(This image was inserted for thumbnail purposes, scroll down to watch the video!)

The Marshall McLuhan concept is a complex one, but the spirit of it boils down to the idea that the way a message is delivered is as important–if not more important–than the actual message itself.

I've been thinking of ways to make my "20 questions" interactions as powerful as possible, and I think I've stumbled across a strategy that I will continue to implement in future communication with interviewees.

Previously the interaction would look something like this:

1 - I reach out to an interesting influencer who I think would help make a great interview

2 - The invitation is either accepted or declined

3 - If accepted, I do further research and come up with 20 compelling questions

4 - He/she answers the questions

5 - I post the interview, and then e-mail the link to the interviewee, encouraging him/her to share it to their following on social media

This has been fine up until this point, but I've recently added in a 6th step, which I think is critical to the interaction. It looks something like this (watch the video)...

I sent the personalized video message above to Stefan Hyttfors, following his "20 questions" interview last week.

I'm confident these videos are an important last step, which will help give each influencer context to what this site is all about, and why there is a dollar amount at the bottom of the article.

As a side note, I've also been thinking of moving to video interviews (instead of text). As of right now, I've continued to let the interviewee indicate their preference; however, going forward, I will push harder for video content.

Feel free to let me know your thoughts; or pass along any ideas for how we can help collectively do a better job of marketing Steem/Steemit!