Podcasting is continuing to grow. In regions such as South America and with US audiences such as younger individuals, growth statistics are showing a growing audience in both the number of shows they’re listening to, the time they’re spending in podcasts and how they’re engaging with hosts, and more.
Research has also shown that audiences have higher levels of retention and take action more readily after hearing something on a podcast.
However, the effectiveness of the podcast is only as good as the host. If you have great hosting skills, you’re going to get the most from your episodes and the show. And how you’re able to interview guests is also going to impact the success of your show, how guests perceive you, and who you attract to your show.
So in this article, we look at some of the top tips on how to create engaging interviews with guests that can help elevate your show to the next level.
Why Be Concerned About Hosting Skills?
As the face and voice of the podcast, you must resonate with the audience. They need to be able to hear your communications, whether they’re verbal or visual. Demonstrating excellent skills for interviewing helps your audience to understand complex issues and helps you to convey messages clearly to your audience.
In addition, when you’re a good host on your podcast, you create a friendly, welcoming environment for your guests. Something that they’re going to appreciate and will tell their friends, colleagues, and others who might want to appear on your show.
Therefore, improving your hosting skills can help you seem more professional and enhance your show’s reputation and results. It might also help you improve sponsorship revenues.
So here are some of the tips that you might want to think about when you’re beginning or trying to improve your podcast.
Do Your Research
A good interview isn’t just created on the show. Media personalities who conduct interviews all the time take time to prepare for them. They spend hours doing their research, looking into the history of the subject, their experiences, what they’ve said before, and more. Knowing all the subject’s background, recent work, achievements and more can help to refine the questions to be more accessible and reduce the time taken to interview someone.
It also allows you to ask more insightful questions that take your audience beyond the surface level and make conversations more interesting. You might also please your guests and audience more by showing that you’re taking time to understand the people who are showing up to your show.
Prepare Thoughtful Questions
While organic conversations are a great tool for building engagement on a podcast, having a list of well-thought-out questions ensures that you’re staying in control of the interview. You can aim to ask open-ended questions that encourage the guest to storytelling rather than simple yes-or-no responses, which can help build a better episode, but remember to always have control over the conversation.
Some of the questions that you might want to reserve on the episode are open-ended like asking for their inspiration, sharing moments, or even describing challenges they’ve faced. But remember to always think carefully about the questions. What is the purpose of the question, what are you trying to get them to respond with?
Active Communications
One of the most underrated skills you can display as a podcast host is active listening. Rather than thinking about your next question while the guest is speaking, you need to listen to them, absorb what they’re saying, and then when they’ve stopped talking, you can pivot and explore certain answers deeper to get more meaning out of them.
Then when you’ve fully explored a topic, you can go back to your questions and ask one of those questions.
If you’re someone who struggles with memory, especially in conversations, why not use a list of potential questions and sit those in front of you? Then when you’re at the end of a topic, you can refer back to that, instead of not listening and thinking of the question while they’re talking.
Create a Collaborative Atmosphere
Guests will open up more freely and in more detail when they feel comfortable. And running a podcast isn’t a competition. It’s a time when you can collaborate with your guest to build a piece of content that is going to deliver exceptional value to your audience, convey ideas, and be entertaining.
There are numerous ways that you can build a collaborative atmosphere within your podcast episodes. One way is to ensure that you’ve got a relaxed atmosphere, where they can feel at peace and comfortable. Then they can be more authentic and engage in a conversation freely.
Keep the Pace of Conversation Going
A good podcast interview, regardless of the topic, should feel like a natural piece of dialogue. It shouldn’t feel like it is a rigid Q&A session. Therefore, you need to learn the skill of flexibility to keep a conversation going and for the conversation to continuously move back to prescription questions.
You will find that some of the best moments in your podcast will come from unexpected tangents. You need to embrace these.
Think of a Podcast as a Way to Storytell
Storytelling has a powerful lure to audiences. So be sure that you have a way to integrate this strategy into your podcast episodes. Start by thinking about the episodes as having a beginning, middle, and conclusion. Each episode should have a villain, obstacles to overcome, and a satisfactory ending.
To advance this idea further, you can look at ways that you can take audiences onto an emotional rollercoaster, and embrace suspense and relief within every episode.
Be Mindful of Pace and Energy
The tone and energy that you set for the interview will come out in the episode’s audio.
Therefore, you want to ensure that you’ve got the podcast voice to keep the guest, audience, and everyone else listening. Be enthusiastic, when appropriate, and show compassion when needed.
The worst offense you can do is to be monotone or uninterested in what you’re saying.
Keep to Standard Etiquette Rules
There are several normal conversational rules that you would normally have when talking to guests when out and about that you should follow when being a podcast host. Just like you wouldn’t interrupt someone you’re having dinner with, don’t interrupt your guests. Don’t talk while eating or drinking and maintain eye contact with the guest.
It isn’t just about ensuring that you’re not rude to the guest. It also demonstrates your professionalism to the audience. Something that can help you retain key people.
Edit Podcast Episodes for Clarity and Engagement
Some hosts prefer to have unedited, raw conversations. And some audiences might like the realism. However, it can sometimes spoil the experience and look unprofessional. Every podcast episode should be edited, so that awkward pauses, filler words, and off-topic tangents are removed from the episode.
Therefore, audiences are getting high-end value for their episodes.
End Episodes on a High Note
When closing the interview, be sure that you’re ending the episode with a strong, memorable component. Talk about future projects, give practical advice to listeners, or tell people where they can find out more about the guests or connect with them. It gives a chance for guests to promote their work and rewards them for being on your show.
And remember, never leave a show on a low of negativity. Show some positive work and reward for the advice given.
FAQs
Is it possible to learn about being a better host?
Practice is one of the best mediums in which you can learn to be a better host. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find voice coaches or experts who can help you to be a better podcast host.
Can a podcast production agency help with my podcast hosting?
Yes, they can help with all areas of your podcast production from planning to promotion. Therefore, what you get is a great show that will attract great guests and audiences.
How do I find guests for my podcast?
To get more guests for your podcast, look at using a guest booking service, one that can help you attract the right audience for your podcast’s brand.
Final Word: How to Be a Great Podcast Host: Tips for Engaging Interviews
Being the best podcast host you can be will require lots of practice and time. However, you need to take time to learn the key skills such as preparation, active communication, and fostering excellent delivery of your questions. Whether you’re hosting industry experts, celebrities, or others from your niche, you need to be able to demonstrate that you have the skills and knowledge to help them bring a story to life for the audience to take some value from their time listening to your podcast episode.
Produce Your Podcast is a full-service podcast production, editing, and marketing agency specializing in helping brands launch, grow, and monetize successful podcasts that impact their bottom line. With 30+ years of experience in both broadcasting and business development brought to every project we work on, our team of experts is a reliable partner to help you achieve your goals with your show.
Click here to schedule a conversation with our team today and let’s bring your show to life!
