How to Land A-List Interviewees for Your Blog

Part of the reason I’ve been writing about interviewing and publishing the last couple weeks is because we have a big project underway here at IncomeDiary.

The focus of the project is landing the best advice from the top A-lister interviewees. So far we’ve landed Neil Patel, Ryan Lee, and Pat Flynn, to tease you with a few.

By going through this process I’ve nailed down a system for landing these big-time interviewees.

#1 Find their Email or Other Contact Info

About two years ago the local paper wanted to do an urgent story on me. Over the course of an hour, the reporter emailed me, Twitter messaged me, LinkedIn messaged me, somehow found my phone number and gave me a call.

The first step in landing an A-list interview is finding their contact info. You should be able to find an email or email form for just about anyone with a few Google searches.

If you can’t dig up their email, try Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. In fact, busy people prefer Twitter because your message is limited to 140 characters.

#2 Send them a Simple Introductory Email

Once you have their email, you need to craft your introductory email. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:

• Keep it short. If they open your email and it’s more than a few sentences, it’ll get set aside or buried.
• Give them the bare essential benefits. In one sentence tell them about the project and why they should participate.
• Tell them exactly what you want from them. If you want a one-hour and fifteen-minute interview conducted through Skype, tell them that.
• Ask one specific yes or no question. The goal of the first email is to get them to say, “Yes, I’ll do the interview.”

Here’s a basic script you can use for this email:

Hi Pat,

My name is Nick Tart and I’m working with IncomeDiary to put together… We’d like to schedule a one-hour interview with you to talk about blogging.

Are you interested?

If so, we’ll schedule a time to chat.

Nick

#3 If yes, Send them Time-Adjusted Dates to Schedule the Interview

Let’s say they agree to the interview. Reply by telling them your availability starting at least 3-4 days out.

When you give them a bulleted list of days and times, make sure you adjust the time to their time zone. Here are a few examples:

• Monday 26^th from 8am PST – noon, 2pm – 6pm
• Tuesday 27^th from 3pm PST – 7pm
• Thursday 29^th from 10am PST – 5pm

Also remind them exactly how long the interview will take.

#4 If No, Send Another Benefit-Packed Email

Sometimes they reply with, “my schedule is jam-packed through March,” or “I’m too hyper-focused on a project to set aside an hour,” or even, “I appreciate you thinking of me but I don’t believe I’m the right person for the interview.”

Now you need to decide how badly you want the interview. If you’re convinced that they’re the one, it’s time to send them a few more benefits:

• Start by recognizing their objection. Say, “I understand that you’re busy/focused/humble and just know that you’re the one person in the world I want to interview for this.”
• Sell them with a list of specific benefits. Tell them, “I have ## subscribers who will read your interview,” or “Some of the other people we’ve interviewed are (A-lister), (A-lister), and (A-lister),” or “We’re going to professionally produce your interview so it’ll be something you can use on your blog as well.”
• Again recognize their objection. Sandwich the benefits with empathy and wrap up the interview by telling them how much you’d appreciate it.

#5 If No Again, Find Another A-Lister to Introduce You

Your last shot at landing the A-lister is to build your credibility. The best way to do this is to ask another A-lister to shoot over an email introduction. If you don’t know any other people they’d recognize, then you need to spend more time building relationships with other bloggers.

Successful people appreciate perseverance because they’ve been in your shoes. They probably even attribute part of their success to never taking “no” for an answer.

#6 Send a Reminder Email the Day Before

The day before you conduct the interview, send them a reminder email.

Subject: Interview Reminder: Tomorrow at 10am PST on Skype

Message:

• List of interview questions or topics.
• Your Skype ID if not already connected.
• Tell them you’ll give them more details about the interview at the beginning of the call.

#7 Follow Up After the Interview

After you conduct the interview, ask them for a high resolution photo or any other details you need. Then make sure you send them a copy of the final interview for them to look over before publishing it.

That gives them a chance to make changes and they’ll get to see that you did a good job producing the interview.

The Final Note

I know it helps that I can drop IncomeDiary’s name in the emails for these interviews, but I used this same system to land many interviewees two years ago when I was just getting started.

Just because you don’t hear from the A-lister right away doesn’t mean they’re not interested. They’re just busy. It’s your job to earn their attention.

FAQ about conducting interviews on a website

What are some benefits of conducting interviews on a website?

Conducting interviews on a website can help you increase your website traffic, build your brand, and establish yourself as an authority in your field. It can also help you connect with other experts in your industry and provide valuable content to your audience.

How do I find people to interview for my website?

You can find people to interview for your website by reaching out to experts in your field, networking with colleagues, searching for relevant hashtags on social media, and using online directories to find potential interviewees.

What types of questions should I ask during an interview?

The types of questions you ask during an interview will depend on the topic and purpose of the interview. However, it’s generally a good idea to start with some basic background questions, then move on to more specific questions related to your topic. You may also want to ask some open-ended questions to encourage your interviewee to share their thoughts and opinions.

How long should an interview be?

The length of an interview can vary depending on the topic and purpose of the interview. However, a typical interview might be around 30-60 minutes long. You can also break up longer interviews into shorter segments to make them more manageable for your audience.

What equipment do I need to conduct an interview on my website?

To conduct an interview on your website, you’ll need a recording device, such as a microphone or smartphone, and some recording software to capture the audio or video. You may also want to use a transcription service to create a written transcript of the interview. Additionally, you’ll need a website or platform to host the interview, such as a podcast hosting service or a video hosting platform like YouTube.