Podcasting has soared in popularity over the last decade. In 2013, only 7% of the United States population ages 12 and over listened to podcasts weekly, compared to 2024, when 34% are tuning in to a podcast each week. Alice Draper, the founder of Hustling Writers, helps her clients land podcasting opportunities since they’re in such high demand. “[Podcast guesting] cuts through the attention economy because people scroll very quickly on social media… and you have at most two seconds of people’s time,” she says. “Podcasting builds trust in a way that other media doesn’t. People really get to sit with you for a long time and hear your stories, your expertise.”
You know the basics: steady Wi-Fi, a good mic, a quiet space to minimize background noise… but what else sets an excellent podcast guest apart?
Here are five insider tips to help you shine as a podcast guest
1. Know your host
There’s a good chance that whoever is listening to the podcast is a fan of yours and will go where you go, listening to new podcasts just because you’re a guest. However, there’s also the opportunity to tap into brand-new audiences who aren’t familiar with you and your work, and that’s a great motivator to land podcast appearances. In these instances, the listener isn’t a fan of yours—yet. That’s why doing your homework about the podcast and the podcast host matters.
Leadership coach Kelli Rae Thompson has appeared on almost 100 podcasts and panels, and she prepares for podcast appearances by reading the podcast’s description, as well as scrolling through previous guests and topics to gauge what the host likes to talk about and who they speak to. She then listens to several episodes to get a sense of their style. “A lot of podcast hosts do a rapid fire at the end… if you just zoom to the end… you’ll know if they have a signature question that you can prepare for.”
It’s easy to feel intimidated, especially if you’re new to podcast guesting. Your confidence may not be on par with the host, but they also make mistakes. “I’ve been on plenty of podcasts where the podcast host isn’t perfect,” Thompson explains. “They fumble… they go down a weird line and even… tell their technical people [to edit something out]. So, just know that in all of your pressure to be perfect on a podcast, it’s highly unlikely that the host is going to be perfect. Let yourself off the hook.”
2. Know your audience
When pitching yourself, look at who’s been interviewed before to get a sense of what listeners are interested in. Draper appreciates it when guests on her podcast, My Rejection Story, chat with her in the green room beforehand, mentioning several of the stories they have in mind and asking which stories Draper’s audience is most likely to enjoy. However, Draper advises only doing this after spending time researching the podcast. “[Say something like] I’m assuming your audience is people who want to grow their business, or whatever it is, and then [the host] can correct you [if that’s inaccurate].”
Peruse the podcast’s reviews to see what listeners have to say about it, like which episodes they’ve loved. Browsing the host’s social media can also be useful to get to know the listeners by looking at the comment section. “[You have] 30 to 60 minutes to make a good impression to a complete stranger who knows nothing about you,” Draper says.
3. Don’t go for the hard sell
While growing your audience to sell your book or course may well be the reason you pitched yourself as a podcast guest in the first place, you should never hard sell. “Put yourself in the shoes of a listener,” Thompson suggests. “When you’ve listened to a really valuable podcast, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, this person is amazing.’ And then you Google the person, and then you [take action by buying a book or course, etc.]”
Draper agrees. “The best selling you can do is to just be a great guest.” She also recommends preparing a lead magnet that reflects the content of your pitch if you’re looking to harness your podcast appearance to grow your audience and mailing list. “[The best performing lead magnets] speak to a very specific pain point that the audience faces.”
Both Draper and Thompson advise saving the “sell” for the end and having a polished (but brief) pitch prepared that makes it easy for someone to seek you out. “I can’t think of one where the podcast host didn’t ask me, ‘Kelly, where can people find you?’… That is your opportunity,” Thompson says.
4. Prepare, but don’t overprepare
There’s no need to listen to 20 episodes, nor should you take the list of questions (if the host sent them in advance) and prepare lengthy answers.
“People can detect if you sound like you’re reading a script. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t prepare,” Draper says. She advises having several stories in bullet-point form beside you, along with key statistics or research references that are applicable, easy enough to glance down while chatting in a natural way.
Thompson agrees. “[It works] against you to memorize because [it] may sound rehearsed. So, instead, a better tip that just gives us a little bit more flexibility and freedom, is… remember [your] key bottom lines… four key points that [you] want to make.”
Podcast guesting is also a great way to hone your messaging. You might feel uncomfortable initially, but by the time you’ve done a few, you’ll have a great sense of what stories resonate. And if you feel nervous, that’s OK! “When you feel doubt and nerves before you… go on a podcast, that’s a good thing because it means that you actually care about your audience,” Thompson says.
5. Remember it’s a conversation, not an interview
Remember that the listener may be a big fan of the host and wants to hear them too. “As a host, it’s really awful when a guest talks for 10 minutes because you know you’re losing the listener at this point,” Draper says. “Keep your answers two to three minutes; [otherwise] you’re losing that conversational essence.”
The best way to keep the conversation going? Active listening. “The best thing that you can do is just be a great listener.… Focus on connection over perfection,” says Thompson.
Draper also suggests not holding back anything juicy. “The thing that really will hook people in is hearing your story… [as well as] data, research, learning new things and then blending that with actionable tips.”
If you’re nervous about your public-speaking abilities, Thompson advises using an app like Yoodli to practice key stories and iron out errors. She also advises podcast guests to relax, provided it’s not a live show. “They edit all [stumbles and errors] out.”
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