How to lead better podcast interviews: 2 overlooked elements

What goes into creating an arresting podcast interview? Three things come to mind, and only one gets much attention.

The three elements that affect a great interview:

1. Prep

2. Questions

3. Environment

Set aside 2, the most popular topic. Let's talk about 1 + 3.

PREP:

Total hours matter less than the uniqueness and specificity of what you find, and what you seek is informed by your premise. The more well-developed & specific the premise, the more impact-per-minute your prep time has on the final episode.

Great prep requires us to go beyond the basics, and the premise is a shortcut. For instance, Unthinkable is about how resonance works, so my "growth" focused questions are less about how the guest distributes their work broadly across the internet and much more about earning/keeping fans. On the spectrum of how many arrive to how many stay, I'm much more interested in their thoughts on the latter. Because that's my show's premise.

Other things to look for during prep:

Interviews elsewhere that lacked depth. What questions do you WISH those hosts asked?

Your guest's popular ideas, pressed through YOUR premise.

Childhood/hobbies/unexpected tidbits.

Stuff that genuinely confuses you (e.g. "from CTO to writer? how?") Many hosts seem to ask questions they know the answer to. Pursue curiosity, and you already have a good show.

Next...

ENVIRONMENT:

The environment is everything the guest experiences from first contact to switching off their mic. Is the environment conducive to a great interview?

If the listener notices the guest isn't great, that's not the guest's fault. It's yours. YOU control what gets published. YOU influence how the guest shows up to/during the actual recording.

The most transformative piece of that? The first FIVE minutes after the guest arrives. The tech needs to run smoothly. You need a plan for what to say, too. What context do you set about the show? What MOOD do you want to convey? Guests tend to match your emotions. If you're relaxed, joking, telling stories, they will. Ditto for bored, stiff, treating the podcast like a chore instead of a SHOW.

Additionally, acknowledge the game. They know this isn't an ACTUAL friendly chat. ("Here's the audience, the show premise, the angle I want to take with you. This isn't live. Pause to think. It's edited")

(Your show IS edited, right?)

(RIGHT???)

Finally, if a guest is stiff, knock them off course. Open with unexpected or well-researched questions. Sometimes I say "To check levels..." then ask about their pets or their last meal on earth. Immediately, they become visibly relaxed, if not warm, and they sound more natural and therefore engaging.

But while I might say the question was to check their audio, I’m not engineering tech. I'm engineering the environment. It matters that much.

In the end, a great interview absolutely benefits from great questions. But PREP informs great questions, and the ENVIRONMENT enables great answers.

Are you maximizing their impact on your show?

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Curious to hear the result of my prep and the environment I create? Listen to Unthinkable—stories to inspire creativity.