Podcasts can be an amazing way to get your message and your business out into the world. What better way to attract clients then let them hear how witty and intelligent and, frankly, how awesome you are to spend time with?
But if podcasts are going to play a big part of your publicity or marketing campaign, do you know how to maximize the potential returns for your efforts? Do you know how to be the kind of guest who a host enthusiastically invites back for more?
Well, now you do.
Key Points:
- Request the rules & check your audio (3:05)
- Check the language policy (4:57)
- Can you get a do over? (5:35)
- Listen before you guest (6:52)
- Be concise but chat! (7:50)
- Recognize a podcast is a tool (8:30)
- Be effective - know your messaging (9:10)
- Prepare! (9:42)
- Ask for the theme or topic (10:44)
- Know how people can contact you (12:49)
- Promote. Again. And some more. (13:41)
Also Mentioned:
- 10 Places to get Publicity, Even with Zero Budget (https://www.janicefogarty.com/discover-10-places-to-get-free-publicity-even-though-you-have-zero-budget)
- E19, an interview with Stacey Tompkins, photographer (https://shows.acast.com/connections-coffee-confidence/episodes/headshots-philosophy-and-a-mic-drop-moment)
- Don't Waste Your Breath guide on messaging (https://janicefogarty.podia.com/dont-waste-your-breath-get-your-best-message-across)
- How to be an Amazing Podcast Guest checklist (https://www.janicefogarty.com/how-to-be-an-amazing-podcast-guest)
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Transcript:
Well hello and welcome to the fiftieth episode of Connections Coffee and Confidence with me, Janice Fogarty. And if this is your fiftieth or your first episode, I’m thrilled to bits and pieces to have you here with me.
I went down a bit of a rabbit hole trying to research and find some new stats, I do have a fondness for data and there are new numbers from 2020, but all I could find is the old stat that most podcasts never make it past episode fourteen and many don’t make it past one. And that apparently my average download numbers are not considered good.
So, let me say again how much I appreciate you being here and if you could recommend me to a friend that would be brilliant! Thank you.
This week’s episode follows the podcast theme but, true to form, I’m coming at it from a strategic and business minded standpoint. Let’s talk about being a good podcast guest.
INTRO
There are over two million podcasts and roughly 48 million episodes currently floating out there, according to Apple as of April 2021. And I always recommend podcasts as an undervalued opportunity for publicity for your business. (It’s in my freebie about 10 free ways to get publicity, which I’ll link to in the shownotes.) So if I recommend you use a podcast as a way to grow your business, obviously you then need to be a guest. But what do I mean by being a good guest?
It breaks down into two different aspects, one I view as being an actual guest. The person who is going to guest on an episode and provide interesting and informative content to my audience, or any audience but for the sake of simplicity, I’ll speak as if it’s for my show. Trust me, what I am about to talk about are not just my opinions, they have been echoed by a multitude of other podcasters in the various places we hang out.
So as a person who is about to go on a show, you should know there are probably some minimum expectations on you. You should ask if the podcaster has a form with technical requirements, for example. And if they don’t, please ensure that your sound is good. I can almost guarantee that your laptop mic is not going to work in your favour. You no doubt have amazing things to say but you might as well save yourself the effort because no one will be able to hear you. It’s frustrating for the podcaster, it’s frustrating for you when you hear the episode and realize no one can hear you, and it can cause a lot of extra work and sometimes money for the podcaster to equalize the sound; this is an audio form of entertainment, if the sound isn’t great, there really isn’t much else going for it.
Many of us record over Zoom. You have the link, get your audio testing out of the way before the host shows up. Sometimes life happens and you race in to the meeting by the skin of your teeth, I get that, but it’s nice when you have the chance to have the fiddling about finished up. Like I say, it doesn’t always work out that way but it’s better to be calm and not flustered from your tech goofing up.
Oh yeah, be prepared for the tech to goof up. Episode 19 with photographer Stacey Tompkins was a disaster, tech wise. My laptop overheated two or three times, shutting down completely often mid sentence. Stacey was brilliantly patient and kind while I sorted my issues out and that kind of grace puts someone high on the recommendation list when podcasters are talking about guests.
If you know you tend to have a potty mouth, ask what the language policy is. Then stick to it. I swear in real life, sometimes quite creatively. But not on my podcast. Swearing means we need to label our episodes differently before getting them uploaded for distribution and this can sometimes impact the amount of listeners the podcast will be shared with due to algorithms.
You can also ask about the re-do policy. I tell people up front that if they need to rephrase something or need to take a second to think, then to go for it. Lift a hand, be silent for a moment to make the editing easier, and try again. I don’t have a problem because I want my podcast to always be a positive experience for people, and because I do my own editing. However, I’m a bit of a rarity apparently, most people outsource their editing and that means the more editing that needs doing, the more money it costs the podcast to get a finished product. And if you feel like you shouldn’t have said something, a bit of speakers remorse, contact the host ASAP. Do not wait. Unless there is a legal implication of what you said, you will be at the mercy of the host’s good graces. I have a waiver that states I have final say in the edit; my guests all agree to that before they get on my show. It’s pretty standard and a podcast is a time-consuming process so to go back once the podcast is in the editing phase or later, it needs to be a major issue.
