Please Stop Making These 7 Mistakes During Podcast Interviews
At this point, I’ve listened to thousands of hours of interviews from amateur podcasters to shows hosted by fancy podcast networks, and the quality of each show is only partially predicated on the audio, the host, or even the topic.
What ends up being most critical is the quality of the guest; how they show up plays a major role in whether or not someone will feel a connection, continue listening, or take the time to talk about it to someone else.
Given how important it is, I listen to how each potential client presents themselves in an interview before we work with them because I want to get a feel for how they weave their message, their expertise, and their story into a conversation.
Podcasting is such a special, intimate medium that goes against so many of the things we’re taught about how to give an interview to a TV reporter, a journalist, or even a radio host. The regular rules don’t apply.
Now, while I’m presenting a list of mistakes that are important to avoid during a podcast interview, I want you to know that much of what makes podcasting special as a medium is its imperfection.
I’m not telling you to have the perfect story or to never say “um”. My intention behind this is to help you focus on what matters most in a long-form conversation so that you can more effectively attract your ideal people into your corner of the Internet.
So, all that having been said, what makes the difference between a subpar interview and a conversation that you can’t stop thinking about?
MISTAKE #1: USING THE INTERVIEW AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REHEARSE YOUR 1-WOMAN PLAY
Have you ever heard an interview where the guest goes on and on and on without ever letting the host get a word in?
That is a mistake that I call the “1-woman play” and it’s easy to fall into if you’re answering a particularly tricky question or explaining a complex concept.
DO THIS INSTEAD: When you know that a question requires a long description, pause intentionally between sections of your explanation to allow the host a chance to respond or offer their thoughts.
You can also bring the host back into the conversation by asking questions like, “Have you found that that’s true for you, Vanessa?” or with statements like, “I’m not sure if you’ve experienced this, Lori, but most women I talk to have felt that way.”
MISTAKE #2: BEING AFRAID TO REDIRECT THE CONVERSATION
Even the best-prepped hosts only know so much about their guest, so they typically ask you questions based on what they’re hearing in the conversation or the talking points that you’ve pitched them.
Understandably, this can lead to a limited conversation where you don’t always get the chance to discuss concepts you’re exploring or important projects you’re working on.
As a result, many guests miss out on the opportunity to promote themselves in a way that could turn a potential listener into a subscriber, a follower, or a customer.
DO THIS INSTEAD: That’s why I always tell my clients to never be afraid to redirect the conversation.
Let’s say that my client was brought onto a show to talk about breathwork which is something she is passionate about and talks about often. However, right now, she is enrolling a group program that focuses on codependency -- an entirely different topic. How can she seamlessly weave the work that she’s doing now into the conversation?
Host: Victoria, you often say that breathwork can help us reduce stress and anxiety. Can you tell us more about how that works?
Victoria: Certainly, breathwork is such a juicy topic and so rich with benefits for our minds and our bodies. And I often teach it hand in hand with the Thought Work protocol, which I’ll explain in a bit.
In the example above, Victoria was able to seed a topic into the conversation that is more relevant to her current body of work and helps to enroll in her new group program.
In a similar vein, if a host asks you a question that you don’t think actually applies to your work, you can respond with something like, “I hear what you’re saying about X, but I think the real question is Y. And here’s why I believe that…”
MISTAKE #3: FORGETTING TO DIRECT PEOPLE BACK INTO YOUR CORNER OF THE INTERNET
Many business owners and authors mistakenly assume that all hosts will redirect listeners back to their websites, podcasts, and Amazon book listings, but the reality is that many hosts don’t take the time to do that.
And the ones that do often wait until the end of the conversation with a boilerplate question like, “Now, Cher, where can people find you online?”
Even if they give you that time to list off your Instagram profile usernames and landing page URLs, there is zero guarantee that the listener will have made it that far.
DO THIS INSTEAD: To ensure that the listener has every opportunity to keep following your journey long after the interview is over, follow the Destiny’s Child “Say My Name” rule.
Say the name of your podcast, your Facebook group, and your signature course whenever you can organically pop it in there.
You don’t want to make the mistake of sounding like a paid advertisement, so try on lines like, “The women in my facebook group, PrimeTime Posse, talk about this issue ALL of the time. And here’s the advice that I give them…”
Or: “Inner Child work is a complex topic, but I can give you the basics. For anyone who is interested in diving deeper into Reparenting or Inner Child work, I talk about it a lot on my podcast Feminist Wellness.”
MISTAKE #4: NEVER ESTABLISHING A "VILLAIN
When you don’t establish a villain, you risk your interview and your message falling flat. Sure, it’s possible that someone enjoyed what you had to say, but that doesn’t mean they feel compelled to follow you on Instagram, subscribe to your newsletter, or buy your book.
DO THIS INSTEAD: To make what you have to say as compelling as possible, I recommend identifying a villain that you can bring up throughout the conversation. In Aileen Xu's conversation with Vicky Tsai on The Lavendaire Lifestyle, you hear Vicky talk about how people told her that “asian beauty is not aspirational” when she was starting her now incredibly popular skincare brand Tatcha.
She says, “I had a real problem with the way that the beauty industry was talking about beauty being skin deep.” In this soundbite, she identifies the beauty industry as the villain. You can’t help but think of her and Tatcha as the underdog, especially if those issues are also important to you.
MISTAKE #5: NEGLECTING TO SHARE DETAILS
I’ve heard plenty of interviews where the interviewee glosses over pieces of her story because she thinks they’re not relevant or boring, but the connections that we make with each other come from the details of our lives.
DO THIS INSTEAD: Vicky Tsai of Tatcha said in an interview, “We were the top 5 skincare brands in the world, and I still had duct tape on my car.” In this scenario, she used an honest detail to help illustrate a point: that you can be successful and still not have it all together.
MISTAKE #6: NOT HAVING A STRONG POINT OF VIEW
When you skirt around an opinion or only commit to generic statements, you lose an opportunity to help someone make a clear yes/no decision about whether or not they’re feeling you.
The clearer you can be about where you and your business stands, the ethos that you believe in, and why you’re committed to your message, the easier it will be for someone to jump on board with you or let you pass onto the next stop.
If you don’t, you risk never attracting the right people into your corner of the Internet at all.
DO THIS INSTEAD: Use strong statements like, “Businesses have a moral obligation to take care of the communities in which they operate.” (Again this was Vicky Tsai of Tatcha.)
If your opinion on something is still evolving, say that. Use phrases like:
“I’m finding that…”
“Lately, this is what I’ve believed”
“What I’ve come to understand is…”
MISTAKE #7: NOT USING METAPHOR OR ANALOGY
You might be a literal rocket scientist but you can bet that not all of us are. Instead of trying to show how smart you are and losing people along the way with words they’ve never heard, take a big, deep breath and slow way down.
DO THIS INSTEAD: When you’re explaining any industry-specific concept or anything complex, use metaphor and analogy. For example, use the levels of a house to illustrate the nervous system or an iceberg to talk about all of the variables that lead to inequity in the media.
It takes time to find the appropriate metaphors or analogies for your specific message, but it’s time well spent because the listener will have a much better chance at understanding, remembering, and then implementing your advice.
We’re here to help change lives for the better after all, right? It’s best if we can make what we have to say as easy as possible to understand.