Some say yes, but Are interview style Product Still A good Thing?

by David_Thompson

Posted: 16 years ago 11 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

I've seen so many marketers get their start selling
interview type products, one that comes to mind is
Jeff Wellman's Layoff you boss products where they
just sit around and do video interviews.

Another one is 30day mastermind I think it's called
anyway I was just wondering if this is a good system
to use to get your feet wet in the IM or any niche
for that matter.

Does the interview style product still have a good
strong hold on the market, I'm thinking value wise?

If people in the IM niche still see these type of
products as something of value worth paying for?

--David

#good #interview #product #style #thing

JohnATX 16 years ago

I say yes because people more than likely that have an interest in a particular subject would buy a product that teaches them what they want to learn from a professional.
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Andyhenry

16 years ago

I use this method in many non-im niches successfully.

I'm not sure that it's a good place to start an IM business, but what really matters is matching your value with what the market is after, so if you get it right it should still work well.

I've been interviewed for various other peoples IM products and sites before too and Willie Crawford interviewed Alan Bechtold today so it's obviously something people want. You can get a sneak preview here: Work Personally With Alan R. Bechtold

Regards,

Andy

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Heather Vale

16 years ago

Depends how good the interviewer is.

Yeah, I know a lot of experts are teaching people to just go out there and interview people... but not everyone can pull off doing good interviews right away. Depends on their natural ability, their skill set, their level of curiosity, their ability to communicate and their ability to listen.

If they have the ability to ask the right questions, dig deep, get content that nobody else can get from those experts, and make sure the content is highly usable to the audience -- then yes, definitely, it will work well!

If they don't know how to ask questions, or are afraid to, or just read a list of prepared questions (a questionnaire, not an interview) then not really, because the expert is either not going to share, or will revert to their standard "keynote speech" rhetoric.

That really doesn't add any value beyond what the expert has already done before, so the only saving grace is if it's a great collection of experts (and it's debatable whether a poor interviewer is going to land more than one great expert, but let's say they do) who are all giving from the heart and soul regardless of what they're asked.

Otherwise it's not the best use of everyone's time, and it's not going to get satisfied customers.

cheers
Heather

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Andyhenry

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Heather Vale

That's an interesting perspective.

I've seen this strategy work very well even when the interviews were not at all professional - in non-IM niches where people are desparate to learn more about their hobby and want to hear from people who are already doing it more successfully or even just doing it differently.

If you interviewed 20 Karate experts about their opinions on warming up routines and nutrition you could still have great content that your market will love without it having to be done in the way that corporate business people expect.

Look at J-Mo and Frank Kerns latest videos - they're swearing and unprepared, they write on the whiteboard worse than young children - yet people still come here and rave about those same videos.

Sometimes the content is more important to people than the presentation.

So while I agree that getting the best possible output is important - if that's not perfect it can still work - in the right niches.

Andy

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Heather Vale

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Andyhenry

Hey Andy,

It's not about what "corporate business people expect"... and I never said "professional". It's about what the audience deserves.

Sure, if the "experts" are not being featured ANYWHERE, then any interview with them will serve a need. And the benefit of a package is the customer can get all the interviews in one place... but still, if the questions aren't good, or the rapport isn't there, it's just going to be content that you can get from the expert's book or website (so the customer is paying for the convenience of buying it all together rather than actually the content).

And... personality can work too. With Frank, it's about people liking his personality and the rapport he has with people... which again goes back to the quality of the interviewer (if he happens to be doing an "interview" and not just talking to the camera or whatever). It's about HIS rapport with the other person... not the other person spouting off standard stuff that they always talk about.

Kind of like watching David Letterman because you like him and how he interacts with others, not because he asks slick questions... but he definitely gets different content from his guests than Jay Leno or Oprah Winfrey do.

If the interviewer or marketer making the product has those qualities, then they don't have to be asking "certain" questions. But they do need to show interest in the guest, curiosity, and have an ability to get more out of that person than anyone else, however they do it.

Otherwise, in my opinion, the value to the customer just isn't there like it could be.

cheers
Heather

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Andyhenry

16 years ago

Ok Heather,

I'm not yanking your chain. I know your signature file is promoting your products on interviewing properly so I guess I shouldn't have been quite so lazy in my response, but I have intention of arguing the matter with you, but since you advised not to do interviews if you weren't skilled in questioning or have someone who is - and I've made a lot of money (and know plenty of others who have) in situations that you're dismissing, I just don't see that your advice is a golden rule that must be followed 'or you won't be successful'.

I understand where you're coming from, but in the interest of a balanced response and the OP asking a general question about where there was value in the strategy - I think it's good to have the options layed out to select from rather than dismissing options which YOU don't think are worthwhile. Maybe your experience is great but there are other effective methods?

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Heather Vale

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Andyhenry

Well, if someone gets an expert on the phone and is so nervous that they don't know what to ask, how valuable will the interview be? What about if they have no interest in the topic or guest, and are just doing it to "make money"?

