Over the past few weeks I have been asked a number of times – What can I do to get more traffic to my blog? There is no simple answer, but…
…one of the best ways I’ve discovered for generating traffic is to conduct an interview with an expert in your subject area. In fact, I have garnered record comments and views on posts featuring an expert interview or book review. Here’s an example of a recent interview with an expert in his field.
So, where do we start?
Getting started
Get acquainted with leaders in your field. Make an A List of people you’d like to work with someday. Then contact them.
Yes, it’s actually that simple. Just ask.
Most will say yes! No kidding!
You may have to schedule the interview for a few weeks (or months) out, but most will appreciate and welcome the opportunity to connect with your growing tribe.
When you send your initial request for the interview, be sure to include:
- A brief introduction of yourself
- Thank the person for their work and impact
- Explain what you are asking for (in this case an interview) and why
- Include links or references to past interviews (if you have some)
- Make a clear ask (Why is this a separate bullet point – because a lot of people struggle with this.) Ask already.
- Include your name, contact info, blog address
Prepare
You’ll need to actually prepare for the interview – ahead of time – really! The 20 to 30 minutes in the interview will fly by. So you’ll have to prepare to effectively use every moment. Don’t waste this incredible opportunity.
(By the way, do not schedule more than 30 minutes for the interview – if you can’t interview someone in 30 minutes, you need to plan better or get more practice.)
Find all the background information you can – review their professional bio, their blog, their latest book, follow them on Twitter.
Then, from your research, develop a list of interview questions. Here are a few ideas:
- I’ve become acquainted with your professional bio – but how would you describe your life story?
- Briefly describe a defining moment in your career.
- What is your best leadership advice?
- What motivated you to write [Book Title]?
- I’ve read your book – what questions would you have for me as a reader?
- What have you found to be the greatest needs in your organization (or industry)?
- Who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? How has this person impacted your life?
- What is the most important decision you’ve made as a leader?
- How do you ensure that the work of your organization is aligned with the core values of the organization?
- When faced with two equally-qualified candidates, how do you determine whom to hire?
- What is the biggest challenge facing leaders today?
- What is the one mistake that is most likely to derail a leader’s career?
- How do you communicate vision to your team? to the organization?
- What resources would you recommend to someone looking to become a better leader?
- What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a leader?
Keep in mind that in a 30 minute interview you won’t have time for all of these questions I’ve listed AND their responses. So, choose (or develop) interview questions that are most relevant for you. Then practice the interview a few times.
The Interview
In the interview, be yourself. There’s no need to try to get all intellectual or anxious about what the expert will think of your questions. Just be authentic – they’ll appreciate it more than you know.
First, explain how you plan to use the time. For example, “I’d like to give you a little background about how I connected with you. Then ask you a few questions and give you an opportunity to ask me questions. Is that ok with you?”
The Ask
If you ignore everything else, don’t ignore this! I was not prepared for this in the first interview I conducted.
Most of the time near the end of interview the expert will ask you, How can I help you? Be prepared to answer! This is the equivalent of closing the sale. If you’re not going to close the deal, stay home!
Write out your clear, concise answer to this question. A few examples:
- I’d like to include your responses in a feature on my blog in the near future. Does that sound ok?
- I’d like to submit a guest post to you to consider for your blog. Of course, there would be no obligation to use it. Would that be ok with you? Is there a particular topic you’d like for me to address?
- I’d like to give away 20 (or 50) copies of your book on my blog – is that ok with you?
- Would you be willing to post on my blog regarding [topic]?
Deliver
Deliver on what you promise. If you promised to feature the interview on your blog – let the expert know when it will be published.
If you are giving away their book – ship the books.
And if they are guest posting for you – publish the post.
Then promote it all along the way – on Twitter, on Facebook. You might event get a retweet from the expert that will spike your traffic.
Follow-up
This is nearly as important as the ask. Jeff Goins recommends that you keep showing up in their life. Don’t be annoying – just occasionally and intentionally show up.
Most will appreciate the encouragement – and if not, that’s ok too. You’ve served them.
The goal
Here’s the big one! Set a goal to get on as many expert lists as possible – so you’re the one being interviewed! Be patient – this will come with time…and a lot of good content.
So, get crackin!
Question: What would you add to the list? What has worked for you? Share your ideas in the comments!
I neglected to ask, does the expert have to be in your specific field? My target audience is young married couples. So does the expert have to be only those in my field of husband or wives wanting to strengthen their relationship or could it be a person who does well at book promotion to promote my book – Cracking The Marriage Code?
Good question. No – In fact most of the individuals I’ve interviewed were in fields quite different than mine.
You are also showing that it is OK to re-post a helpful article. I have seen several experts do this effectively.
As a newbie to building my business online, I appreciate learning from successful folks. Thanks for your kindness.
Yep – if it’s good content, it’s always useful!
Always have a suggestion ready. Always have an elevator speech (less than 2 minutes) ready.
So true Branden! Enjoy your day!
Great tips. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Betty – Enjoy your week!
Very informative and practical. Some great step-by step instruction. Thanks for posting.
My pleasure! Glad this proved to me a great resource for you!
A couple of months ago I interviewed Gary Vaynerchuk on my blog. He tweeted out a link to the interview on Twitter and I got more traffic in a few hours than I do in a month. Thanks, Michael, for reminding me about the potential of interviewing experts!
Yep – it works. And so many leaders are willing to make time to serve you. Thanks man.
I’ve had similar experiences. Thanks for sharing your experience!
As a business student looking to break into the consulting industry, I’ve learned the value of informative interviews- not only do I gain an invaluable perspective into the company, but I’m getting my name out as well.
At first, I was nervous to ask since I can’t really reciprocate value for the individual, but everyone has been more than willing to give me 20 minutes of their time. I’d reiterate what others have said- you have nothing to lose, but everything to gain by asking!
Finally, I’d stress being very attentive to their schedule- make it as painless as possible for the person you’re interviewing.
Great points Katharine. I agree – once you get a couple under your belt, it gets fun. They become energizing – you never really know where any particular interview will lead and what doors it will open. Fun stuff!
Nice David – be authentic. That’s actually in my notes but didn’t make it into the post. Be yourself – have fun with it.
Thanks my friend.
Great stuff Mike. Just entering the blogging arena as a participant and not just a reader. This article was very practical. I plan to prepare for the “ask”. Hopefully schedule an interview soon.
Good stuff! It may happen at some point, but I’ve never been turned down. Let me know how it goes!
I had my first interview with an expert in the field of leadership a couple of weeks back. I had the pleasure of email interviewing Skip Prichard, the CEO of Ingram Content Group.
To be honest, I was a bit nervous. I didn’t know what to expect or if I’d be turned down. But all it took was a simple email request and I landed the interview.
And I just landed my second interview. This time with Dan Miller of 48 Days. Once again it was a quick email to him and awaiting his answer. So excited to see where this one leads!
So my advice would be “Just Ask.” The worst that will happen is they say no. You then move on and find another expert to ask.
Yep. I’ve found it to be pretty painless. By the way, an email interview is a great idea too! There are pros and cons to each method – phone, email, in-person, etc. So we may need to be a little accomodating with what works best for the interviewee. Great thoughts!
This is a great idea. Do you record your interview or just takes notes?
Good question. I just take notes – for 2 reasons: 1) Most of my interviews are by phone, so taking notes is not distracting to the interviewee; 2) To record would require me to get permission from the interviewee and I have chosen not to take the time to do so or run the risk of putting the interviewee on edge. It’s worked great for me.