Posted by Okay, this advice is going to be controversial, but I don’t care.
If you’re running a podcast, you get 60 minutes with a guest and no more. Maybe less.
For most guests, your podcast is not their first one. For some, it’s not even in their first 50 or 100 podcasts.
That’s why they have canned answers that they spit out automatically, without even thinking about it. The problem is, 4 times out of 5 those canned answers are dull and BORING. And many times they don’t even answer your question.
Do you really want them to talk about the exact same things they talked about on the last 10 podcasts they were on? Or the same things they’ve already blogged about?
No way.
Before the interview, ask them this question:
“If I get crazy curious about something you say, is it alright if I interrupt you?”
They will very nearly always answer yes.
Then when they are droning on about their first paper route (again!) or how the secret to making money online is selling stuff (no kidding!) you can interrupt if you’ve got a great question.
There is a flip side to this: You’ve got to be genuinely curious. It’s your curiosity that will provide the interesting question and the even more intriguing answer.
Them: “My first business was a paper route. Getting up at 5 am every morning taught me the importance of…” (Your audience is yawning at this point)
You: “Wait, what did you do when customers refused to pay you for the paper and slammed the door in your face?”
Or… “What’s the weirdest thing that happened to you on your route that you never told your parents?”
Them: “The secret to making money online is simply that you’ve got to sell something. Until you sell something, no money is made. You could sell products or advertising space or leads or…”
You: “Awesome! So, what’s the easiest thing for a brand-new online marketer to sell, and how do they sell it?”
You will never get another chance to ask, so go ahead and interrupt when appropriate.
And if your audience tells you not to interrupt your guests, tell them your #1 priority is getting your listeners the inside information most guests don’t easily divulge without a little prompting.