One of the best ways to establish your credibility online in any niche is by interviewing experts in that niche. Podcasting is a great way to increase your credibility online by interviewing experts. Many podcasters are intimidated asking these experts for an interview, but the truth is, most people appreciate the extra publicity and an aura of being an expert in their field that an interview gives them. Put yourself in their shoes. You have a website and a product that you are selling. Someone contacts you in that niche and wants to interview you. You would jump on it! I know I would and I have. So don’t see it as a one-way street. Both the interviewer and the interviewee will benefit. You will be surprised that most of the people you approach will agree to be interviewed. Here are some tips on how to find the interview topic in your podcasting niche.

Hit the search engines

The more specific your niche, the easier it is to find willing and able experts to grant your interview request. Searching online is the best tool for finding potential interview subjects. I suggest using Google as it is the number one search engine in the world.

So let’s say, for example, that you’re in the quilting niche. Go to Google and search for “padding.” Who wins? List # 1 is an About.com article written by Janet Wickell. There you will find his biography and contact information. She would make a fantastic interview subject for your quilting podcast. Work on the line. I see Quilt University on page 1. A quick tour of their website and I see a faculty section with 33 quilting instructors! Each with their bio, website, and contact information. It could be 33 interviews right there. I bet most of them would be more than happy to be interviewed as a quilting expert on your quilting podcast. Where they get free publicity and the opportunity to advertise their quilting product and / or website. It is a win-win situation.

Do you see the possibilities? You could have an endless stream of people to interview for your niche podcast simply by searching for your niche keyword in the search engines.

Hit Amazon

Do a search for “padding” on Amazon. There are 1,180 products tagged as “quilting”. Many books, DVDs, patterns, etc. The names of the authors clearly marked with a biography and their contact information. Even if the author’s contact information does not appear on Amazon, search Google and you will easily find their website with their contact information. There are people here with books on quilting. Don’t you think at least some of them would be interested in being interviewed on your quilting podcast?

If you don’t ask

There is the old saying: Ask and you will receive. Send the interview subject a professional written email with information about your podcast and yourself. Be brief. Don’t load it up with stats, you can provide that to them if they ask for it. Email them with “Interview Request” in the subject line and keep your first communication short:

Dear Jane Doe,

I read your book Quilting For Beginners and found it to be an excellent resource for quilters. I am the host and producer of the Quilting Podcast (URL HERE) and would like to interview you for an upcoming show. It should only take about 30 minutes of your time on the phone.

You can reach me at YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION

You will be surprised at how many interviewees you will line up if you simply ask them.

For more interview tips, including how to record and podcast your interviews, visit my website.