Episode Summary
Being a guest on a podcast is an ideal opportunity to present yourself to a new audience. And if you are working on building your personal brand, organizing a guest appearance can help you a lot. However, scheduling an interview is the easiest part. Most guests, unfortunately, struggle with standing out and fail to provide a memorable experience to listeners. In this episode of Recorded Content, our host, Tristan Pelligrino, shares eight tips on how to prepare for a podcast, what to pay attention to once the host presses the record button, and the importance of posting the episode across social media once the episode is live.
Guest Profile
Name: Tristan Pelligrino
What he does: Tristan is the Co-Founder of Motion and leads the creative execution for all of the shows produced by the company.
Company: Motion
Key Insights
- Prepare for the podcast: As Tristan explains, adequate preparation is the prerequisite for a good episode. Therefore, a guest must familiarize themselves with the podcast’s purpose, its target audience, and the topic they will discuss. Also, it is advisable to prepare the recording environment at least ten minutes in advance so that once the recording starts, everything runs smoothly.
- Then what: Once the recording starts, a guest must think about two things. First, the energy level they want to bring to the conversation. The second one is their CTA (call to action).
- Share the episode across various channels: The final tip for future podcast guests is to consider posting the episode on their social media accounts. That way, the guest builds a rapport with the host and creates a stronger connection with the audience.
Episode Highlights
How to Prepare for a Podcast
- Before you can shine with the listeners, you have to understand who they are and what they’re interested in. The best way I’ve found to get familiar with a specific show is to first listen to the most recent episode. I also feel it’s helpful to go back and take a look at two to three other episodes. Don’t pick random episodes; try to find episodes that may overlap with some of the ideas you plan to share during the interview.
- The second tip I have is to confirm the plan for the episode before hitting record. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to get a list of every single question from the host, but it means that you have an idea of the episode’s objective.
- The third tip that I have in mind builds upon an idea often shared by my friend Joe Ferraro, or America’s podcasting coach. On Joe’s website, damngoodconversations.com, he talks about preparing strategically for a conversation. And one of the things he recommends is pre-identifying stories and examples to share.
- The fourth tip I have is around the background. One of the things Amanda Natividad, the Marketing Architect at SparkToro, suggests is rehearsing your answer to the background question. This is important because you not only want to get the content right on paper, but you want it to come across naturally as well.
- The fifth tip that I have, which is for before recording starts, involves setting up your environment ten minutes in advance.
During the Recording Session
- Tip number six is all about determining the energy level you want to bring to the conversation. It’s essentially the vibe that you want to create for the audience.
- Tip number seven is all about knowing your primary call to action. As a podcast guest, less is always more with your call to action.
Once the Episode is Live
- The very last tip, tip number eight, is to share and promote the episode when it goes live. When an episode is available to the public, it helps to share it from your social accounts or any other distribution channels that you might have, like Slack groups or even a company newsletter.
