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Let’s face it…

We all want to be liked. To be a valued. To be seen as an authority.

Even though we’ve been conditioned not to brag, not to stand out, and not to worry about what others think of us, we still do. Deep down we all have a need to feel important — to BE important — and at the end of the day to have truly mattered.

As course creators we all have something inside that doesn’t let us settle for what is. We see problems and we want to solve them — not just for ourselves but for everyone.

But no matter how great of a solution we have, even if it’s the very thing that can put an end to every problem on earth, if nobody knows about it does it really matter?

One of the most challenging hurdles for course creators to overcome is to get heard over all the noise and to build a “warm” audience of potential students who can’t wait to learn from you.

It can be incredibly daunting with so many ideas and strategies being thrown at us all of the time and what honestly happens with the majority of course creators is that they give up before making it to the other side.

But YOU don’t have to.

I was in your shoes — struggling and overwhelmed by being told everything I “had” to do to if I wanted to succeed.

It wasn’t until I took things into my own hands about 12-months ago and focused on leveraging other people’s authority through interviews that things started to change for me.

In about one-year, I’ve increased my audience by more than 17,000.

How did I do it? 

By interviewing experts.

Just to be clear, when I made the decision to start interviewing experts I had zero experience, guidance, or training in interviewing anyone but it was something I’d been watching others do and thought it would be fun and have heaps of benefits (which it does and I’ll get into in just a minute).

On August 11, 2015, l conducted my first ever interview.

It was a video call over Zoom with Anthony John Amyx, an author, speaker and successful business coach.

I was terrified.

I stumbled on words.

I sweated profusely.

I was sure I said all the wrong things.

But I did it anyhow.

Since then I’ve conducted more than 200 interviews of successful and inspiring entrepreneurs and it’s completely changed my life.

How to Leverage Expert Interviews to Sell Your Online Courses @niczthename Click To Tweet

Here’s why you should consider interviewing experts in your industry too, even if you’re just starting out and don’t think you have anything to offer:

1. You get to learn from the best of the best!

Imagine getting to “pick the brains” of the most successful and inspiring leaders in your industry without having to pay them thousands & thousands of dollars for their time and coaching. You literally get to ask them anything you want! It’s pretty flippin’ awesome!

They’re there, willing to personally hand over their insider information to YOU. The knowledge and wisdom that THEY’VE spent years mastering. How cool is that!?!

Me and Nick Loper from Side Hustle Nation

2. You get to know them and they get to know you!

Once you interview someone, you’re no longer a stranger to them. You’re no longer just a fan.

The doorway to two-way communication has been opened and assuming that you do a great job and provide an enjoyable and valuable experience to them, there’s a very good chance that they’ll acknowledge you again.

This may come in the form of social media engagement, personal phone calls, introductions, or invitations to live events or masterminds.

Interviewing someone gives you an incredible opportunity to connect quickly and develop a relationship that could potentially give way to professional partnerships and lasting friendships.

Related: How to use Joint Venture partners to promote your product

3. You get to help them make money!

After you interview someone, you can easily introduce them to a new audience. If even one person that previously didn’t know about them becomes a customer or client, do you think that that would be a win for them? You bet it is!

I was recently interviewed on the Anywhere, Anywhen podcast with Julie Anne Eason and we talked about this very thing. In fact, Julie mentioned that she got one client from one interview she did that wound up converting into a $75,000 contract!

As long as you are putting in the effort to create something spectacular you will be able to find people to interview pretty easily. Everyone wants more exposure. (Remember how this post started?)

Related: How to Get Interviewed On Top Podcasts In Your Industry

4. You get to have fun with them!

Interviews are a blast!

They’re kind of like sitting down with someone for a cup of coffee, whether in-person or virtually.

Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cry, sometimes you predict, sometimes you reminisce, sometimes you critique, sometimes you celebrate, and absolutely everything in between is possible too.

Interviews can look and feel any way you choose and you are the one that creates the rules.

5. You get to easily create high-quality content!

Whether it’s for your blog, podcast, online summit, YouTube channel, book, online course, or anything else, every time you interview someone you are creating fresh, new content that can be used in countless ways and can be published through multiple mediums.

6. You get to earn instant credibility through association!

When you interview someone that is already known, liked, and trusted by others, that’s a pretty big deal. Because people naturally assume that the people who they respect, respect you if they’re letting you interview them.

That perception is amplified exponentially when your guest has such a good experience with you that they choose to share it publicly.

Me and John Lee Dumas and Kate Erickson from Entrepreneur On Fire
Me and John Lee Dumas and Kate Erickson from Entrepreneur On Fire

By now I hope you’re getting really excited about the kind of extraordinary leverage that interviewing experts in your field can have for you and your business and that you’re starting to envision how you will use this strategy yourself.

Interviewing others is fairly easy to do but it does take planning if you want to do it well and be able to fully reap the rewards of your efforts.

Here are the 8 Points of Clarity I suggest you work through before attempting to leverage other people’s authority through interviews:

  • Get clear on your mission

What are you passionate about teaching? Why is that topic important to you and how will teaching it help others?

  • Get clear on your audience

Who is searching for help with the problem you’re passionate about solving? When you know precisely you you’re trying to help, it makes it easier for you build a brand that attracts them.

  • Get clear on your message

What’s your stance? What fires you up and what do you have to say about it? Don’t be afraid to express an opinion. In doing so, you will attract the people who resonate with you the most, and repel the ones that don’t.

  • Get clear on your outcome

What questions are you hoping to answer? What do you hope to accomplish by interviewing experts? Are you doing it to build your network? Obtain new knowledge and ideas? Build your audience?

  • Get clear on your platform

What is the main medium you’re creating content for with interviews? Will you start a podcast? Will you host an summit? A YouTube channel?

  • Get clear on your presentation

How are you going to position your “ask” to the expert? What value can you add to an expert in exchange for their time and letting you interview them?

  • Get clear on your process

Once they say yes, then what? Make sure you develop a consistent method for scheduling and recording your interviews. Side note: I use and love Acuity Scheduling for streamlining my scheduling & follow-up system.

  • Get clear on your promotion

How will you get the interview out in front of people? Make sure you have a plan in place to promote your interviews and bring as much exposure as you can for your guests.

Me and Andrew Warner, the founder of Mixergy
Me and Andrew Warner, the founder of Mixergy

What’s next?

In my opinion the best thing about interviewing experts is the opportunity it offers to build meaningful, long-term relationships. All of this is just the beginning and it’s completely up to you to decide how important you want to be to them moving forward.

And on that note, I’d like to invite you to watch me interview over 40 business experts and entrepreneurs at my upcoming Business Building Rockstar Summit this fall. To learn more about the summit and claim your free ticket, click on the ticket below!

business-building-rockstars-summit

How to Leverage Expert Interviews to Sell Your Online Courses @niczthename Click To Tweet

Nicole Holland is a Master Coach, Marketing Strategist, and hosts two popular podcasts as well as an annual FREE virtual event called the Business Building Rockstar Summit which takes place from November 1st – 10th. During this 10-day online event she’ll present content-rich interviews with 40+ marketing experts about their step-by-step processes that have led them to success in order to help course creators and entrepreneurs explore which strategies might be best for them in a no-pressure environment. Click here to register now for FREE.