The answer to this question is a resounding yes! Being a guest on someone else’s podcast can prove advantageous to your podcasting career. How could you ask; being a guest on other podcasts can enhance your status with your own audience as an expert in your field. It shows that other people within your industry respect you enough to expose you to their audience.
However, before jumping on this bandwagon; you need to make sure that the show you appear on is the right one for you. Never agree to appear on a show that doesn’t fit your brand, just nonchalantly. You are more likely to make huge profits if the show you appear on is similar in content and audience to yours. Later, after you’ve been interviewed, be sure to share your interview links with your listeners. After all, you want to get the most out of this experience. Therefore, you need to strategize to ensure that you are at the top of your game.
How to be a star guest
1. Get ready: Pay close attention to your message. Practice delivering a few key points beforehand. This will ensure that your content is fresh in their minds and will appear more fluid and cohesive. Being prepared will increase your confidence. Believe it or not, confidence can be detected in your tone, so you want to be as confident as possible. You will then communicate to the audience that you are, in fact, a credible guest.
However, keep in mind that you need to strike a balance in your preparation. You don’t want to be too prepared when you appear unnatural or sound like you’re following a script. Ideally, you’ll want to have some chemistry with the interviewer. Listen to a few episodes of the podcast if you’ve never done it before. This will give you an idea of the audience. In this way, you can design your content to suit the audience of the interviewers.
Prepare at least two stories that you can relate at an appropriate time. Remember that you should aim to be interesting and unique, not dull or boring. You can even refer back to previous episodes where you can relate. This will give the impression that you are a fan of the show. Also, make sure you come across as genuine, as this will help you connect better, not only with the audience, but also with the host.
two. Act as professional as possible: One of the most important aspects of professionalism is punctuality. Being on time shows that you respect the time of others. Always show good manners. Be sure to refer to the host by name. Remember to say thank you at the beginning and end of the show. It also never hurts to follow up with an email or thank you note.
Be sure to brush up on your public speaking skills to avoid overuse of ‘ahhhh’, ‘ummm’ and ‘you know’. You want to leave your host impressed enough to ensure the likelihood of your returning in the future. In addition, you also want to leave the audience enthralled, entertained, or informed enough to pique their curiosity about you.
3. Relax and have fun: It’s probably just as hard being a guest as being the host of a podcast. However, that is no reason to sweat, or make a fuss. Just go to the bathroom before you start, just in case. Hydrate beforehand and even take a bottle of water with you. Dry mouth can affect speech, which will definitely show up in your audio. Engage in the conversation by being engaging. This will prevent nervousness. Follow this advice, and in the end, you’ll feel like two friends having a good chat.
Four. Promote the episode: Once the episode you’re a guest on is uploaded, promote it everywhere! And tag the host on social media too. Not only do you benefit, but the host also benefits (and sees your posts). Now it becomes a win-win situation. You earn by being exposed to your host’s audience. The host benefits from the exposure gained from their promotion. No matter how successful the host or how popular their podcast is, everyone is always looking for more listeners! Also, don’t forget to leave links to your interview on your podcast. This adds to your credibility and authority with your audience.
5. Use a hundred microphones: A good podcast episode is often defined by how good it sounds (it is an “audio” podcast, after all!) Try to make sure your audio is of the best possible quality. You don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money on equipment, but get something that is of value. Also note the surrounding background. Make sure you are in a quiet place where the recording can be done with as little background noise as possible. Remember, some podcasts are often transcribed. The better the quality of the audio, the easier it will be to transcribe it. It’s also a good idea to use a webcam in case the host needs to use snippets of you for promotional purposes.
Being a guest on a podcast should be considered a great honor. What it says is that someone respects you enough to want to hear what you have to say on a certain topic. He says the podcast host trusts you enough to introduce you to his prized base of loyal listeners and subscribers.
Therefore, you should appreciate the opportunity enough to go all out and put on a good show. Once you are invited, never prepare a script. Be enthusiastic and always keep the audience in mind. Read a few reviews if you need to, to get an idea of what makes them tick. Avoid rambling and try to keep your answers short and sharp. At the end of it all, be absolutely prepared to market yourself. Once you’re connected with your host’s audience, they’ll want to know more about you; so get ready to make a call to action and tell your listeners how to find you.
