Hey there — Let’s make a great episode.
Thanks again for your interest in being on the Sex Outside podcast! If you’re reading this page, you’ve hopefully already connected with our host and producer Laura Borichevsky about your episode. Take a look at the information below and if you have any questions after reading, please reach out via email (hello@sexoutside.org) with your thoughts. We look forward to getting to know more about you and help share your story with our community!
OUR APPROACH TO INTERVIEWING & PRODUCTION
The biggest takeaway we hope you leave with when it comes to our overall philosophy with interviewing and production is that your message is your own, and giving your voice and story is a gift that humbles and inspires our team as well as our listeners. We take your opting in with a ton of gratitude, and our hope is that what we make together is something you’re proud you spoke to. So, while we’ll be asking you the questions, we approach every episode’s recording and production with the basic belief that you have a great deal of power in using your voice.
With that in mind, for full interviews, we use a non-recorded pre-interview chat to brainstorm and align on topics that mean the most to you currently and will base our interview off of that— but know that we’ll go wherever you want to come the day of your interview. Note: if you’re in conversation with Laura about a micro-interview (20-30 minutes in length), you’ll likely bypass the pre-interview and align on a topic or questions over email.
As for the actual recorded conversation, we'll keep things pretty casual and organic, so if things come up that you didn’t plan to share and don’t want aired, you can let us know at any point during or after our chat. In short: if you tell us that something's off the record, we respect that and will not use it in the final cut.
Lastly, we like to make the most of our listener’s time, so if you (or we!) have any awkward coughing or long pauses to think about your responses to questions, that’s a-okay. We’ll be editing that stuff out. Verbal fillers (um’s, like’s, sort of’s, and so on) will also be cut if they are easy to remove and would otherwise distract from your message. We want you to sound like you, and we also want listeners to be able to get to the heart of your story in the short period of time we have.
PS: We get this question often, so if you’re wondering— swearing is totally fine on this show. That said, we strive for effective storytelling as well as a conversation that doesn’t oppress or exclude others (at every level possible but particularly where sex, gender, and bodies are concerned), so if the language usage becomes distracting from your overall message or is a slur of some kind (intentional or otherwise), we will edit the interview to be as clear as possible and lean towards inclusivity at every opportunity.
GETTING SCHEDULED FOR YOUR INTERVIEW
The button below will take you to our online scheduling service, so find a time that works best for you and let’s get our talk on the calendar! If you don’t see a time slot that aligns with your schedule, please let us know and we can make something else happen!
How to dial in
The Main Plan: Zencastr
We use Zencastr to record all podcast conversations (if your computer has Google Chrome or Firefox browsers). Once we get you scheduled for your interview, we’ll send you a Zencastr link, as well as an email from Zencastr that provides simple instructions for optimizing sound quality and connection. Please read the instructions email before our chat.
Alternative: Cell Phone
If needed, we can use a Skype number you dial from your cell phone to record all podcast conversations. Laura will wait for you to ring her up so that our recording device picks up the incoming call. Let us know in advance if you think you’ll need this option.
Check to make sure you have a good cell phone connection, and when you’re ready, ring Laura up at 435-610-1084.
HOW WE MAKE YOUR VOICE SOUND SO GREAT
The platform we use for our chat will record our entire conversation which is nice-- however, we like to think of this recording as a back-up and would really like to record audio from your side as well. Recording your own audio creates really crisp sound on their side and will dramatically increase the quality of your episode. Plus, there’s no special equipment required. You can use the mic already installed on your computer, so it's pretty easy!
Here's how to record audio on Quicktime for Macs:
Open Quicktime (already installed on Macs).
Choose File > New Audio Recording.
To change the recording settings, click the arrow next to the Record button. Then choose your microphone (the one on your computer, unless you're fancy!) and recording quality.
To monitor audio while it's being recorded, use the volume slider.
Click the Record button to start recording. Click it again to stop recording.
Have a Windows device?
Go to your start menu.
Search for "Sound Recorder" or "Voice Recorder".
Open the free, already-installed app.
Record your voice using your computer microphone.
After the interview concludes and you save the audio, you can send it to hello@sexoutside.org via any file-sharing service that works for you. Dropbox, Google Drive, and WeTransfer all work great (among any others you like to use!).
PSST: SOME THOUGHTS ON BACKGROUND NOISE
We’re not sure what a typical day looks like for you but you can call Laura from anywhere that's relatively quiet-- it doesn't need to be a soundproof box (unless you have one, ha!). Just not a coffee shop or a busy street, etc. Use your best judgment and let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
If you’re feeling nervous
It’s completely human to feel some butterflies before your recorded interview. Just know that we’ve got you covered and will do everything to make you sound like the best version of you. That said, if this helps— here are a few tips to help you feel prepared for this interview:
If you’re a note-taker, jot down a couple ideas before your interview. You’ll know the basic topics we’ll ask about because we covered them during your pre-interview.
Call a friend or family member in advance of your interview to talk through what you want to discuss on the show. That way, by the time you get to the recording day, you’ll already have processed some of your thoughts a bit more!
Bring some water or tea with you to your interview.
Don’t be shy if you need to take a break during our chat. Nobody benefits from you having to pee while answering questions!
We have partner content
Our podcast occasionally utilizes paid/affiliate-funded promotions or ad-style breaks in our show to highlight brands and organizations. These spotlights don’t overlap with interviews or the main Sex Outside podcast content. We do our best to vet these partners and organizations to ensure they share our respect for people, place, emotion, and environment.
LAST THING! COULD YOU ALSO SEND US:
4-6 photos from you that we'll share out on social media and online to promote the episode and podcast
A brief bio (2-4 sentences is great!)
Please send over the top 2-3 links to your website or social media you would like us to direct listeners to.
Following your interview, please send us an invoice made out to Sex Outside for your speaker fee. Any invoice you might already use works for us, and if this is the first invoice you’ve made, you can learn more about the elements of an invoice here, and access some free templates here. We will pay you within 30 days of your invoice being sent to us!
That’s all for now! We’re really looking forward to chatting with you further. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Best,
