Podcaster's Portal: why do interviews

Why feature interviews in your podcasts?

IN THIS ARTICLE

Interviews add an extra dimension to your podcast
They add a different voice which creates interest
They give your podcast credibility by bringing expertise
They can create contrast and constructive conflict when handled well

By Jonathan Halls

There are lots of reasons to incorporate interviews into your podcast. Let me just focus on four of them. These apply mainly to presentation podcasts.

Add different voice to your podcast

Interviews add a different voice. Some podcasts are little more than boring monologues that last for 10 or 25 minutes. Some are even longer.

The average person finds it hard to stay interested for more than about 5 minutes at a time. If your listener doesn’t turn your podcast off, or click to someone else’s, his mind will at least start wandering.

An interview brings an additional voice and your listener will find it easier to stay with you a little longer.

Give your podcast credibility

Guests generally bring credibility to your podcast. If you’re doing a podcast on the environment, you’ll add real credibility if you interview an ecologist or college professor. If you’re talking about crime, speaking to a criminologist or a police chief will give your story greater perspective.

The role of media is up for debate these days. Some believe the major news outlets have failed to provide a balanced coverage of news and current affairs. This has led to the rise of citizen journalism.

My interviewing philosophy is that you must be impartial. Your job is to present information so your listener can find his own conclusion. Call me old-fashioned. But in this model of journalism, allowing an expert to put her case forward is far more powerful than presenting the facts yourself.

Of course, there’s another issue to discuss in another article. If you interview one side you should also interview the other for balance.

Actuality

One of my favorite program elements is vox pops. Vox pop is a word the industry uses to describe interviews with average everyday people. It’s comes from Vox Populi which is Latin for ‘voice of the people.’

When there’s a major public event, news crews will often interview bystanders or people on the street to field their opinion. Generally they’ll edit out the main points of each person’s comments so it is a statement or two. The statements of several people will then be edited together as a tight package.

As an interview format, vox pops give your program credibility, actuality, a sense that you’re in touch with the real world, and extra voices to keep your show lively.

Make your podcasts more interesting

Dare I ask you a question: are you a boring presenter? I don’t mean to be rude, but if you don’t own up to it, you won’t have any listeners to tell you. If you’re not the riveting, laugh-a-minute or passionate presenter, your guests can bring that to your program. Some can be funny. Others passionate. Others simply interesting.

Create some conflict in your podcast

One of the reasons reality shows like Big Brother and Survivor are so successful is that they show conflict. People love conflict.

When I was a kid at school, if someone in the playground at lunchtime yelled out “fight,” just about everyone would drop their sandwiches and run to watch. It’s why the gladiators were such a hit in Roman times.

Interviews often probe for different sides of a topic, and this creates a conflict with what may be traditional wisdom or accepted thought. If you have a panel discussion, which is a more complex and difficult interview scenario, you have more dynamic conflict.

Of course it doesn’t have to be a fist fight. In fact, I’d like to think that’s very rare. But an element of conflict will keep your listener interested.