Interviewing non-podcasters presents many challenges, so here's my advice to ensure you get the best sound quality possible from your podcast guests.

This has been one of the most-requested topics. More recently requested by Max Flight, Onai, Jeremy Jackson, Candice Jones, and Mike Rapin.

We podcasters can tend to obsess over audio quality. It's certainly important to ensure your audience can hear and understand you, but remember that nearly no one subscribes to a podcast solely because of its audio quality. (Though a lack of good audio quality is certainly a reason people unsubscribe.)

Thus, the following tips will help you find a balance of audio quality and other factors so that you can deliver the best podcast reasonably possible.

Make it easy for your guest

Your guest is doing you a favor by being on your show. They're already taking time out of their busy schedules to spend it with you, often times knowing that they may not get much value in return. So why make it difficult for them?

Shipping microphones, using multi-ender recording tools, and more can be great ways to ensure the utmost audio quality from your guest. But using any of these could be a bit too much for your guest, especially when it requires installing apps, creating accounts, connecting equipment, and such.

For some guests, even getting Skype could be too much to ask!

So work with what you can. If your guest has a smartphone, that may be the easiest option that also returns the best results.

Installing and using apps—Skype, FaceTime, Ringer, or anything else—may be easier than on a computer. Plus, most smartphones have really good microphones, so you only need an app to use that good microphone. Thus, having your guest use a voice over IP (VoIP) app on their device, but holding their device as if they were making a phone call puts that high-quality microphone near their voice.

Using the handset also reduces the chances of rustling noises, filtering, and other issues that can negatively affect the audio quality through any kind of headset or earpiece.

If this isn't possible, compromise and accept a standard phone call.

What's more important: that all your guests have great audio quality but you can't get the guests you really want, or that you get the guests you want but with lower audio quality?

Focus on the message

Your audience consumes your podcast because of the messages you share, not because of the audio quality and maybe not even because of the guest themselves. Thus, it's far more important for you to bring those messages to the world than to obsess over getting pristine audio quality.

Yes, try to get the best results you can. But don't sacrifice a great message simply because the audio isn't studio-quality. As long as your audience can hear and understand your guest and their message, the audio quality is acceptable.

Maintain your own audio quality

It's okay if you can't get the best audio quality from your guest, but your own audio needs to be its usual best. This is because you are your podcast's “constent.”

We're actually quite used to this kind of mismatch. In radio and television, it's quite common for special guests to be joining through a simple phone call.

So however you record your guest's audio, I recommend you record your own with your normal means—even if your call-recorder is also recording you. This will ensure your own audio is consistent. This also reduces the chances of your call-recorder's capturing your voice in a lower audio quality. And such differences usually are noticeable.

Encourage good mic technique and environment

In many ways, technique and environment affect audio quality more than the gear itself.

Please don't overwhelm your guest with pages of instructions; remember that they're doing you a favor. But here are some quick points you're welcome to copy the section relevant to your connection method.

So you'll sound the best and my audience can hear your message,