I'd say that would really show, and they shouldn't bother if that's the case.

If you're saying such passionless, non-curiosity-based, bland interviews are doing well in some niches, I believe you... but I'll still say they'd do much BETTER, and offer more VALUE to the customer (which is always the most important thing) if they were curious, engaged, and asking provocative, thought-provoking questions, or connecting with the guest on a high level of rapport.

The question was originally about the IM niche... and in that niche, it's possible that the interest is waning, with too many people doing "me too" interviews that don't add anything to what's already out there.

I was interviewed by Jeff Wellman for his Layoff Your Boss product, and he was not an experienced interviewer... but he was curious, listened, and asked things a "professional", as you say, would not. Also he was going for a laid-back style, and got it. So that was what I would consider fairly good "quality".

Would I say he was "skilled in questioning"? (Your phrase, not mine). Not really, it was his first set of interviews. But was he able to ask "good questions"? (My phrase)... yes, absolutely, because he was completely fascinated by everything that his guests were telling him.

You keep assuming that I'm inferring certain things need to be asked, or a certain way, when all along I've been saying the value is offering something NEW and UNIQUE, not tried and true.

So while I think everyone has the ability to do good interviews if they WANT to... and if the passion is there, and the curiosity, and the ability to listen... I also think some people are just not the type of person that is ready to engage with a guest on a level required to make a quality product.

And that's fine, there are many other ways they can use their talents to make money online.

cheers
Heather

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Andyhenry 16 years ago

Ok, I'm not going around in circles with you on this.

I'm not arguing with you that doing a good job is important or that people who are not comfortable with interviews can probably find better ways to spend their time.

I am not selling anything or coming from a biased perspective - I agree with most of what you said, just not that it's the whole picture.

Since you're obviously passionate about the subject I'll leave you to get on with it.

Good luck with your efforts.

Andy
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- louiefrias 16 years ago
  
  Well...how many interviews have you done? As either an interviewer or interviewee? It isn't hard to do and dude, it's a WHOLE lot of fun. Besides, do you realize how much content a great interview can provide? For everyone?
  
  Get on a few, then create your own. Here's one: </title> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>8 Week Telesummit
  
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  Steven Wagenheim 16 years ago
  
  As a novice, as far as interviews, I'm going to give my honest opinion on
  this argument between the two of you.
  
  I really hate interview shows. I rarely watch them.
  
  Having said that, I have watched a few and I can tell you from my experience
  as a viewer that my favorite interviews contained two things.
  
  1. An interviewer and interviewee who know how to engage the audience.
  
  2. Subject matter that I really could get into because they made it very
  interesting.
  
  Two of my favorite interviews were from Inside The Actors Studio.
  
  James Lipton was made for this show. Just low key enough to let the
  spotlight be on the guest but engaging enough as not to be a total drip.
  
  My two favorites....Micheal J Fox and Billy Joel.
  
  By the time he was done interviewing Fox, there wasn't a dry eye in the
  place.
  
  Billy Joel showed he's as funny as he is a talented writer and performer.
  
  On the other side of the fence, I have seen interviews so bad that they
  were painful to watch, either because the interviewer was boring or the
  guest was boring or they both were boring. Even interviews with good
  subject matter that I was actually interested in sucked. So it's not enough
  just to have good content.
  
  I can't speak for everybody else in this world, but if an interview puts me
  to sleep, I will turn it off.
  
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  VegasVince 16 years ago
  
  I personally process information better via the audio route...so I love interview format.
  
  Same reason I'd rather have someone call me on the phone then leave me one of those long winded text messages...which take longer to reply to then a tax evasion sentence.
  
  As for the interviewer needing to be a pro.......I disagree.
  
  Michael Senoff has built one of the greatest resources on the internet via his Hard To Find Seminar site...and he aint no "pro."...just rich.
  
  A good interviewer....is like a good boxing referee....you never see him or her......and he doesn't get in the way of the action.
  
  A good interviewer....knows his subject....but is willing to shut up and let the one being interviewed talk.
  
  That requires a lot of ego sacrifice which is probably why I don't interview too many people.
  
  xxx Vegas Vince
  
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  Andyhenry 16 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim
  
  As a novice, as far as interviews, I'm going to give my honest opinion on
  this argument between the two of you.
  
  Steve - there is no argument.
  
  I certainly have no interest in trying to convince anyone of anything and I'm definitely not interested in arguing about anything let alone one little strand of marketing.
  
  Everyone has their own experience on this subject and having been both an interviewer and interviewee on many occasions both on and offline - I was just adding my own thoughts to try and help the OP get a full picture of their options.
  
  I'm not selling anything here and I have no interest in trying to convince people of anything they don't know to believe.
  
  Simple. I'm done now.
  
  Andy
  
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Some say yes, but Are interview style Product Still A good Thing?

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