Resources · 6 min read

How to prepare for a podcast interview

Whether you're the host or the guest, the difference between a flat episode and a great one is almost always preparation. Here's the process we recommend to everyone who records at our Clerkenwell studio.

Why does preparation matter so much?

Listeners can hear preparation. When a host knows their guest's story and a guest knows roughly where the conversation is heading, the episode flows. There are fewer awkward pauses, fewer filler questions, and far less editing afterwards. Preparation doesn't make an interview stiff; it does the opposite. When you're not worrying about what to ask next, you're free to actually listen and react, which is where the best moments come from.

The good news is that preparing doesn't take much time at all. Split it into three stages: research, structure, and the practical details of the day itself. And if you're with our Big Mic Energy package, our team does much of this for you (more on that below). If you're still setting up the show, our guide on how to start a podcast covers the groundwork before your first interview.

How should you research your guest (or host)?

If you're the host, review your guest's own material. Listen to one or two interviews they've already given or check out their LinkedIn or social media. You'll learn which stories they tell on autopilot, so you can skip those and dig somewhere fresher. Skim anything they've written recently, check what they're currently working on, and note two or three specifics you can reference naturally ("you mentioned in that talk last year…"). Guests notice when you've done the work, and they open up faster because of it.

If you're the guest, do the same in reverse. Listen to a couple of episodes of the show so you understand the tone. Is it conversational or structured, short or long-form? Know who the audience is, and think about the two or three points you'd be disappointed not to make. You can't control the questions, but you can arrive knowing your own headlines.

Should you script your questions?

No, but you should structure them. A fully scripted interview sounds like a form being filled in. Instead, write five to eight open questions that each begin a topic, and arrange them in a rough arc: start easy and personal, build to the meatiest material in the middle, and end on something forward-looking. Under each question, jot a keyword or two for follow-ups you don't want to forget.

If you have a full 10-episode season with us, this stage is handled for you. We host a 15-minute briefing call with host and guest to talk through what the conversation will look like on the day, and our producers use that call to put together a "Run of Show" — a clear document you can both refer to throughout the recording.

Then treat the list (or the Run of Show) as a safety net, not a script. The best question in any interview is usually the follow-up to something the guest just said. It's only there for when a thread runs out.

What should you sort out the night before?

The night before is for logistics, so the morning is calm. Confirm the time and the address with everyone involved, and share travel details. Our studio is in the Clerkenwell Workshops in EC1, five minutes' walk from Farringdon station, and guests who know exactly where they're going arrive relaxed. You can check the details in our calendar invites, which share directions and a video of where to go from Farringdon station too. Decide what you're wearing (plain colours film better than fine patterns or logos), print or save your question list, and get a proper night's sleep. Late night rehearsing rarely helps; being rested always does.

What about the technical side?

If you're recording at home, test everything the day before: microphone position, headphones, recording levels, and your backup recording. Record thirty seconds and listen back to check for room echo, keyboard noise and plosives.

If you're recording in a professional studio, this stage largely disappears. At our studio, the microphones, cameras and levels are set before you arrive and an engineer runs the session, so the only technical job left to you is turning up. That's the single biggest reason first-time podcasters book a studio: it removes the whole category of things that can go wrong.

How do you calm podcast nerves on the day?

Arrive early, because rushing is the enemy of a relaxed recording. You can head to Clerkenwell Kitchens for a coffee before heading into our studio. We always allow 2 hours for a recording to give you plenty of time to relax into the studio. Have a glass of water rather than a third coffee. Spend the first few minutes chatting off-mic about anything except the interview; the small talk is what warms both voices up. And remember that podcasts are edited: a fluffed sentence isn't a disaster, it's a retake. Once most people hear themselves say "can I take that again?", the nerves usually evaporate.

Hosts can help enormously here. Tell your guest the rough running order, remind them that mistakes get cut, and ask your easiest, warmest question first. A guest who feels looked after in the first five minutes will give you their best material in the next forty. Our team do this settling-in as part of every session, and it makes a measurable difference to how episodes sound.

What should you bring with you?

Keep it light: your question list or headline notes, anything you want to reference on camera (a book, a product), and a charged phone for behind-the-scenes content. If you're recording video, bring a backup top in a plain colour. Leave noisy jewellery and clicky pens at home. Microphones hear everything.

The short version

Research the other person, structure (don't script) your questions, sort the logistics the night before, let professionals handle the technical side, and arrive early enough to relax. Do those five things and you'll walk out with an episode that needs less editing and sounds like the conversation you actually wanted to have.