Stebbings advised treating every answer as a standalone hook.
Founders and CEOs must change the way they do interviews.
1. Long form is dead.
2. The clip is the product.
3. So the way you answer questions must change.
4. Repeat every question with tone and excitement.
5. Imagine, every answer is it's own clip (because it will be).
6. This will increase retention as it provides the hook, the interviewer needs to turn it into an amazing clip on it's own.
We must change the way we create content to work with the algorithm.
Positive users praise adapting founder interviews for short-form clips as clear and practical advice, while negative users call it a dumb approach that turns podcasts into clip farms and sacrifices depth.
Do whatever the fuck you want, however the fuck you want to do it.
Interviews aren't bullet lists of do's, don't, or dogmas.
Be yourself, speak your mind, don't angle. Let whatever follows, follow.
(still love you @HarryStebbings!)
Founders and CEOs must change the way they do interviews.
1. Long form is dead.
2. The clip is the product.
3. So the way you answer questions must change.
4. Repeat every question with tone and excitement.
5. Imagine, every answer is it's own clip (because it will be).
6. This will increase retention as it provides the hook, the interviewer needs to turn it into an amazing clip on it's own.
We must change the way we create content to work with the algorithm.
@HarryStebbings long form is the best interview format by far. I want to hear the entire story, and you don't get past the PR bullshit until at least 30 minutes in.
@jasonfried @HarryStebbings Yes. Interestingly (imo) as time plays out more adapt to the algorithm, making those who do whatever the fuck they want authentically stand out.
@HarryStebbings The clip being the product is exactly why most founder interviews are unwatchable now. Everyone's pre-loading soundbites. The rare founder who thinks out loud mid-sentence beats 10 polished clip farms. Tone can't fake having something to say
@HarryStebbings I tell all the founders I work with that the algorithm is the primary audience now
@nayrbgo @HarryStebbings Was that you in the parking lot?
@jasonfried @HarryStebbings
@nayrbgo @HarryStebbings I'll take a plate.
@nayrbgo @HarryStebbings I will never have sour cream on anything. Or mayo.
@HarryStebbings Simple yet smart, I accidentally did this yesterday with a video of mine. Probs got 5 clips ready to go vs the usual 1-2 out of my long form
@jasonfried @HarryStebbings I heard someone say there were mid-year latkes being prepared, so I did a 180
@jasonfried @HarryStebbings I won’t even force you to have both apple sauce and sour cream at once but I’ll encourage the behavior
@HarryStebbings Building out modular pieces that standalone but also all fit into a bigger and cohesive narrative is the job.
We went through a long timeline
Soundbites Pullquotes Twitter bites (140 characters inc. RT username) Fraggles (Google linking to internal content) Google rewriting titles and now descriptions Chunking content for AI
Now "Video bites" - make sure the quote will fit in chunked content
One of the best parts of podcasts and long form interviews is the detailed discussions, history and thesis.
Without it - podcasts become sound bites we get on traditional media.
Do you see an alternative where a regular interview can be ‘clipped’ and re-generated with AI to get the point across without asking interviewers to change?
@HarryStebbings modularization of content — let’s push it further to see in 10 years: the •embedding• is the product, your answer instantiates to any context 🪙
sounds absurd now but sensible then
@HarryStebbings This is the same advice founders have been given for press training for years. Only the medium has changed.
Agree that the clip is the product, but I think the way you end your answer is far more important than how it begins.
Clip editors can always splice the interviewer asking the Q so you dont have to repeat it in an unnatural way.
@HarryStebbings Long form builds trust. You need to see 70 clips of someone before buying. A one hour podcast listened to in full once produces a sale. For many the point of social is to sell a product a service or themselves as investable
@HarryStebbings Agreed. Great points Harry.
I think live content is about to have it's moment and the best clips will be from live audio and video.