The Pre-Interview Meeting
When I reach out to a new podcast guest, I always schedule a quick pre-interview meeting. Not a formal interview. Just a chance to meet face-to-face before the “real” recording.
That short call does a few things:
- It breaks the ice, so our first real conversation isn’t happening with microphones on. We’re starting to build a small relationship. And the guest is hopefully a little more comfortable.
- It eliminates potential tech issues ahead of the actual recording.
- It gives me a chance to hear what excites them, what stories they naturally tell, and what threads we might want to pull on in the full interview.
One little catch is that I record this meeting in Riverside.
Why I Do It This Way
Yes, it helps my guest get comfortable with Riverside before the real recording. But honestly, the bigger win is for me. By recording the pre-interview, I’m not relying on my memory or messy notes.
Instead, Riverside’s AI automatically generates “show notes” — really just a tidy summary with highlights and key takeaways.
Then I take that into ChatGPT. I’ll feed in:
- A quick intro to who the guest is, sometimes with links to their work.
- The Riverside notes and key points we touched on.
- A few words on what directions I’m most interested in exploring.
ChatGPT then gives me a list of potential questions. And honestly, they’re often sharper, more creative, and better tailored than what I would have written on my own.
The Workflow Simplified
- Schedule a casual pre-interview chat.
- Record in Riverside.
- Let Riverside’s AI generate highlights & summary.
- Drop that into ChatGPT with some guest context.
- Get a polished list of questions I can adapt for the final recording.
Question for You
If you’re a podcaster or you run interviews in another context, how do you prepare? Do you wing it, script it, or something in between?
Comment and let me know!