Whenever podcasters ask me how to become better at interviews, the No. 1 piece of advice I offer is to practice, practice, practice!
If you listen to any interview podcast, most likely you’ll hear a difference in the interviewer’s comfort level when you compare an earlier episode to a more recent one.
But when you’re first starting to podcast and not yet in that interviewing groove, here are some mistakes to be aware of:
Talking More Than Your Guest
I know, I know. It’s YOUR podcast. And you absolutely should take hosting a podcast seriously. But when it comes to your guests, you are most likely bringing them on to bring value to your audience.
I once listened to a new podcaster interview a YouTube personality I was a fan on. I had never heard of this podcast before so I didn’t know what to expect. But when I started listening to it, the host kept making all the answers and questions about him. And, no offense to him, but I was more interested in what the guest had to say than the host.
By the way, it’s not uncommon for a podcast listener to find a podcast because of a guest and decide to Follow/Subscribe afterward, but that usually depends on how the host does their job. Relating to one or two answers is just fine and you can always give your own take after the interview or in a separate episode. But when it comes to the time your guest has to talk to you, it serves you and your audience better to create a stage for your guest.
Forgetting About the Audience
Ever tune into a podcast only to hear inside joke after inside joke and feel left out?
That’s what happens when hosts forget about their audience. Yes, we know getting on the microphone is fun and when you’re deep in conversation and found your flow, you may forget to go back and give context to things a brand new audience member who just found your podcast may not know.
But if you think about every episode as if it could be someone’s first, this mindset can help you remember to give context and let the audience in on the conversation.
One of my clients who hosts a personal finance podcast is fantastic at thinking of her audience when she’s interviewing folks and she’ll have guests define terms that may be new to first-time listeners. Because her podcast focuses on money, investing, saving, and getting out of debt, she knows there’s a lot of ground to cover so providing definitions of the concepts her guests talk about helps everyone get on the same page.
Another way you can make your audience feel included is asking them before your interview if they have any questions for an upcoming guest! You can do this on your podcast if you knew your schedule in advance or you can do this on your social media channels.
Not Prepping For the Interview
Think you’re a pro and can just wing it? I hate to break it to you, but even the pros prep for their interviews (or the big-wigs have assistants to prep for them, at least).
Prepping doesn’t have be vigorous research, though. Prepping for an interview could mean researching your guest so you’re not asking a question that anyone familiar with them would already know the answer to.
Some ways to do this:
Ask for a bio or description of them. You can read this on the podcast as a way to introduce your guest, as well.
Google, Google, Google! Check out their website and social media.
If they’ve written a boo you’ll be talking about, try to read it (or a summary at least) beforehand so you’re not asking questions that show you’re unfamiliar with their work.
Write out questions ahead of time. (Pro-Tip: Sending questions in advance to your guest can help them prepare for the interview as well AND they are usually more comfortable when they know ahead of time what to talk about 😉)
Some podcasters like to do a pre-interview to check the sound and to get the host and guest more comfortable before the interview. This could be done prior to the interview or on the same day right before pressing record.
Asking “The Wrong” Questions
I’m not saying “wrong” as in “bad” questions. I don’t know if there really are such a thing as bad questions, unless all you’re doing is asking questions that your audience really doesn’t care about.
When I say “wrong,” I’m referring to closed-ended questions, like ones that have “yes” or “no” answers or ones that don’t lead into stories or information.
I hear podcasters talk about something their guest has done and go into great detail, prompting the audience to get excited to hear the guest’s response, only to end with a very low-stakes closed-ended question.
Example: “Before writing the book, you took a trip to climb Mount Everest, and while there you did A, B, C and D. Was that as cool as it sounds?”
There are only two answers to that: “yes” or “no.”
Maybe your guest would elaborate more, but when you don’t give them the option of telling their own story, you’re basically taking the wind out of their sails.
Now imagine you talk about your guest’s accomplishments and instead of recapping them, you mention the beginnings of a story your guest can then finish.
Example: “Before writing the book, you took a trip to climb Mount Everest. What happened there?”
Any time you can ask a question and get a guest to go into a story, you’re hooking your audience into going on this curious journey with you.
When you’re prepping your interview, try to stick to a few open-ended questions that encourage your guest to tell their own story to your audience. And when they’re talking, be sure to listen to things to highlight later or dig deeper into.
Forgetting to Press Record
UGH! Every podcaster has, at one point, forgotten to press record. And it’s even worse when it’s an interview that you now have to re-schedule and reach out to the guest again about.
If this happens, know you’re not alone and it happens to the best of us. Hopefully, your guest will be understanding (many are!) and you can reschedule.
One thing I recommend newer podcasters do is create a pre-podcast checklist for themselves to make sure they have all their bases covered.
The checklist can include things like getting a drink of water, letting family members know they’ll be recording, closing all tabs and windows on their computer, checking they are using the right mic, and, above all else in big letters, PRESS RECORD!
Final Thoughts
I hope these suggestions come in handy next time you’re planning your podcast interview! If all else fails, just remember there’s always editing later. Even if you’re scrambling in your interview and it’s full of awkward pauses and stumbles, that’s what editing is for! That’s the beauty of podcasting, since it’s not live like radio.
Of course there’s no amount of editing to save you if you forget to press record, but I will say this: usually if a guest comes back, the second interview goes a lot more smoothly for everyone since you’ve already had what you could call a dress-rehearsal. You probably also know the answers they’ll give so you have a second shot at prepping your questions!
Got more tips? I’d love to hear them below! 🙂
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