Booking and Preparing Guests

Good interviews are mostly made before the microphone is switched on. A clear invitation and a short pre-call make guests relaxed and conversations better.

The invitation

• Say who the show is for and why you want this guest in particular.
• Say how long the recording will take and how it will happen: in person, by video call or by phone.
• Say where the episode will be published.

Research

Read what the guest has already said in public: their website, earlier interviews, posts. Your job is to find the questions they have not been asked yet, not to repeat the ones they have.

The pre-call

A short call before recording lets you agree topics, check anything the guest does not want to discuss and test their microphone or connection. Keep notes, but do not rehearse answers; rehearsed answers sound rehearsed.

Permission in writing

Producers commonly use a legal release, a signed document in which the person recorded agrees to how the recording may be used. Ask a lawyer where you are for wording that fits your show; rules on consent and recording differ by country.

On the day

Send a reminder with the time, the link or address and a contact number. Start a few minutes early so the guest is not greeted by your technical problems.

Last edit 2026-10-22