209. Should I Do Interviews? | Podcasting Tips and Strategies

FAQ Friday answering the podcasting question of "Should I Do Interviews?"

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Transcript

Welcome to Podcasting for Solopreneurs and FAQ Friday, where I answer a podcasting question in 5 minutes or less. Today's question is, should I do interviews on my podcast? This question comes from Lisa, an aspiring podcaster. Thanks so much for listening, Lisa. She goes on to say that she's noticed many popular shows feature interviews with guest experts, and she's wondering if that's something she should do too. This is a great question because it's easy to assume that if the successful big name podcasters are doing it, then we should be doing it too. But the thing is that podcasters like Mel Robbins, Amy Porterfield, and Stephen Bartlett already have very large audiences and very strong personal brands. When they bring on guests, those interviews are usually enhancing something that already exists. The audience is primarily there because they already know, like, and trust them.

This is not a visibility or an audience building tool for them. But for most business owners who are starting or growing the podcast, the situation is a little bit different. Your podcast is often one of the main ways that your audience is getting to know you, learning from you, and understanding your expertise. Because of that, I generally recommend that you focus on solo episodes. Solo episodes allow you to share your ideas, your frameworks, your experiences, and your perspective. They help position you as the guide and the expert in your space. And that is really important if your podcast is meant to support your business or your overall brand. Now, if you enjoy interviews and you genuinely want to bring guests onto your show, that's absolutely fine.

Interviews can be interesting. They can bring new perspectives to your audience, and they can create great conversations. In that case, I recommend using what I refer to as a 3:1 content ratio. That means for every one interview episode, you publish three solo episodes. This approach keeps the spotlight primarily on you and your expertise while still allowing you to bring in guests occasionally. It also helps prevent your show from being a place where your audience is mostly hearing from other people instead of you. But interviews are totally optional. In moderation, you definitely should not copy the format of the big names.

If you have a podcasting question, click the Send Me Your Question link in the episode description and I'll answer it in an upcoming episode. Until next time, happy podcasting.