Influential Introvert: Communication Coaching for Professionals with Performance Anxiety - Be the Perfect Podcast Guest in 12 Steps

Starting point is 00:00:00 Someone wants to interview you on their podcast. Hooray! Now let's make sure that you are bringing your absolute best so the host loves you and so do their listeners. Have you been wanting to start a podcast for a while now, but something's holding you back? Maybe it's fear of putting yourself out there or confusion about the technology. I'm Sarah Mikital and on podcasting step by step, I'll break down how to podcast with a little loving motivation to give you the skills, and the confidence you need to finally launch that show of your dreams. Let's get started. I love all of my podcast guests, but one of my standout favorites is a British travel writer named Mark Elwood, and I interviewed Mark for my perfect day in Manhattan episode of the Postcard

Starting point is 00:00:53 Academy. Mark has been a host of a few different travel podcasts himself, and I always loved listening to him because of the stories and the tips that he shared, but above all, the energy that he brings to everything that he does. In fact, when I interviewed him, he told me a story of feeling very out of place growing up in England because people would say things to him like, who put cocaine on your corn flakes? Because he was so cheery. And then when he was at university, he got a job taking American tourists around Europe. And he realized, oh my gosh, I found my people. And he's been living in New York for almost his entire adult life. So I knew that I wanted to interview Mark. And I was so happy when he agreed to come on my podcast. And then I was just blown away by the effort that he made

Starting point is 00:01:50 to be a great guest. And I'm going to share exactly what he did here. Even though I asked him to be a guest on my show, you can use these tips to be a great guest for whatever show that you pitch to be on. Number one, respond to emails promptly. Mark didn't let days go by without a response. I mailed him a scheduling link to book in our interview and boom, he signed up. Two, listen to the show. Mark said to me, if I were to listen to one episode that best represents your show, what would it be? And so I sent him a link to a show in the format that we would be doing and he listened to it and then he said, totally get it. I know exactly what we're going to be doing. Three, show up early. Be ready to start the interview on time with your headphones on and your mic

Starting point is 00:02:45 ready. For come prepared, I had sent Mark some questions in advance that I knew might require some advanced thought and he actually read those questions and he put thought into his answers, which was wonderful. Number five, bring the joy, as Brendan Bouchard likes to say. I love Brendan Bouchard. You should listen to his podcast. If you don't, they will make your day just feel so much brighter. But anyway, I digress. In your everyday life, you might be super chill and mellow, and that's great. I'm pretty, I'm like that. But when people are listening to your voice and they don't have any visuals, you need to keep their attention by leveling up your energy. Plus, you are happy to be speaking to the host and to their audience.

Starting point is 00:03:35 So let that enthusiasm shine through. Mark was so cheerful. I felt like I was chatting with the best friend. And my listeners felt like I did when I first heard Mark. They were thinking things like, this is the kind of guy I want to hang out with. I want him to show me around to Manhattan. and he's giving us all of these amazing tips. I totally trust him. Six, have a call to action. A good host is always going to ask you, where can people find out

Starting point is 00:04:03 more about you? Mark shared where he was on social media and he spelled out his handles so people would not be confused about where to find him. So have a plan. Do you want to send people to a specific page on your website, perhaps your podcast page with your trailer embedded right up there at the top. Maybe you want to send them to a link of your most popular content, which contains a lead magnet so you can collect their email addresses. Plan where you want to send people in advance. And seven, share the show. Promote the interview on social media, your email newsletter, and your website, and whatever other channels you've got. And now five bonus tips on how to be a great podcast guest. One, ask the host to send you some questions in advance so you can prepare.

Starting point is 00:04:51 You don't need to read these questions word for word and you probably should not, but think about what you want to say and let the host know if there's something that you want to make sure you cover. Two, offer to record your end of the conversation. If you're speaking over Skype, recording locally on your end is going to give you better sound quality. Three, check out the host on social media before the interview. What are they talking about? If they're a good host, they're going to want I build a rapport with you before you record. So help them out a little bit and come prepared with some of your own icebreakers. And the more you know about them, the more comfortable you're going to feel talking to them. And number four, level up your message. Yes, shooting the breeze with a podcast

Starting point is 00:05:35 host can be so much fun. But if you really want to have an impact, bring the discussion back to your mission, vision, and values. And if you haven't listened to episode 19, which was, want to grow your podcast audience, communicate what you stand for. That wasn't just a fluffy fluff episode. Knowing what you stand for and your key messages are the foundation of a memorable and meaningful podcast. Obviously, the whole interview doesn't have to be your grand vision of the world and this super serious conversation. But it's always good if you can share what's important to you in language that people can repeat in language that. resonates with people. And don't worry about having the perfect key messages right off the bat.

Starting point is 00:06:22 Those are things that you can continue to massage until people start latching onto them. And they're going to start repeating your words back to you and saying things like, yes, I loved what you had to say about X, Y, Z. I feel the same way. And those key messages are likely what's going to make a host say yes to you. They're going to check you. They're going to check you out and those key messages should be on your about page. And five, send a thank you email for the opportunity to guest on their show. And here's a bonus bonus. Stay in touch with your podcast host. Comment on their social media, hang out with them in real life, offer to do a podcast swab. I've had a great time interviewing people on my show and then having them interview me on

Starting point is 00:07:09 their show and then we both share both episodes so our audiences get introduced to a new show. And you never know where these relationships are going to lead. I've traveled the world with people who've been on my show. The Postcard Academy has been named Best Travel Podcasts in several places because of the relationships I've built and how people remember me. Remember last week, I said that we shouldn't think about other podcasts as competition. It's not us versus them. And we should never try to interview somebody or to get on someone's show just because they have a big audience and we want to take advantage of that. No, podcasting is a lot more fun when you're in it to have fun and to build relationships. And that is how you build an audience of people who want to

Starting point is 00:07:57 listen to you. Have the conversations that you want to have and that your audience want you to have and the rest will follow. Don't try to chase somebody's audience just for the sake of chasing an audience because that just doesn't work. And that's all from me to do. today, my friends. If you don't have it already, I have made a podcast pitch template for you to help you get on other shows. You can find that at sarah micahatel.com slash pitch. Thank you for listening to podcasting step by step. You are now one step closer to launching that podcast you've been dreaming about, but I want to get you even closer. I created a free guidebook for you with actionable worksheets called Eight Mistakes New Podcasters Make and How to Fix That.

Starting point is 00:08:44 To find that, head on over to sarah micotel.com slash fix. Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free conversation sheet sheet with simple formulas that you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you're in a meeting or just talking with friends. Download it at sarahmicatel.com slash blank no more.

Influential Introvert: Communication Coaching for Professionals with Performance Anxiety - Be the Perfect Podcast Guest in 12 Steps

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