Tim Ferris’s Ten Tips for Engaging Interviews
Author, blogger, podcaster and tech entrepreneur Tim Ferris has interviewed guests for close to 20 years. The Tim Ferris Show has 900 million downloads and his book The 4 Hour Work Week defined the digital nomad era. Ferris is one of the most recognizable names in the creator economy today.
Colin and Samir - a channel “about creators for creators” - spoke with Ferris about podcasting, fame, advertising and more. The conversation is a masterclass on Ferris’s business success and longevity. Around the 1.5 hour mark Ferris shares ten tips for successful and engaging interviews:
10 Bullets from Tim Ferris on how to have engaging interviews:
Remote, audio-only interviews are easier & simpler for the everyone.
Do your homework. Review their previous interviews and ask questions about stuff that wasn’t covered.
Make the guest comfortable. Remind them that they can take breaks, re-state things if needed, and have final approval over the edit.
Ask if there’s any specific topics they want to cover.
Ask how you can make their time well-spent. Make this their favorite interview.
Let them know how you’ll begin. Give the guest an opportunity to think about their talking points and if this is a comfortable place to begin.
Warm up with some conversation before launching into questions. Interviewing is a marathon, not a sprint.
Ask a few easy questions to start. Give guests a chance to get comfortable before you jump into the details.
The first ten minutes sets the tone. Make sure taxiing to the runway and takeoff is smooth.
Find the middle ground between preparation and improvisation. Do your homework but be willing to go off script.
These tips can be applied across disciplines from podcasting, to reporting, to oral history. Ferris is a master at optimizing efficiency in his projects and his tips for interviewing are a perfect example. He sets himself up for success by making the guest feel comfortable. He warms up by having some conversation, covering a few housekeeping things and then diving in, giving his guests time to get into the mental space of an interview. Ferris does his best to make sure that the beginning of the interview is as smooth as possible as most often the first ten minutes determine the outcome. With one of the longest-running, most-downloaded podcasts in the business, Ferris knows the blueprint for a successful interview.
