How We Prep For a Podcast - Behind The Pod

Jeremy Wells paused and squinted his eyes as a smirk appeared.

“How the hell did you know that,” he laughed. “You boys have done your research.”

Getting an acknowledgement like that, from a high-profile guest whose life is so public, is about as good as it gets in podcasting.

Our interview style has evolved and improved over the last five years, but the premise has remained the same: ask the most interesting people the most interesting questions.

And there are no short cuts. The only way to find out the most eye-opening, untapped areas of a guest’s life, is to do the work.

Our weekly prep for an episode looks like this:

• Listen to every podcast they’ve been on

• Read every news story written about them

• Scan their social media accounts

• Contact at least two friends/family members for ‘inside lines’.

• Contact any former guests who might be able to help with some fun insights

We then separately compile our notes, then come together the day before we record to construct an episode arc. This is where the magic happens.

Which areas should we focus on? Which parts should we leave out? What’s a fun story to start with? How do we navigate the difficult subject area? How long do we want to spend on each section? How do we end it?

We spend a combined 20 hours a week preparing for a guest.

The Between Two Beers style of interview is always in motion. There is freedom to go down rabbit holes, within a framework.

And there have been many times when we feel we haven’t quite hit the mark with our episodes and it almost always relates back to the same thing; we cut a corner in our prep.

We’ve learned that our success hinges on the hard work behind the scenes.

Do the Mahi, get the treats.

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