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I want to work out what it would take to create a twice weekly interview show delivered via the web (+ itunes etc.).

Interview with a small business owners/managers. The idea is to gain insight into these business and engage other business owners in that category. I am thinking 30 - 60 minutes per interview. Obviously I am after web quality, not studio quality. The person running this will be generally capable but not necessarily experienced in interviewing/editing/etc, willing to learn. I am thinking part timers recruited from universities, interns or similar. If you think this must be done by an experienced person, please say so.

I'm not yet sure if this should be audio only or video, in person, via phone or via skype. I think the ideal would be in person video with audio only as an option. I am open to ideas though. If you have any insight please contribute it.

The business case here is similar to the business case for a blog.

Questions broken down into more specifics (feel free to answer any questions I should have included)

  • Do you have recommendations for equipment keeping in mind that cost and ease of use are both issues. How much will I have to spend.
  • Can a single person set up, operate the equipment & interview or will it take two?
  • How long can a person be expected to learn enough to edit?
  • How long will it take to edit each interview?
  • How long and how difficult will it be to get subjects? I know this is difficult to answer without specifics, but imagine I want to interview small grocery store owners.
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Thanks for the comments so far guys. I appreciate the encouragement. What I really need is an approximation of time & costs though. Say I want to produce 2 45 min interview shows per week. How long will it take to pre interview, interview, edit, etc. per week? How much will equipment cost? – Netcan Oct 26 '10 at 23:45
One of the members on here does a podcast with another person. Bob Walsh is his name - look around for Startup Success Podcast - they have been responsive to my emails and will probably share their experience but I can't speak on their behalf. The cost and time is up to you I would imagine... – TimJ♦ Oct 27 '10 at 2:19

3 Answers

up vote 1 down vote

We started recording a weekly podcast series by jumping right in. We first used a Yeti (http://www.bluemic.com/yeti/) microphone, which is extremely simple to use and later progressed to a more complex microphone system.

I would suggest using Garage Band to edit podcasts, especially as a first step. Garage Band is a free application on Macs that allows users to easily edit audio files and export them to iTunes. With no training on audio editing, it was easy for me to learn this system and I think that most people would find it to be very intuitive. This is a one person job.

I wrote an article about Podcasting 101 that you may find helpful: http://labs.openviewpartners.com/customer-development/podcasting-101-business-benefits-and-best-practices-for-an-expansion-stage-company/

Best of luck getting started--that is the hardest step to take.

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up vote 0 down vote

Doing live interviews is a challenge, but edited and pre-recorded content is easy enough to do. As for editing, it depends on how quickly you learn the software and its conecepts. My wife was up and running with windows movie maker in 2 hours! But then agian that is windows movie maker. A tool like adobe premier will take a bit longer to grasp.

Get yourself a nice camera, thats what i would suggest. Do a good job with lighting and sound. Make the interviews worth watching.

Last, i would put them up on Youtube and then your site. Youtube can help you market your videos.

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OTOH you do not need adobe premiere to make some easy editing for interviews. Sometimes less is more. – NetTecture Oct 26 '10 at 14:27
up vote 0 down vote

Best thing to do is just get started -

I think some folks start with just recording Skype calls.

You will not get it right the first bunch of times - it is an iterative thing.

Start with good/interesting content and people will put up with a lot.

I listen to lots of podcasts that started out with just one or two people just trying things out and recording things they were passionate about. The passion is key.

Length is an issue - you have to figure out your target audience and when they are likely to listen. They also can't be too short so as to have no substance.

Trial and error works.

Again, get the content right and the other things can fall into place.

I would also guess that people feel more comfortable being interviewed audio only. I don't see a reason to have video. Making it video limits audience - since people can't watch when driving.

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Thanks Tim, I tend to assume that 30-60 m is the right length because I listen to podcasts while running and that is the right size for me. You're right though that this needs more thought. It's possible that 3 minute youtube bites might be beter, though then it's a completely different type of thing. – Netcan Oct 26 '10 at 23:46

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