The One Question That Unlocks Every Great Patient Story

By Jason Bellue | Experience Vault | Flying House Media

Every marketer knows the drill: build the interview guide, send it for approval, stick to the script.

But here’s the problem: checklists don’t create connection.

If you want a story that resonates, you don’t need 20 questions. You need one.

The Wrong Kind of Questions

Most pharma interviews sound like this:

• “When were you diagnosed?”

• “What symptoms did you experience?”

• “How long did treatment take to work?”

They’re factual. They’re safe. They’re easy for compliance.

But they don’t open the door to emotion. They don’t spark reflection. They don’t give you the raw, human truth that makes stories unforgettable.

The One Question That Changes Everything

Here it is:

“What did that moment feel like?”

That’s it.

• Not what happened but what it felt like.

• Not what you did next but what you carried inside.

This one question reframes a story from information to experience. It pulls you out of bullet-point answers and into the beating heart of someone’s life.

Why It Works

Because feelings are universal.

• A doctor may not share the same condition as their patient.

• A caregiver may not understand the science of the treatment.

• An audience may not remember timelines or acronyms.

But they all know what fear feels like. Or hope. Or relief.

That’s the bridge between story and connection.

If you want stories that move behavior, don’t just document the “what.” Unlock the “how it felt.”

That single shift turns your interview from a compliance-safe transcript into a moment that lingers in your audience’s mind — long after the campaign is over.

Facts tell. Feelings sell.And the fastest way to feelings is one simple question: “What did that moment feel like?”