Street interviews are a hot topic on social media, and creating your own is very easy according to Kyle, as long as you’re willing to put in long hours of recording and introduce something new. 

With endless creators doing street interviews, Kyle Keller is a creator that many will recognize from the viral LooksMaxing video. 

A content creator bound by no specific theme or format. His flair for comedic situations, background in journalism, and enthusiasm for engaging with new people are a few of the driving factors to his success.

Read along to learn more about what makes a viral street interview and how Kyle manages to make one hit video after another. 

Who is Kyle Keller Off-camera? 

“A toned-down version of what you see on camera, and I consider myself an introvert at heart,” he tells us.

“These interviews require high levels of energy and often entail long hours of engaging with 

different people. I’m certainly not playing a character; I just work to communicate an amplified version of who I am off-camera.”

Why Street interviews, And How Did It Start?

He quickly answers, “I do street interviews because they work, I enjoy making them, and they require minimal scripting and character playing. If your interview questions are interesting enough, you’re bound to succeed.”

“I tried informative and vlog content in the past, but the first few videos were not as engaging as my first street interview videos. They were born out of the urge to come up with something that’s easier to consume and appeals to a broader audience.”

Where Did The Inspiration To Do Street Interviews Come From?

“I studied journalism at Virginia Tech College, and part of my assignment was interviewing locals for newsworthy topics, and I really enjoyed it.”

“After noticing the potential, I started doing college campus videos interviewing students during special events, and it took off. Everyone loved seeing their friends on camera.”

Kyle also explains that doing street interviews allowed him to talk to people that he wouldn’t have otherwise, stating “It is so interesting that people are more open to conversation when there’s a camera in their face.”

He gives an example of one of his first videos, telling us, “I remember we had the hip-hop artist Gunna perform, and I capitalized on the opportunity, interviewing people who seemed like they were having a blast, and featuring people with high energy levels.”

Wrapping up his answer, he tells us, “I found much of the inspiration to do college videos from creator Shan Rizwan. But college videos were only a temporary thing that I knew wouldn’t last, so what I’m doing right now is essentially the best alternative to college videos.”

What Does The Preparation Process Look Like?

“There is almost no standard process, and through endless interviews, I developed more like a basic framework I follow for each video that I’ll share with everyone.”

1.  Choosing The Interview Questions

“This is the basis of everything else: if your questions are not engaging or require the audience to think and recall previous experiences, you will not get a good interview:”

Good Examples Of Questions I Learned To Avoid Include:

Would you rather have a gay son or thot daughter? 

What is the craziest thing that ever happened to you?

What do you look for in the perfect partner?

“Some because they’re not brand-friendly and can be considered shallow, and others simply because the interviewee cannot answer them in real-time; they need time to think and filter what they’ll say.” 

Kyle explains that no viewer wants to see an interviewee think, and even if the video is edited not to show the thinking process, a well-thought-out answer is easy to spot. 

2.  Consider The Viewer’s Perspective

“How you want the video to be received by your audience is another important part; here are some questions to consider:”

How do you want viewers to feel?

Is the objective to confuse them and have them rewatch the video? 

Do you want them to find things funny and share your video with friends? 

3. Don’t Stage Your Videos 

“I tried staging a few videos maybe six months ago, and I can confidently tell you that it is not a healthy practice.”

“This usually happens when brands reach out and want a specific reaction that you wouldn’t get unless it was staged, but now I have completely eliminated that and will refuse any deals that ask me to stage my content.”

4. Don’t Worry About The Interviewee’s Reaction

“Whether they respond with a humorous reaction or just maintain a straight face doesn’t matter. If the basis of the interview is funny, it will be a hit as I believe that the engagement of the videos stems from the initial efforts of finding the right topic and taking it to the street.”

What’s the hardest part of doing what you do?

“Editing for sure,” he quickly answers. “I capture endless hours of footage for each clip, and finding the right ones to include in the videos and balancing the level of emotions can be a challenge.”

He adds, “Me not enjoying the process can also play a part in the difficulty of things, but what I fear most is not including a reaction or shot that could’ve changed the video’s performance for the best.”

“So rewatching the footage over and over again is a big part of the editing process, and it sometimes gets on my nerves.”

How Profitable Is The Niche?

“Certainly less profitable than other niches like food and fashion, but it also has its advantages. It’s more engaging, the growth process is often faster, and you generally have more fun making these videos.”

“Despite having over 740,300 followers, I only worked with a handful of brands, and that was after I changed my content format to be more brand-friendly, giving them some level of family-friendliness they can work with.”

What Tips Do You Have For Creators Doing Street Interviews?

Disregard Performance To Perform

The best advice I have for those creating content online is to refrain from embracing the emotions associated with performance.

My first 4 street interview videos were all viral clips that generated millions of views, and then views dropped to a baseline of roughly 20,000 views. That shift in performance really messed with me, and I had to rethink the whole process.

Consider The Brand and Business Element

“You need to spice things up by being an informative or engaging interviewer, and there is no standard definition to this.” 

He explains, “No brand wants to hire a guy that goes around interviewing drunk people for laughs. You need to brand yourself to appeal to the masses and offer more value than just street interviews.”

“It could be funny, daring, Gen-Z-focused, or even confusing. Just be sure to make it anything but generic with your street interviews. I mentioned that I started paying more attention to the branding and formatting aspect, and so far, there has been a noticeable shift.