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You’ve got podcasting questions, and Traci Long DeForge is back to answer them. Traci is the founder of Produce Your Podcast and a member of the PBJ Editorial Board. This week Traci answers your questions about Facebook, producing high energy interviews and being authentic.
Does Facebook ’s announcement about podcasts no longer being available on their platform mean that I will no longer be able to automatically post my podcast release to Facebook? TRACI: Podcasts will no longer be available on Facebook after June 3rd but there’s been some unexpected and confusion around this announcement. The big question has been whether this eliminates the ability to auto post your episode release to Facebook.
To clarify, if you host on one of the hosting platforms where you automatically connect your Facebook account to your hosting platform, you likely take advantage of being able to auto post your podcast the day it releases.
Facebook’s announcement does not affect this functionality. The ability to auto post your podcast releases is not changing. Facebook will stop letting creators add podcasts to the service starting next week. This is unrelated to the feature of being able to auto post your episodes when they release through your hosting platform.
Ironically it seems a lot of podcasters are not taking advantage of having their RSS feed connected to Facebook, but seem to be more concerned they aren’t going to be able to auto-post to Facebook anymore. Auto posting your episode to Facebook through your hosting platform to promote your podcast is not going to change.
How do I keep the energy going in an interview but also allow for pauses in the conversation? TRACI: As a podcaster, you will find your own rhythm. Every single person’s interview style is going to be different. The conversation will flow much naturally once you identify your most natural style. There are ways to be more proficient as an interviewer like asking concise and focused questions. You want to be authentic in the way you have a conversation. Your own natural style coming through is what’s important for the listener to get to know you and like you as a host.
Managing pauses in an interview can be challenging if you are new to the role of interviewing. An insight shared from James Ripley, member of the PodHive community is enlightening to all hosts regardless of their level of expertise. He shared, “One thing to remember about pauses in an interview is that sometimes the guest isn’t just thinking, but what’s happening is the answer is still emerging.” This a great reminder that what may seem like an awkward pause may be in fact an “a-ha”moment in the making.
Interviewing is a skill and it does not come naturally for everyone. There’s a fine line between letting the conversation breathe and the need to fill space. The best way to learn and grow as a host is to listen to other podcasts and make a note of the techniques you like and dislike about those host’s interview style. Pay attention to how they dialogue with their guests and recognize how they allow the conversation to ebb and flow around the guest’s answers and not just focus on their list of rapid fire questions.
Bonus tip: Don’t always assume because someone has notoriety that makes them a great interviewer. Emulate those closest to your style and feel confident you’re bringing your best self into each episode.
QUESTION: Does removing all the umms and ahhs and shortening pauses and in editing take away from the authenticity of an episode? TRACI: This depends on the flow of conversation. Pauses which contribute to the cadence should remain in the episodes to help it sound authentic. Long awkward pauses should be edited out to make it feel more natural. If you or guests repeatedly use umms, it can be distracting to the listener and do need to be tightened up. Almost every podcaster has a “go to word”. Listen to your raw files to determine what yours is and let your editor know it in advance. For example, you might say the word “so” all throughout the episode. You’ll want to edit those out since the word does not bring value to the content.
If you are having your show edited by someone else, don’t underestimate the importance of that relationship. It takes some time to get in sync with them. You want to feel comfortable they are able to pick up on your conversational style and edit accordingly. You could ask them to do a sample episode for you or give them one or two episodes before you commit to a long term relationship. The way your editor edits your voice is as important as the way your product is delivered.