A podcast featuring an interview can be very engaging particularly if the interviewee is an expert or a well known authority in his particular field and the topic is of great interest to a lot of people. Interviews can keep your audience glued to your show unlike when there’s only one speaker doing the podcast.

But in order to achieve success in your podcast interview, you need to take the right steps and be consistent moving forward.

Get an interviewee who knows his work very well and who is comfortable with the media. They are more likely to provide concise answers.

Provide your questions beforehand. It would be a good idea to provide your interviewee beforehand with the questions you’re going to ask him. This will help him or her prepare for his answers and ensure a smooth interview in the process.

Organize your questions as well. Start with the general topic and then move into specifics.

Listen quietly after asking the question. This is very important so your interviewee does not get distracted. Unknown to some, acknowledging each sentence with an “uh-huh” or “ums” can be distracting so avoid that if possible.

Respond properly. Respond only when your interview is done with his answers. Acknowledge great insights and follow up on interesting information.

Be mindful of the time. Always stick to your time to ensure that your podcast is within your time limit. Know how to handle the situation in case your interviewee gets engrossed with explaining certain issues.

Image via bradlomenick

Originally posted on March 31, 2013 @ 6:33 am