Any interview you can land is going to represent a great opportunity to get new, unique content for your site without having to write it all yourself. What’s more, any interview you host is going to appeal to someone who is a fan of the person answering the questions. You also can often get free marketing from the interviewees themselves.
That’s all great for sure; but all these benefits would be far greater if the interviewee were someone more famous who had a bigger reach. Land an interview with someone like David Beckham and you can be assured of lot’s of web traffic.
So the question is – how do you get the big interviewees to respond? Here are some strategies you can use.
Make it Beneficial for Them
Even if you’re a relatively small influencer yourself, you still have an audience and you still offer value to your interviewee. At certain points, even the biggest names are going to be looking for exposure. This is why celebrities go on talk shows! So find your influencer and wait until they have something to promote – that’s the perfect time to ask for an interview.
One way to find people who are in the process of looking for exposure is to look at press release sites. Find a press release and it will have the contact details you’re looking for on it.
Ask Just One Question
Sometimes it’s better to aim lower – for instance – ask for an answer to just a single question. This might not be a full interview as such, but as it takes only a second. The person you’re messaging is more likely to answer and you can work that into an article or blog post.
Pick Up the Phone
The telephone is a very under-utilized weapon in the digital marketer’s arsenal. If you actually speak with someone on the phone, it is much harder for them to ignore you. You can then quickly ask a few questions and potentially even record the answers
Hire Them
If the person you’re trying to reach offers any kind of service, then you can quickly get an audience with them simply by hiring them. From here you can build a relationship and ultimately this will give them your ear when you try and contact them.
Use Twitter
You can even conduct a pseudo-interview by Twitter. Lots of celebrities are active on Twitter, so this is an excellent strategy – especially because they can answer quickly and in their own time.
