The simple tweak to 10x an interview podcast

Paige back with the B2B Growth Newsletter, where we break down what one of the internet’s favorite creators is doing right so you can use their strategies to build raving fans for your company. 

What happens when you put Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnet in a room? Pure comedic entertainment. Add a surprise guest, and things only get more interesting. 

But what sets SmartLess apart from the other celebrity podcasts, fueling its long-term success?

Let’s dive in…

The SmartLess podcast has consistently ranked at the top of the charts since its launch in 2020, and not just because of the big names hosting the podcast. In each episode, one of the hosts invites a guest who’s left unrevealed to the audience and the other hosts until they enter the chat. 

The bonus guest doesn’t just add an element of surprise and build show sustainability — it also completely eliminates the possibility of careful scripting and meticulous planning. 

Instead of a Q&A style format, SmartLess leans into fun banter. A few questions and talking points here and there, but lots of room for storytelling and unplanned conversation paths. 

And that’s where the good stuff comes in.

This is where Sean Hayes admits he knows Rhapsody Blues by heart or Will Arnett used to have a job where he planted 3,000 trees a day or Jason Bateman’s stomach can’t handle too much kale. 

While this might not be the avenue you want to go down, any niche can benefit from scaling back on the scripting of interviews. You can learn more about that CEO’s unconventional journey and secret habits with natural curiosity rather than a 12-page outline.  

When you strictly plan your podcast episodes, quite a few things happen: 

• You bypass potential avenues to uncover unique stories and insights never shared before

• Your episode is just like 600 others — the same questions, same answers (sacrificing your audience and the attention of the guest) 

• You hand off your own thought leadership. You and your guests should have an equal voice and banter. Q&A’s put 100% focus on the guest

• You front-load your time investment, wasting time on unnecessary portions of pre-production when you could be investing that time somewhere more valuable

We’re not saying you should schedule an interview and jump in with zero preparation… But we are suggesting you drop the script. 

Too often, when you put someone in front of a teleprompter or give them a detailed script, they turn into robots. We lose the energy and connection in the process. 

But when they’re given general talking points and the host is free to interject with additional comments, questions, thoughts and stories, the organic connection can really thrive. 

When you lead with personality this way, you build a chemistry between yourself and your co-hosts and guests that opens up endless possibilities for topics and stories not typically uncovered in podcast format. 

If you want your content to break outside the box and really thrive, you’ve got to push your own limits a little bit and break your marriage to the strict episode planning and scripting. 

The takeaway: When you over-script your podcast, you lose opportunities for organic connection. Trade extensive episode planning for strategic, flexible outlines to dramatically improve the quality of your content.

That’s it, ya’ll. Happy creating!

Paige Peterson
Newsletter Aficionado, Sweet Fish

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