Podcasting is becoming more popular. There are more people throughout America listening to podcasts than ever before, and between 2015 and 2016 it grew by 23%. It’s also a great way to improve your online reputation because you can be interviewed as an authority in your field. You’ll find that your online reputation monitoring efforts are far more positive after this.
There are lots of good reasons why you should be podcasting, but you have to perform at your best in order to get the most out of it.
So how do you act as a great podcast guest to promote your services on the Internet?
Never Cancel
The fact that you have been invited for a podcast interview is a huge compliment, and you should be grateful for it. Cancelling will make sure that you never get invited again because it’s incredibly difficult to replace a guest short notice. Unless you’re seriously ill, this is just something that you should never do.
Remember that the host is likely paying for the podcast platform and the air time, so this is not something you should do lightly.
Be Early
Podcasting normally takes place over a phone connection, so you should dial in well before the official time the podcast starts at. This can also allow the hosts to perform tests, so they are sure everything is working. It’s also a great way to avoid feeling nervous because you can talk to the host as if they’re a friend from the beginning.
And whatever you do don’t be late. The host may be able to stall for you, but it’s painfully obvious when this is happening.
Shut Up
Just because you’re the guest doesn’t mean that you should rattle on forever and a day. Every so often you should shut up to draw breath and to allow the host to speak again. Nobody wants to listen to someone who does nothing but talk. They want to be able to digest what you’re saying.
Furthermore, the more you talk the bigger the chances you have of messing up. Keep things short and concise so this doesn’t happen to you.
Should You Bring Notes?
Notes are a great way to make sure that you hit upon all your key points, but they can also get in the way if you have an entire script written out for you. You should have a single piece of paper with nothing more than the basics.
Try to allow your natural passion and enthusiasm to do the talking for you. The last thing a podcast audience wants to listen to is you fumbling over your words. The listeners don’t want to hear you rustling your papers or hunting for that point you had on page twelve.
Don’t sound mechanical and don’t sound robotic because of your notes.
Steer Clear of Anything Controversial
Unless you are speaking personally as a firebrand, the worst thing you can do is to start talking about anything too controversial. Keep your political preferences to yourself and try not to talk about anything that’s going to upset someone.
Controversy can work in small doses, but you risk damaging your company’s reputation. You don’t know whether this podcast audience is going to react well to you. It can easily go horribly wrong, and you don’t want to be banned from appearing again.
Prepare Well
Earlier on, we discussed the need to not have too many notes because you risk being too prepared. On the other hand, you also need to make sure that you aren’t just appearing for the podcast with no idea what you’re doing. This is not an informal chat. You want your listeners to take something away from proceedings.
Preparing well means that you have to be able to rehearse some of the script and you have to have some bullet points. The host will have these as well.
It’s always worth getting in touch with the podcast host well in advance so you can get an idea as to what they want to talk to you about.
Conclusion
You should remember that being a podcast guest is a privilege, not a right. It’s a golden opportunity that you have to be able to take with both hands.
At the same time, this is something that you should be able to have a good time with. Don’t act as if you are about to walk to the gallows. Have a fantastic time and jump into it with both feet. You may be nervous, but it won’t be anywhere near as bad as you think.
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