5 Ways to Nail Your Interview
It’s time for your sound check.
Let’s get you ready to interview!
If you're making waves as an author- or in a number of other professions- interviews are going to be part of the gig. And that’s a good thing! Being interviewed on a podcast, by a local tv station, or as part of a speaker panel exposes you to an entirely new audience of readers or collaborators.
But raise your hand if you like public speaking…?
A few years ago, public speaking was not my idea of a good time. It took some getting used to and a fair amount of practice, but now I really enjoy talking to podcasters and other media hosts about my work as a writer and marketing coach for aspiring, indie, and self-published authors.
And I believe that you can get there too. Here are the 5 steps that I recommend for a successful interview:
Do your research: Before you accept a request to be interviewed on a podcast, Facebook live, YouTube, or other platform make sure you listen to or watch several episodes! You should feel confident that you and the host will be a “good match”, but also that you are being exposed to a relevant audience. (And, by the way, if you don’t get a good feeling about the request, you have permission to politely decline with advanced notice.)
Prep your content: I make a point to ask for questions or interview prompts in advance. Hosts will understandably want the interview to feel authentic and unscripted, but a good host will also want their guest to be prepared! Preparation for me builds confidence. So I like to make some notes, write down a few key phrases or stories that I want to include, and have a good idea of where I want the conversation to go. And I practice saying these things out loud before going live. As part of your content prep, provide the host with your website, social media handles, and anything else they can link to in the show notes for listeners to find you.
Test your tech: Nothing throws off an interview like bad technology. So make sure that you and your host practice the set up before the interview. This could mean having a pre-interview a few days early or hopping on the recording software 15 minutes before the scheduled start time. I’ve done some interviews that did not have the best sound quality- and it feels so disheartening when you know the listeners can’t hear all of the information you wanted to share. So test it out ahead of time!
Get in the zone: When it’s time for your interview, make sure you are in a good physical and mental space. Try to find a quiet spot (no pets, kids, or construction allowed), have water nearby for the pesky cough that WILL come up during your interview (it’s inevitable), and give yourself a moment to mentally prepare (power pose, anyone?). But don’t worry about being perfect. In a recorded interview, you can almost always pause and start your sentence over again. And during a live interview, little “hiccups” are genuine and will be forgiven by listeners.
Repurpose your material: Interviews can become great material for your social media, blog, or website. You can snap behind the scenes photos, pull out quotes to feature, talk about the interview experience, and a number of other ideas. Use and reuse your content to your advantage- it helps readers get to know you and your work.