Not every podcast host has created an interview form podcast. However at some point or another most hosts will venture into the territory of the interview based show. Guests can potentially bring more visibility to your show (if they share the interview with their audience). Also let’s face it – interview based podcast is much easier to potentially produce in terms of content creation.
To guarantee your successful interview is to nail the podcast interview questions that you ask of your guest. Here are my recommendations for your podcast interview questions that are great no matter what type of show you have, such as:
♣ How did you get started?
♣ For my listeners that are unfamiliar with your work, explain exactly what it is that you do?
♣ What have you found to be the most challenging task in your business?
♣ How do you define success?
♣ Where do you see the *name their industry* industry going?
Have a great selection of generic questions to refer to. This will help you keeping the conversation flowing. Good questions can lead to fantastic offshoots that dig deeper into the guest’s background, business, or thoughts.
Creating Compelling Interviews
The most compelling interviews are those that have been researched and prepared for in advance. Even if your podcast is meant to be a non-sensational, facts-driven podcast. You can still ask the hard questions that require thought and introspection bringing your interview to the next level.
When your guest is an author, read their book and take a topic or theme from that book to ask questions about. I know that time is not always on our side but service such as Blinkist can help by providing you with the book highlights instead. With life coach guests, dig into their processes and what caused them to approach business the way they do. You will also have guests who have an amazing product or service. Try and dig into what makes those products different or better than other similar product. Get to the heart of what your guest thinks, does, and believes. Your listeners will thank you!
Pre-Interview Etiquette and Preparation
I have prepared for you some dos and do not’s to interviewing that you should observe in order to avoid any awkward situations. If your podcast is designed to address touchy subjects, provide your guest with a list of questions in advance to have them approved. This is especially important if your guest is notable or when you feel you may be pushing your luck with the questions you have prepared.
Provide your guest with best practices related to software, hardware, language, tone, recording space, etc. Create a pre-interview checklist of requirements. Include things like recording in a quiet room, using headphones to reduce echo between the microphones, using a microphone if at all possible. If this is applicable provide detailed instructions on using the recording software, etc. This will help put your guest at ease and make the interview more natural. Remember that this may be their first podcast interview experience and even smallest details could go a long way when putting your guest at ease.
Start Recording Before the Interview Starts
Not everybody will be as comfortable in front of the microphone as you. It may be worth for you to consider hitting the record button before the interview officially starts. Just start talking for a bit to alleviate the fear and stress that public speaking causes some people to experience. If they know that they are being recorded but you start with some small talk that can be edited out, they will be able to get into a groove and flow before the true recording begins.
Content is Everything
Great, compelling content is truly everything. When you make the effort, go extra lengths and have incredible guest on the show – use this opportunity to create content that wider audience will want to read. The podcast interview questions you ask are the very first step in creating compelling and thoughtful interviews. Making sure that they can be consumed comfortably is step two. If you prepare your guests, they will walk away feeling as if their time was valuable, and you will have created priceless content to share with your listeners.
