The one-to-one interview podcast has long been a staple of podcasting. I bet you can think of at least a dozen shows which utilise the format. They’re easy to make and have been popularised by some of the biggest shows in the world.
But that poses its own problem. You see, the more shows which follow the same format that exist, the harder it becomes to stand out in the crowd. And that will make it harder for people to find your podcast.
So is it time to move away from the one-to-one interview format in podcasting?
Maybe. But maybe not.
I recently volunteered to be a judge for the Independent Podcast Awards and was really pleased with the high standard of entries. Most however were utilising the one-to-one interview format.
The winner of the category I judged was different. It still used interviews as the foundation of its format, but instead of just playing the interview from start to finish, it used scripted narration to help tell the story of the episode.
The narration broke up the interview and allowed room for analysis of what had been said by the guest. It then moved the story on, and in some episodes would introduce further voices that would either back up the opinion of the main guest or provide an alternative point of view.
This made the podcast stand out from the other shows in its category and made me, as a listener, feel like I was listening to more than just an interview.
Of course, adding in narration to your format does mean more work. So what else can you do to freshen up your interview podcast?
One option may be to add solo episodes into your repertoire.
A solo episode gives you the opportunity to showcase your own knowledge and expertise on a subject, rather than somebody else’s.
You could take the topic of your last interview episode and give your own thoughts, linking back to things that were said by your guest in the interview. These solo episodes don’t have to be long and you could even repurpose them as a blog post on your website which promotes the original interview.
Another option is to add more features to your episodes.
Just think about print magazines and how they have a main feature – usually an interview – in the middle of other features such as; reader letters, thoughts from the editor, latest news and reviews.
You could incorporate one or two of these features into your episodes, giving your listeners more bang for their buck. This would also allow you to invite your listeners to engage with you in a way that makes them excited to listen for their shoutout.
Want to make your interview podcast stand out from the rest? If you’d like to chat about partnering with us to help you get it right, please get in touch and let’s have a chat about it.
