Congratulations, you’ve been booked to be on a podcast. What you do before the interview will go a long way and only takes a few minutes of prep and mental energy.
There are four simple steps to being amazing;
- Step 1 – Be Prepared : Content
- Step 2 – Be Prepared: Technical
- Step 3 – Be The Best You
- Step 4- Be Cool: Relax and Have Fun
The below should help you be the best guest you can be, feel comfortable and have a hopefully good time.
1 – Be Prepared: Content
It seems obvious that being prepared is a key point in being a great guest, but yet common sense is actually not that common. Most podcasters will provide you with the questions in advance. If not, then all you have to do is ask. Asking will show your professionalism and that you are serious about being a podcast guest. Practise and review your talking points and this will go a long way.
2 – Be Prepared: Technical
Being prepared also means setting up your environment and equipment so that you can get the best quality audio. It would be such a waste if you prepared all your content and presented it in the interview to perfection and none of it was captured because your microphone was not set up properly. So make sure to be in a quiet place in your house with strong internet connection and good lighting. Set up your microphone and webcam for Zoom so that it works and is comfortable for you. Do a quick test run on everything to check it is working smoothly and will not be an interruption during the interview.
3 – Be The Best You
No one is more you than you. You were chosen to be a guest because you have knowledge and expert opinions on the subject you know. That’s what the audience wants to hear. Understand your strengths, what you have achieved and what you are interested in. Ultimately understand who you are because no one can bring your voice into the interview better than yourself.
4 – Be Cool: Relax and Have Fun
Take a deep breath and smile. An interview is simply a conversation. There’s no need to over-complicate anything and the host is there to help bring out the best in you. You are well prepared and ready to go. So just have fun with it. Speak as you normally would while talking with a friend and let the conversation flow naturally.
There you have it. In just four super simple steps you will end up being the best guest for listeners and your podcast host. Who knows, maybe you have a career being a guest on podcasts and this is just the start!
