Securing regular contributor interviews with respected industry experts is, without question, one of the most effective brand awareness tactics in a blogger‘s toolkit.
But it does require upfront effort researching targets, contacting them, facilitating insightful discussions, repurposing content across formats, and tracking engagement.
In this comprehensive guide, we address each step in the interview series process to help bloggers rapidly build authority and trust with readers while expanding visibility.
Let‘s begin exploring why interviews work, then progress into proven frameworks for identifying influencers, reaching out successfully, optimizing question quality, showcasing dialogue, and analyzing impact.
Why Interviews Work Wonders for Blog Growth
Before we dig into tactical advice, it‘s important recalling exactly why interviews deserve priority on all high-performance blogging roadmaps.
Exposure Expansion
Industry influencers maintin loyal audiences. Collaborating grants temporary access allowing you broadcast messages reaching entirely new markets.
A joint study by Fuction Communications and TopRank Marketing revealed:
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72% of B2B marketers say relevant third-party content performs better than branded content alone.
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Content co-created with influencers generates 3X more views and shares versus solo efforts.
And your newfound exposure need not end immediately. Satisfied interviewees may continue voluntarily amplifying content if they enjoyed discussions and gained value from participation.
Authority and Trust Bump
Humans instinctively assign increased credibility to third-party endorsements versus self-promotion. It‘s social proof at work.
By publishing inside access to respected experts, you demonstrate confidence handling complex sector issues. Their merits rub off onto you.
Brian Dean of Backlinko grown his site to over 1 million monthly visitors. He credits contributor interviews for much of this rapid rise, saying:
"Getting reputable guests to share little-known ideas on my blog has helped establish trust and authority faster than anything I‘ve ever tried before."
Dean also tracked significant traffic bumps from promotinal efforts by his interviewees.
Increased Conversions
Dialogue format indirectly recommends products, services and resources as you incorporate contextual affiliate links into published commentary.
Because suggestions carry more weight from perceived industry authorities rather than content creators themselves, this lifts conversion rates.
A Mailchimp study found promted posts from influencers outperformed brand-owned content 4-to-1 in generating clicks and sales.
The Proof Is In the Pudding
Still need convincing on the power of interviews? A few quick stats:
- Contributor articles generate 38% more overall engagement than branded posts (Source: Buzzstream)
- 61% of B2B marketers say interviews positively impacted brand awareness. (Source: Toprank Blog)
- Articles featuring quotes or guest posts earn 60% more average social shares (Source: Buzzstream)
Let‘s now shift gears into planning and execution.
Finding Industry Experts to Interview
Your initial goal is identifying relevant niche thought leaders with existing audiences primed to amplify your collaboration while providing interesting commentary.
Prioritize individuals demonstrating these traits:
Relevant Knowledge Base: Look for demonstrated industry experience qualifying them to discuss specialized topics. Surfacing "hidden gems" with insider access works better than pursuing celebritieis from adjacent markets.
Engaged Audience: Experts should maintain established followings on social media, blogs, podcasts or elsewhere. This forecasts their ability to voluntarily re-promote content.
Personality Fit: Even niche celebrities have distinct flavors. Verify aspects like communication style, speech patterns, values and humor gel reasonably well before contacting them. Nothing sabotages collaboration faster than mismatched energies.
Interview Experience: Media-savvy experts adapt comfortably articulating ideas to outside audiences. Novices freeze under lights.
Now let‘s explore proven methods identifying strong candidates fitting the above criteria:
Monitor Your Competitors
Study recent interviews conducted by direct rivals. Reverse-engineer their rolodex. Anyone relevant enough for opponents likely deserves your attention also.
Utilize Data-Driven Tools
Influencer analytics suites like BuzzStream, BuzzSumo, FollowerWonk and NinjaOutreach filter prospects by niche, audience size and engagement rates.
Dive Into Social Conversations
Platforms like Reddit, Quora and Twitter host spirited industry discussions. Notice respected contributors, then check if they maintain blogs or podcasts you could request access to.
