In this week's episode of The Best Guest we are answering your questions about being a podcast guest. If you've ever wondered about any of the following then listen in:

• What do I need to prepare before appearing on a podcast as a guest?
• How do I find podcasts that are relevant to my industry or expertise?
• What should I wear during the podcast recording?
• How long does a typical podcast recording session last?
• What are some tips for being an engaging and interesting guest on a podcast?

Key Takeaways

• Preparation is key to being a great podcast guest. Before appearing on a podcast, it's important to research the show, prepare any necessary materials, and ensure that your online presence looks professional.
• It's important to be mindful of your environment and technology when recording a podcast interview. Make sure you have the right equipment and check the acoustics of the room, minimise background noise, and turning off notifications on your computer and phone to ensure a good recording.
• To find relevant podcasts you need to understand who your target audience is and then research shows that align with their interests.
• Smaller shows with niche audiences can offer great opportunities for guest appearances. It's important to focus on being on the right show with the right listeners, rather than trying to be on the biggest show possible with the wrong audience.
• It's important to know if the show is video as well as audio so you know what to wear
• Lengths of shows vary hugely. Look at previous episodes to get an idea of what to expect
• Sharing stories helps listeners to remember you and increases their chances of connecting with you. Additionally, being prepared, listening to the host's questions, using their name, and relaxing and enjoying the conversation can all contribute to a successful guest appearance.

Mentioned in this Episode

How to be a Great Guest Checklist

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080 The Floor's Open - Podcast Guest Prep, Finding Shows and Giving a Great Interview

We're here to support you on your journey, bringing you actionable tips for each episode. Now, let's begin. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Best Guest. Today the floor's open and we are taking your questions. So I'm just gonna dive right into the first question, which we've received, which says, what do I need to prepare before appearing on a podcast as a guest?

Okay, well, we've got a handy checklist for this on our website, and I'll put a link to it in the show notes.

Well, they're gonna look you up on social media, so you want to make sure that you are creating the best impression possible. The one that's gonna get you. You want them to take this second step, this looking at you and say, yes, yes, this person's great. This is the person we want on the show.

Another thing that you want to do is to make sure that you have some basic equipment in place before you start approaching hosts. At the very least, you are going to need a pair of headphones or earbuds and an external microphone and a webcam is ideal because a lot of podcasts actually have a video element.

If your room is particularly echoy, you're gonna want to add some soft furnishings cushions, maybe a duvet, heavy curtains, things that are going to absorb the sound, and that's going to make you come across so much better on your podcast interviews. Before you are a guest on a show, it's important that you have a sense of the style and the structure of the show, so make sure you listen to a couple of episodes.

Make sure that you send over all the information that the host requests. That could be your media kit if you're an author, a copy of your book or the cover of your book, your headshot, et cetera.

It's a really good idea to connect with a host on social media before your interview. Read the podcast reviews and leave your own and share it on social media. Again, this is going to create a really good impression with the host, but it's also gonna give you an idea of why people are tuning in, what they're responding to in the episodes.

And rush, rush, rush. So it's important to get that information in advance cuz that's just gonna be really good for your nerves.

So let's talk about what you should do immediately before your interview. It's a really good idea to know your host's name and to use it, cuz this is really good for generating rapport during the show.

Also know the name of the show if you don't have the best memory. It can be hard when you're nervous and you're trying to think of what you need to talk about as well. Write the host's name and the name of the podcast on a Post-it and stick it to your monitor.

Make sure that your computer is running an optimum speed. Close down anything that could be taking up a lot of memory. Any Dropbox syncing, anything heavy in the background that you don't need open. And have open what you do need, so the platform that you're going to connect on,

You don't want pinging going off while you're recording as well.

I know that's obvious, but at the beginning I, I was recording this. I have my phone all vibrate and you know, microphones are sensitive. They can pick it up. Make sure your phone's on silent. And turn off your computer notifications, so no binging and bonging.

