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Being a podcast guest can be daunting when you first start out, but with a little preparation, you can not only manage your nerves but deliver an experience the host will remember.
Why does this matter?
When you take the time to make sure you deliver a great experience for the host and audience, you open the door for opportunities beyond the interview itself.
Our clients have been hired by hosts who were impressed by their ideas, invited to keynote at conferences and drummed up new business from their podcast appearances.
Taking these steps, you can create a long-lasting impression that helps you achieve your mission.
In this episode of Podcast Ally, our founder Brigitte Lyons and account lead Sam Brake Guia take you through what it takes to be an outstanding guest.
Listen to the episode to hear us dive deep into all the ways you can be a great podcast guest, creating a win-win-win for your audience, the host and yourself.
Podcast interviews are networking opportunities. And just like you should do a but of research into anyone you want to create a business partnership with, you should get to know the hosts before you show up for the interview.
You’ll want to listen to a couple of episodes to get a sense for what you’ll be asked, but don’t stop there.
Check out the host’s website, find out what other projects they’re working on, and take a look at their social media platforms.
As you’re doing your research, keep an eye out for something you can genuinely connect with the host around, whether’s it’s during the pre-interview chit chat or the interview itself.
🎙️ Don’t just prepare yourself — make sure the host has everything they need.
Preparation goes both ways. Once your interview is scheduled, give the host as much as you can to help introduce you as a guest and cover the topics you want to get through.
Sending over extra information shows that you really do care, and it gives the hosts more resources to build up strong interview questions.
Blog posts and FAQs from your website are a great resource to send over ahead of time.
📚 Flesh out 2-3 stories you can use to bring life to your ideas ahead of time.
Here’s a scary thought. Most people forget 90% of what they learned within 30 days.
The majority of this forgetting happens within the first few hours of taking in new information.
This is because our brains are constantly sifting through the information we take in and making decisions on what we need to remember.
You need to do everything possible we can to make your ideas stick.
And lucky for you, the human brain is hardwired to pay attention to and make stories. Storytelling is how we process the world around us.
Everything in your life gets assigned a story, from the perceived snub that your neighbor made to the moral lessons we take in as children.
When you share stories, your ideas are more memorable than advice alone.
Always tell stories and offer examples to add context to your key points. Get in the habit of saying “for example” or “there was this one time when.”
⚡ Define your takeaways (ahead of time) and take the podcast the direction you want it to go.
It is not uncommon for a podcast host to kick off an interview by asking you to share a little bit about yourself and your background.
The way you manage this moment sets the tone for the rest of the interview. If you spend 20 minutes giving your life story, that’s 1/3 of the interview gone.
Unfortunately, this is often what happens when guests don’t prep!! You just start rambling and find yourself to a point about 10 minutes into the interview.
If you have a takeaway and transformation story prepared, it’s far more likely the interview will go the way you want it to.
Key questions to consider during prep:
- What are the one or two points that are really important for you to hit on during that interview?
- How can you introduce myself in a way that cues up the information you’d prefer to discuss during the rest of the conversation?
Be concise. You don’t want to spend 10 minutes of the interview on your origin story. Include important information in a succinct introduction so that you can get to the meat of the interview sooner.
Proper framing facilitates a win-win-win: Audiences benefit from interesting insight bolstered with engaging stories, which are amplified by relevant questions.
⚡ Share on social media.
Always say thank you — four times. It seems excessive but it’s common sense:
- In-person: At the start and the end of the interview.
- Sharing on social media and by email: This is a great way to really give back to the host.
- Tags: When you’re sharing it on social media like Twitter, be sure to tag the host and thank them (again).
A podcast interview is a great and very valuable piece of content, as well as social proof.
Tune into the podcast to hear the rest of our advice for being the kind of guest that gets remembered — for all the right reasons.
Links & Resources
- TCCIRL
- Brigitte’s recommended mic: Audio-Technica ATR2100x (this is an affiliate link)
- Kira Hug’s list of 10 tips for being an awesome guest
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