How to Interview Someone for a Podcast
Podcasts are taking over.
Plenty of people are tired of short clips and want long in-depth discussions.
Nowadays, a lot of shorts are used to promote long in-depth discussions.
To have a riveting talk, there are different ways to go about it.
- Sometimes, you are doing the show solo.
- Other times, there is a host and a cohost.
- And other times, you are interviewing someone.
In today’s article, we will be talking about the 3rd bullet.
How should you interview someone for a podcast?
In my ArmaniTalks podcast, I’ve interviewed others and I’ve been interviewed myself.
I’ve noticed real-world tips that you can easily apply.
Interviewing the guest starts BEFORE the show actually begins.
Get to Know the Guest
Prior to the interview, acquire some basic knowledge of the guest.
Plenty of times, the guest has written a book, hosts a podcast himself, has a social media page etc.
The more you know the guest, the easier it is for an organic interview to fall out.
Plus, it’ll prevent you from asking stupid questions.
Like asking a famous founder, “what do you do again?”
By doing some basic research, it’ll also allow you to angle the interview in a new way.
In 2023, there was this guy named Alex Hormozi blowing up.
He was taking over the business space.
First, he grew his YouTube channel.
Next up, he was doing interviews.
I kid you not, each interviewer kept asking him:
‘What’s your story?’
I get where these interviewers were coming from.
Maybe their audience didn’t hear the Alex Hormozi story.
So, it was a good precaution to take.
However, after listening to a few podcasts, I could tell Alex was getting tired of answering that question.
If a research phase had been implemented, then the newest interviewer would have told Alex’s story in the intro and dove straight into the real content.
Ask & Listen
Coming prepared is good.
However, a lot of great talks are spontaneous.
During the actual interview, feel free to go off the script.
I think doing the research beforehand should be done with the head.
You’re putting your intellect to use.
But the actual interview should be done with the heart.
What are you curious about?
Ask those questions.
A lot of guests love talking about their past failures and how they overcame them.
They also like talking about moments when they had a burst of inspiration:
‘The main reason I started a brand on communication skills was because I grew up shy! This epiphany hit me like common sense.’
When they are talking, listen.
Don’t just be like ‘mhm.’
And when they are done talking, you don’t even acknowledge what they said.
You just hop over to a new topic.
When we abruptly keep switching topics, it makes the guest feel like what they were saying was not interesting.
Probe further.
Which brings me to the next point…
Ask Drilldown Questions
Drilldown questions are also known as follow-up questions.
When we are curious about a subject, we keep drilling down more and more.
Guest: I used to be close with my mom.
- Interviewer: Why did you say used to?
Guest: Because we aren’t that close anymore.
- Interviewer: Are you comfortable sharing why?
Guest: Yes. It’s because we are physically in the same location but mentally, we are in different states.
- Interviewer: Did this shift happen when you started your entrepreneurship journey?
Do you see that?
The topic of the guest and his relationship with his mom is being explored.
Imagine an alternate scenario.
Guest: I used to be close with my mom.
- Interviewer: I see. When did you start your business?
In this scenario, the interviewer abruptly switched topics.
Every now and then, switching topics is fine.
Variety creates a roller coaster episode.
Other times, we need to stay where we are and dig the hole deep.
Contribute!
There will be moments when the guest is dry.
They don’t have much to say.
In moments like this, it’s good to contribute.
The interviewer’s job is to prevent too many awkward silences.
Where both parties are quiet for too long.
Because guess what?
If there are too many awkward silences, then it’s your fault!
The host gets all the blame when things go wrong.
Don’t throw in the towel so quickly.
A guest may be boring about 8 topics and super engaging about 2 topics.
When you’re stumbling into boring territory, contribute stories yourself.
Add in jokes.
Recall moments that deal with what the guest was just saying.
Suddenly, you may reach a topic that the guest is passionate about.
Now they can talk, and you just sit back and listen.
Allow the Guest to Plug Their Stuff
It’s an honor when a guest comes to your show.
They gave you their time.
To return the favor, allow them to plug whatever they want to plug.
Their website, book, social media handles etc.
When I was getting interviewed, there were times the host had me fill out a simple application beforehand.
This application allowed me to write down my social media handles, products that I wanted to promote, and website.
Make it easy for your audience to find the guest.
You’ll build a good rapport with the guest, and they will come back in the future.
Avoid the Following 2
There were 2 nightmare interview situations I had.
The worst situation was when the host kept forgetting the interview.
He forgot the first 2 times and I was pissed.
He kept apologizing and I gave him a 3rd chance.
This clown doesn’t show up again…
Instead, he is interviewing someone else at the same time he’s supposed to be interviewing me!
Nowadays, it’s 1-2 strikes, and you’re out.
The other nightmare interview situation was when the host kept talking when I was talking.
I was confused as to who was getting interviewed, me or him?
If you’ve dozed off for most of this blog, then at least pay attention to what not to do.
- Don’t be late.
- Don’t talk more than the guest.
For more insights into communications, check out the ArmaniTalks Newsletter
