How long should an audio interview be? One best way to set up your interviews is to separate it into parts. I think it is a good idea for a couple of reasons. Let’s say you want to increase the value of a product. So let’s say a teleseminar goes three hours and you know if I had it as just one file. If I wanted to sell it later and I say, “Okay, if anyone is interested in buying this teleseminar it’s just one audio file or on one DVD, here it is.” I could increase the value and break down the three hour recording into maybe six 30 minute sessions so when you go to a Web site you see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6. It’s easier to download and I think it gives it an increased value by having it in parts.
For the most part if my interviews are over 60 minutes I’ll do a Part 2. So if I have an interview that goes like with John Carlton, I think we went an hour and a half and I broke that up into two parts. If they really go long, then I will make it and I try not to make it any more than an hour, at the most, no more than 70 minutes.
Another reason is I’m pretty sure if you convert a digital MP3 file into an audio CD Rom I think the capacity on those CDs is 70 or 80 minutes. I think its 70 minutes, so if you go over 70 minutes you’ll have to get another CD and if you’re selling a physical product that is going to cost you more money on the duplicating and printing.
Paul Hartoonian, he goes with publicity stuff, and he’s been on a lot of radio interviews, like 2,000 or 3,000 radio interviews. He was saying how he tries to keep his interviews to an hour or less and if it is going to go over an hour he says why don’t we schedule another interview because people’s attention starts to drop off at about an hour.
If I’m doing an interview and I’ve secured it and it’s a pretty big name, I’ll usually tell them to have 90 minutes available. If it’s really going good and I’m not quite finished, I will try my best to keep going. I’ll say, “Look, I’m not quite finished, do you want to keep going or do you want to reschedule?” I’ll give them the choice but sometimes you only have that one time to get that interview.
I’ve had people say we can keep going and I’m able to get the whole interview and I’ve had people ask to reschedule. Anyone who said they would reschedule with me has honored that and rescheduled. So either way will work.