Pitch Former Commenters
Review website comments sections. Did any readers leave unusually insightful feedback? Consider interviewing active community members already familiar with your work. This builds loyalty.
Piggyback Current Events
Connect fast-moving news events to experts capable of analyzing implications for your niche. Become outlet they publish reactions through.
Check Who Your Competitors Talk To
Study who rival industry blogs have interviewed recently, take notes, then reach out to recurring names with interview proposals of your own.
Uncover your next interview targets by studying who competitors feature
Structuring a Foolproof Outreach Strategy
Reaching out cold to industry standouts risks severely annoying busy people, damaging your brand, or being completely ignored.
Utilize this 8-step email outreach framework minimizing friction while accelerating positive responses:
1. Discover Direct Contact Details
Scrape email addresses from website contacts pages, LinkedIn profiles, published articles or radio/podcast episode summaries.
Prioritize direct personal emails over generic info@ handles flooding influencer inboxes.
2. Warm Up Conversations
Don‘t let your first ever communication be a self-serving interview request.
First, actively engage with targets on social media commenting thoughtfully on posts and sharing content to start harmless conversations.
This seeds familiarity increasing comfort levels.
3. Catch Attention With Subject Lines
Your outreach email must standout amongst floods of pitches experts receive constantly.
Subject line frameworks like "[Name] – Quick Question Re: [Industry Topic]" spark intrigue without resembling robotic spam.
4. Personalize Openings
Never batch blast templated messages. Treat each recipient as respected individuals familiar with their unique career biographies.
Hi [First Name],
I‘ve followed your advocacy surrounding [area of expertise] for years now across [where you discovered them - blog/books/podcast etc.]
Specifically, yourrecent [media appearance/published work] dissecting [relevant talking point] struck a chord. I appreciate perspectives from leaders with your direct field experience..."This warm, bespoke introduction is far likelier spawning replies than cold, self-centered template pitches like:
Hello there,
I‘m a blogger seeking experts to interview for my website. Would you have time to answer some interview questions about [broad industry topic]?
Let me know,
[Your Name]See the difference? Remember, influencers constantly judge character and intent based on initial outreach tonality.
5. Propose Next-Step Options
Don‘t leave stalling momentum waiting for them to suggest interview scheduling and formats. Take the lead offering:
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15 minute Skype call on [Date] at [Time]
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Asynchronous email interview completed by [Deadline]
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600-800 word written responses by [Deadline]
This respectfully initiates structure while demonstrating understanding of their crowded calendar.
6. Emphasize Mutual Value
Avoid framing interviews as benefiting only you. Busy experts require clear incentives driving participation. Consider:
- Pre-arranged social media cross-promotion
- Backlinks to their website
- Co-contributor status on your blog
- Donations to a cause they champion
Get creative co-crafting value exchanges respecting their time investment.
7. Follow-Up Politely
If your initial outreach goes unanswered, follow up once or twice politely before disengaging altogether.
Influencers field many daily requests and likely aren‘t purposefully ignoring you. Remain patient and gracious at all times.
8. Analyze and Iterate
Track outreach campaign performance recording:
- Target response rates
- Average speed of replies
- Most common next steps agreed
Let data guide edits optimizing your process over successive attempts.
Now let‘s ensure you enter live interviews fully prepared extracting maximum value through thoughtful preparation.
Crafting Quality Interview Questions
You‘ve secured limited access to a niche celebrity. Don‘t squander this exclusive opportunity with surface-level questions easily answered through basic Google searches.
Set your guest up sharing unique perspectives and anecdotes expanding on publicly shared thoughts rather than mere background info.
Gather Background Intel
Refresh yourself on their common talking points using search engines. Scan websites, published interviews and biographies noticing recurring themes.
This provides foundation avoiding redundant ground already covered at length publicly.