I can’t recommend this enough but listen to the podcast before you go on. Check it out. All podcasts have some sort of social media or internet presence. Check out who is listening, what the reviews say, and listen to an episode or two. Or three. If the podcast is a mix of interviews and solo episodes, make sure you listen to at least one interview. There are so many benefits to this tip such as learning the interview style, potential questions and episode flow. These are all tips that will help you prepare to show up as a top notch guest because you’ll be ready for those surprise questions, or if the host always drills questions without chit chat or whatever. And when you see who is listening, what they are saying, you’ll have an idea of what kind of stories or value you should be prepared to bring in order to make yours a well reviewed episode.
And hey, talk. This is not the time for brevity. Be concise, don’t waffle on about nothing relevant or interesting, but chat. Be yourself. If you enjoy telling stories, tell stories that usually get a good laugh or that demonstrate a point you’re trying to make. Use the host’s name, reference the title, those are two things that will score you bonus points with the host and might get you invited back on because you’re showing recognition of the importance of their branding. You’re being generous and generosity always plays well.
The other way I mean being a good guest has to do with using the podcast effectively as a tool. Effectively, not obnoxiously. There is some skill to this and I’m very happy to work with you should you be interested in honing your messaging and delivery before you begin guesting. My contact details are in the shownotes, pop me an email. Alternatively you can download my Don’t Waste Your Breath messaging guide. It walks you through creating your messaging that you can then use for going on a podcast, writing your emails or website copy, or creating social media copy.
Because being effective means having your messaging prepared. You may not be guesting to discuss your business but if you have a business, you could potentially get clients or customers out of your episode. So you want to present yourself as collected and competent. This is the same as any other piece of strategic communications, know your goal going into it. That goal will help you with your messaging, define the stories you tell, and guide how you answer questions you weren’t prepared for.
Going back to my advice about listening to a few episodes before going on, this gives you the chance to get used to the host’s style. You always want to fit their flow as best as you can, it’s their show. But there is a way to do it so you can show yourself off in your best light; this requires preparation especially if the podcaster’s style is different to yours. You need to be able to easily slide your answers into the relevant questions. Really good politicians are masters at this; no matter the question thrown at them, they have their answer. It;s their messaging and they just reuse it to answer everything and get their point across. If something is edited beyond recognition, whatever clip is used will ultimately get their message out for them. It’s a beautiful thing to watch when you know how hard it is to do it! Try and see how you can work on that skill.
Now this tip is a bit controversial, see how it sits with you and use it if it feels right. You can always ask for questions or at least a theme or topic before the interview. If you have pitched yourself to the podcast, you have likely provided a sample of the topic you want to talk about. If you have been invited on, you will probably be told what the topic is. But sometimes the information just isn’t forthcoming. And it’s okay to ask. The controversial part is asking for the questions or suggesting questions of your own. Some podcasters are fussy about questions. Some don’t use them. Some are very protective of the integrity of their podcast and don’t want to feel like they are being influenced as to the topic covered. I always have questions and provide them to my guest when I send them the waiver; they are in the same document. Because I approach each episode with my PR hat on, I want to enable and encourage my guests to promote their business, usually while I pry into how they got started and their communications practises. It’s a mutual relationship, from my perspective; I let you the listener hear how someone else is running their business and they can promote themselves. But I am not the typical host. Most aren’t going to design their questions to elicit specific information to help their guests promote themselves, that onus is mostly on you the guest to do so. If you have something specific that you want to discuss, respectfully request to do so. Explain why it’s of interest to the audience, or how it brings value to the discussion. And if they say no, don’t try and bring it in through the back door during the interview. You can be edited or the episode may never be heard. Just because you are interviewed does not mean the episode will be aired. It’s the podcaster’s show, their decision to upload an episode or not.
My second last tip seems basic but it’s worth repeating. Know how people can get in touch with you. Some people have a linktree or something that provides all of the relevant information and it’s easy enough to say that out but if that’s not you, that’s ok. Know your Twitter or Instagram, Facebook, website, whatever. Decide ahead of time how you want people to contact you and provide that information. It’ll probably go in the shownotes but lots of people never think to go to them so say the important ones out loud for those listening on their phone so they can jump on Google and check you out. If appropriate, offer a freebie or a discount code or something to entice the audience into your world. But be ready to do it when the time arises.
And finally, promote. Promote it on your personal spaces, your business spaces. Promote it when you are interviewed. Promote it when it goes live. Promote it a month later and a few months later. Then feel free to promote it again. When you as a guest promotes your episode, the ripple effect of the benefits are wonderful both for you in terms of added credibility, the opportunity to give potential clients a taste of working with you, the free content for your feeds, and the appreciation of the host who is more likely to invite you back or recommend you to other podcast hosts, but also for the host who benefits from additional exposure and potential new audience members as well as potential new guests. Basically, it’s a good thing to promote your episode more heavily than you think is appropriate.
So there you go. How to be an amazing podcast guest, both as a guest but also as a business person. A podcast is an opportunity to grow your business and your communications skills, skills that are essential for the longevity of your business and transferable to whatever you do in your life. Take advantage of the opportunity! Test out these tips and tag me on Instagram, @janiceefogarty let me know what you’ve tried and how they work for you. Thanks for spending my fiftieth episode with me and I’ll chat with you next week.
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