✊ 3 more elements of all truly great interviews

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One of these 3 shows... but which?

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Hi friends,

Welcome back to Part III of our latest deep dive series into the subtle behind the scenes mechanics of what makes a podcast really work.

This week, we're exploring what it means to be a “good interviewer”, and today we're following up on the sub-question we kicked off yesterday:

What makes a good interview?

If you missed the first two parts of this series, you can catch up here.

Ahora, vamos.

Better interviews → better episodes → more listeners → better guests → better interviews...

As far as virtuous cycles go, improving your interviewing skills is a pretty good place to start.

But to create better interviews, it helps to recognize and understand the hallmarks that define them.

Yesterday, we covered the first four traits of great interviews, including:

Today, we'll explore the final three traits of great podcast interviews.

5. Great Podcast Interviews Are Intimate

While there’s certainly something to be said about the intrigue and drama of heated, contentious, or outright combative interviews, these aren’t the types of interviews most of our audiences are looking for.

Rather, they’re looking for interviews that have a clear feeling of intimacy between the host, guest, and—by extension—listener.

Scrappy Podcaster Amanda Bennett, Founder of podcast outreach & guesting strategy company Gotcha Mama describes the feeling of great interviews as:

“You can feel the rapport with the guest and host. The host seems excited to be there and talk with the guest. There's a good flow of back and forth - not a lot of one person.”

In these interviews, it’s clear that the guest has enough trust, rapport, and respect for the host to feel comfortable opening up, deviating from their standard talking points, and sharing more than they previously have.

Which, as a result, leads to more humanity, connection, original anecdotes & insight, and ultimately, potential for listener change.

There’s a fine line to walk, however, in building and maintaining intimacy with your guest while keeping the interview listener-oriented, true to your vision for the episode, and filled with sufficient tension.

— THIS WEEK'S SCRAPPY SPONSOR —

🤔 Which Show Should I Make Next?

After wrapping up Season 1 of Podcast Marketing Trends Explained, my co-host Justin, and I are looking to start a new show to help you make and market your show better.

But we need your help.

We've currently got three show concept ideas, all of which could be great shows... but we can only make one (at least for now).

Which is where you come in.

Based on the following one-sentence show descriptions, which show is most appealing to you?

Concept 1: Make it Big: A show where we pick a show we think has the potential to scale to 10k dl/ep and coach the host over the course of a season to see if they can get there.
Concept 2: Why It Works: A show where in every episode, a guest shares their favourite podcast with us and together, we break down why it works... and what you can apply to your show.
Concept 3: 15 Min Podcast Q&A: A show where in every episode, we tackle a podcasting question that's on everyone's minds (or submitted by a listener) and provide our honest thoughts, unconventional ideas, and hot takes on it.

So, what's it gonna be?

Oh, and if you've already voted, you can check out the live results here.

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6. Great Podcast Interviews Contain Tension

Anything interesting is built around tension.

Between what is vs what could be.

Between what we know vs what we don’t.

Between competing or contradictory approaches to a challenge or visions for the future.

Between an action and the anticipated result or reaction.

When present, tension pulls a listener through an episode, keeping them actively engaged as they wonder where the episode is going.

Sadly, most podcast interviews are hopelessly devoid of any form of tension, and correspondingly, interest.

In great interviews, tension is most easily (and deliciously) introduced by the host pushing:

The guest in a certain direction — ie. To go deeper, get more specific, provide a concrete example or story, etc
Back on something the guest said — ie. Challenging them, asking for proof, staking out a competing argument and asking them to reconcile it with their view, playing devil’s advocate, etc

Like any of us, podcast guests by nature will stick well within their comfort zone unless prompted (or challenged) to leave it.

But leave it they must for an interview to be truly valuable.

Erin Scott from Believe In Dog articulates a common frustration among podcast listeners:

“[I love interviews where the] guests don’t just stick to their talking points or tell the same 3 anecdotes they've shared on 57 different podcasts while promoting their book.”

In addition to pushing the guest to step outside their comfort zone, tension can be created by the host through Angular Questioning, changes in direction, and introducing surprise.

Angelique Lusuan, Scrappy Podcaster and host of both The Italian Escape and The AI and Digital Transformation Podcast describes the result of this kind of tension.

“For me, great interviews leave me with the feeling like I've been taken to a roller coaster ride I was not forced to or dragged by.”

Keep in mind that while tension is often built around some form of conflict, you don’t need to get combative with your guest to create it.

Episode- & insight-driving tension can be just as easily produced through gentle prodding, nudging, and clarifying as mic drop callouts and rebuttals.

7. Great Podcast Interviews Enrich Every Participant

In the best interviews, all three parties—the host(s), guest(s), and listeners—leave the experience feeling personally enriched.

We've already discussed how the audience should walk away with something novel they’ve never encountered, undergoing a change in some way.

But the host and guest should also leave the interview better than when they came in.

Often, this enrichment emerges directly from the tension so many hosts avoid creating.

Personally, all my favourite interviews as a guest were those where the host challenged me, pushed for specificity and concrete examples… which helped me uncover new ideas I would have never arrived at on my own.

Coincidentally, these are the guest episodes I am most excited to share with my audience.

The same dynamic plays on the host side.

While many hosts—eager to portray themselves as “experts” or “authorities”—shy away from questions or topics they lack deep knowledge in, some of the best interviews emerge from a host who is willing to put their ego aside and enthusiastically explore the guest’s expertise and experience.

What Else Makes For Great Interviews (and the People Behind Them)?

Now that we've established the target we're working towards, next week, we'll round this series out by looking at the specific traits, tactics, and techniques the best interviewers employ to consistently create these types of interviews.

But in the meantime, hit reply and let me know:

Who is one of your favourite interviewers and what do they do better than others?
What’s a common trait you see among great interviewers?
What's a bad trait or habit on the part of an interviewer that reduces the quality of an interview?
What makes for a great interview episode from a listener perspective?
What makes for a bad interview?

Be sure to include the name of your show so I can give you a backlink :)

Stay Scrappy,

PS. If you have a show that has potential but is stuck at under 500 dl/ep, here's the step-by-step playbook to build momentum and reach that milestone.

Is it possible to build a billion dollar creator business?

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