Interview podcasts are the most common, by some distance. It isn’t surprising really – they’re much easier and more straightforward than other formats.
That’s not to say that they’re easy to get RIGHT. They need time, effort, and thought.
There are three factors that really stand out to me when we’re looking at what makes a good interview podcast
– Who the guest is
– What questions you ask them
– How you – and the guest – promote the episode
This blog is really focusing on the advantages from a business point of view, and there are many – too many to cover every single one, so I’ve narrowed it down to six points
Interview the right people
It’s so so so important that you invite the right people onto your show. It’s tempting to fire off invites left right and centre but you should take some time to consider what you’re trying to achieve and then pick the right guests to match.
There are services out there which will help you find guests, and that’s super helpful. But don’t be afraid to do it by hand. You’ll probably already know – or know of – some ideal guests and LinkedIn’s a brilliant place to find them too.
We’ll delve further into this as we go, but three clear and obvious routes would be focus on guests who
– You want to do business with or sell to
– Your peers, people you want on your side
– People with big followings that you want exposure to
Foot in the door
A really obvious tactic here would be to approach guests who you want to do business with. Sometimes it’s hard to get a foot in the door with prospective clients or partners. You might have already sent someone a couple of emails and a LinkedIn DM and got nowhere, or feel a little stuck in how to make an initial approach.
Well, inviting them onto your podcast is probably more likely to get somewhere than just a bog standard ‘could we have a Zoom?’
You can flatter someone without being patronising – ‘I’m doing an episode about XXXX and I feel that you are a standout expert in this field’.
It isn’t underhand – you’re giving them an opportunity to showcase their knowledge and expertise, remember.
Showcase your knowledge
Interview shows aren’t just one way. It’s true the majority of pressure is on your guest, but we should really alter our mindset as to what we mean by ‘interview podcast’.
It’s a conversation. You’re just the one who is leading it. Don’t be tempted to ‘wing it’ – spend time thinking about the questions you ask. And ask things that you care about, things that you can join in and say something on. This is your platform as well.
The flipside is to make sure it doesn’t come across as all being about you. Give your guest time and space to talk and answer your questions, but follow on with your own thoughts so you can showcase your own knowledge.
Grow your network
You might not necessarily be trying to sell or do business with the guests you invite – it could purely be about expanding and building up your contacts.
You have an opportunity to cement a relationship with every person you interview.
Inviting your peers – fellow business owners or people in similar job roles – is well worth considering.
Publicity
Once your interview is recorded, edited and published, attention turns to publicising it. Of course, you’ll push through your own platforms, channels and networks, but one of the huge advantages of this podcast format is utilising your guest’s outlets too.
It’s often as simple as asking them to promote the episode, but you can make things a little easier by sending them any images or posts you create, or knocking together some audiograms that are ready-made for them to push.
An interview format tactic could of course be to purely focus on guests with significant followings, to enable you to gain exposure to them.
Follow ups
Equally important is how you follow up with your guest. How best to do this will depend on your initial approach, and this is where the businessy stuff really kicks in.
It’s probably outside of the scope of a podcasting blog to give advice on how best to follow up with people, but it may well form part of your strategy and plans.
Ready?
If you think an interview podcast is right for your business, a good next step is to take a read of this about How To Be A Great Podcast Interviewer.
If you’d like to partner with Sound Media to create your podcast, just drop us a line and let’s get the ball rolling.