The best interviewers aren’t the ones with the best questions.
They’re the ones who know how to listen. Speak Less, Get More is a field guide for podcast hosts who want to stop performing interviews and start having real ones.
PDF delivery. Works on any device. Price goes up at launch.
Print versions available later this year and will be included with every order.
[EXPECTED RELEASE: APRIL 2026]
THE PROBLEM
Most podcast hosts spend hours writing questions.
They prep. They research. They build out a whole script.
And then they sit across from their guest and spend the whole interview waiting for their turn to talk.
The questions are fine. The listening is where it falls apart.
I’ve done hundreds of interviews over 25 years. I’ve watched hosts lose the best moments of a conversation because they were too focused on what came next to notice what was happening right now.
This book is about fixing that.
WHAT’S IN THE BOOK
Ten chapters. Real frameworks. No fluff.
Speak Less, Get More is a practical guide to the part of interviewing nobody teaches. The listening.
It covers how to research a guest without over-preparing yourself into a bad interview. How to build real rapport in the first five minutes. How to use silence without filling it. How to handle guests who ramble, go sideways, or shut down. How to help someone find the story they’ve been trying to tell.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction — Why This Book Exists
Chapter 1 — The Art and Science of Interviewing
Chapter 2 — Laying the Groundwork
Chapter 3 — Crafting Questions That Spark Insight
Chapter 4 — Building Genuine Connection
Chapter 5 — Navigating the Dynamics
Chapter 6 — Mastering the Technical Side
Chapter 7 — Managing Difficult Conversations
Chapter 8 — Storytelling and Engagement
Chapter 9 — Crafting Your Unique Brand and Interview Style
Chapter 10 — Evolving as an Interviewer
Conclusion
THE FRAMEWORKS
Three things you’ll take away and use immediately.
01
The Three-Beat Rule
After your guest finishes talking, count to three before you respond. Those seconds feel like nothing to you and everything to them. People say their most honest things in the space after they think they’re done.
02
Questions vs. Prompts
Questions make people think about the right answer. Prompts make them tell you what actually happened. There’s a difference and it changes everything about how a conversation goes.
03
The Prep Grid
A pre-interview research tool that tells you exactly what to prepare and what to skip. Show up ready without being so scripted you can’t actually listen.
WHO IT’S FOR
If you host a podcast, whether you’ve done 3 episodes or 300, this book is for you.
If you’ve ever finished a recording and thought, “I knew there was more there and I didn’t get to it,” this is the book you needed.
If you’ve ever lost a great moment because you were already thinking about your next question. Same.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Stagliano
I’m Matt Stagliano. I’ve been doing interviews for 25+ years. Long before I had a podcast, I was in conversations for a living learning what makes someone open up and what makes them shut down.
I started Generator because I wanted to talk honestly about what it’s like to build a creative life.
This book is everything I’ve learned about how to create the kind of conversation where someone says something they’ve never said before.
Pre-Order Now at $25
Expected Release: April 2026
Price goes up when the book releases. PDF delivered straight to your inbox when it’s done. Print version available later in 2026 and will be included with every order.
QUESTIONS
It’s a PDF — nothing ships. You’ll get a download link the moment it’s released, right to your inbox.
What if I’m new to podcasting?
Good. This is exactly the right place to start. The habits covered in this book are easier to build from the beginning than to fix later.
What if I’ve been hosting for years?
Also good. The stuff in this book isn’t beginner material. Most experienced hosts still haven’t cracked the listening problem.
PDF. Works on your phone, tablet, laptop — whatever you read on. Print versions will be available later in 2026
The book releases in March or April 2026. The moment it’s done, you’ll get it. Pre-ordering now locks in the lower price. When print versions are available, they will be sent to you directly.
© 2026 Matt Stagliano | Generator Podcast | Stonetree Creative