Here are proven tactics you can use to track down great interviewees and make the most of the content they help you produce.
1. Find influencers
Your main focus here should be on the social following someone has — the aim is to interview them on your site, then get them to promote the content to their followers. There are two tools that can be used to help track down influencers with strong social media presences: Topsy and Followerwonk.
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Both have free options, although you will need to subscribe if you want to access advanced features. Both have simple to use search functions that will allow you to enter relevant keywords and build up a list of potential interviewees.
You should take into account the number of followers they have and the kind of engagement levels their tweets get (ie the number of Retweet and replies). You should also take note of any other social media profiles they have as these could offer extra exposure.
2. Contact them & offer something in return
As with any form of outreach, it's easier to get people to do what you want if you're able to offer them something in return. If you've already got an established blog with a decent number of readers, or a reasonably powerful readership you should be able to offer exposure or a link in return the interview will probably be enough. If you're still looking to establish yourself, you may have to sweeten the deal a little by offering freebies, but you'll find there are many people out there who are willing to conduct such interviews out of the goodness of their own heart.
Regardless, your email approach should communicate the benefits the interviewee will get out of the process as this will increase the likelihood of them saying yes to your proposal.
3. Leverage video when possible
If you're not confident with video and/or audio technology, then writing up the interview as a blog post is fine. However, you should think whether multimedia interviews will help boost engagement. If you're worried people won't hang around to watch or listen to the whole thing, you can always include an audio transcript as well.
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4. Craft smart questions
The chances are you're going to be conducting a sympathetic interview with your subject, so you won't be asking anything too probing. However, you still need to do your preparation to make sure you get the most value out of your interviews. As well as reading up on the background of your subjects, you also need to think about what information they can provide to your readers. More often than not, you'll find yourself asking for tips and advice on how to replicate success. That said, don't be afraid to delve into other areas if you feel they add value to things.
5. Integrate smart calls-to-action
Done well, interviews should bring plenty of new visitors to your site. However, to get the most out of this tactic you need to convince them to come back again. In order to do this, you should make sure the interview page features a call to action that encourages them to sign up to your newsletter or follow your social media accounts.
6. Measure results & invite successful interviewees to come back
You should also keep track of visitor numbers so you can identify the interviewees that bring in most traffic and conduct a follow up with them in a few months' time to get another boost.
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Interviews are a great way to gain traction in areas that you would otherwise have difficulty breaking into.