Prologue
A good interview is more than a "conversation."
If you want to be successful with an interview-format podcast, you need a couple of things:
- Interviewing skills
- Great guests
This issue will help you with both. Included here is:
- 1 Interview Training
- 3 Podcast Guest Tools
- 2 Calendar Tools (one free, one only $19) to Automate Your Guest Scheduling Process
If you have any questions, reach out to me via Twitter or the Big Podcast Instagram page. And if you've for any great interview stories (even "bad interview" stories), reach out and let me know that too! :)
Best wishes!
Podcast Hosting Skills
Podcast Interviewing School – 28 Days to Podcast Interviews That Stand Out
If you want to do great interviews that attract listeners to your podcast, you want this.
I've put together an easy-to-follow "interview template" with daily lessons that walk you through the process to help make your podcast interviews stand out. It's free and you can start today. You'll receive the lessons delivered directly to your phone or computer and you'll be able to do them on your own time.
Each iesson is 10 minutes or less. Easy!
You only have one opportunity to get a great interview with somebody. Don't screw it up!
Podcasting Tools
PodMatch – Automatic Interview Matching for Podcast Guests and Hosts
PodMatch is a free podcast booking service that automatically matches ideal podcast guests and hosts together. It works like a dating site – you fill out a profile, the guest fills out a profile, and you reach out to the people who interest you.
PodMatch - Podcast Guest Matching
Guests sign up and get 1-2 emails per week with a list of podcasts that are looking for guests. You could be one of those podcasts.
Or, users can search guest and podcast profiles via the site.
MatchMaker.fm - Connecting podcasters with great guests
The process for MatchMaker is simple:
- You create a profile for your podcast, which showcases it to the MatchMaker community.
- Potential guests pitch you or you connect with other podcasters looking for ad-swaps and other collaborations.
Calendso | The Open Source Calendly Alternative
This is a free, open-source calendar program, similar to Calendly. You host it yourself.
Or, you can pay a small fee for a hosted version.
It's powerful and flexible. Definitely something to consider, especially if you are scheduling multiple people for your episode, such as an engineer, a producer, or co-hosts.
TidyCal - $19 Calendar Software
This is, by far, the easiest and cheapest automated calendar option for podcasters – just $19 for life.
Is it fancy? No.
Does it get the job done? Yes. It's perfect for a one-man show, or even a co-hosted show.
Is it easy? Definitely. You can be up and running in about 10 minutes with no technical knowledge required.
Podcast Production
How to Make Podcast Episodes That Live Forever - 16 Evergreen Episode Ideas
This article is actually called, "What is Evergreen Content, and Why Does It Matter In Content Marketing?" but it also works for podcasting and contains 16 ideas that you can use to create great evergreen episodes for your podcast.
All of them will work well for interview-format episodes.
This is a topic that people often ask me about – should I be timely with episode content or release episodes that are evergreen?
For most podcasters, it's great to have a mixture of both types of content. If nothing else, having a few great evergreen episodes is a great way to introduce your podcast to new listeners as the content will always be fresh and relevant.
The Wrap Up
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