Why do you might want to put together for podcast interviews? As a result of working an incredible interview is difficult. Regardless of what you hear, interviews are by no means the ‘straightforward choice’.
I can perceive the misunderstanding. It sounds easy: discover an skilled, get them on the cellphone after which ask them questions. There’s no want so that you can do a factor! Is there?
Properly, seems that getting good content material from that skilled is way more durable than anybody expects. Certain, they know their stuff, however can they ship it nicely? Can they keep on-topic, inform a great story, and keep away from the waffle? Are you able to steer them away from the usual, rehearsed gross sales pitches or background tales? Are you able to get one thing totally different, one thing dramatic, one thing humorous, or one thing… simply… fascinating?
That’s what this text is about – getting ready for and working a great podcast interview. Should you’re severe about your content material, you need to set your self as much as document the most effective materials you presumably can. On the finish of the day, it’s nonetheless all the way down to the interviewee, however there’s a LOT you are able to do to extend the probabilities that they’ll ship.
And in a world of interview present after interview present after interview present…. you need to do one thing to face out. So, let’s soar in.
1. Sure, You Do Must Put together…
Rule one – don’t swan into the (digital) interview room with out having accomplished your analysis. I’ve heard folks say:
“Oh, I don’t put together for an interview as a result of I need to be in the identical scenario as my listener, asking the essential questions.”
Lazy. Plain bone idle, and discovering an excuse for it.
On the elite finish of podcasting, there are a choose few (Marc Maron!) who can get away with this, however they’ve accomplished actually a whole bunch of interviews previously, and so they’ve developed the talents to drag it off.
I additionally suspect that, of the profitable podcasters who declare “I don’t put together”, it’s typically bluster, and there’s lots of groundwork being accomplished earlier than a document button is pushed.
Given that you simply’re studying this submit, it’s unlikely that you simply’re averse to getting ready to your podcast interviews. However a great first step is to just accept that it’s a non-negotiable a part of working your podcast, and transfer on from the “why” to the “how”…
2. Decide Visitors Primarily based on Their Distinctive Method
Firstly, don’t simply seize anybody off the road. While you’re beginning out and determined to get folks in your present, you may be tempted to seize anybody along with your subject of their bio.
“Properly, I do a advertising and marketing present, and this dude has advertising and marketing in his job title. Offered!”
That makes for repetition, repetition, repetition… Snore, snore, snore.
The difficulty is, there’s all the time a financial institution of ‘frequent knowledge’ in each trade, and after two or three ‘common’ folks within the trade, you’ll begin to hear the identical stuff, again and again.
As an alternative, don’t seek for folks; seek for concepts. Learn blogs. Learn books. Trawl social. You’ll be doing this anyway, in the event you’re good at what you do.
Be taught to identify a novel thought, and hone in on that. That’s what your present goes to be about. Not the particular person themselves. Let’s be sincere, your listeners don’t care about them, they simply care about the advantages. So, be sure you know precisely what distinctive thought your visitor is bringing to the present.
3. A Good Bio Cuts Ten Minutes of ‘Same Old…’ or ‘WTF?’
Here’s one I got from Michael O’Neal from the Solopreneur Hour. Spend quarter-hour trying up the next:
- Social media handles
- Their customary background: hearken to the primary ten minutes of one other podcast they’ve accomplished, or test their ‘About Web page’.
- Their present ‘product push’ – a fast test on social often reveals what they’re promoting proper now, from a service to a charity.
The purpose is to craft a bio for them in your personal voice, which skips the same old first 10 minutes of “Are you able to inform the listeners what you do?”
In the event that they’re a visitor value their salt, they’ve been requested {that a} dozen instances earlier than, and there’s a great likelihood lots of your listeners have heard it. Cue the skip button…
Even when they haven’t been interviewed, folks’s backgrounds are so lengthy and diverse that you simply’re as more likely to get a random childhood story (the WTF?!) as one thing truly related to your viewers.
As an alternative, you know your viewers, so select the weather which can be most related, construct credibility, and construct curiosity. That’s the way you get folks to stay round.
4. A Good Bio Cuts the Gross sales Pitch & Builds Reciprocity
Right here’s the most effective a part of doing the prep: Should you ship an incredible bio that tells folks what they do, what their companies or merchandise are, and how one can get in contact with them, the company will say to themselves, “Wow, she’s accomplished my job for me! And he or she’s advised everybody about my stuff! Properly, I wanna give them one thing again.”
You’ve taken the stress off. They don’t must lever their model, or their service, or their product into the interview. So that they begin to chill out, and skip the usual gross sales pitch, or the rehearsed strains.
Additionally they begin to really feel like they owe you. Should you do one thing for them, the rule of reciprocity says that they’ll need to do one thing for you. Which means getting their sport face on and making an effort.
You’d be stunned what number of podcast interviewees simply flip as much as a present and provides the identical outdated, usual… However in the event you shock them, assist them straight away, you’re more likely to get extra.