Though don't choke. In one of my first interviews I did I took a big swig of water and ended up choking. Luckily, I was using the Blue Yeti microphone and I was able to mute most of it as it was live.

When you start looking at all the podcasts out there, you're gonna find so many different types. Some are niche and some are broad. Some are gonna be more casual, some are gonna be more formal. Some are large, some are small. The largest shows can be the hardest to guest on. They receive many pitches a day and only have a certain number of guest spots.

A few years ago, Cal Fussman, the host of Big Questions told us that he receives 50 pitches a day. So that just gives you some idea, but you don't have to be on the biggest shows to get the biggest impact Anyway.

Now the good news is when it comes to looking for podcasts, there are lots of different places that you can mine. Start with your own network. Is there someone you know who might be able to introduce you to a host with a show that's a good fit, or maybe a colleague, a friend, someone in your business group? has a podcast that you could approach. There are groups on Facebook that you can join and you can connect with hosts who are looking for guests. How about podcasts You already listen to? What do you subscribe to that might have the right audience? Go through your podcast app and make a list. Another place we like to find shows is through Roundup list.

Sometimes established business owners will be new to podcasting, so it can be a really ideal time to approach them about a spot on their show.

Podcast Search Engine Listen Notes is also a great resource for finding podcasts. You can , find [email protected]. When you start booking podcasts, ask the hosts if there are any further shows that they know of who might be interested to have you as a guest. If you are an author, you could say something along the lines of, I'm looking to get the word out about my book.

Right. If you're an author, think about where your book sits on the shelf. List some books in the same genre as yours, and Google the names of the authors of these books with the word podcast. You can do the same with coaches or business owners in your niche.

Then make a list of the podcasts, which appear in the search, and start exploring those that you found are any a good fit for you. Okay? I hope that's giving you some good ideas of places you can start looking.

It's really important that you're comfortable. I was speaking to one of our clients recently and she said that she likes to wear a fairly plain outfit. But add some jewelry if she's on camera. Sometimes if I'm just recording audio, I'll be wearing a hoodie. Today I've got an afternoon full of different calls where I'm gonna be on camera a lot for Zoom.

So I'm recording the podcast and I've made sure that I look reasonable. I've even done my hair.

The sweet spot's usually 20 to 40 minutes, something around that area. Some will be a full hour. The best advice I can give you is to look at the previous episodes of the show. If you're booked to be a guest, that'll give you a good idea of how long these episodes last for, and a host is likely to tell you what to expect, cuz they're gonna wanna make sure that you're free for all that time, particularly if it's a long one..

Okay. How are we doing for time? Right? I think we've got time to get one more question in for this episode. . Number five, what are some tips for being an engaging and interesting guest on a podcast?

this one's so important because you want to be an engaging guest. Somebody that a listener wants to connect with afterwards, and you want them to remember what you said. So my number one tip here is share stories, because we remember stories so much more than we remember facts. This is gonna help listeners recall you.

When we're hearing a story, our brain is lighting up. And you have all these neurons that are wiring together, which triggers us to remember more of the information we are hearing. Makes sense? So this is where showing up to an interview prepared is gonna help. You might wanna make some bullet point notes. This can be helpful if the host has given you advanced questions or if they haven't, identify stories you could share to illustrate those points. Do your best not to ramble and to show some enthusiasm for the topic that you're talking about, and it's really key. Listen [00:14:00] to what the host is asking you.

I know this is one of Ed Kless who is the host of the Sage Podcast's. Biggest tips, listen and answer. The question you're being asked can be hard when you're nervous, so just to pay extra attention. And as we mentioned before, it's really good practice to use the host's name and the show name to create rapport.

Most importantly, try your best to relax and enjoy the conversation. Remember, a podcast interview isn't a test. We shouldn't really even call it an interview it's a conversation. And if you are relaxed and you're having fun, your personality is going to shine through. Okay. Well, thank you so much for listening to this episode.