The Art of the Podcast Interview

Tips on giving a great interview

As a technology and business reporter, I’ve been interviewing people for three decades and some of the interviews and interviewees really stand out as being spectacular even after all these years. For example, Henry Cisneros, former HUD Director and Mayor of San Antonio is one of the most quotable people I’ve ever interviewed. He has a gift for speaking in eloquent sentences. Oprah Winfrey, who I had the pleasure to interview in college, is also highly quotable. They have been in the public forum for years and have a gift for communicating. It is an art and something we can all train ourselves to be better at. I’ve also done almost 100 podcast interviews for Ideas to Invoices. And I realize that a lot of people don’t know what to do when they are being interviewed by a reporter. So, I created these tips to let you know how to give a great interview on a podcast.

1. Keep your answers to questions concise.

2. Do use descriptive language and anecdotes to illustrate your points and tell stories

3. Stick to the facts

4. Listen to the question and if you have any doubts, ask for clarification

5. Bring a lot of energy to the interview. Podcast interviews are best recorded mid-morning when people’s energy levels are highest.

6. Don’t interrupt the podcast host.

7. Don’t say that’s a good question. If you do, the host usually cuts that out during editing.

8. Do be yourself and share your wisdom

9. Don’t sell, sell, sell. The podcast is an opportunity to develop your brand. When you answer the questions, be authentic, and let your personality shine through.

10. Ask for questions beforehand. A lot of podcast hosts will provide you with a list of questions to be covered during the interview. That will help you to prepare. Preparation is the key to giving a great interview.

11. Try to keep filler words to a minimum — including like, um, uh, right, you know. It can be hard to do, and most podcast hosts cut filler words out during editing. The best way to learn not to use filler words is to speak in public a lot or record yourself and practice. You’ll get better over time.