Why I never publish video interviews
I’ve been recording and publishing interviews for nearly 9 years. And in that amount of time, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve published a video version of the interview. I’m not referring to a video with a graphic and the interview playing on YouTube, I’m talking about the two people are on screen, faces shown warts and all.
It’s not that I’m opposed to video, or discourage anyone from doing so, and it’s definitely not because I shy away from the extra work involved in it.
I prefer audio only because it provides the two things any publisher at any level truly craves with their guests and their audience. Those two things are:
Rapport and intimacy
In that order.
It’s a variation of the KLT acronym I’ve heard used many times, the Know, Like, Trust.
Videos these days among podcasters are ubiquitous. Everyone it seems wants to add video to their audio output. And I’ll bet that if these folks were to be asked why they do this, they’ll say something along the lines of “Everyone is doing it.”
Now there’s nothing wrong with having another outlet for people to consume your content. A lot of people I’ve spoken to, or read comments online, say that adding video adds x number of views/listens to their show. Hey, that’s a good thing, but is it a quality listen or view? What good is a person listening to an interview on YouTube while they’re working on a bunch of other things on their computer?
Probably not. Those are what are called “vanity metrics” when there’s a certain number of downloads that make us feel good about ourselves, but they don’t equate to R&I. I’d rather have 3 people listen to my show who are really interested in what I’m saying, than 30,000 who are passively listening while doing ten other things. The 3 are a true audience; the 30,000 aren’t doing anyone any good.
This is the reason I prefer audio over video. Just about every time I tell a guest that the interview will not be audio, I can almost feel a bit of tension being lifted. Unless you’re someone like George Clooney who has cameras on him every moment he steps outside his house, cameras are intimidating. They put a person just a little bit on edge, no matter how much they’ve done it.
I like to have the video rolling while I’m recording in order to establish rapport with my guest, and then publish the audio version only; but even that has its drawbacks as we are naturally wired to be on high alert when cameras are on us.
I’m leaving in a few minutes after writing this email to interview a really well-known trumpeter. You most likely know who he is. And my recording setup is going to be my iPhone and my Shure MV88 microphone. The audio quality of the mic is exceptional given its size, and it is about as unimposing a recording setup as you can get. This person has done thousands of interviews in his life, so he’s used to having a camera in his face. But that’s my setup, and I expect I’ll get the outcome I want, which is the most natural flow of dialogue possible.
When the host is at ease, the guest is at ease; which makes the best possible interview 🙂
Maybe you’re looking for a bit of guidance or coaching on doing interviews, be it for podcasts, YouTube or even gathering signatures for a public referendum you’re passionate about. Just reply to this email and let’s get the ball rolling.