How can you choose the best guests for your podcast?

Always (ALWAYS) keep your audience in mind when either requesting or approving a guest. Your interests and the guests interests are minor parts in the decision process. The ONLY thing that matters is your audience. If you do not provide information that benefits them - they will not listen. No listeners = no podcast. You'd just be talking into the air.

Before inviting a guest to your show, use this simple checklist to ensure they're a good match for your audience: 1. Assess if the guest aligns with your audience's interests. 2. Confirm that the guest is articulate 3. Offers a unique perspective. 4. Bonus: The guest is popular To prepare: - Read any books they've authored. - Explore their blogs and publications. - Dive into their social media to understand their viewpoints and how they think. During the interview, approach with curiosity as if you're learning alongside your audience, even though you've done your homework. A tip: compile all your research in Evernote and organize it before the interview. This ensures you're well-prepared yet natural in your conversation.

Always do your own research on upcoming guests in preparation for your interview. I will usually check out their website and social media sites. I look for something interesting but probably not discussed very much. I'll ask a question somewhere towards the end of the interview (after hitting all the "major points" needed) that discusses this background. A question such as, "Is it true you were lost in the Amazon rain forest for three days?" or " Tell us about this pink duck you have as a pet..." The response is I usually get is a bit of laughter and then a comment like, "Wow - I've never been asked that before... you really do your research!" THAT's the response I shoot for!

See if they’ve been on any other podcasts or if they have a podcasts of their own. Maybe look for YouTube Videos as well to see if they have a nice voice.

See if they’ve been on any other podcasts or if they have a podcasts of their own. Maybe look for YouTube Videos as well to see if they have a nice voice.

Reaching out to podcast guests can be a challenge. We love to use the phrase "pleasantly persistent". It might take several touch points to nail down a guest - particularly if they're busy and on a lot of shows. Making it easy for them can also be a big step in locking in a big guest. By having a calendly link or scheduling app that they can simply book time with you has proven to clutch. In the end, you can always try to show potential guests how being on your show can be a benefit to them or their business.

When approaching guests to appear on your podcast, make it beneficial to THEM. It's always the same: "WIIFM" (What's In It For Me). They may be an author or a business owner or an online marketer, etc. What will this interview do for THEM? That is the only question you need to answer. For example, my podcast is in the Christian niche and I help believers to promote their books, or their business, etc. To help make that point, I'll share I've done almost 900 interviews and we have over 250K downloads and have published over 1400 episodes - all to our Christian audience. This shows them I'm not a "here today - gone tomorrow" podcast and we have a loyal audience who DOES listen to the episodes. That's the type of infor they are looking for.

When preparing guests for being on a show we surprisingly discourage sending them specific questions to prepare for. This can often lead to rehearsed answers or a cold back and forth. That's assuming they read your questions haha! However, encouraging them to prepare 2-3 stories around certain topics not only helps them to feel more at ease while keeping the conversation fresh - it allows your listeners to benefit from hearing great antidotes around your topics.

Getting your guests to share about being on your show is the secret sauce to reaching a larger audience and new network. Sadly, getting them to share isn't always easy. We've found giving them soundbites (:30-:45 clips that are vertically oriented with graphics) are wonderful tools that make sharing about your show easier for you guests.