The 8 Best Ways to Capture Stories Using Ask Me Anything Videos
If you’ve been on the internet at all over the last three decades, you’ve probably seen an Ask Me Anything post or video, commonly referred to as AMAs.
The phrase “Ask Me Anything” first appeared in the zeitgeist in 1992 with the book Ask Me Anything: A Sex Therapist Answers the Most Important Questions for the 90's. This type of content later gained popularity on the internet through Reddit, a popular social media forum based around communities, discussion, and content rating. When someone offers to do an AMA on Reddit, people post questions, and other users upvote or downvote each one, with the host deciding which to answer.
Some AMAs are hosted by regular folks who have a unique story to tell – like this person who was exonerated for murder after spending 21 years in prison. Other AMAs are hosted by celebrities, politicians, influencers, or pretty much any type of public figure people want to hear from.
Now, this Q&A style content is hosted all over the internet and for many different purposes, including utilizing employee stories to boost talent acquisition strategies and employer branding.
We talked to a variety of business leaders about the best ways to capture employee stories using AMA videos and the benefits of this tool for sparking employee engagement, especially with the rise of hybrid and remote teams. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Enhance the Onboarding Process
Starting a new job has always been a stressful endeavor, and while at least some form of remote/hybrid work is favored by 97% of the workforce, the virtual onboarding process can make it harder to bond with a new team.
AMA videos are an effective tool for new employees to make instant connections with their new co-workers.
Energy Casino, a relatively young but quickly growing iGaming company, has incorporated AMAs into their onboarding process with great success. According to Athina Zisi, the Chief Operations Officer, “Incorporating AMAs creates a more engaging and personalized onboarding experience that helps new employees feel more connected with the organization since the very start.”
These AMAs can work two ways, with new employees quizzing established team members about their work experience or with current employees getting to know their new co-workers. The most effective AMAs will incorporate both strategies and include current employees from all levels of the organization.
An innovative approach to onboarding is creating mentor-mentee relationships between existing and new employees and then strengthening that bond with AMAs. This strategy has worked well for Dmytro Kondratiev, CEO, Legal Board Advisor, and tax expert at LLC.Services.
“Organizing AMA sessions between new employees and their assigned mentors can create a more intimate and supportive onboarding experience,” says Kondratiev. “These sessions allow new hires to learn about their mentor's career journey, challenges faced, and successes achieved, fostering a sense of relatability and trust.”
At the same time, mentees have the opportunity to talk about their past experiences and goals with their new company. Kondratiev says this addition to the onboarding process has “strengthened the bond between team members and facilitated knowledge sharing.”
2. Promote Employee Resource Groups
Employee Resource Groups, or ERGs, are a key part of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) strategies of forward-thinking companies that embrace innovation and the Future of Work. These groups offer a safe space for employees with common interests or identities to come together for support, camaraderie, and guidance.
“Hosting an AMA with members of an ERG can help showcase the group's mission and goals,” says Adam Garfield, Marketing Director of Hairbro, “as well as provide a platform for members to share their stories and experiences.”
Well-planned AMA videos with members of an ERG is a simple way to introduce the group to new hires and promote it within the wider organization. Plus, by showcasing group members, ERG leaders, and upcoming events, hesitant or introverted employees may feel less intimidated to join.
3. Highlight the Wins
No matter the win, an AMA video is the right way to go. And the best place to present this type of video is at company-wide all-hands meetings where everyone can appreciate the win – from product builds to big sales to successful marketing campaigns.
Kondratiev of LLC.Services likes to use Ask Me Anything videos that highlight wins to promote cross-department collaboration. “Organizing AMAs that bring together employees from different departments can foster a sense of unity across the organization,” he says. “Employees can share stories of successful collaborations, lessons learned, and the value of working together towards a common goal.”
James McNally, Managing Director of SDVH [Self Drive Vehicle Hire], agrees. “To encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing across different departments, we initiated an AMA video exchange program,” he says. “Each month, a representative from one department hosts an AMA session, where they discuss their department's goals, challenges, and recent accomplishments. This provides a platform for employees to learn about their colleagues’ work, ask questions, and identify potential collaboration opportunities.”
McNally also advocates for showcasing individual employee successes and milestones, like outstanding performance and work anniversaries, through AMA videos, which “gives the employees an opportunity to share their journey, challenges, and successes with the rest of the team, inspiring others and promoting a sense of camaraderie.”
That definitely sounds like a win-win.
4. Get Personal Without the Personality Tests
Asking prospective and current employees to take personality tests may help senior leaders understand their workforce and can make it easier to create a flexible work policy or plan company-wide events. But these tests are not the right choice for every organization, and there are definitely cons to consider.
