Interviewing Without Scripts
Do you send questions to guests before an interview? This is common in podcasting.
I never do.
Listeners want genuine interaction with guests—they don’t want to hear a script.
Guests show up differently when they “know what’s coming.” They don’t listen and aren’t not as present.
“Questions in advance” is also a problem for the host, since you may feel compelled to stick with the pre-interview order of questions, even if during the recording it would be better to move questions around or skip them entirely.
Are there exceptions to this rule? Sure.
I recently spoke with an established podcaster who sends some questions in advance. She does this because she found her guests, all book authors, would often try to plug their books early in the interview, not allowing her to get the interview she wanted.
By providing questions beforehand, she establishes the flow of the conversation: beginning, middle, and the part where they discuss the book.
Her approach accommodates guests who may be uncomfortable on the mic or inexperienced with interviews—a more common situation than one might think. Though they may not admit it, most guests independent podcasters have access to haven't done a lot of interviews.
To set guests at ease, I recommend sending general topics, not specific questions. This is a nice middle ground that lets them know what you want to talk about, but will also force them to be present with you during the interview.
Setting guests at ease is also why I always do a pre-interview (15-20 minutes via phone, a few days before the recorded interview), since it helps build rapport and allows them to ask questions they have about the process.
There are a lot of ways to make a great podcast and you can break the “rules” of podcasting if you have a valid reason. The podcaster who sent questions ahead of time knew what she needed to do to achieve a successful interview and this works for her. If sending questions beforehand helps you, then do it. But also trust yourself and know that if the conversation veers off course (or off-script), you have the power to get it back on track.