How to Interview Your Thought Leaders and End Up with a Great Blog Post

Are you a first-time blogger or an experienced inbound marketer in the process of creating new blog content? Either way, you know that creating memorable content is important when it comes to communicating with your audience and holding their attention. With so much content on the internet, also known as content saturation, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd and create content that is educational, relevant, and engaging for your audience. This process can be especially difficult when you are trying to write several blog posts per week. One way to develop extraordinary content is to interview thought leaders within your company and industry that are experts on a particular subject matter. From there, you can create a remarkable blog post.

Let’s first discuss why it is helpful to conduct an interview with a thought leader as you write your next blog. First of all, no one can be an expert on every topic out there. No matter how much you research, your knowledge on certain subject matter will be limited compared to someone who specializes in that specific field. There are individuals that have spent many years of their career and have extensive education in a particular subject matter that you just can’t compete with—nor should you try to. Plus, you may save time by interviewing these individuals as opposed to doing a sizable amount of research on the topic. These individuals most likely have a great deal of information to share with you during a simple conversation. Your job will then be to take that information and craft a blog post that your audience will find useful.

Okay, so how do you that?

Start by picking a thought leader that is well spoken and respected within their field. This will make it easier to guide the conversation and you’ll probably gain valuable insights on the topic throughout the interview. In addition, you may be able to quote them directly within the blog post. By picking the right individual from the start, your interview will go more smoothly and creating a blog post will be that much easier.

Next, it is imperative to ask the right questions during the interview process. This means that you’ll have to do some homework on the subject matter so you know which questions to ask. Try to ask open-ended questions instead of yes or no questions. Develop questions that your reader may ask about that subject and stay focused on the a particular topic. It is easy to get sidetracked and veer off topic when you’re thoroughly engaged in the conversation, so jot your questions down on a piece of paper and incorporate follow-up questions as needed during the interview process.

Stick to a certain timeline for the interview. Typically, a half hour to an hour is best depending on how complex the topic is for the blog. This way, the individual that you are interviewing won’t feel overwhelmed to talk about a particular subject for too long nor will they feel that the interview is taking too much time away from their daily responsibilities. Also, keep in mind that a blog post is usually between 600 and 800 words in length, so if you go over the time limit, you’ll end up with more information than you need and will have to cut back to craft a great blog post.

Record your interview with the thought leader. By having a recording of the interview, you’ll be able to reference the conversation as you write the blog post. You’ll also have the option to use exact quotes from the individual, reference the tone in their voice as they answered the questions, and incorporate the same language they used during the interview. This will also save you time during the interview process because you won’t need to stop the flow of the interview to write quotes down verbatim.

Once you’ve written the blog post, share it with the individual that you interviewed. They’ll be able to provide feedback and clarity, while also reviewing the accuracy of the blog post. The collaboration between you and the thought leader will make the content that much better and help produce a superb blog post. Plus, the credibility of the blog post will be supported by the knowledge of the thought leader.

Last but not least, publish and promote your blog post. Utilize your network and the network of the thought leader to promote the blog post.Keep in mind that this individual most likely has developed a reputation within the industry and is known for their work. Leverage their network by asking them to share the blog post on their social media channels and through email with their peers. Analyze the engagement of the blog post and take what you’ve learned to create additional content that your readers will love.