _______, and I am a writer for the Department of English, working this semester with Jack Clifford. He asked me to reach out to you about an article I am writing for the English department website. The article is [one of these options or something similar: a profile of you, if you are comfortable with participating; a profile of *someone else* and I hope you can supply a few quotes about the person’s work; a feature article about (a department/university-related topic) and I hope you can supply a few supporting quotes for the article.] I would like to set up a time to meet with you to discuss the [article’s topic/purpose of the interview], if you are OK with being quoted.
I can meet in person with you at your convenience, although I am not available at these times: _____. [This is important info to include so you don't get into a back-and-forth email exchange with the person: "Can you meet Monday at 10 a.m?" "No, I have class. What about that day at 2 p.m.?" "Oh, I teach then. What about..." Frustrating for both of you.] Thank you in advance for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards/whatever email sign off you use,
[your name]
To Tape or Not to Tape/Interviewing Tips:
Discussion about taping interviews/Interviewing: Accelerated Intimacy by Isabel Wilkerson