77 Pieces of Advice for Podcast Guests from Hosts

When setting out to tell the story of the state of podcast interviews, we asked each respondent to give advice to the “other side” of the podcast equation. Hearing from guests on how to be a better host, and understanding from a host how to be a great guest, helps make the podcast world a better place. After looking over tons of advice for podcast guests, we put together some of the great nuggets for you.

Check out 77 pieces of advice for podcast guests from hosts:

1. Add value, over-deliver, and know what your interview message is. – Brian Holmes
2. Make sure your message is concise. – Marni Battista
3. Take a moment to think before answering a question. – Aimee J.
4. Know exactly what you’re selling. – Anthony Witt
5. Keep it short and practice your message. – Barry Moltz
6. Podcasts are entertaining, don’t be boring, don’t talk about yourself. – Brad Farris
7. Read the questions before. – Brian Town
8. Understand my listener. – Bryan Paul Buckley
9. Invest in a decent microphone and TRY to get on as many podcasts as you can. – Carey Green
10. Be yourself, ignore the mic. – Chhavi / Sonologue
11. Give thoughtful but brief answers to host questions and allow give and take to make a better interview. – Chris McGoey
12. Have a good Mic and be present. – Chris Krimitsos
13. Be memorable,be editable, practice your public speaking. – Chris Christensen 
14. Be interesting and original. – Christopher Cumby
15. Be legendary & have quality audio/video/internet. – Christopher Lochhead
16. Be natural. Tell stories. – Chuck of Devchat.tv
17. Practice speaking with authority. – Craig Moen
18. Listen to the podcast BEFORE you go on. – Craig Price
19. Be yourself and provide quality info. – Christopher Lewis
20. Be energetic. – Dan Miller
21. Show up prepared and respect the audience. – David Hooper
22. Listen authentically. – Denise Griffitts
23. Be prepared to talk about your content – don’t make the host drag it out of you. – Derek Champagne
24. Have a clear connection. – Doug Parker
25. Be prepared with quality mic and be on time. – Doug Sandler
26. Get a headset with a microphone. – Douglas Burdett
27. Send the host a very specific list of topics or potential questions where you can shine that align with their core audience. – Drew McClellan
28. Expound on every answer. – De’Arcy “Trey” Scott
29. Listen to the question and don’t interrupt in the middle because you know where it is going. – Elaine Benoit
30. Remember that a podcast is a SAFE place where you can be yourself. – Matt Neff
31. Talk as if you were talking with me at a coffee shop. – Emil Car
32. After research, LISTEN and do not interrupt. – Fred Castaneda
33. Listen to the show before you come on. – G. Brandon Cunningham
34. Don’t promote your product or program like an infomercial; a good host will present you with that time. – Geoff Nicholson
35. Give clear and succinct answers. – Glenn Johnson
36. Don’t hold back the good stuff. –Anthony Metivier
37. Respect the high quality of audio that the host is trying to provide to their listeners by conducting the interview in a quiet space without distractions and/or background noise or room reverberation. – Antonio Holman
38. Be confident and CLEAR and want to help my audience get what they want no matter what. – Jaime Masters
39. Show up prepared. – Jaime Jay
40. Tell stories AND pause to let the host guide you. – Jake Carlson
41. Don’t be pretentious and brag about yourself, and toss it back to the host after 2-3 minutes of talking max. – Jake Jorgovan
42. Be open and honest. – Dr. James Kelley
43. The episode isn’t about you and the value proposition of your business…it’s about the quality content that you can share that will help the listener get better. – James Carbary
44. Come prepared with talking points. – Jamie Meloni
45. Relax and have a conversation. – Joe Legaspi
46. Don’t sell so hard. Tell more stories. – Joe Saul-Sehy
47. Be prepared. – John Lee Dumas
48. Connecting to an audience is all about story. Work on how you tell your stories that are compelling, draw people in and allow them to see themselves in the situation or relate to what has gone on in their lives. – John Ramstead
49. Don’t use a VA to solicit a guest appearance without them actually having checked out the podcast in the first place. Too many time-waster approaches. – Jon Buscall
50. Do not expect that all shows are the same. Do your homework if you expect to do well on the show. – Jordan Harbinger
51. Use a quality USB mic at a minimum. – Josh Wade
52. Show me that you are my ideal guest. In my case, I am looking for high-performers and achievers that have deep, living spirituality. When it comes to the achieving, I look for guests that have a level of credibility in. – Joshua Ogaldez
53. Don’t ramble. – J. Clint Schumacher
54. Be prepared. Listen to the show. Bring valuable advice. – Kevin Craine
55. Relax we don’t bite. – Kim Baillie
56. Put away your jar of M&Ms prior to the interview. – Kim Sutton
57. Give space to the host to ask questions. Sometimes they run on and on. Be concise. – Lisa Druxman
58. Don’t wing it. – Mac Prichard
59. Don’t ask me to guest just because you have a new book. – Mark Asquith
60. Have a story. – Mark Podolsky
61. Have enthusiasm. – Marty McDermott
62. Tell great stories and don’t oversell. – Marty Vids
63. Find a quiet location where you can be seated and comfortable for the entire chat. – Matthew Passy
64. Be authentic. – Michael Gervais
65. Share openly and honestly. – Mike Woodward
66. Make sure you are a good fit before sending me a pitch. This is especially true for publicists, I feel they accept for their client without knowing for sure if the client is good with my format. – Millette Jones
67. Be yourself and share wisdom. – Nick Lechnir
68. Get a good mic and quiet chair. – Nick Pavlidis
69. Promote the show that has you on. Everyone wins. So few guests promote. – Paul Kirch
70. Make sure you have the bare minimum equipment for usable audio quality. – Jeff Perry
71. Know ME, my AUDIENCE, and seek to SERVE, not sell. – Ray Edwards
72. Launch before you think you’re ready. You’ll make mistakes regardless of how sure you are that episode 1 is perfect. Start fast and improve as you go. – Raz Shafer
73. Prepare. Read the materials I send to you, answer the prep questions thoughtfully, show up filled up – ready to add value to our audience. – Rick Coplin
74. Show up early and have a quality mic ready. – Bob Ruffolo
75. Soundproof your recording area. – Scott Alan Turner
76. Be in a quiet room and don’t fidget with stuff on your desk. And for Gods sake, don’t start typing during the interview. – Wally Carmichael
77. Interact with the interviewer and address listeners directly during the interview. – Yann Ilunga

All of this great advice came in from our survey to gauge the state of the podcast industry. Explore the State of Podcast Interviews report here.

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