How to be the Perfect Guest in a Podcast

Have an upcoming interview for a Podcast? Hoping to get the most out of it but also give off a good impression? This article will discuss ways you can be the best guest on a Podcast and give you advice on preparation! Podcast interviews are an effective way to learn more about a given subject through different people with different opinions and different life experiences. You as a guest want to make sure you are contributing and giving more insight into the topic so you can be more memorable. This article will be divided into three sections, before, during and after the interview, to help you prepare as best as possible at all stages!

Before

1. Watch a few episodes of the Podcast to familiarize yourself

This will help you better understand the layout of the Podcast and how things are done, from the length, the style of interviewing, topics and surprise questions. Showing familiarity to their podcast can earn you brownie points! It shows them you really do enjoy their work and are the right person to be interviewed. Referring to previous episodes can take you the extra mile whether it be briefly mentioning consistent bits the show uses or what you learned from it, it’s sure to impress your interviewer and their audience. It’s more likely you can build a quick relationship with the listeners as, if you can express how much you love the show, they will relate, and be able to identify with you more. Researching the host isn’t a bad idea either, for example if you learn your host’s likes and dislikes, you can avoid certain subjects and avoid discontent!

2. Understand the typical listener and learn why they listen

Knowing listeners’ reasons for listening can be impactful, as you can then cater to this, making you a relevant guest. Tap into account their potential interests, feelings and experiences, you will be better able to relate to them, which will make them more inclined to listen to what you have to say and furthermore, like you. Get yourself into the practice of looking at reviews for past episodes, listeners will share a lot there. Their dislikes and likes and try to use these to your advantage. It also doesn’t hurt to ask the host if there’s any advice they can give about their audience!  

3. Prepare at least three stories you can share at any time

Sometimes story telling can answer your questions, and this method makes your answers much more interesting and engaging! It can also be a means of backup in case you receive a question you don’t know how to answer. A good tip is to find stories which can be interchangeable and linked to different lessons/ topics as this may help you get out of a sticky situation in which you don’t know how to answer. Want to be more memorable? People don’t remember stats, but they will remember stories, it also makes you more likable.

4. Do the requested Podcast prep

If a host sends you a list of potential questions, practice them! They may also give you a survey or questionnaire so that they can learn some more about you before the interview to shape their questions or lead the interview. You could also send the host some questions of your own that you may want to discuss, if the host agrees it means you can lead the interview a little. This gives you more control, which may give you some more confidence.

During

1. Use the Host’s name

A Podcast should be conversational, what better way to do this than to call the host by their name? This produces a more relaxed and friendly environment. It can also convey familiarity with the host to the listeners, which may encourage them to like you more as they already have a deep-rooted connection with the host.

2. Keep your answers concise

That is, depending on the time frame of the Podcast, if it’s a 40-minute podcast then this is good practice as you don’t want to take up all your time discussing one point! If it’s a 2-hour podcast, you would have more time to go into more detail! Keep reminding yourself of this as sometimes you can get so passionate about a topic that you end up going on a tangent which can lead to repetition and that you’re going on and on. Don’t keep talking to fill the dead air.

3. Have a call-to-action for listeners

This is the moment where you can share your details so the listeners can connect with you. A cool tip is to create a landing page produced only for the listeners of the Podcast, perhaps with a special discount code or special offer. Let’s say you wrote a book; towards the end you can introduce it through a story or link it to an experience after a specific question so the audience knows where they can learn more about you/ your work.

After

1. Promote the episode

Guests are asked to be interviewed to amplify the listening of the Podcast, if you were to go on a Podcast and due to this, their listening/ downloads went up, it would be assumed that this is directly because of you. Which not only means people liked listening to you but also that you have some value which could encourage the host to bring you back again! Share the links and content of the episode to spread more awareness and tag the host on blogs or your social media. The host will thank you!

2. Send a thank you note/ gift

Simple, yet effective. It shows your appreciation for the host for giving you the platform to share your opinions and share more about you/ your work. This is sure to establish a relationship with the host and can lead to future opportunities.  

Conclusion

Being the perfect Podcast guest takes time. There’s so much to consider and it’s only through practicing and attending these interviews that you’ll pick up some of these skills and see the value of these tips. The before stage is the most crucial and most aspects mentioned will be common knowledge and advice among guests and podcast hosts. We hope you can equip this knowledge for your next interview and give off the best impression possible. Good luck!

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