It’s my bet that most of you wish you had more visitors to your blogs or websites. It’s also my bet that you’re not taking advantage of things you might be able to possibly do to help get your name out to the masses. What am I talking about?
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I like to add interviews to my blog, whether they’re written interviews or video interviews. The reason I like doing them is because I think it adds a new dimension to my websites in general, as well as helps expand my presence in social media.
Right now I have 4 requests out to people who said they’d do the interview for me. I sent them the questions and I’m waiting… and waiting… and waiting. I had two people actually follow through on this, one for my local blog (who I also interviewed here, the other by my buddy Brian Hawkins, who also came through with a video interview.
On the first one, the guy asked me to interview him, and since I know him pretty well I did, and he did a little promotion and that was it. Brian came to the page, addressed all the people who commented on it, and even held a contest on his own blog in trying to help promote it. That was kind of neat and it proved a point.
Too many people lament that no one knows who they are, but they don’t step forward to handle the easiest things to help them along. Things like responding to comments on their blogs, writing comments on other blogs, promoting their missives or interviews on Twitter or LinkedIn or Facebook… Just asking, but how many of you have the link to your websites or blogs in your email signature? Yeah, I thought so.
This isn’t an invitation for you to write me asking me to interview you; truthfully, if you do that I’m ignoring it. I’ll ask those who I want to interview if I can do it. However, I’m always available for an interview because I know I can use it for “my” greater good.
Back in June I wrote another post about lessons learned via an interview I did with Cairn Rodriguez and I also shared the video. I followed that up last October later by sharing my own interview with Meloney Hall in a post talking about blogging and social media marketing. Meloney also interviewed me and posted it to her blog, which I found pretty cool, and I keep sharing that interview of me and other interviews I’ve done with others multiple times because, after all, they’re all a great representation of me.
The thing is that you have to be willing to at least try to do something for yourself if you’re looking to get known or to make money. People aren’t just going to find you; well, maybe they will, but if they don’t know you then why would they buy from you? What better way to help promote yourself than to be found on someone else’s digital real estate?
However, this post isn’t about you yourself all that much; it’s about adding someone else’s interview to your digital real estate. You’re probably thinking “I don’t want to promote anyone else on my page”. Trust me, you’re missing the point. How? Five points below:
1. Interviewing someone who does what you do can help confirm that you know what you’re talking about.
Strange as it might seem, some people who read what you have to say might not fully trust you, especially if they’re unsure of what you’re talking about. However, if someone else comes along and says the same type of thing, you start looking smarter. If you don’t believe this one just tell your spouse something, then have them ask someone else the same question. lol
2. Interviewing someone about aspects of what you do that you don’t talk about often helps highlight just how comprehensive what you do can be.
I did a podcast interview with a guy who does some group leadership training in Florida. In that interview I brought up some things that he himself doesn’t do, but he got it and helped to enhance it with his own words. It makes him look strong because even if he didn’t know anything about what I was saying up front his comment helped to show others just how difficult leadership training can be.
3. Sometimes you can interview someone who was a client and have them tell others how you helped them.
Talk about a coup! All of us in business have some sort of testimonials but you want to know a truth? I know quite a few people who actually write the testimonials themselves and then have someone sign them, making them authentic. Frankly that’s dismaying, and yet I’ve had the opportunity to do the same thing; I just couldn’t do it. However, having someone like that do a video testimonial while it being in the form of an interview… can you think of anything better to help enhance your business?
4. Interviewing someone on the fringe of what you do or are interested in can show you have some depth, thus showing you can be flexible.
I have done some social media consulting here and there. What I find is that depending on who you talk to they always think you talk about only one thing, yet each person has their own thing they’re thinking about. So when I’ve done interviews with other people I’ve expanded the conversation by having them talk about social media platforms in general, and invariably they’ll always bring up something I don’t use or I’m not signed up on. I’ve also interviewed people who have blogs but don’t consider themselves as bloggers; for instance one lady is a lawyer, another a 3D digital artist for media outlets.
5. This is the biggie; you have a major marketing tool that you can use over and over in multiple places. I’ve used my interviews on my blogs. Obviously the video interviews are on YouTube, but then I can embed them in blog posts and share them on every social media platform I have. I can also send links to people via email and, if I so chose to do, I could send out a link in traditional marketing mail and post cards.
There you go; how many times do I have to initiate conversation about interviews, giving them or interviewing others, before you’re ready to take the plunge? Maybe this will help some:
Very interesting post, Mitch. I think that any time you can get a different voice on your blog or podcast is a great change of speed – especially if they are an expert. Experts don`t have to be famous, either. Simply set up in their introduction what they have done. An expert that you haven`t heard of doesnt make him or her any less of an expert.
That’s how I see things Dereck. As long as someone has something different to share or can be informative or entertaining it’s all good.
hey really an awesome blog man, interesting post, well coming to the point interview gives us many awesome things , including experience,knowledge,building relationships,getting to know them, and ooh the traffic and good no of shares and a lot of exposure to our blog
thanks for this great post
thanks and regards
supreet
Well, I wouldn’t count on the traffic so much unless it’s a known name. However, any time you can bring an interesting perspective to things it’s always to everyone’s benefit.
