The Art of the Interview

In my “plush” upstairs office (known to my family as “the closet”), I listen to at least one radio station daily. Periodically, I catch on-air interviews with artists and other notables noticing repeatedly how few personalities really know how to interview.

Lots of extraneous talk. Very little substance. Lots of attempts at “fun” and very little interesting and entertaining content.

So, what makes a good interview? I have four recommendations: 

1.) Do Your Research!

Don’t just rely on the supplied talking points. Look at the guest’s socials, website, etc. and you’re bound to find something interesting to highlight. Know what interests the guest might have outside of their main profession. It is important to find other areas of engagement.

Years ago, I had the privilege of interviewing the one and only Dick Clark on our Classic Hits station about an ABC drama he was behind called American Dreams, a story about life in the early to mid-60s in Philadelphia. That was the main reason for the interview but, since I’m a native Philadelphian, I got into Dick’s history with the city, with music, and with the show American Bandstand. When he found out I was a native, he treated me as if I were an old friend. Great stories that I used for an entire show.

Know what’s off limits and RESPECT that! More than likely, you’ll be in contact with the guest again and, believe me, they do not forget a bad experience – as much as they remember a really good one, by the way!

If you can, spend some pre-interview time with the guest to create a feeling of ease and comfort with some general “get-to-know-you” conversation. You may find a gem in there to pursue during the actual interview.

2.) Be a Good Listener 

Follow up the artist’s answer to a question, as much as possible, with a related comment or question. Avoid going down a list. Really attentive listening may take you deeper into something that will intrigue you and your audience. Forget being on the air or on mic. You are just two human beings having a conversation.

In an interview with country music artist Chris Janson, one of our station personalities found out that he has a metal detector he uses to search for rare coins. Got some great content from him on what he collected. 

3.) Let The Guest Talk 

Listeners hear the personalities every day. This is a special treat for them so make sure the guest does most of the talking. Keep your questions and comments to the point. Nothing sounds more annoying than personalities joking and laughing for five minutes before actually getting to a question. Ask the question and then give the guest some time to answer.

The more they think about it, the better the answer. Trust me on that!!

4.) Some Basics

Make it a point to name the guest at the beginning and end of the interview. You’d be surprised at how many interviews I have heard where this doesn’t happen. 

As an addendum to that, RESET your guest’s name every few comments. It’s very disconcerting to hear an interview, recognize the voice, but not know who it is AND the personality never tells you. Resetting handles that. There are subtle ways of doing this without repeating yourself. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how popular the guest is, ALWAYS reset. This also helps the possible tune-in during mid-interview.  

Make sure your interview line is as clean as possible. Have the rep confirm that the guest is in a good cell service area. Another annoying interview mistake is forcing the listeners to decipher a bad cell phone call with a guest. Connecting from a studio is ideal but that might not always happen so make sure the technical quality is up to snuff. 

Considering the popularity of the guest and the length of the interview and, if you’re recording, it’s best to break it up into short segments that can carry over through an hour. Give the audience the sense that the artist is part of the show. My Dick Clark interview lasted through two hours. 

With an even greater emphasis on what goes on between the songs these days, learning the art of the interview is essential.