How to Do an Interview Podcast and Get Every Guest You Want
You can talk to anybody when they want to talk to you. -Kate O’Hare
Influential, famous podcast guests are like Snow Leopards. They exist, but they’re rare. You’ll only see them out when they’re on the hunt, if at all. These busy people talk to you when there’s something in it for them. You must be the perfect conduit for their message, not your own.
I host and produce a weekly interview show. People often ask me how I find guests or could I share so-and-so’s contact info? These people have dreams-
“He’s the reason I’m still alive. I want to let him know. Could you help me?”
My response is a hard no. The only time I consider this sort of thing is when the guest has expressed an interest that fits. I had a guest who wanted to be on Impact Theory. When Impact Theory’s sound engineer reached out, we had a winner. Even then, I checked with the guest before we opened the flood gates.
It’s not fair. There are people with great journalistic chops and enthusiastic audiences who will never get to meet their heroes. I’ve been fortunate and luck is a big factor, but explaining the path might help you.
…
For the past couple years I’ve made a living so I could make interviews. My show is my priority.
My first exposure to long-form interview (e.g. Lewis Howes, Tom Bilyeu) was love at first sight. I went to see them in-person. I started asking military leaders to meet for informational interviews where I would imitate the inquisitive style of my heroes. We didn’t record anything. I just loved the preparation, the process, the doing of the thing.
I’d been in the Navy for 5 years and made arrangements to separate so I could devote myself to this new craft. I trained another Naval officer to take over my old job. He was a quick study, ready to go with little oversight. My boss asked me how I could be productive with my last 6 months, despite being replaced? I knew exactly what to do. I proposed that I start a podcast for the Navy. My boss was surprisingly supportive and put me in touch with the Navy’s Leadership and Ethics Center (NLEC).
I pitched my first guest, emphasizing how the Navy had been encouraging people to read his book, featured in the official Navy Reading Program. He was flattered. “Let’s talk,” he said, and we were off.
This was the big debut and my boss would have to approve every second of it. The boss was a self-proclaimed “political junkie” and I tailored the episode to his interests. After numerous technical glitches and 27 rounds of tedious editing, I sent the episode to my boss. He loved it.
Robert Greene was my dream guest. I constantly recommend his book Mastery. It’s leant out to a friend right now actually. Robert is not featured in the official Navy Reading Program, but I pitched him anyway. Luck can be a big factor. No reply. I followed up. No reply. Then it happened, he agreed. He didn’t need the publicity, but his father was a Navy veteran from World War II, and that made the interview significant on a personal level. Who knew?
We had an excellent interview, but I’d made a mistake. Wearing my uniform and having several of Robert’s books on display could be interpreted as an endorsement. That’s not OK. The video began to get views and I began to get threats from a Navy Legal Officer. Scared, I took it down. I felt like a failure. I’d wasted the time and energy of several people who’d helped to create the video. Bummer.
Then Robert had a stroke. He cancelled all the interviews leading up to the release of his new book, The Laws of Human Nature. Through this unfortunate event, I found myself holding the exclusive interview with a #1 New York Times Bestselling author. I talked it over with my colleagues in the Navy and my friends in Hollywood. We found a solution — remove every image of me from the interview.
It was hard to cut myself out of the work I was so proud of, but it was right. The new edit, 1 camera focused on Robert the entire time, went viral. It has been viewed and downloaded more than 250,000 times. I believe it was also helpful in the book launch. And despite cutting myself out, I’ve used this video as a springboard for my career in interviews.
This simple video entices people to be on my show, not because of me, but because people want to be included among guests like Robert. Don’t tell somebody you have a cool podcast, demonstrate it.
…
It took 3 years of studying interviews and reading hundreds of books to build a modest podcast skillset. I’ve done 40 interviews now- 2 were pitched to me, 38 generously accepted an invitation. Like my friend Kate says, “You can talk to anybody when they want to talk to you.”
Remember: doing interviews is an honor. There are no shortcuts to connecting with people, only long, winding roads. No one wants to waste their time with you. If you want to talk with someone, show them what’s in it for them.