How to Be a Great Podcast Interviewer
Interviewing is just a conversation around a specific topic or experience. As the interviewer, it’s your job to guide the conversation, bring out the best in your guest, and create something that your listeners will find valuable or meaningful. But if you’re just starting out, this role can feel like a big responsibility. Fortunately, being a great interviewer is a skill that can be learned.
I’ve honed my interview skills by listening to great interviewers and through practice. And I’ve gathered my best tips and techniques for having great conversations with my guests in this blog.
Practice these eight tips for being a great interviewer and you’ll be well on your way to having amazing conversations!
8 Tips for Great Podcast Interviews
Be curious
In my opinion, curiosity is the number one trait for being a good interviewer. When you have a genuine interest in learning more about someone or a topic, it translates to the interview and the questions you ask. When your focus is on learning and taking your listeners on that journey of discovery with you, you’ll be able to let your guests shine and everyone benefits.
Set an intention
This is something I borrow from the master of all interviewers, Oprah Winfrey. Before she starts each interview, she asks her guests what their intention is for the interview. It helps her gain clarity on what a successful conversation looks like for her guests and what they hope to impart. Setting an intention for yourself is also important. It will help you show up to the interview in a way that is in alignment with your goals. Do you want to understand your guest’s perspective? Are you asking them to provide your listeners with tips or advice? Are they promoting something that you think will resonate with your audience?
Be Prepared
Researching potential guests isn’t only a must but it can also get the creative juices flowing. I learn so much just by doing a Google search or reading my guests’ blog posts that the questions practically write themselves! Also, the more you know about your guest as a person, beyond what they specialize in, the easier it will be to see other places you can connect. Being prepared is not only respectful of your guests’ time, but it will also make you feel more confident and your guests feel like they’re in good hands.
Ask great questions
Besides the actual interview, writing questions is my favorite part about podcasting. This is where researching your topic and guest is going to help you write questions that will lead to compelling conversations. Write your questions in a bullet point format so that you can easily scan them throughout the interview while still engaging with your guest. Sending questions to your guest in advance gives them time to prepare for the interview as well. I let my guests know that I’m committed to the questions but that it’s possible I’ll ask something not on the list. Leaving room to go off-script will result in a more natural conversation.
Think about your listeners
I always have my listeners in mind when I’m booking guests and writing questions. I think about the value I’ll be offering my audience. What will they want to know? What will help them with their problem or in their life? By putting myself in my audience’s shoes, I’m able to get answers to the questions that they most likely are curious about.
Be open and relaxed
Some guests will breeze through an interview but others may not have the same level of experience or confidence. The more relaxed and confident you are and bring that energy to the interview, the more likely your guest will open up and the better the experience will be for everyone. It can be hard when you’re first starting out not to feel nervous, so it’s helpful to view interviews simply as conversations. Also, knowing that you can fix mistakes in post-production takes some of the pressure off!
Be a good listener
Being a great interviewer is really about being a good, active listener. Your job is to listen attentively so that you can guide the conversation, pick up on nuances, and hold space for your guests. Here are 6 ways to be an active listener:
don’t interrupt or talk over your guest
paraphrase what your guest says
use nonverbal cues like nodding or leaning in
acknowledge with verbal affirmations like, “I see”, or “that make sense”
invite them to tell you more
ask follow up questions
Be flexible
Interviews can sometimes go to unexpected places. Diversions may mean you’ll have to salvage the conversation or it can create an even better show than you had envisioned. Either way, your ability to pivot and adjust on the fly is critical. Technical issues during the interview or last minute scheduling issues will income up. The more you can roll with the hiccups, the easier it will be for everyone. Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath, accept the situation and try again on a different day or time.
Being a great interviewer comes through experience but, if you commit to incorporating these tips, you’ll be well on your way to becoming the interviewer you want to be.
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