The Art of The Interview: How To Conduct Awesome Interviews For Podcasts and Videos

June 7, 2017

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Are you interviewing people as part of your content marketing strategy?

When was the last time you worked at enhancing your craft?

Your interviewing skills will be reinvented after listening to this live, in-studio interview, where we dive deep with Michael O’Neal of the Solopreneur Hour Podcast. Get his best tips and tactics at turning interviews into engaging conversations. He shares how to draw out your subject, get them comfortable, direct the interview and how to become better at asking questions. Learn what to do the day before the interview, 5 minutes before the interview, how to introduce your guest and what to do in the first few minutes of the interview. He’s teaching how to make deeper connections with your guests and get better at the craft of interviewing.

About the show:

The Social Media Social Hour is a podcast for marketers and entrepreneurs looking to get on the social media fast track. The podcast is an interview format, where each week I get up close and personal with top brands and influencers to talk social media, tech and online marketing. Each week I share tools that I personally use to help me with social media management, sales, marketing, accounts management, and productivity. The Social Media Social Hour is presented by Tack – Power your marketing with authentic content from customers and fans.

In this episode, here is what you’ll discover:

  • How to pull out information and go deep with an interviewee.
  • How to get a guest with a big audience to share your stuff.
  • What gear the pros use.
  • How to become better at asking questions.
  • The importance of getting information on your guest before the interview.
  • What to do five minutes before the interview.
  • How to get your guest to feel comfortable storytelling.
  • How to introduce your show guest.
  • The importance of listening to your interviewee and ways to prep to do it.
  • Tips on closing down an interview.
  • Do your job as a host and plug your guests’ stuff in the beginning, middle and end.
  • How to get people to your website from a podcast.

 Memorable Quotes from Michael:

  • “I realized a couple of years ago that this industry – podcasting – is so devoid of people that are paying attention to historical radio techniques. A lot of this wave are marketers.”
  • “The day I started my podcast I started saying ‘I’m a professional broadcaster.’”
  • “If you get this great influencer on your show, they’re not going to share it unless you give them an extraordinary experience.”
  • “My goal is to never ask anything that is already on their website.”
  • “The first ten minutes – just talk about whatever. Get them to open up.”
  • “You have to assert yourself if you’re going to be a good interviewer. Ultimately, you’re the Rosetta Stone for your audience. Whatever your guest is saying, you have to be able to translate it to what your audience wants to hear.”
  • “The show has always been about a conversation.”
  • “One of the rookie mistakes people make is they don’t eject from their questions. When you have a great conversation, you just stay in the conversation.”
  • “The pad and paper is so much better than typing. I can hear that! It’s distracting. Jot it down on a notepad.”
  • “It is not your guest’s job to promote their own website and stuff.”
  • “Don’t take advice from broke, unhappy people.”

Items Mentioned In The Show: