Expert Interviews: Should I use audio content on my blog?

Should I use audio content on my blog? Why not? If you've never recorded an audio interview before, you may have some of these frequently asked questions running through you mind, and of course, you will love this post on using audio in your marketing.

Q: What exactly is audio content?

A: An audio content most frequently comes in the style of an interview. The interview is where someone asks another person questions  about their area of expertise and they answer in some detail. This interview is recorded, and can be played back later as well as embedded into a blog post.

You know when other people have them on their blog, website, or sales page because you see the buttons – play, stop, pause – and sometimes a little megaphone image. That lets you know there is an audio file or podcast to listen to.

Q: Why should I record an audio interview?

A: Audio is very popular right now with marketers because it gets them results. People like to listen to what you and your interviewee have to say. In fact, a lot of people would rather listen to you than read what you've written as it fits in with their lifestyle better, this means your audience can listen at their own convenience.

Audio interviews can help you pre-sell a product, sell your own product, get students into a coaching program, and brand yourself as an expert. Your interview can even be a quickly and easily created product to sell or give away. Recorded interviews are great virtual assets.

Q: Who should I interview?

A: You ideally should interview someone who has some knowledge of your niche. If your niche is gardening, then you could interview an expert in square foot gardening, rose gardening, or herb gardening. You could also interview gardening product creators or someone who has used certain products very successfully.

If someone has a product launch or a book launch, they're going to be looking at ways to reach new audiences are will be receptive to an interview.

Q: What should I ask my guests?

A: Before you decide what to ask them, decide what you want the outcome, the end result to be. If you're an affiliate and you're going to interview the creator of the product, you're going to ask them questions surrounding the product. If you're interviewing someone in order to create a product, then make the subject surround a subject of your choice.

The interview can last anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes, depending on your circumstances. Typically, you write out the questions beforehand and send them to the interviewee so they can prepare. Sometimes the person being interviewed will write out their own questions to make it a more rounded interview, and so that you both sound professional.

Another option regarding questions is to survey your readers in your niche. Ask them what they'd most like to know and give them some general topics to choose from.

Q: What skills do I need for audio interviews?

A: Interviewing is a skill that improves with practice. Try interviewing your partner or your best friend and record it to see what you sound like. Pay attention to “ya know”, “um” and any other audio bad habits you might have. Practice good segues so you can go seamlessly from answer to next question. Listen and analyse other interviews to help you decide what makes for a good interview and how to sound somewhat professional.

You'll also need to have a recording method that will do a good job recording you and your interviewee clearly. Other decisions will be where the recording will be stored and how you will get it to your subscribers or customers. Victoria Casebourne shares her audio recording method in this post here.

Incorporating audio interviews into your marketing plan makes good business sense. You don't have to be an audio expert; just come across as a geniuine, sincere person with something interesting to share with your audience.

Sarah

If you like this post, you might also like the Experts Way Interview Series. You can sign up for free and get great advice on promoting your expertise.