Thread by @eriktorenberg

Thread on some lessons learned from recording ~500 podcast episodes 👇

Both you and the guest should prepare.

Send them q's and ideally have them write responses if they're up for it—edit Q's accordingly

Learn enough to ask nuanced follow up Q's. Ask other experts for Q's as needed.

A podcast is a performance. Prepped is better than improvised.

I joke that reactions post-podcasts are similar to reactions post-sex in some ways.

Afterwards everyone's like:

"How'd I do?"

"Was that good for you?"

"Did I talk too much?"

Ease the guest by telling them they get final edit, that your goal is to make them look great, and that, despite the prep, your conversation should be casual as if you were chatting over a drink.

If they are eager to promote their stuff, get it out of the way in the beginning.

Instead of yes/no questions, ask open-ended & double questions (“what do you believe about X and how has that evolved overtime/what does that mean for…”)

As a podcast guest, view Q's less as specific Q's to be answered and more as prompts to say whatever's most interesting.

Other tips:

- Focus on a topic you have expertise in, no matter how niche

- Try to have high-signal guests that haven't done podcasts before. (e.g Byrne Hobart)

- If you have a famous guest, try to ask them questions they haven't answered before:

https://twitter.com/tylercowen/status/1068626839143440384?s=20

Set expectations with your listeners by being consistent:

- Release cadence (frequency, timing)

- Topic

- Episode length

Reduce friction by giving your audience a clear picture of what to expect. Do this by example.

20 min VC is a master here.

Qs I like:

When you look back on the arc of your career, what's the thread that ties everything together? What threads have you kept pulling?

When you look forward on what you aim to achieve in the decades to come, what do you want your eventual wikipedia page to say?

Other broad Q's to ask:

What are the major camps in your field?
Major debates? Where do you stand on them?
What would need to be true for you to believe the other side?
What have you changed your mind on?
How has your field evolved over time? What were the different waves?

Bring up controversial points (or questions they can't answer directly) by using the passive voice.

"Some people say X"

"How would you respond to the critique that..."

"Hypothetically, if someone were to say someone like you should do this, what would you recommend to them?"

When podcasting, one of my favorite feelings is asking a Q + then figuring out on the fly what the next Q will be, jostling a few different variations while also listening & being open to going in a totally different direction

Podcasts as real-time conversational chess

Why should you start a podcast?

- It's forcing function to learn enough about a topic so that you don't feel dumb talking to an expert about it in public

- It's a way to make new friends or strengthen old friendships (with guests & listeners)

- Traces how your thinking evolves

“Why was it so awkward?”

“Oh nice, you bought equipment!”

“Can we not announce this for a few months?”

“If this doesn’t go well, can we just pretend it never happened?

For podcast guests: Think of the Q's as prompts to say the most insightful thing you can say.

Don't focus on pleasantries, politeness, or even answering the exact Q if you don't have a good answer.

A podcast is a dance. The host will suggest, but you take it where you wanna go.