Great points on interviews Mitch; it’s an amazing content opportunity for bloggers and YouTube personalities. I don’t mean Amazing opportunity for content, I mean opportunity for amazing content; if that even make sense. lol I just got home from a 12 hour shift so my brain is on shutdown mode.
Not only do interviews help the interviewer, they, like you said, help the interviewee if the interviewer knows how to conduct it.
It doesn’t matter how popular the interviewee is either. I won’t mention the name but I watched a hangout interview of a very popular podcaster by a couple of [insert insult]. I actually felt sorry for the guy because they were borderline rude and very unprofessional.
Oh no, I feel myself going long. Surprising because I rarely have anything to say. lol
Without getting all mushy, you are a fantastic example of how to conduct an interview. Seriously, I’m super proud of our video when you interviewed me. You made me look smart (no small feat), you made it enjoyable and most of all it wasn’t the same old boring things everyone else asks.
If I could give my own piece of advice for your readers; make it a goal to make the interview feel like it’s a conversation and not an official interview. That exactly how I felt and it made all the difference in the world. In fact, that is the only interview video I have on my “About” page.
Sorry for getting all mushy, I know you’re tearing up by now. LOL Good stuff Mitch, thank you. 🙂
Brian, I enjoyed this comment more than you know. Your two interviews were wonderful, and I hope others check them out to see how much fun they can be, and how a good one can give them something to promote. I watched some of that interview from the link you shared on Twitter and I’d have to say he acquitted himself well even those guys were kind of jerks; sigh…
Like you, I’ve watched and listened to a lot of interviews. The best ones give the impression that the interviewer has done a lot of research, which helps them ask good questions. But just as important, they’re really listening to the answers, and that helps the conversation flow more smoothly.
Great post, Mitch, and great video, too.
But did you really get three inches of snow?
Charles, we often get 3 inches of snow; that’s minor stuff, we don’t even bat an eye for that amount. lol I like to think that I’ll change things up some, while still getting some of the core stuff in, as I did with the interview I did with you, which folks can see here: http://www.imjustsharing.com/charles-gulotta-his-mostly-bright-ideas/. And you did what I hoped you’d do, which is put it on your site because it was a good interview. 🙂
Hey Mitch,
As you know, I’ve been interviewed many times now and I appreciate it for sure. It’s just something I personally don’t want to do and my thinking behind that is because everyone else is.
I like to highlight people in other ways by sharing their posts or having them write for me, etc. I see your points though, I really do and I think it’s great.
I do all the other things though like blogging, social media, commenting, guest posting, etc. So I am all over the place, you can’t miss me these days.
I know a lot of people are doing interviews and podcasts but I guess I’ve read so many interviews of people that when I keep seeing them all over the place I’m not interested in reading it or hearing it because I rarely learn something new about them. Rarely! I guess people don’t know how to ask different types of questions.
I know you’ll definitely have something to say to me about this one so go ahead, let me have it! LOL!!!
You’re still awesome Mitch, ya know I love ya!
~Adrienne
First Adrienne, everyone’s not doing it, and you’re not doing it proves that. lol Second, I’ve seen most of your interviews and, well, they’re all about you. Not that that’s a bad thing but no one ever really asks you your opinion on stuff and your ideas about stuff and I think that shows you haven’t really been challenged. My thing about interviews is that I’m not going to just ask people the standard stuff and move on with life. As you saw in the interview I did with Ileane I went to a place that no one else would ever go with her, and I did the same with Brian on the video interview I did with him and the one I did with Morayma, the model (I mean really, how many people get to interview a professional model and ask the kinds of questions I did? lol).
To me, that’s why I want to do interviews, and how I figure people can start apart from the norm and make interviewing their bailiwick if they so choose to do so. My problem is getting more people to do it; it’s amazing how many people can write about themselves and write for themselves but don’t want to answer someone else’s questions to them that might make them think about stuff they haven’t thought of before. Still, it’s what I go for. 🙂
And because you do lots of stuff I won’t do, I’ll handle the interviews and you can continue doing all that other stuff. 😉
Hi,
Interviews are the awesome part of the blog. The benefits are endless, the two best thing for me is the traffic that flows and it does help in building trust factor.
Many people have interviews going on a weekly basis.
The takeaways from the interviews are very huge and it helps everyone in the process.
Nice post buddy. Take care.
Thanks Rohan. I’d love to do more interviews but I also don’t want them to become mundane. So I’ll continue being selective and hoping to be intriguing also.
Hello Mitch!
Interviewing is a win win for everyone. The interviewer gets free content, a potential new relationship with the person being interviewed, and exposure to the interviewees audience. The problem I see all to often is bloggers wanting to do interview top bloggers, but then go about asking the same simple, boring questions. Making the interview flat, boring, and not something the person being interviewed is going to share with his network.
Exactly Worli, and that serves no one, especially the person being interviewed. A great interview can be fun and enlightening.
Hello Mitch,
First of all this is a nice post. Interview with others not only make your blog popular in the selected blogospere but also gain a trust with others also. Its help you in feature mostly to get backlinks as well as in selected developement projectes.
Thanks.
Not only blogs, but video channels. The publicity one can get… can’t beat it.