5. Put together a Mild… and Enjoyable!… Opening
That is by way of Name Fussman, the grasp of interviews: discover one thing enjoyable they’re into and begin with that.
In case your visitor talked about on social that they’ve been out browsing final week, ask the way it went. In the event that they speak about enjoying the trumpet on their About Web page, ask how they obtained began.
Starting with one thing enjoyable, one thing casual, merely lightens the company’ coronary heart! It’s one thing they gained’t typically be requested about, and one thing they’ll take pleasure in discussing. They’ll loosen up, turn into happier, be extra postive in direction of you, and all of that makes for a greater interview to come back afterward.
6. Put together the Large Thought ‘Again and Forth’
I discussed discovering that ‘distinctive thought’ earlier. That is what powers your precise content material preparation.
You gained’t essentially need to plan the entire interview, begin to end. It’s greatest to go away a little bit of flexibility to delve into any sudden, related and fascinating reveals. However, you do need to put together the ‘large occasion’ – that’s the distinctive thought itself.
The explanation for that is that with any distinctive thought, it’s probably one thing that the visitor has refined over time, and it’s more likely to be one thing fairly large. So, in the event you simply say: “Properly, inform me about…. “ then the visitor will launch off right into a 10-minute monologue. Not nice to begin with.
Then, add to that the truth that that is typically fairly undirected, not essentially very nicely deliberate, and your listeners can simply get misplaced.
As an alternative, ask the visitor upfront for a bullet-point breakdown of the ‘large thought’ and trade an e mail or two with them about the way you’ll information them by way of it.
“So, I believe my listeners will reply to listening to about this bit first, then this bit, so why don’t you inform that first half, after which I’ll ask you this to immediate the second half.”
Which means you’re avoiding an enormous lengthy monologue, and also you’re offering some construction to the thought.
You don’t have to do that for the entire thing, only for the crux of the present, or some other notably necessary stuff you need to cowl.
7. Ask for Tales
A quite simple however vastly efficient tip. Ask the visitor upfront if they’ve any tales that they know folks discover fascinating or entertaining. This offers you a immediate to ask about them and ensures they’re launched naturally.
8. Give Warning for Any ‘Thinkers’
The opposite factor to organize the interviewee for is any ‘on the spot’ thinkers. These are questions like, “What’s your favorite e book,” or “What would you inform somebody simply beginning out on this enterprise?”
These are fairly high-pressure questions, even when they don’t appear so. ‘Favorite’ issues outline us, and we need to be certain that we give a great one. So, it will probably result in a clumsy pause, some stuttering, or just a fairly common reply.
And ‘greatest recommendation’ questions typically spark ‘usual’ recommendation, as above. If the visitor doesn’t have time to suppose, they’ll typically simply trot out the frequent data of their trade.
“How do you develop your viewers in Podcasting?”
“Have you learnt what Bob, the most effective factor you are able to do is to be your self!”
Zzzzzzzzzzz
Give them these quick reply questions upfront although, and interviewees will skip previous the primary few apparent solutions and give you their very own distinctive slant. That makes for a much better present.
9. Ask Them: What Would Make This a Residence Run for You?
Credit score to Mr Tim Ferriss, who prompt that this query be requested forward of each interview.
What would make this a house run for you?
That is worthwhile for a bunch of causes. First, it goes again to the reciprocity above. Should you give, then your interviewee will give in return.
Second, as Tim says, he needs each interview to be the most effective of its variety—to be the interviewee’s favorite of all time. As a result of, guess what occurs then? They share it!
Subsequent time the interviewee is requested, “Oh, you’ve been interviewed. The place can I pay attention?” you need them to share your interview. Or, in the event that they’re requested for extra on their backstory, make your present the most effective place to seek out it.
If you can also make your interview their favorite interview, then not solely does it make for excellent content material, nevertheless it makes for content material that they’ll share ceaselessly.
Any Different Recommendations on Turning into a Nice Interviewer?
Should you observe the recommendation above, you’re already approach forward of the a whole bunch of different interview exhibits in your area of interest. And it makes a distinction, belief me. Listeners have an increasing number of selection, now, and so they’re much less and fewer tolerant of ‘common’ content material.
Take some time, and your viewers will reward you thru engagement, sharing, and way more.
Subsequent, let’s look into run the interview itself. You’ve accomplished the prep, now it’s time to seize the fabric, and there are a bunch of issues you are able to do to ensure that goes in addition to it presumably can.
Want Extra Assist With Podcast Interview Prep?
In The Podcraft Academy, we’ve an in-depth course on delivering nice podcast interviews that builds on the necessities I’ve coated right now. You’ll additionally discover lessons, assist, and assist on the tools, software program, and instruments to make your present sound nice, and our development and monetisation programs may also help you are taking issues to the following stage, too!
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