How to prepare for a podcast interview: a step-by-step guide

Podcasts are more popular than ever. But a big part of producing a successful podcast is making sure that you are well prepared for every interview you record. To help you get prepared for your upcoming podcast interview, we’ve pulled together some steps you should follow. 

What is a podcast?

A podcast is made up of a series of pre-recorded, often spoken word, audio episodes. They usually focus on a particular theme, topic or subject area like startups, food or the environment and feature the voice of at least one host (but often include the voices of other contributors or guests).

Podcasts can be subscribed to, downloaded from the internet and listened to on various digital devices, usually for free. 

Why are podcast interviews popular?

Interview podcasts are very popular with audiences across the world. They offer the opportunity for listeners to learn about a specific topic area or issue from someone with lived experience or expert knowledge.

A big chunk of the 4 million podcasts which are available to listen to online, are made up of interview podcasts or podcasts which involve a host asking questions of a guest or guests. That means making sure that you are well prepared ahead of any interview, which is incredibly important if you want to capture an engaging discussion.

How to prepare for a podcast interview

Step 1: research your interview topic

Before even thinking about guests or who you could possibly approach to interview, spend some time deciding on the topic you’d like to explore during the episode. If your podcast is about cooking for example, perhaps you’d like to explore the world of Spanish cuisine. Once you’ve chosen your topic, spend time researching it. Read articles, watch videos, listen to other podcasts which explore your chosen theme.

As you conduct this research you will probably come across individuals, businesses or organisations who are leading voices in this field. Make a note of their names and contact details to circle back to later.

Step 2: select an interesting guest

With your topic for discussion selected, spend some time thinking about who would be a good interviewee to have on your show. To begin with, try making a shortlist of names of people who you would like to interview. Try and find out if they have been interviewed elsewhere and use this as a way to gauge how suitable they might be for your podcast.

Try listening to other podcasts, watching videos or reading written interviews with people related to the field you’d like to explore in your episode. These could be good resources for finding people who might be a suitable guest for your interview.

Step 3: decide how you are going to record the interview

Before you reach out to your chosen guest, consider how you are intending to record the interview. Are you going to meet with them in person at their office or at a studio you’ve booked out. Or are you going to interview them virtually.

For either scenario, you’ll need to make sure that you have the correct equipment. You’ll need more equipment if you choose to interview in person. At its simplest, you’ll need microphones, microphone stands, cables and a recording device. If you choose to record virtually you might only need to source a USB microphone and stand.

Step 4: reach out to your guest

With the location and equipment prepared, you can move onto contacting your chosen guest. You might want to do this by email or by direct message on social media. If you can speak to the person directly, rather than via their press team or personal assistants, your request for an interview will feel more personal.

At this point, unless your chosen guest is a personal contact or friend, you’ll need to sell yourself and your podcast to convince them to agree to the interview. Explain in your message or email what the podcast is about, why you would like to interview them, and consider highlighting what benefit they will gain (for example, marketing their business to your listeners).

When you have secured a guest for your podcast, make sure you confirm the date, time, and location and how much time they have available to record. Also let them know that you will share a brief with them ahead of the interview so they have what they need in order to prepare.

Step 5: research your guest

Now with your interview booked, it’s time to take a deeper dive on your guest. Find and listen to other podcasts they have appeared on, watch videos in which they’ve featured , read articles or opinion pieces they have written and take a look at their social media accounts. If they have a book, give it a read!

This process will allow you to build up a clearer picture of the expertise of your guest  so that you may frame your questions to get the most out of your time with them. By listening to their other interviews, it also gives you the opportunity to avoid your conversation sounding like interviews they have done in the past.

Step 6: prepare your questions

This is probably the most important step leading up to the interview, writing your questions. Your questions are going to guide the discussion and take the listener on a journey as they learn more about your chosen topic or theme.

You’ll want to begin your interview by either introducing your guest or asking them to briefly do this for you. Listeners will want to hear a brief bio about your guest, highlighting their expertise in the topic area you’ll be discussing.

Open-ended questions will encourage the guest to share their story or explore the topic area more broadly. Beginning with open-ended questions can also help the guest relax into the interview.

