The interview format is one of the most common types of podcast out there. But even though there are a lot of interviews recorded, not all of them succeed! Cultivating a conversation that is insightful and valuable for your audience isn’t always as simple as it sounds.
This guide is here to help you navigate the interview process to make sure yours never falls flat, and that your podcast really stands out from the crowd. After all, you only get one run at a great interview.
A quick house-keeping note - here at Message Heard, this format falls under our ‘duocast’ package. This is simply a shorthand for all podcasts involving two voices, so we use duocast and interview podcast interchangeably in this post.
So, back to business. Before we get into our step-by-step guide, it’s worth asking the question: Why are interviews (or duocasts) so popular with listeners, and what are the benefits of using this format?
The benefits of a great interview
A successful interview has the potential to:
1. Communicate and connect with people
What better way to showcase a connection than through a great conversation? Successful interviews live on in people’s memory. This is a chance to connect not only with an interviewee, but also to communicate something intrinsic to the host. Bringing people together is the biggest opportunity of the interview format.
2. Showcase expertise
Your depth of understanding is on show through the questions asked and the answers received. It’s a two-for-one deal, where both the host and the interview subject have a chance to talk deeply on a subject that is of interest or curiosity to them.
3. Raise an individual profile
Raising your brand profile is often easier through an effective conversation than it is by simply stating what you know or have to offer. This is because calling in a great interview subject immediately offers you the chance to grow your network – leveraging their audience, as well as your own – and expanding the reach of a brand or individual.
The interview checklist
Stage 1: Research and planning
Any good interviewer knows that it’s all about the preparation that goes in ahead of the conversation. Before your guest even sits down with you, it’s time to hit the books: read or listen to the guest’s previous interviews, look up their personal profiles or online presence, and start considering how you might angle your conversation. What have they not been asked before? What do you wish they’d talk more about? Come up with a focus for your interview based on your research, and start planning your initial questions.
With all of your questions written down, start to organise them into a structure that makes sense for the episode. Ask yourself: do these questions move between themes and topics in the most natural way? Consider the arc of an episode and where you’d like to ideally finish the discussion, as well as any key information that you need to get out of the conversation. Make sure this is covered in your line of questioning.
Stage 2: Pre-Interview priming
As well as doing your own preparation, it’s worth it to start priming your interviewee beforehand. Use an initial call, or a pre-interview, to get a shared understanding of:
Your interview style
What you’re hoping to achieve in the conversation
Any technical information required
And to give the subject a chance to speak their questions or concerns.
This is also where you are filling in the gaps from your desk research, as it is your chance to check any facts directly and clarify intent for the conversation.
Outline what you want to talk to about in the interview, but don’t give the subject the exact questions. This will keep the interviewee from overthinking their answers and will keep your recorded conversation fresh and in the moment.
Furthermore, this is your chance to begin to build rapport with the subject. Good rapport is always part of an effective conversation, and it can be tricky to do all of this in a few moments before recording, if you haven’t met the subject before.
Stage 3: Soundcheck and technical setup
Let’s face it: many of us are now recording remotely! If you aren’t able to record in studio (which is the optimum place to ensure quality) you will have to do a bit of extra work to ensure your podcast is recorded correctly and sounds great. Whether you’re able to use a studio or not, a producer or engineer can perform this soundcheck to make sure the host is focused on conducting the best interview possible on the day.
There are many good ways to record an interview. In general, we don’t recommend using Zoom or Skype to record, as these don’t record at an optimal quality. Consider one of the various recording platforms out there like Cleanfeed, Zencaster, Squadcast or Riverside. Technically, a tape sync is the technical term for a remote interview, and with a producer on board, it can be possible to arrange for a remote engineer in the guest’s location who will be able to set up and record remotely at a much higher quality. If safe to do so, this is worth considering too, to ensure the host and interviewee have the best audio at the end.
Whatever your setup, you need to check your guests sound setup to make sure the recording is the best quality possible. This will also help you hit the ground running on the day of the interview and elevates stress for the interviewee.
Stage Four: Making the most of your recording day
Now is the make or break moment! The day of your recording, do your best to ensure both you and your subject are feeling relaxed and ready to chat. Try to keep the technical setup as pain-free as possible so they too can concentrate on delivering the best answers without getting distracted by other factors. If you’re recording remotely, ensure everyone is somewhere they won’t be disturbed and where there isn’t too much background noise – turn off your phone, email notifications, etc. Again, if you’ve got a producer, they can help make sure all the conditions are as optimal as possible for a great quality recording.
As you start to ask questions, this is the time to be very present in the conversation. Focus is vital here, as is listening. Having done some solid prep, you shouldn’t be afraid if your subject starts to deviate or introduce a tangent – either guide it back on track with a clear question or follow the track further and ask appropriate follow up questions if you’re curious and want to dig deeper. This is all part of active listening.
If you’re not sure you’re getting the information you need, be prepared to ask extra questions that might help tease out a topic. In essence, this is all about flexibility – just as a natural conversation can move around or shift, be aware when this is happening and consider whether to follow or turn things around. And if your subject is nervous or unsure, reassure them that they can always pause, take a moment, and start again.
It’s all about managing a conversation – as well as having one! Pay attention to how the discussion feels as it unfolds. If you’re interested and excited about it, chances are that this will come across to your audience too!
Stage Five: Editing and final touches
Here’s your chance to really tighten up a meandering conversation – you can move things around a little, if really needed, cut out any repetition or mistakes, and consider the pace of the episode as a whole. Dialogue pacing is crucial – you don’t want a subject to not sound like themselves, but you also want to help them out if they were nervous or particularly slow to speak. Sometimes, it can help to manually pace the dialogue here and there to create energy and shift up the tone in a monotonous part of the conversation. Help everyone out as well by cleaning up any uhms and ahhs, for a nice crisp quality to the speech.
There you have it, the 5 steps to nail a podcast interview and create a conversation that is a pleasure to listen to. Implement these tips to ensure your interview really makes an impact and stays with audiences well after an episode is finished.
Want to learn more about duocasts? Find out all the podcast production services we offer here.