what to expect during our interview

I’m excited to chat with you during our upcoming podcast interview! Many guests like to have a heads-up about what they can expect during our interview, so I like to share a few notes ahead of time:

1. before the interview begins

I like to block out 45 minutes in our schedules for our podcast interview, but we’ll typically only record for about 25-30 minutes. The extra time gives a buffer before we start recording so we can chit chat a little (especially if this is our first time meeting!), clarify any questions either of us have about the topic of our interview, and troubleshoot any audio-related issues that may pop up.

2. during the interview

  • Once I hit ‘Record,’ I’ll begin by briefly introducing you.

  • Then I’ll give you a chance to very briefly describe your organization’s mission and programs/services. (1-2 sentences)

  • Next, we’ll dive right into our interview questions. I will probably ask some of the questions you included in the Calendly form — but my interviews are very conversational, so I’ll also probably ask follow-up questions based on your responses, probe for more details about your experiences, and potentially go down a rabbit hole or two if something you say sparks a new thought for me. Keep in mind that I have a podcast editor! If I ever ask a question that throws you off or that you don’t know the answer to, it’s super easy for me to ask the editor to cut that part of our conversation out of the recording.

  • I’ll wrap up by asking you how listeners can learn more about you and your organization. If you specified a service/product/event you wanted to promote through your Calendly form, I’ll be sure to mention that as well. In the podcast show notes, I’ll include the link to either your website or to the specific landing page you want listeners to check out.

3. a few tips to keep in mind for our interview

  • Personal Stories > Theoretical Frameworks
    My listeners frequently tell me that their favorite part of my interviews is getting to hear real-life stories from my guests. A lot of podcasts focus on providing step-by-step action plans or outlining industry best practices; however, my listeners are more interested in hearing how you have (or how a client has) actually implemented an action plan, which parts of the plan worked and didn’t work for you, how you pivoted when unexpected challenges came up, etc.

  • Tangible Tips > Generalized Advice
    Additionally, listeners say they appreciate actionable, practical tips. When I ask what advice you have for listeners, the more specific and concrete you can be, the better.

  • My (Jenni’s) Personal Recommendations > Your Promotions
    In the past, a few guests have been aggressively enthusiastic about promoting their services/products, and my listeners really don’t like getting sales pitches from folks they’ve only just learned about in a 25-minute interview. On the other hand, I’ve been building trust with my listeners since 2017, so they are much more likely to check out your info if you let me be the one to plug your organization. Don’t worry — I will talk you up. 😉

4. after our interview

If you have the time after I say goodbye to you during our recording, I’d love for you to hang around for a few minutes! I’ll do my best to let you know when the interview will be released on the podcast (sometimes I may not know the exact date, but I’ll at least give you a general timeframe).

How to Prepare for our interview

In addition to familiarizing yourself with my interview process with the information above, here are a few tips to help you prepare for our interview:

1. please Keep your camera on

Especially if we’re meeting “face-to-face” for the first time, it’s beneficial for us to see each other during the interview because visual cues, like facial expressions and hand gestures, can help our conversation feel more natural. However, I understand that some folks don’t love having others look inside their private homes, so if you'd like to set up a virtual background to hide your "real life" background, here's a link explaining how to do that.

2. Please use an external microphone

If possible, please use an external microphone (not your internal computer mic) for our interview; this helps preserve the audio quality. You don’t need a fancy mic! Many of my guests use a headset and that works great.

3. please send me your headshot

If you haven’t already, please email me a copy of your headshot that I can use to promote your appearance on the show. You can email your headshot to jenni@nonprofitjenni.com.

4. Please rate and review the podcast

Ratings and reviews help Apple Podcasts and Spotify know which podcasts to recommend to new listeners. By leaving a review, you’re increasing the number of people who will hear your interview!

when your interview is released

Once your interview is released on my podcast feed, either my assistant or I will email you and let you know! We would really appreciate your help spreading the word about the episode through your social media and email newsletter.

Please tag us on social media:

When promoting your episode: It’s easiest to direct your colleagues to nonprofitjenni.com/podcast and/or ask them to check out the Nonprofit Jenni Show on their favorite podcast app. Sharing a bunch of links to the show on individual podcast platforms may make your message look unnecessarily long and cluttered.

thank you!

Chatting with nonprofit pros is always the best part of my day, so I am very selfishly looking forward to our interview. The added bonus is, of course, that my listeners will really appreciate hearing about your experiences in the sector. I’ll talk to you soon!