Are you a podcast host looking for fresh ways to take your podcast interviews to the next level? Look no further! We Edit Podcasts is here with our top tips to help make every one of your podcast interviews memorable in all the right ways.
We’ve been in the game for a long time and we’ve seen what works…and what doesn’t…when it comes to podcast interviews. And we’ve gathered some hot tips to help you ensure yours are top-notch each and every time.
From pre-interview research techniques to asking killer questions, we have plenty of advice on how to make your podcast interviews rise about the rest.
Put these tips into practice, and each podcast interview you host will be the best yet.
Tips for Great Podcast Interviews
1. Do Your Research
Great podcast interviews don’t just happen. Plain and simple. They are carefully crafted to help each guest shine brightly. But how exactly? Well, from our experience, it starts with carefully crafted questions.
The bottom line, you can’t be asking every guest the same question each time you sit down for an interview. Yes, there will be some baseline questions that overlap. But the heart of a great interview hinges on the uniquely crafted questions you present to each guest.
But how do you craft these amazing questions? You have to do your research on your guests. Read their books, watch their previous interviews, follow their blogs – find the nuances of their career choices, their successes, and even their failures, and use this to craft your unique questions for each of your guests.
NOTE: Just be careful to keep it professional when you do this deep dive. You want to do thorough research to craft questions that gift you insightful answers. You don’t want to dive so deep you end up asking them questions that are far too personal and way too irrelevant.
BONUS
Here’s another insider tip when you’re crafting your incredibly insightful questions. Make sure that the questions you prepare, as well as any ‘off-the-cuff’ are open-ended questions.
Open-ended questions encourage storytelling and foster dialogue between you and your guest. Questions that end in yes or no simply end there.
Fostering an engaging dialogue between you and your guest is the foundation of a great podcast interview. Asking open-ended questions is the key to unlocking a valuable conversation. And this is the key to those incredible podcast interviews.
2. Prepare Your Guest
An amazing podcast interview requires both sides to bring their A-game. Now that you’ve crafted excellent queries and have gotten yourself ready, the next step is to give your guest the opportunity to also bring their best to the interview.
Very few people are able to share their most insightful, thought-provoking nuggets of wisdom without at least some forethought. So allow your guests to give your audience their best by giving them some time to see the proposed questions and prepare their answers.
This is really the only way to ensure that you give your guests the best opportunity to share their wealth of knowledge.
Proper guest preparation has an added benefit. Both sides being prepared helps set the tone for a relaxed atmosphere and facilitates an environment where your guests can feel safe to share their valuable insights. It also creates way more opportunity for a bit of fun and banter between you and your guest because your guest is not having to worry too much about giving the “right” answers because they already have a good idea of what they’re going to say.
And this opportunity for relaxed banter coupled with killer insights are the hallmarks of a great podcast interview!
3. Use the Right Set-Up
As a podcast host, you know all about podcast equipment, and how having quality equipment can take your recordings to the next level. And you probably already have a pretty sweet set-up.
But to make sure that your interviews are high quality, you want to make sure you have a few things in order.
If the interview is not taking place in a recording studio and is taking place long-distance, you want to take a few extra measures to make sure that your interviews are of excellent quality.
First up, before the interview, liaise with your guest to check out their recording set-up. Do they have their own quality mic? Do you need to ship one to them? If you want high-quality interviews, you need to both have the right tools.
And then when it comes to the actual recording, you want to make sure that you’re using the right software. There are obviously lots of options, and most are up to the task of delivering high-quality raw audio. But above all, you want to make sure that whatever recording software you pick, it can record all participants on their own track. This just makes editing much easier and the final product much cleaner.
In our books, this one is a “must-do” for successful podcast interviews.
4. Break The Ice
Another key, but sometimes overlooked, tip to great podcast interviews is a relaxed atmosphere. Creating a comfortable environment for your podcast guest is essential to getting the most out of your podcast interview.
Making sure your guest feels relaxed and comfortable during your podcast interview will help create an open atmosphere conducive to engaging dialogue and getting the best possible material from your guests.
We find it works really well to schedule in a little ‘pre-interview’ time. Just 10-15 minutes where you and the guest can chat, and just break the ice. That way, when the official interview starts, you’re way more comfortable with each other and ready to dive into the good stay from the get-go.
5. Listen Actively
Yes, podcast interviews are conversations. And yes, those with the gift of gab often do really when in the realm of podcast hosts. But do you know what takes a podcast host from good to great?
Being able to actively listen to their guests! Seriously, this tip can be a game-changer!
Being an active listener is essential when trying to get the most out of your interviews. By really paying attention to what your guests have to say, you can draw out more interesting stories and personal insights. Not only that, but actively listening to guests’ responses will help you better ask follow-up or clarifying questions that make for a deeper conversation.
When guests feel they’re really being listened to, they tend to feel more comfortable opening up and being honest and vulnerable, and this is where the podcast magic happens!
6. Don’t Interrupt
Okay. This is a big one in our books. And in all honesty, it’s one of our podcasting pet peeves…podcast hosts who interrupt or talk over their guests.
Please don’t do this! You could craft the best questions in the world, but it all counts for naught if you keep interrupting or interjecting whenever your guest speaks.
Yes, your stellar question-asking is important. And yes, it is your show. But the best way to make your show one of the best is to always allow your guests to shine. Don’t frustrate your listeners (or us!) by constantly talking over or interrupting what your guests have prepared to share with your listeners.
7. Mute Your Mic!
And so for our final tip for great podcast interviews, if you’re not talking, mute your mic.
What? I’m telling the host of an interview podcast to mute their mic? Yip, you bet I am. But for a very good reason. To prevent another of our pet peeves, unnecessary “oohs” and “aahs” and “umms” while your listeners trying to hear what your guest is sharing.
It’s totally cool that you’re engaging with what your guest is sharing. It’s actually great for your guest, as it gives them that encouragement to keep sharing. But in reality, your audience doesn’t need to hear this encouragement. It can be super distracting and rather frustrating for your listeners.
But with a simple fix. Just mute your mic. Trust us, it will take your interviews to the next level, and help your interviews rise above the rest.
To Conclude
Whether you’re an experienced podcast host or just starting out, these simple tips can take your podcast interviews from good to absolutely unmissable.
There are plenty of interview podcasts out there. And for yours to be the ones that your audience keeps tuning in for, you have to deliver high-quality interviews each and every time. And these 7 tips will help you create great podcast interviews your audience will keep coming back for.
