8 Expert Podcast interview Tips
by Lynne Adrine, Coach & Facilitator
With the proliferation of podcasting, more and more of our clients ask for help with podcast interviews. Below are tips from Spoken with Authority’s Lynne Adrine, who boasts 30 years of experience as a broadcast journalist and 12 years as the director of a graduate program in broadcast and digital journalism for the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Whether you're a podcast guest or podcast host, these tips will help you make the most of your next podcast interview.
Define your intentions for participating in the podcast.
What takeaways do you want to deliver to the listeners?
What should the audience learn from you?
A podcast interview will whiz by before you know it — even ones that are 30 or 45 minutes long.
How can you define your intention so that you make sure you've achieved your goal within the allotted time?
Podcasts (and radio) are very intimate media where listeners absorb the program through their ears without additional visual props.
How can you present in short, tasty, digestible audio nuggets that are easy to understand?
Prioritize what you want to share within each answer.
For example, when asked about your personal story, what elements are most meaningful to the listener?
What is the "ah-ha" moment of revelation?
What is the surprise?
What is the universal truth you might share with your listeners?
Develop a memorable, clever phrase. One example from a recent client is: "Confidence might be overrated.”
How can you build on that phrase?
How can you weave it throughout your interview responses?
Rehearse key points you'd like to address, ideally recording and reviewing your answers. The goal is NOT to have scripted responses but to get more comfortable articulating your messages out loud.
Does it sound authentic and conversational, but also polished?
How can it be more succinct?
Practice active listening to make your responses more conversational.
How can I build on what the interviewer said or asked?
How might it link to my key points or memorable phrase?
Get to know the podcast and podcasts generally. Listen to episodes of the podcast you will be interviewed on as well as the podcast universe if you are unfamiliar with it.
What is unique about the podcast you are being interviewed on?
How can you authentically play to the style and format?
Can you reference relevant conversations from recent episodes?
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