Stuck for a blog post?
Fed up writing how-tos and list posts?
Want to write a piece of content that will not only be original, unique and genuinely interesting but which is almost guaranteed to deliver at least one return link from a targeted traffic source?
So try
... doing an interview.
You don't have to be Jay Leno to conduct an interview and you don't need the home phone number of Brad Pitt to find an interesting subject. You just need to find someone with a website in your field and who -- like you -- wants traffic.
That could be another blogger. It could be a well-known personality in your field. Or it could even be a representative of a company. Few businesses will turn down the opportunity of putting free publicity in front of their market.
You'll be amazed at how easy it is to get people to agree.
So if you were writing a blog about iPhone apps, for example, you could send an email to a business that had created an app that you use. Say that you'd like to write about their app but that you have a few questions first, and ask if they could put you in touch with someone who can answer them.
You could then either do the interview by telephone or -- even easier still -- send the questions by email. That would let you just copy and paste the questions and answers into your blog. Edit them for easier reading, and you'd have top quality content your users will love and that no one else will have.
And when you put the post up, you can drop the person you interviewed a line to let them know. Because being interviewed by anyone always shows that the interviewee is important, they're almost certain to write about it on their blog and give you a link.
You can even make this a regular part of your content creation: one interview a week or every two weeks to upgrade your blog and bring in plenty of new traffic too.
Its good content creation and good marketing combined.
It's Del.icio.us!
Furl It!
October 27, 2008 12:42 PM
This is a great idea, Joel. Thanks for that. And keep the helpful suggestions coming our way!
Aloha, Judy
October 27, 2008 12:55 PM
Interviews have been an indispensable tool for me in traffic generation, and building relationships with some pretty cool people over the past 2 years.
Cialdini says that one of the principles of influence is that people like people who like them. (In other words, I like you more because I know you like me.)
There's no better way than to have someone know you like them than to let them talk about themselves and what they're interested in for 30-45 minutes.
Great suggestion Joel! Hope the rest of your list takes it to heart (and it's a great reminder to me that I need to get back to scheduling regular interviews with cool people).
Warmest,
Jonathan
www.ThreeMoneyMethods.com
October 27, 2008 06:56 PM
Hey Joel
Enjoy your Vacation you deserve it you always give 110% and more wow thanks for this information great way to get my new blog kicking with a good foundation
October 28, 2008 01:09 AM
This is absolutely on of the best blog ideas i have heard for a very long time. You can expand on the "interview idea" to cover why people have faild too. What was the reason your busines went under etc? A blog to say, don't conduct your busines like this..
October 28, 2008 10:33 AM
Great post!, It never really even dawned on me to do interviews with people, im still new to internet marketing so its great to get ideas like this to use back at my own blog.
Can I interview you Joel;))?.
October 29, 2008 07:30 AM
Thanks, good advice, my blog http://thefjblog.blogspot.com needs some traffic, and a fresh post. I'll bear that idea in mind...
November 5, 2008 09:31 PM
With permission of the Interviewee, you should take it one step further: invest a few dollars and purchase a tap for the telephone and record the call. There is free software out there to edit the audio. Make it interesting and you'll have yourself a nifty podcast.
November 7, 2008 12:47 PM
Thanks Joel for this post!
WES
November 11, 2008 08:49 AM
Thank you for the post. I have hit a mental block quite a few times and it gets quite frustrating. You almost blow your mind trying to come up with something fresh and unique to write about that will increase the traffic significantly.