G'day, I'm Neil Benson and I'm on a mission to help every Microsoft customer and partner successfully implement Microsoft Business Applications. I do this through my online training course, blog articles, videos, and my podcast: Amazing Apps.
I've been hosting the Amazing Apps podcast since February 2018. The show usually has about 300 downloads per episode within 30 days of release.
The Amazing Apps audience really enjoys learning from the people involved in building amazing applications. My aim is to help you share your story about the factors that made your application successful so that everyone in our community can benefit from your experience. Or, we can discuss a specific topic where you have expertise that you can share with the audience.
It's a chance for you to showcase your talent and expand your reputation (and your employer's reputation, if you work for a Microsoft partner).
Interview questions
The types of questions will vary depending on whether we are discussing a specific project you delivered or a specific topic you are experienced in.
We usually start with a few background questions so that the audience can get to know you a little better before we dive into the detail of the episode.
Expectations
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Pre-call. I usually kick off the call with a chat for a few minutes about the project before we start recording. We can have an initial call before the recording but it’s usually not necessary.
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Co-guests. I'm happy to interview up to two guests about the same project. You're welcome to bring a friend along.
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Client names. If you can’t share the actual name of your client, please use a fictitious name. I’ll include a disclaimer that the name was withheld to protect confidentiality.
Scheduling
Please schedule an available time through Calendly using the link below.
https://customery.com/neilbenson
Recording
We’ll be using Iris.fm to record the podcast. We'll be recording the audio and video. The entire audio track will be edited and produced as a podcast episode. The best clips from the video will be used to promote the podcast on social media. Video interviews will also be published on YouTube.
Here are some tips for a high-quality recording.
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Start setting up 10 minutes before your scheduled session
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Be mindful of background noise. Put your phone and computer notifications on silent mode.
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Use a high-quality microphone such as a Samson Q2U, or Audio Technica ATR2100x which are both dynamic microphones with USB and XLR connectors for under US$100. If you don’t have a dedicated microphone, good quality wired or Bluetooth earbuds are the next best thing.
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Adjust the microphone gain/volume so that your recording is not clipped.
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Use headphones and make sure the volume isn’t so loud your mic picks up the sound.
- Use a quality external webcam instead of one built-in camera.
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Join the session using any modern browser.
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Have plenty of light - ensure good natural light or use a ring light. Lighting helps the camera since many struggle in low light settings.
- Grant permission to your microphone, camera, & location.
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Click Join Session & enjoy the conversation!
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Review the Iris.fm best practices if you have any issues.
Publication
I produce 20- to 60-minute interview episodes. Interviews will be edited to remove pauses, fillers and mistakes and enhanced for audio quality through Descript.
Episodes are usually published 3 or 4 weeks after recording depending on the current backlog of episodes.
Our conversation will be summarised in show notes on the Amazing Apps podcast site and promoted on LinkedIn and Twitter. It’ll also be sent to the Customery email subscribers.
At your request, I will provide a clean version of the interview (without the Amazing Apps podcast intro and outro) for your own use.
How to be an amazing guest
Finally, if you're wondering how to be an amazing guest on the Amazing Apps show or any other podcast, I love the advice shared in this article by John Espirian, How to be a podcast guest.
