As you create your podcast, is it better to do an interview or a solo show? You might consider co-hosts. Should you have segment contributors? It all comes down to preference. There are benefits and drawbacks to each. We will cover those today. 

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

If you perform an interview on your show, you need to grab my list of 17 Most Powerful Podcast Inteview Questions Ever. You can download the full list at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/interview.

This list can be customized for any niche or guest. It will help you create more powerful interviews that will have your guests saying, “Wow, nobody has asked me that before.”

You will create a unique, engaging interview that doesn’t sound like everyone else. Grab it at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/interview.

INTERVIEW OR SOLO STRUCTURE

There are various ways you can structure your podcast. A few ways include an interview or solo show, a co-hosted podcast, and crowdsourced content.

Let’s talk about each one to identify the benefits and drawbacks of these formats.

SOLO SHOW

Benefits include …

• Easy to schedule
• Easy to edit
• Less preparation
• You have full control over the content

Drawbacks include …

• More difficult to grow, because there is no guest to co-promote
• The content is all on you

AN INTERVIEW

Benefits include …

• Guest helps create the content
• You don’t need to be the expert on everything
• You have another person to promote your show
• Interview swaps are possible
• There is someone to talk to on the show

Drawbacks include …

• Need to find guests that fit
• More difficult to schedule
• Lots of solicitation from potential guests that don’t fit your audience
• It is tricky to find ways to promote yourself when you are interviewing others

CO-HOSTS

Benefits include …

• Someone to talk to
• There are two people to do the work and share the duties
• Content ideas come from multiple people
• Easier to be engaging with someone in front of you

Drawbacks include …

• You need different personalities
• Difficult to schedule
• Balance of duties
• Who owns the show if you split

CROWDSOURCED

Benefits include …

• Much more engaging with differing points of view
• Highly entertaining when produced correctly
• Sounds like a top notch show with the variety of audio

Drawbacks include …

• Takes time to find material
• If you solicit your audience for content, you need to get people to submit
• Requires more time to edit

OPTIONS

Those are just four of the ways you can structure your podcast. An interview or solo show would be the most popular. However, you can consider others.

You could have episodes where guest contributors appear for a segment offering additional content. Repurposing your live presentations is another option.

The best part is that you don’t have to pick just one. You can use a consistent format and then drop in others when it makes sense.

On this show, I typically bring you a solo show. However, there are times when I have a guest here for an interview. It isn’t one size fits all.

Dave Jackson at School of Podcasting typically does a solo show. There are times when he does an interview.

Though Dave usually does an interview or solo show, he also does a crowdsourced show once a month.

Dan Miller at 48 Days Podcast is usually a solo show answering listener questions. But there are times when he brings on a guest for a very special interview.

Pick the flavor that works for you. Then, change it when the time is right.

If you don’t have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.