How Video Interviews on LinkedIn Can Build Authority and Connections

Video content is my favorite thing – it’s engaging, it’s powerful, and it has a nearly-endless amount of potential for repurposing.

And there are few places that’s truer than on LinkedIn. If done right, video content is one of the best ways you can grow your reputation and network on LinkedIn.

Often video content on LinkedIn involves one person talking to camera. If you follow me or we are connected on LinkedIn, you will have seen me doing exactly this.

But you will sometimes see a video interview and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll feel compelled to watch! I believe that video interviews are a great addition to any video strategy and, I want to explain the what, why, and how of video interviews in this article. You can also hear about it in the accompanying podcast episode!

Before we dive too far into it, I just want to note something important:

If you’re trying to establish your authority and build your influence, then I believe you should record solo episodes. Video interviews display your guests’ expertise – not always your own. Interviews should be a small (but powerful) part of your strategy, not the only part.

Video interviews can open doors for you

A video interview doesn’t just happen out of nowhere – you will have to reach out to the people you want to interview for your show. These are the people you want to establish a relationship with, people who you want to get on the radar or get in front of.

They could even be people you want to do business with.

Having a video interview show, or creating video interview content, gives you an outlet and opportunity to connect with people you otherwise may have struggled to reach.

Honestly, video interviews can be a networking machine for you. Every person you interview can potentially become part of your network and, if you approach things the right way, your interview could be the start of a long and fruitful relationship.

But how do you get the door to open – and stay open, not slammed in your face?

Messaging someone and asking to meet them and if they’re free for a chat with you is… not the most enticing request. We’re all busy and we need to know that we’re spending our time sensibly.

However, if you get in touch and say…

“Hello, I’m the host of [your show], I interview leading experts in [your industry]. People I’ve interviewed in the past are [x, y, and z and here are some links]. I’d love to invite you onto the show. I love your content and thoughts on [a topic] and I think my audience would really benefit from hearing you speak more on this.”

Now that is more likely to get a “yes”. You’re recognizing their knowledge, and let’s face it, it’s good for the ego and flattery gets you far!

Framing your request in the right way will give you the best chance of securing the interviews you want.

What do you need to know to record great interviews?

Now, arranging an interview doesn’t mean you’re necessarily going to create a great interview. There are a few things you can do to prepare your interview so it goes off without a hitch and hits all the right notes.

1)    Factor in some time to speak to your guest before and after you record the interview. Be respectful of their time, but do have a conversation and build rapport. If you have anything in particular you want to bring up, then factor this in. I’ve found that some really powerful conversations have taken place at the ‘book-ends’ of the interview, and I know that to be the case for many of my clients too.

2)    Then there is the promotion and build-up to the interview. Make sure that everyone – your social media followers, blog readers, email subscribers, neighbours, dentist, everyone! – knows that the interview is taking place. This is extra important if you’re doing the interview live, as you want to get as many attendees as possible. Make it easy for your guest to promote their appearance by giving them content to share, but don’t expect them to.

3)    After the interview creates lots of content and, of course, repurpose! You can create shorter teaser videos, a podcast episode, a blog post, lots and lots of social media content, an email, an article, anything you can imagine.

4)    Then you need to make sure that you share all of this content. You want everyone to know about your interview and learn from it. Again, ask your guest to share but don’t be offended if that doesn’t happen and don’t bank on it. Spread out the content so you aren’t just chucking it all out at once and hoping for the best – share it over the course of weeks or even months, so you keep a regular drip-feed of content from the interview going out. This way, you get more long-term value from the interview.

So, not only have you developed your network and established a new connection with your guest but you are also increasing your authority and putting yourself in a dominant position in your industry.

People will see who you are having conversations with, they will start to associate you with those individuals, you will get more respect and gain more credibility.

Your video interviews have the potential to get you noticed – and fast.

Top tips for great videos

If you’re thinking that this all sounds great, but you aren’t really sure where to get started with making videos for LinkedIn – you are not the only one!

I’m on a bit of a mission to encourage people embrace video content on LinkedIn.

This is because I have seen Content 10x clients grow their businesses exponentially through the interview shows that we work on with them. They aren’t getting tens of millions of downloads, some even just a few hundred. But what they have done is grown their connections and authority… and that has been a key factor in increasing their client numbers and revenue.

So, I want to help you make use of this amazing tool for growing your brand and your business. That’s why I created The Simple Guide to Getting Started with Video on LinkedIn – to answer all the commonly-asked questions I get about video content, to share my advice on everything from tech to body language, and to help you grow your business!

You can download it using the link above – it’s totally free and will hopefully help you take your brand and business to the next level.

If you decide to start doing video interviews on LinkedIn, or indeed on any platform, I’d love to hear how you get on, so please do let me know!

Thanks for reading! This article is also on our website at content10x.com/141