Whilst your guest is talking you’ll need to make sure that you’re always listening to what they are saying so that you can use follow-up questions. This might mean circling back to a previous point or asking them to expand further on something they mentioned.

There are a couple of simple rules to keep in mind when planning your questions however. 

Avoid asking basic questions if you can, as they may be met with simple answers which won’t add much depth to the interview. 

Avoid asking questions which evoke a short yes or no response, unless you want them to confirm or deny something. 

Lastly, try to only ask one question at a time. It’s tempting to bunch questions together or ask one question followed by another which pops into your head. This can make it harder for the interviewee to remember what they’ve been asked and questions can get lost or left unanswered. 

Step 7: brief your guest

Ahead of your interview you’ll want to send your guest a briefing. This might be a simple email or a pack you’ve put together. Being concise is important, as guests will most likely only scan through what you send them, especially if they have other time pressures. 

What to include in your brief

• Confirm the recording date and location.

• Explain how you will be recording the interview if conducted virtually.

• Brief them about your podcast and audience. Who will be listening?

• Ask them to bring items or things with them you’d like to discuss. For example, an archive document or important photo.

• Explain what they can expect to happen on the day.

• Explain what the process is after recording is completed. 

• You could also ask them if they have any topics or things they’d like to discuss.

But what about the questions? It’s up to you whether you’d like to include these in the brief or not. Instead, you might want to consider sharing a list of topics or themes you’d like to explore during the interview. This will avoid the temptation for your interviewee to script their answers. 

Step 8: check your equipment

Before you conduct the interview you’ll want to check over your equipment and test that everything is working as it should.

If you are recording in person, test your equipment in a similar location to where you will be recording if possible. Format memory cards, charge batteries and check that there aren’t any tech issues which will cause problems on the day.

For virtual recording sessions make sure that you have tested your virtual recording setup with someone else. Check that you can access the platform you’re using with no issues and that your microphone is working ok.

It’s also worth considering what your backup on the day might be. If a piece of equipment fails have you got a spare? If the platform you’re using to record virtually won’t work for your guest, have you got another to switch to?

Step 9: minimise distractions

There are a lot of distractions in the world today. Phones buzzing, emails pinging, door bells ringing. So before you start the interview it’s a good idea to ask your guest to turn off their devices or put them in aeroplane mode (and also mute them), or if you’re virtually recording to exit apps that might cause distractions on their computer. 

If you’re recording virtually you should also ask your guest to tell their family or colleagues, who might interrupt them, that they shouldn’t be disturbed for the next hour or so.

Step 10: record your interview

We’ve reached the recording stage! First off, check the levels and then when you’re happy hit record even before the interview has begun. 

Take some time at the start to have a chat with your guest, this could be a general catch up or you could go over the topics that you’re going to be touching on in the interview. This will help warm up your interviewee and relax them.

Even though you’ve spent time preparing your questions, you should be ready to adapt and come up with questions on the spot. For example, your guest might touch on a really interesting point that you’d like to explore further.

When your guest is speaking, engage as an active listener and try to minimise any verbal responses. That means avoiding saying ‘yes’ or ‘uh-huh’. Instead you could nod or smile. This allows the listener to give their full attention to the guest without audible interruptions from you as a host.

However, don’t be afraid to interrupt whilst your guest is speaking. You might want to do this so that you can redirect the conversation and put things back on topic or you might want the guest to clarify something they’ve just said. Whilst the listener will want to hear from your guest, it’s your job to ensure that the interview is guided from start to finish.

Step 11: post interview

At the end of the interview thank them for their time and tell them what the next steps are in the process. This means explaining how long the production process will take, will they get a chance to review it and when could they expect to see the interview live.

Ahead of the podcast going live, it would be a good idea to reach out via email confirming when the podcast will be available for people to listen to. You could also take this opportunity to share with them any marketing assets you might have that they can post on their channels and social media accounts to promote your podcast.

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We’re Sheeran Media

You might have reached the end of this article and thought that you’d like some help from the professionals to create your podcast. 

We’re Sheeran Media. An all in one content creation company with expertise in video, podcasts, animation and design. If you have a podcast you need support with, then get in touch. We’d love to help!