Podcasting has soared in reputation during the last decade. In 2013, solely 7% of america inhabitants ages 12 and over listened to podcasts weekly, in comparison with 2024, when 34% are tuning in to a podcast every week. Alice Draper, the founding father of Hustling Writers, helps her purchasers land podcasting alternatives since they’re in such excessive demand. “[Podcast guesting] cuts by way of the eye economic system as a result of folks scroll in a short time on social media… and you’ve got at most two seconds of individuals’s time,” she says. “Podcasting builds belief in a means that different media doesn’t. Folks actually get to sit down with you for a very long time and listen to your tales, your experience.”
You realize the fundamentals: regular Wi-Fi, a great mic, a quiet area to attenuate background noise… however what else units a superb podcast visitor aside?
Listed below are 5 insider ideas that can assist you shine as a podcast visitor
1. Know your host
There’s a great likelihood that whoever is listening to the podcast is a fan of yours and can go the place you go, listening to new podcasts simply since you’re a visitor. Nonetheless, there’s additionally the chance to faucet into brand-new audiences who aren’t conversant in you and your work, and that’s an incredible motivator to land podcast appearances. In these situations, the listener isn’t a fan of yours—but. That’s why doing all of your homework concerning the podcast and the podcast host issues.
Management coach Kelli Rae Thompson has appeared on nearly 100 podcasts and panels, and she or he prepares for podcast appearances by studying the podcast’s description, in addition to scrolling by way of earlier friends and matters to gauge what the host likes to speak about and who they converse to. She then listens to a number of episodes to get a way of their model. “Lots of podcast hosts do a fast hearth on the finish… should you simply zoom to the top… you’ll know if they’ve a signature query which you can put together for.”
It’s simple to really feel intimidated, particularly should you’re new to podcast guesting. Your confidence will not be on par with the host, however in addition they make errors. “I’ve been on loads of podcasts the place the podcast host isn’t excellent,” Thompson explains. “They fumble… they go down a bizarre line and even… inform their technical folks [to edit something out]. So, simply know that in your entire strain to be excellent on a podcast, it’s extremely unlikely that the host goes to be excellent. Let your self off the hook.”
2. Know your viewers
When pitching your self, take a look at who’s been interviewed earlier than to get a way of what listeners are enthusiastic about. Draper appreciates it when friends on her podcast, My Rejection Story, chat together with her within the inexperienced room beforehand, mentioning a number of of the tales they take into consideration and asking which tales Draper’s viewers is almost definitely to get pleasure from. Nonetheless, Draper advises solely doing this after spending time researching the podcast. “[Say something like] I’m assuming your viewers is individuals who need to develop their enterprise, or no matter it’s, after which [the host] can appropriate you [if that’s inaccurate].”
Peruse the podcast’s opinions to see what listeners must say about it, like which episodes they’ve liked. Searching the host’s social media can be helpful to get to know the listeners by wanting on the remark part. “[You have] 30 to 60 minutes to make a great impression to a whole stranger who is aware of nothing about you,” Draper says.
3. Don’t go for the laborious promote
Whereas rising your viewers to promote your e-book or course could be the rationale you pitched your self as a podcast visitor within the first place, you must by no means laborious promote. “Put your self within the footwear of a listener,” Thompson suggests. “Whenever you’ve listened to a extremely useful podcast, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, this individual is superb.’ And you then Google the individual, and you then [take action by buying a book or course, etc.]”
Draper agrees. “One of the best promoting you are able to do is to simply be an incredible visitor.” She additionally recommends making ready a lead magnet that displays the content material of your pitch should you’re seeking to harness your podcast look to develop your viewers and mailing record. “[The best performing lead magnets] converse to a really particular ache level that the viewers faces.”
Each Draper and Thompson advise saving the “promote” for the top and having a cultured (however temporary) pitch ready that makes it simple for somebody to hunt you out. “I can’t consider one the place the podcast host didn’t ask me, ‘Kelly, the place can folks discover you?’… That’s your alternative,” Thompson says.
4. Put together, however don’t overprepare
There’s no have to hear to twenty episodes, nor must you take the record of questions (if the host despatched them prematurely) and put together prolonged solutions.
“Folks can detect should you sound such as you’re studying a script. However that doesn’t imply which you can’t put together,” Draper says. She advises having a number of tales in bullet-point kind beside you, together with key statistics or analysis references which might be relevant, simple sufficient to look down whereas chatting in a pure means.
Thompson agrees. “[It works] towards you to memorize as a result of [it] might sound rehearsed. So, as a substitute, a greater tip that simply offers us a bit of bit extra flexibility and freedom, is… keep in mind [your] key backside traces… 4 key factors that [you] need to make.”
Podcast guesting can be an effective way to hone your messaging. You may really feel uncomfortable initially, however by the point you’ve completed a couple of, you’ll have an incredible sense of what tales resonate. And should you really feel nervous, that’s OK! “Whenever you really feel doubt and nerves earlier than you… go on a podcast, that’s a great factor as a result of it signifies that you truly care about your viewers,” Thompson says.
5. Bear in mind it’s a dialog, not an interview
Do not forget that the listener could also be an enormous fan of the host and needs to listen to them too. “As a bunch, it’s actually terrible when a visitor talks for 10 minutes as a result of you’re dropping the listener at this level,” Draper says. “Hold your solutions two to a few minutes; [otherwise] you’re dropping that conversational essence.”
One of the simplest ways to maintain the dialog going? Energetic listening. “One of the best factor that you are able to do is simply be an incredible listener.… Give attention to connection over perfection,” says Thompson.
Draper additionally suggests not holding again something juicy. “The factor that basically will hook folks in is listening to your story… [as well as] knowledge, analysis, studying new issues after which mixing that with actionable ideas.”
In case you’re nervous about your public-speaking talents, Thompson advises utilizing an app like Yoodli to follow key tales and iron out errors. She additionally advises podcast friends to loosen up, supplied it’s not a dwell present. “They edit all [stumbles and errors] out.”
Photograph by Jacob Lund/Shutterstock
