Running an Interview Series for Links, Not Just Content
How a well-run interview series generates its own promotion and backlinks through the guests you feature.
An interview series — written, audio, or video — can be a reliable, repeatable link-building channel if you design it so guests have a natural reason to link back to their feature. Unlike a single expert roundup, an ongoing series builds momentum: each guest’s audience is a new potential source of links and referrals to future guests.
Why guests link back
People enjoy being featured and most will share a link to their own interview from their own site or social channels, especially if the page reflects well on them and is easy to point to. The key is making the published page something they would be proud to link to, not a thin transcript with no editorial polish.
Structuring the series for repeatability
- A consistent question format that makes each episode quick to produce and easy for readers to compare across guests
- A regular publishing cadence, even if modest — one interview a month is sustainable and still compounds
- A simple guest page template that includes their bio, links to their own site, and the interview content
What to give guests to make sharing easy
| Asset | Purpose |
|---|---|
| A short quote pulled from the interview | Easy for the guest to share on social media |
| A direct link to their specific episode page | Something concrete for them to link to from their own site |
| A simple graphic or thumbnail featuring their name | Increases the odds of a social share that drives traffic back |
Choosing guests strategically
Prioritise guests whose own audience overlaps with yours and who are active enough online to plausibly share the feature. A guest with no online presence may still provide great answers, but is less likely to generate a backlink or referral traffic from the interview.
Following up after publication
- Notify the guest as soon as the piece is live, with the direct link
- Ask, once, whether they would consider linking to it from their own site or bio page — do not repeat the ask
- Thank guests who share it and consider looping them back in for a future update or related feature
Avoiding a common failure mode
Series that stall usually do so because the interview format is too demanding for guests to commit to — long written responses, multiple rounds of editing, awkward scheduling. Keep the format lightweight enough that saying yes is an easy decision, especially for busier or more prominent guests you want to attract later in the series.
Relationship to podcast guesting
Running your own interview series is the inverse of https://successtoroad.com/blog/podcast-guesting-for-links/, where you are the guest on someone else’s show. Both build relationships and links, but running your own series gives you more control over format and cadence, at the cost of needing to source guests continuously.
Preparing guests so the interview goes smoothly
Send guests the questions in advance rather than surprising them live, and give a rough sense of length so they can prepare thoughtful, complete answers rather than rushed ones. A guest who feels well prepared produces a stronger interview and is more likely to look back on the experience positively, which directly affects whether they end up promoting it afterward.
Repurposing interviews into more link opportunities
A single interview can be split into several smaller pieces — a pull-quote graphic, a short written summary, an audio clip — each of which is a separate, lightweight asset the guest or their audience might share independently. This extends the life of a single conversation well beyond the original publish date and gives you more surface area for the guest to link back to from different parts of their own online presence.
Building a guest pipeline instead of finding guests one at a time
Rather than scrambling to find a new guest each time a slot opens, keep a running list of candidates sourced from industry events, other podcasts, and referrals from past guests. Ask every guest, at the end of the interview, whether they can recommend someone else who would be a good fit — this single question tends to keep the pipeline full with minimal extra outreach effort on your part.
Deciding when to retire or refresh the series
Series lose momentum when the format becomes repetitive or the guest pool starts to feel thin. Periodically revisit the question format, the publishing cadence, and the type of guest you are pursuing, and be willing to refresh the format meaningfully rather than letting a stale series limp along on inertia.
Where to go next
If you want a faster, single-touch version of this tactic, see https://successtoroad.com/blog/expert-sourcing-for-links/ for building quote relationships without a full series commitment, and read https://successtoroad.com/blog/outreach-follow-ups/ for how much to nudge guests after publication. See https://successtoroad.com/blog/webinars-and-events-links/ if you want to combine interviews with a live event format. Explore https://successtoroad.com/services/writing/ on https://successtoroad.com/marketplace/ if you need help producing episode write-ups consistently.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I publish a new interview to keep momentum?
A consistent, sustainable cadence matters more than frequency itself — a reliable monthly series will outperform a burst of weekly interviews that stalls after a few episodes.
Do video or audio interviews earn more links than written ones?
Format matters less than whether the guest has a strong reason and an easy way to link back. A well-produced written interview with a clean guest page can perform just as well as audio or video.
Should I pay guests to appear?
Most interview series run on mutual value — exposure and a quality feature for the guest, useful content and a link opportunity for you — rather than payment, and paying guests can create disclosure obligations.
How do I get guests to actually link back after the interview goes live?
Ask once, clearly, and make it easy by providing the direct link and a short quote they can use. Repeated requests tend to backfire, so leave it at a single, polite ask.
Put it into practice
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