For business leaders who are hesitant to smack a personality label on their employees or who have found this strategy lacking in the past, AMA videos may be a welcome alternative.
An Ask Me Anything video may be viewed as less invasive than personality tests and may provide more genuine, thoughtful answers. Through AMAs, employees and senior leaders will still be able to learn about each other, but unlike personality tests, these videos can be posted on your company website and social media platforms to boost your employer brand with current and prospective employees – a nice perk!
5. Maximize Social Sharing
Speaking of social media, AMA videos are basically tailor-made for sharing. When recording AMAs, you can cut them together in different formats and at different lengths to fit the parameters of each social channel. For example, a full 30-minute branded video is great for YouTube, while a shorter, more conversational clip is better for Facebook and Instagram. AMA videos are also useful content for Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
Chris Morris, Founder of Shoo Social Media, suggests engaging employees and reaching more of your target audience by creating a dedicated hashtag when sharing AMA videos: “A dedicated hashtag can help employees share their stories on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. This can help create a sense of community and encourage employees to share their experiences.”
With permission from all participating employees, of course, plan to blast these videos across all your channels.
6. Go Live
Another option for social sharing is handing over your company accounts to your employees to post live AMAs. Live streams can be recorded, so you can recut and share the videos later or incorporate them into your onboarding process.
Gene Fitzgerald, Head of Marketing at BOS, likes this strategy because it generates “original and authentic employee stories.” However, she warns against “blindly handing over control of your brand accounts.” Be thoughtful when choosing employees for this strategy. Including at least one member of your senior leadership team – or having this person close by in case of trouble – adds a layer of security during live streams.
7. Encourage Transparency and Authenticity
With employer branding, transparency and authenticity pretty much go with the territory. Employees are smart, and for the most part, they can tell if a company’s message is genuine or all talk. Gen Z, in particular, cares about the actions of potential employers, not just empty words, and a recent Catalyst survey found that employees have better experiences at work when they view their employer’s policies as authentic and genuine.
According to Alice Hall, Co-Founder & Creative Director at Rowen Homes, one of the most significant benefits of utilizing employee AMA videos is that it’s easy to keep the message authentic and transparent. She has some advice for business leaders looking to capitalize on this strategy: “Inspire your staff to speak candidly and openly about their experiences, especially if some of those encounters have not been entirely pleasant. This will help to establish an atmosphere of honesty and transparency among employees and contribute to the building of trust among them.”
Trust is a key component of your relationship with current and future employees. To increase trust through AMAs, Hall advises asking questions that “encourage employees to share the unique viewpoints and experiences they've gained throughout their employment, rather than merely repeating the talking points of the organization.”
These open and honest discussions are even more important with remote workers. Elice Max, Co-Owner and Marketing Director of EMUCoupon, conducts an AMA session with employees every month to engage in-person and remote workers.
“Since I have many employees working from home, AMA is an effective communication tool for me,” says Max. “I make sure the entire exercise has a level of transparency and that employees are free to give their input regarding a variety of matters.”
8. Incorporate AMAs Into Exit Interviews
Losing an employee is rarely welcome news. Whether someone is moving away, leaving to pursue a new opportunity, or simply decided your workplace is not the right fit, incorporating AMA videos into exit interviews can provide valuable information about your policies, company culture, and what your leadership team could be doing better.
In some cases, it might make sense to publicize an exit interview AMA, such as someone who loved working at your company but found another opportunity elsewhere. If an employee is leaving on friendly terms, allowing them to talk about how their position at your company helped them grow and advance in their career can be a handy promotional tool.
For other exit interview AMAs, you may ask to record it as a resource for your executive leadership team to review and use to improve your organization.
The Verdict
Remember the content voting feature on Reddit discussed at the top of the article? Keep this in mind when planning AMAs with your employees. Each employee will have their own upvote or downvote on every question asked, depending on their answer and how comfortable they are sharing.
Employees may genuinely not have answers to certain questions. Maybe they haven’t had a big win at the company yet or can’t think of any thought-provoking advice to share with new hires. Be especially careful when asking questions related to employees’ personal lives. Some questions may be uncomfortable, awkward, or even upsetting. An employee who recently experienced family estrangement or a death in the family, as examples, may have a hard time answering seemingly innocuous questions like how many siblings do you have? Or what do your parents do?
To make sure the AMA goes smoothly and everyone is comfortable, always provide alternate questions and give your employees the option to skip any they don’t want to answer for whatever reason.
Jennifer Johnson is a writer and researcher who works primarily in career services, recruiting, content development, and PR. But she's been known to take on any project that piques her interest.
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