Brainstorm Widely
Next, free-associate using the expert‘s work history, signature topics and niche relevance as springboards catapulting interesting new discussions.
Aim high chasing ambitious dialogues on overweight subjects they‘ve yet to fully address elsewhere.
Organize Thematically
Review your brainstorming and shift gears organizing related sub-topics and questions logically into sequence promoting natural conversational flow.
Think about how journalists structure magazine interviews progressing from introductions to conclusions.
Seek Unexpected Angles
Review your questions searching for clever deviations from expected career review conversations.
Can you spur the expert sharing unconventional stories or contrarian opinions through provocative lines of inquiry?
Visually organize using tables:
Template for structuring interview questions thematically while tracking word counts
Keep your finalized set brief enough respecting busy schedules but expansive enough gathering plenty of publishable commentary.
Conducting Interviews
With targets secured and questions prepared, it‘s time facilitating engaging discussions.
Optimize limited windows by:
Confirming Format/Rights Upfront
Before starting interviews, verify logistical preferences to avoid confusion.
Nail down exact format – Written, phone call, video chat etc.
Clarify any usage rights requests – Some experts may provide commentary contingent on approvals over final published quotes.
Sort expectations immediately allowing pure focus on conversational flow after.
Matching Tone and Cadence
Observe initial energy levels from your guest and match accordingly.
Overly stiff/reserved experts require measured questioning with space to open up through rapport building.
While lively guests can withstand rapid-fire friendly challenges mixed with humor putting them at ease.
Sync energies.
Active Listening
Don‘t just robotically read pre-planned questions. Instead, actively listen responding to commentary with relevant improvised reaction questions.
This helps break scripts into more authentic back-and-forth ripe for original revelations.
Active listening during interviews yields better insights
Visual cues like smiling, laughing and nodding keep conversations flowing smoothly without awkward pauses.
And don‘t forget concluding each session by thanking interviewees for their generosity while reaffirming next steps and timelines delivering final publishable assets.
Leaving positive last impressions incentivizes them assisting with promotion later.
Repurposing Epic Interviews
You gathered gold. Now put it to work across multiple formats keeping content alive as long possible through repurposing.
Publish Full Transcripts
Post unedited interview transcripts letting iconic industry experts speak directly to your readers.
Increase visibility adding markup schema and rich snippets confirming authorship.
Redistribute Audio
Slice interview recordings into standalone episodic podcasts or embed inside existing show structures.
Upload across directories like iTunes, Spotify and Stitcher.
Produce Video Summaries
Edit recordings into shareable videos or animate static transcripts using tools like RawShorts.
Push Social Media Snippets
Generating sharable quote graphics and short-form excerpts ideal for highly engaging platforms like Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Don‘t forget directly notifying your interviewee upon launch! This kickstarts viral amplification across their feeds.
Tracking Interview Series Performance
Run each campaign seeking constant optimization through gathered data.
Monitor Reader Sentiments
Survey audiences identifying best-received interview topics, industry experts, repurposing formats and content length.
Analyze Traffic Sources
Website analytics tools like Google Analytics break down precise referral channels.
Notice spikes from social shares, external backlinks and organic searches indicating positive momentum.
Study Social Metrics
Watch for engagement rates across platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
High intensities signal you’ve activated discussion plus voluntary amplification extending reach.
Sample metrics dashboard tracking interview campaign performance
Let hard data guide editing doubling down on what works best while phasing out underwhelming elements.
Wrapping Up
In closing, actively incorporating industry influencers into your content promotion processes through recurring interview campaigns represents a proven tactic accelerating audience expansion and brand authority establishment.
But merely chasing celebrities won‘t suffice. You need strategically optimized systems for identifying relevant targets, contacting them, facilitating insightful dialogue, repurposing discussions across formats and tracking engagement rates ultimately honing effectiveness long term.
We hope this guide provided an actionable framework fulfilling the above requirements taking your blog to the next level. Ready to start securing awesome interviews showcasing your niche thought leadership?
