Ace Marketing Expert Interviews: Ask Better Questions

There’s a lot of bad advice floating around about how to conduct effective interviews with marketing experts. Are you ready to separate fact from fiction and get real insights?

## Myth #1: Any Question Will Do

The misconception here is that you can just show up with a list of generic marketing questions and expect to get gold. Wrong. If you want truly valuable insights from interviews with marketing experts, you need to do your homework.

I had a client last year who wanted to interview a well-known SEO consultant. They sent me their list of questions beforehand, and it was a disaster. Questions like “What are the top 3 marketing trends?” are too broad. You’ll get a canned response that everyone else already has. For more on this, see our article about authentic marketing that converts.

Instead, research the expert’s recent work. Has she written about a specific link-building strategy? Ask her to elaborate on that. Did he run a successful campaign using Google’s Performance Max Performance Max feature? Ask for specific details about the campaign setup and results. For example: “I noticed you doubled conversion rates using the new audience signals feature within Performance Max campaigns. Can you walk me through the specific audience segments you tested?” This level of specificity shows you’ve done your research and are genuinely interested in their expertise.

## Myth #2: Theoretical Discussions are Enough

Some people think that interviews are only good for discussing high-level marketing concepts. That’s nice, but let’s be honest – it’s not that helpful. You want actionable advice that your audience can actually use.

Focus on specific examples, case studies, and data. Ask the expert to share a time when they faced a marketing challenge and how they overcame it. What tools did they use? What metrics did they track? What were the results? As we’ve covered before, results-oriented marketing is key.

For instance, instead of asking, “What’s the best way to improve email open rates?” ask, “Can you share a specific example of an A/B test you ran on an email subject line that significantly improved open rates? What were the two subject lines, and what was the percentage difference in open rates?” Numbers matter. Specificity matters.

## Myth #3: It’s Just a One-Time Thing

A common mistake is treating an interview as a single piece of content. You’re only scratching the surface if you do that.

Here’s what nobody tells you: repurpose, repurpose, repurpose. Record the interview (with the expert’s permission, of course). Get it transcribed. Then, you can create a blog post, a series of social media snippets, an infographic, and even a short video. One interview can generate weeks’ worth of content. We had a client in Buckhead who interviewed a social media guru. From that one interview, we created a blog post, five LinkedIn articles, ten Instagram reels, and a lead magnet. Talk about ROI! For more on getting the most from social media, check out our post on social media ROI in the new era.

## Myth #4: Marketing Experts Are Always Right

This might be controversial, but it needs to be said: even the most experienced marketing experts can be wrong. The marketing field is constantly evolving, and what worked yesterday might not work today. Algorithms change; consumer behavior shifts.

Don’t blindly accept everything an expert says. Do your own research. Test their recommendations. See if they actually work for your business. It’s important to maintain a healthy dose of skepticism and critical thinking. I’ve seen self-proclaimed “gurus” peddling outdated SEO tactics that can actually harm your website’s ranking. Always verify.

## Myth #5: The More Famous, the Better

While interviewing a big name in marketing might seem impressive, it doesn’t guarantee valuable insights. Sometimes, the most insightful interviews with marketing experts come from lesser-known professionals who are in the trenches, working on real-world campaigns every day.

Consider interviewing marketing managers at local Atlanta businesses. Someone running digital ads for a small law firm near the Fulton County Courthouse, or the head of marketing for a local hospital like Emory University Hospital, might have incredibly practical advice that’s directly relevant to your audience. Don’t overlook the value of local expertise. Remember, hyperlocal brand exposure can be incredibly effective.

Case Study: We recently worked with a SaaS company that wanted to improve its content marketing strategy. Instead of interviewing a famous marketing author, we interviewed the content marketing manager at a competing SaaS company (anonymously, of course). She revealed that their biggest success came from creating highly targeted content for specific industry verticals. Based on her insights, we created a series of blog posts and ebooks tailored to different industries, which resulted in a 40% increase in leads in just three months. Sometimes, the best advice comes from unexpected sources.

Stop falling for these myths and start conducting interviews with marketing experts that actually deliver valuable insights. The key is preparation, specificity, and a healthy dose of skepticism.

Don’t just passively consume marketing advice. Go out there and find the experts who are doing the work, ask the right questions, and turn their insights into actionable strategies. If you can do that, you’ll be well on your way to marketing success.