Why Podcasters Miss Out on Great Guests

One of the biggest issues that a lot of new podcasters experience is booking guests who just aren’t a good match for their podcast. If you have an interview-format podcast the nothing will kill your show faster than getting someone who isn’t a good match for you. Never book people who are not qualified enough to speak on your topic and also make sure that you do not get people who are not able to communicate a message. You also need to make sure that you avoid people who care about their own needs more than that of your listeners. Sure, saying no to people can be very difficult but at the end of the day, it needs to be done.

Why should a Podcaster Pick you as a Guest?

A lot of podcasters also get a lot of traffic by appearing on podcasts for other people. If you can, you need to try and make sure that you speak confidently on your topics and that you also try to push yourself when it comes to your industry knowledge. If you can do this, then you’ll soon find that you end up being able to appear on other podcasts as well as being able to expand your own reach.

Do Podcasters Pay their Guests?

Podcasters have been known to pay their guests in the past, but you don’t need to. Sometimes, a guest may be willing to appear on your podcast for free, if you are able to help them to expand their reach for their own audience.

How do I Become a Good Guest on a Podcast?

If you want to become a good guest on a podcast then you need to keep things interesting, try and answer the question that you are being asked but don’t drone on too much. Make sure that you are providing constructed answers that add value, and also make the effort to leave room for general conversation too. 86% of podcast listeners make it until the end, so if you’re a good guest, you have the potential to really get good results.

Interviewing a Bad Podcast Guest

Interviewing a bad guest can be exhausting, to say the least. Most people find that they have a very low tolerance for guests as well. It’s common to see podcasters go from saying that they’re willing to interview anyone, to them being way more selective.

Leaving Reviews on Apple Podcasts

Reviews tend to be very helpful when it comes to social proof.  If you ask people to leave reviews for your podcast then this may make you look desperate and it may even make you appear manipulative as well. On top of this, you should know that guests shouldn’t have to jump through all kinds of hoops just so that they can get booked.

Followers on Social Media

This may also seem very manipulative, and desperate at best. If you are working hard to try and impress a potential guest with how popular and famous you are then this will certainly kill that. If you want someone to follow you on social media then try and post things that are actually valuable. Are you looking for a guest for your podcast or someone who just has a big social media reach? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you looking at the follower count on social media, but don’t base your guests on this alone.  You don’t want to look as though you are just interested in people who have followers.

How Big is your Email List?

This may seem that you care far more about size as opposed to substance. Someone who has a big social media following won’t want to be interviewed because they have a big following. Low-quality guests are more likely to lie so that they can get your attention.

Favourite Podcast Episode

Do you want to get a good email list? Or would you much rather have an ego stroke? At the end of the day, not all guests will be people who listen to your podcast. Low-quality guests will go ahead and play the favourite episode card if they are simply not.

Interview Swap

If you think about doing an interview swap then you could well be missing out on huge guests. Don’t ask someone to be on your podcast, simply because you have been invited to be a guest on theirs, or vice-versa.

Common Requests

You have to make sure that you never ask a potential guest to see if they can promote your show. At the end of the day, only a low-quality guest will agree to this. Quality guests know that not all of their episodes will turn out fantastic and therefore are worthy of being promoted. If you do the work and if you end up creating a podcast that is worthy then other people will be interested in this and they will let other people know on their own accord.

Final Thoughts

Every single one of the above requests shows that you do not trust people or that you are simply far more concerned with what you are going to get out of the interview as opposed to the people who are tuning in. If you do not make the effort to treat your listeners well then they will not keep tuning in for you. At the end of the day, podcasting is a long game and if you want to build an audience then you have to make sure that you are delivering great content. If you shortcut this then you are not a match for the people who have chosen to build their audience this way.