Webinar recording: Best Practices on Hosting Remote Podcast Interviews

Find the material we shared throughout our session below!
On April 9th, 2024, we hosted our webinar on best practices on hosting remote podcast Interviews. Karl Hughes (CEO at The Podcast Consultant), Mathew Passy (CEO at Podcasting Tech), and Colby Donovan (Producer of "The Meb Faber Show" and co-host of "The Investors First" Podcast) talked about planning and strategy, conducting interviews, making your guests feel comfortable and prepared, and were happy to answer many questions in our dedicated Q&A session. See some of the highlights of those questions and their responses below. Come join us live next time, we'd love to see you and answer your questions!
Articles and material we talked about in the webinar (in chronological order):
- The Four Ways to Make Your Podcast Unique - article on the TPC blog: thepodcastconsultant.com/blog...
- Remote Recording Service by The Podcast Consultant: thepodcastconsultant.com/podc...
- Podcast Editing Cheat Sheet from TPC's Resources Library: thepodcastconsultant.com/podc...
- Podcast Audit Service by The Podcast Consultant: thepodcastconsultant.com/podc...
- TPC's Podcast Resources Library: thepodcastconsultant.com/reso...
- The Podcast Consultant Blog: thepodcastconsultant.com/blog
- The Podcast Mixer: A Comprehensive Guide: thepodcastconsultant.com/blog...
- Podcast Headphones: The Ultimate Guide: thepodcastconsultant.com/blog...
- Podcasting Tech Podcast by Mathew Passy: www.podcastingtech.com/
- Why Upgrade Your Podcast from Audio to Video - article on the TPC blog: thepodcastconsultant.com/blog...
- Video Podcast Production Service by The Podcast Consultant: thepodcastconsultant.com/vide...
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Following, we are sharing some of the responses to the questions from our Q&A session. These they might prove to be useful to all of you, not just the original questioner:
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What are some differences between in-person interviews vs remote interviews? - by Cindy H.
If you have the opportunity to do it in person, go for it! The chemistry is better in-person and many complications and potential technical pitfalls are reduced. Be aware though that in-person interviews do come with limitations as well though, for example doing the interviews on short-notice.
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I'm keen to hear any recommendations for developing a great voice to listen to. eg exercises to develop good elocution, intonation, pace of delivery, etc - by an anonymous attendee
Don’t talk too fast, make sure you have enough water during the conversation and importantly: Don’t shout! A good microphone will pick up your voice just fine. In general, don’t worry about your voice, cadence and how you speak. Your voice is your voice and it’s ok how it is. Your voice won’t make or break the show! Also: try to smile, even when no video is being recorded. Excitement and enthusiasm will be infections to your listeners and guests.
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Sometimes, even with test calls, tech doesn’t cooperate and it can take 10 minutes of problem solving to get a guest into a remote recording session. Then they’re stressed. Any advice/examples of how podcast hosts can help calm guests down/get them to relax after tech challenges make for a rough start to a recording? - by Cindy H.
It really depends who your guest is, who the PERSON is. Try to decompress the situation and let them know this is not a big deal, that it happens quite a bit and you know how to handle the situation. Read the room and get them back to being comfortable. Take the pressure of them, load the responsibility on your shoulders.
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How long should an interview podcast be? - by Tesa N.
It takes as long as it takes to deliver value to your audience without getting repetitive or boring. If you can accomplish those goals in 23 minutes, don’t stretch it to 24 or don’t cut it out early at 22 minutes. People can stop and restart a podcast at anytime. Don’t artificially lengthen or shorten your conversations. An interesting conversation is the goal.
Also be mindful about what type of show you are: Are you an entertainment show? Spend time on building a rapport in the conversation. Are you a straight facts/information/data business podcasts? Don’t bore the listener with small talk about cats. In general though, be consistent over time. Don’t have 20min episodes one week, then a 2hr episode another week.
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