How to be a terrific podcast guest

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I did, until I came down with the flu. I’m grateful my voice is back; I’m sure my energy level can’t be too far behind.

Many of you enoyed the interview on show 100, with Ann Handley and CC Chapman, authors of Content Rules. If you’re looking to publish content for your marketing efforts this year, I highly recommend their book.

I’ve been doing lots of podcast interviews for clients recently, which led to the topic of today’s podcast: being a terrific podcast guest.

You can download the MP3 audio file for this podcast if you wish by clicking here. Or you can subscribe to the Trafcom News Podcast in iTunes. Or you can listen by clicking below.

Here are the shownotes:

00:01 Intro and welcome

01:32 If you've written a book or ebook or you are a consultant or speaker, chances are you'll be a podcast guest. Here are some tips to make the experience worthwhile.

02:00 Do your research. Is the podcast a good fit for you? Ask what the angle is. Don't expect all questions in advance. Do not write out and read your answers.

03:45 Sounding great: Don't talk too fast. Get the technology out of the way early.  If you need to learn to use Skype, do so well before the interview.

05:24 Get the gear you need. Buy a microphone and headphones. Learn to use them.

06:55 Remove ambient noise, including pets.

07:56 Tell stories, but be sure they're not too long.

08:24 Don't worry about pauses. Breaks between questions and answers will help the podcaster to edit the file.

08:45 Follow up with the podcaster. Link to the finished podcast.

Comments are welcome! Email donna AT trafcom DOT com.

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available here.

 

Comments

[Pgeorgieva]

Hi Donna,
Being a terrific podcaster is an interesting topic and I wanted to thank you because you've given pretty useful tips. Especially the one about the pauses which I consider it's very important in order to sound more listening-friendly.
Best wishes,
Petya
http://higher-and-higher.com/

[Darran Clements]

Thanks for this Donna, really interesting content on podcasting. I think you've covered most things. I'd also say that we schedule some extra time so that our interviewer can talk to the guest beforehand as many are still nervous even though they may be really familiar with presenting in public, so a "run-in" time before the interview is good for ironing out not only technical issues but also the nerves and stresses of taking part. Also we ran (in the true spirit of podcasting) a 3 part guide to podcasting in the summer (http://www.microsperience.com/?p=2192) just to help our guests prepare and pass on some of the lessons we've learned over the last couple of years of doing B2B podcasts to anyone interested.

[Donna Papacosta]

Darran, yes, I think it's important to budget those extra minutes to chat before hand. As a podcaster, I also like to keep recording even after the interview ends, because guests often say something interesting then! I will check out your site. Thanks for commenting.

[Queersotv]

Donna,

Wonderful show. Petya and Darren make some great points, too, and I will absolutely keep in mind informing guests about pregnant pauses.

As a podcaster, I find it helpful to send interviewees a FAQ, as well as do a pre-interview, where we talk about the interview time allotment, topics to be discussed, etc. Would it be okay if I include a link to this (mp3) interview?

Happy New Year!

[Donna Papacosta]

Thanks. The pre-interview is an excellent idea. Feel free to include a link.

Cheers,
Donna

[Melitsa]

Terrific tips Donna. As a podcaster, I find the best guests have listened to the show before and have a good angle rather than a one size fits all set of questions or topic they want to speak to. They are flexible and we're both accommodating.

I do think most people underestimate what it takes to get from raw interview to finished podcast in time and really want to know audience size and when it will air only.

When I would say that promotion is a vital part that needs a consistent approach from at least one of the parties.

I'd love for you to speak more specifically on ways to encourage guests to share their interviews once published.

[Donna Papacosta]

That's a good point, Melitsa. Sometimes your guest will NOT promote the podcast at all, because they don't want to be seen as "SELF" promoting. But this is not really fair to you. At other times, they're busy and just don't think of it.

I have to confess that in a few cases, I have not promoted podcasts I've been on because I thought they were poorly done and would not show podcasting in a good light. But that's rare. I think you have given me an idea for a future blog post or podcast. Thank you for commenting.

[Logo Design]

The interview with dialect coach Annik Foreman, PhD is great. Truly our accent is an important part of our image as a communicator. Much thanks for the share.