In this guide to booking and working with podcast guests, we will explore the importance of guest interviews, how to identify ideal guests, tips for approaching and pitching them, how to prepare for an interview, strategies for conducting engaging interviews, and what to do in the follow-up stage.
The Importance of Guest Interviews
Guest interviews provide you with unique opportunities to connect with your audience through engaging conversations and original content. They help you establish credibility and authority in your niche by building public relationships with industry experts. Put simply, they make you look good! Featuring guests on your podcast will also attract new listeners interested in hearing from other professionals in your niche. By leveraging the existing audience of your guests, you can expand your reach and gain exposure to new listeners. If that wasn’t enough, guests also add variety to your show by introducing fresh perspectives and new voices. This helps keep your show interesting!
How to Find Guests for Your Podcast
When you’re looking for ideal guests for your show, start by defining your target audience and their interests. This will help you understand what your listeners want to hear and who they’d be interested in hearing from. From there, you can research potential guests within your niche (or even beyond it) who align with your audience’s needs. Social media platforms, industry events, and online communities are great places to find potential guests. There are also guest booking platforms designed specifically with this goal in mind. PodMatch and MatchMaker.fm are examples of platforms that allow you to search for podcast guests based on specific criteria and make initial connections.
Approaching and Pitching Podcast Guests
Some pitches happen in person, but as Riverside points out in their article about podcast interview prep, it’s more likely that you’ll be reaching out to potential guests online via email or social media DMs. To craft a message that not only gets seen and opened but also compels a response, you want it to be personal, concise, engaging, and respectful. Personalizing your message is key because it lets the reader know that you have a genuine interest in them and their work. Mention specific projects they have worked on or been featured in to show that you’ve done your research and truly want to build a professional relationship with them. It’s also important to highlight the benefits of appearing on your show; let them know what’s in it for them!
Preparing for the Interview
You did some initial research for your pitch and now you’ve booked your guest so it’s time to go deeper. Familiarize yourself with their background, accomplishments, and any recent projects so that you can ask informed questions and create meaningful conversations. Reach out to your guest to find out if they have a bio they want you to use or if you should prepare one yourself, and ask if there’s anything specific they want to share or promote. Create an interview outline to guide your discussion to keep you on track. You’ll want to make sure to ask questions that will interest your audience. Another part of the preparation stage is making sure they have all the information they need, including instructions for the technical side of things. You don’t want to spend a whole hour interviewing your guest only to find out their audio quality is bad!
Tips for Conducting Engaging Interviews
If you’re nervous about making the jump from solo episodes to guest interviews, here are a few tips to help! First, remember to be an active listener. Create a comfortable environment for natural conversation by showing genuine interest in what your guest is saying and asking follow-up questions. Second, although you’ve created an outline for the interview, try to allow room for spontaneity and organic discussions. Often that’s where the really good stuff is hiding! It’s okay to just let the conversation flow if you feel like you have a good thing going. Finally, encourage your guest to share personal stories and experiences that relate to the episode topic. Listeners love anecdotes! They make your content more relatable and authentic.
What to Do After the Interview
You had an amazing discussion with your podcast guest and your episode is in production. What’s next? Post-interview follow-up and promotion are super important for maintaining professional relationships and growing your show. It’s never a bad idea to send a personalized thank you message to show your appreciation and continue your interaction beyond the episode. You can also share the episode details and links so they know where to find it, when it will go live, and how to share it with their audience. When you promote the episode on your own socials, try to share quotes and snippets from the guest. This is a little insider trick to encourage them to reshare your posts to their stories, increasing exposure for both of you! After the episode airs stay in touch! Collaborating with guests is a great way to expand your network, and a little goes a long way when it comes to maintaining relationships.
Want to learn more about working with guests and expanding your network? Try these:
How to Research Guests Before You Interview Them
Why You Should Network With Other Podcast Hosts + How to Do It
