When setting out to tell the story of the state of podcast interviews, we asked each respondent to give advice to the “other side” of the podcast equation. Hearing from guests on how to be a better host, and understanding from a host how to be a great guest, helps make the podcast world a better place. After looking over tons of advice for podcast guests, we put together some of the great nuggets for you.
Check out 77 pieces of advice for podcast guests from hosts:
- Add value, over-deliver, and know what your interview message is. – Brian Holmes
- Make sure your message is concise. – Marni Battista
- Take a moment to think before answering a question. – Aimee J.
- Know exactly what you’re selling. – Anthony Witt
- Keep it short and practice your message. – Barry Moltz
- Podcasts are entertaining, don’t be boring, don’t talk about yourself. – Brad Farris
- Read the questions before. – Brian Town
- Understand my listener. – Bryan Paul Buckley
- Invest in a decent microphone and TRY to get on as many podcasts as you can. – Carey Green
- Be yourself, ignore the mic. – Chhavi / Sonologue
- Give thoughtful but brief answers to host questions and allow give and take to make a better interview. – Chris McGoey
- Have a good Mic and be present. – Chris Krimitsos
- Be memorable,be editable, practice your public speaking. – Chris Christensen
- Be interesting and original. – Christopher Cumby
- Be legendary & have quality audio/video/internet. – Christopher Lochhead
- Be natural. Tell stories. – Chuck of Devchat.tv
- Practice speaking with authority. – Craig Moen
- Listen to the podcast BEFORE you go on. – Craig Price
- Be yourself and provide quality info. – Christopher Lewis
- Be energetic. – Dan Miller
- Show up prepared and respect the audience. – David Hooper
- Listen authentically. – Denise Griffitts
- Be prepared to talk about your content – don’t make the host drag it out of you. – Derek Champagne
- Have a clear connection. – Doug Parker
- Be prepared with quality mic and be on time. – Doug Sandler
- Get a headset with a microphone. – Douglas Burdett
- Send the host a very specific list of topics or potential questions where you can shine that align with their core audience. – Drew McClellan
- Expound on every answer. – De’Arcy “Trey” Scott
- Listen to the question and don’t interrupt in the middle because you know where it is going. – Elaine Benoit
- Remember that a podcast is a SAFE place where you can be yourself. – Matt Neff
- Talk as if you were talking with me at a coffee shop. – Emil Car
- After research, LISTEN and do not interrupt. – Fred Castaneda
- Listen to the show before you come on. – G. Brandon Cunningham
- Don’t promote your product or program like an infomercial; a good host will present you with that time. – Geoff Nicholson
- Give clear and succinct answers. – Glenn Johnson
- Don’t hold back the good stuff. –Anthony Metivier
- Respect the high quality of audio that the host is trying to provide to their listeners by conducting the interview in a quiet space without distractions and/or background noise or room reverberation. – Antonio Holman
- Be confident and CLEAR and want to help my audience get what they want no matter what. – Jaime Masters
- Show up prepared. – Jaime Jay
- Tell stories AND pause to let the host guide you. – Jake Carlson
- Don’t be pretentious and brag about yourself, and toss it back to the host after 2-3 minutes of talking max. – Jake Jorgovan
- Be open and honest. – Dr. James Kelley
- The episode isn’t about you and the value proposition of your business…it’s about the quality content that you can share that will help the listener get better. – James Carbary
- Come prepared with talking points. – Jamie Meloni
- Relax and have a conversation. – Joe Legaspi
- Don’t sell so hard. Tell more stories. – Joe Saul-Sehy
- Be prepared. – John Lee Dumas
- Connecting to an audience is all about story. Work on how you tell your stories that are compelling, draw people in and allow them to see themselves in the situation or relate to what has gone on in their lives. – John Ramstead
- Don’t use a VA to solicit a guest appearance without them actually having checked out the podcast in the first place. Too many time-waster approaches. – Jon Buscall
- Do not expect that all shows are the same. Do your homework if you expect to do well on the show. – Jordan Harbinger
- Use a quality USB mic at a minimum. – Josh Wade
- Show me that you are my ideal guest. In my case, I am looking for high-performers and achievers that have deep, living spirituality. When it comes to the achieving, I look for guests that have a level of credibility in. – Joshua Ogaldez
- Don’t ramble. – J. Clint Schumacher
- Be prepared. Listen to the show. Bring valuable advice. – Kevin Craine
- Relax we don’t bite. – Kim Baillie
- Put away your jar of M&Ms prior to the interview. – Kim Sutton
- Give space to the host to ask questions. Sometimes they run on and on. Be concise. – Lisa Druxman
- Don’t wing it. – Mac Prichard
- Don’t ask me to guest just because you have a new book. – Mark Asquith
- Have a story. – Mark Podolsky
- Have enthusiasm. – Marty McDermott
- Tell great stories and don’t oversell. – Marty Vids
- Find a quiet location where you can be seated and comfortable for the entire chat. – Matthew Passy
- Be authentic. – Michael Gervais
- Share openly and honestly. – Mike Woodward
- Make sure you are a good fit before sending me a pitch. This is especially true for publicists, I feel they accept for their client without knowing for sure if the client is good with my format. – Millette Jones
- Be yourself and share wisdom. – Nick Lechnir
- Get a good mic and quiet chair. – Nick Pavlidis
- Promote the show that has you on. Everyone wins. So few guests promote. – Paul Kirch
- Make sure you have the bare minimum equipment for usable audio quality. – Jeff Perry
- Know ME, my AUDIENCE, and seek to SERVE, not sell. – Ray Edwards
- Launch before you think you’re ready. You’ll make mistakes regardless of how sure you are that episode 1 is perfect. Start fast and improve as you go. – Raz Shafer
- Prepare. Read the materials I send to you, answer the prep questions thoughtfully, show up filled up – ready to add value to our audience. – Rick Coplin
- Show up early and have a quality mic ready. – Bob Ruffolo
- Soundproof your recording area. – Scott Alan Turner
- Be in a quiet room and don’t fidget with stuff on your desk. And for Gods sake, don’t start typing during the interview. – Wally Carmichael
- Interact with the interviewer and address listeners directly during the interview. – Yann Ilunga
All of this great advice came in from our survey to gauge the state of the industry in 2024. Explore the State of Podcast Interviews report here.
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