Podcast Interview Guide
Conducting a successful podcast interview relies on good prepation,
good equipment and good communication control. To ensure you get
a successful result from your podcast interviews:
Good Preparation
- Plan an interview timeline - allow 2 minutes
for introduction and wrap up and keep the conversation moving
across your key points.
- Prepare Questions in Advance - place questions
in a logical order spiralling out from a central theme. Include
a list of possible follow-up questions based on expected responses
to primary questions. Jot down any key phrases commonly used around
that question context as prompts for any further discussion. Make
sure the interveiwee gets a copy of your questions well in advance,
and if appropriate, ask for any suggestions before you finalise
the script.
- Research Interview Subject - most interviewees
will provide a brief bio for their introduction. You can usually
find plenty of background on key figures from Googling their name
and associated products or companies. This research is invaluable
to predict possible responses to questions. Blogs are a great
resource on their personal views, if they have one.
- Respect - the interviewees time and include
subject matter that supports not only your cause, but theirs as
well. And please, confirm the pronunciation of the interviewee's
name prior to beginning the interview!
- Reconfirm the Scope - reconfirm the scope of
the interview with the interviewee, immediately before commencing.
Include expectations, agenda, time and format of the podcast show.
Equipment
- Hardware and Software - inform guests of any
required hardware or software they must install prior to the interview.
Provide links to sources sites.
- Recording Equipment Positioning - provide guidelines
to your guest on how far away to place the microphone from their
mouths. Adjust your distance, based on the relative natural speaking
volumes, so that recorded volume levels are equal.
- Test - equipment prior to the interview for
sound quality, and volume levels.
Communication Control
Nervousness results in a tight sounding voice and fast talking,
so warm up with a quick podcast sidebar before introducing the guest.
Learn a few key relaxation techniques. Encourage guests to talk
slower.
- Relax your guest - spend a few minutes chatting
before the interview to put your guests nerves at ease.
- Use Open Ended Questions - these are questions
that cannot be answered with just Yes or No. Encourage your guests
to elaborate on their responses.
- Keep You Ego In Check - don't try to prove
to the guest how much you know about the subject. If you don't
quite understand a guests response, request further explanation.
It is probably just what your listeners want also.
- Stay in Control - you are the interviewer and
you should be directing and controlling the conversation. It is
likely that at times you will need to interrupt your guest or
bring them back to the scope of the interview. Use a key phrase
that you have previously shared with your guest, as a shared signal
of your need.
- Use Time Cues - just like subject signals,
also you time signals such as: "one more question",
or "let's wrap this up, can you quickly tell me" to
cue your guest that time is almost up.
- Give Thanks - always thank your guest both
on and off air. Follow up with a copy of the interview or a link
to download it. Encourage your guest to share this link with their
contacts.
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