Live interviews are best done face-to-face, but realistically speaking this is not possible at all times. Most of the time you won’t be able to get an interview not just because your prospective interviewee is unwilling, but because of logistic problems and time constraints. Doing an interview online via Skype is the perfect work around in such cases, eliminating the need for meet ups and allowing you to do the interview any time of the day.

If you plan on doing an online interview for your video podcast via Skype, here are some tips to ensure that you get the best interview quality:

• Choose a good call recorder – You can not record your video chats on Skype without using a special recording app/tool. Some tools you might want to check out include the Call Recorder (Mac), Total Recorder (Windows), Audio Hijack, PowerGramo, and the Pamela Recorder (Mac and Windows). Some of the apps have free versions although pro-versions usually range from $20 to $50.
• Test audio levels and video quality before starting  – Make sure you test both the audio levels and video quality of both you and your interviewee before doing the actual interview. Turn off your speakers while recording the interview and rely on earbud earphones instead. The last thing you want is to get feedback and echos and have to redo parts of the interview or have a tough time editing the whole thing.
• Practice where you look – If you don’t practice where you look while recording your video interview, chances are that you’ll end up looking everywhere, which isn’t too nice to watch. Look at the camera only or at your interviewees video display.

Image via eCamm

Originally posted on February 16, 2012 @ 9:48 pm