Of all the many formats you can design a podcast around, none is more popular than the interview.
It’s no wonder why.
Interview shows (can) require less prep than scripted solo shows and certainly less time & money than narrative shows. And unlike co-hosted shows, if you have an on-air falling out with a guest, you never have to talk to them again!
Interviews also allow you as a host to explore diverse ideas and perspectives beyond your own circle of expertise, expand your network, lend themselves to collaborations and guest swaps, and more.
Yep, there’s a lot to love about the interview format.
Except, well one thing…
They’re the single hardest format to grow.
Which is ironic, seeing as many hosts start interview shows thinking they’ll be easier to grow due to the exposure to their guests’ audiences.
In particular, hosts often imagine “big” well-known (even bone fide celebrity) guests to be their show’s knights in shining armour, coveting and chasing them down them down with ruthless obsession.
Unfortunately, that exposure rarely materializes.
Either because the guests don’t share their episodes, or they do but their audiences aren’t aligned with your content.
Add in the fact that interview shows are a dime a dozen on any conceivable topic, often with little to immediately differentiate one over another, and it becomes painfully, obvioously clear…
There’s a lot to hate about the interview format.
So if you produce an interview show, what are you supposed to do?
Do you switch up your format?
Double down, become the best interviewer you can be, and settle in for the long, slow grind of growth.
Or is there another way to think about interview shows?
One that immediately sets your show apart from the dozens of other interview shows in your niche and positions yours as the must-listen interviews on your topic?
These are the questions we’re exploring in this week’s podcast roast.
On the skewer this week is A Breath of Fresh Air a music podcast featuring interviews with world-famous classic rock musicians from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.
Guests include members of Deep Purple, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Cheap Trick, Kool & the Gang, The Jackson 5, and many many more legendary guests.
But are guests like these enough to grow this show?
And if not, what would?
Check out the roast to hear our breakdown.
Topics Covered
0:00 Introduction
0:44 First impressions & gut reactions to the show
3:09 Show titles & keywords analysis
4:38 Episode title teardowns
5:32 Understanding listener behavior and search for celebrity interview shows
6:27 Podcast description teardown
11:47 Growth challenges for celebrity interview shows
14:51 Podcast intro listen-through & feedback
18:54 Tips for improving listener engagement
24:42 Video podcasting opportunities & pitfalls
25:59 Addressing discoverability issues
32:03 Final thoughts and recommendations
Resources
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