Being a podcast guest means creating opportunities to promote yourself and your show to new audiences—sounds great, right? As a podcaster, widening the reach of your content is always top of mind. Getting the gig is just the beginning of the guest experience.

In this post, we’ll talk through tips for being a great guest, from marketing yourself to other shows, preparing for a guest appearance, and ideas for completing the post-recording experience.

Marketing yourself as a podcast guest

Being a good podcast guest starts with finding the right shows to partner with and setting yourself up to be discovered by the most hosts possible.

Create a podcast guest one-sheet

A one-sheet is essentially a media kit and resume promoting you as a podcast guest all rolled into…wait for it…one sheet. This asset will also be helpful once you’ve been booked as it includes a lot of info and assets that will be needed to promote the episode.

A one-sheet can be packaged as a PDF or built as a page on your website (learn more about this option below in “Add a promo page to your website.”) and linked to within your email.

Things to include in a one-sheet

  • Headshot: We know they’re never fun to take—but they’re necessary. Your headshot is often used in promotional content for the episode, like episode art, audiograms, and social posts.

    You don’t have to have a professional headshot, but a little good lighting will go a long way to getting a shot you’re happy with. It will also ensure the image is high-quality enough for most uses.
  • Bio/Intro: This section should be written in the third person (as if the host is reading it at the top of the show). Be sure to stick to things that are relevant to the podcast you’re pitching and support you being a good guest for their show.
  • Potential Topics/Questions: Here, you’ll share topics or questions you’d be comfortable speaking to and how you think they would work well for their show and be of interest to their audience.
  • Credits: Brag a little, but stick to the highlights. If there are other shows or publications where you’ve been featured, list a few of them.
  • Contact Info: No brainer, but necessary to list. Include your social media handles as well so they can get to know you a bit more.

Add a promo page to your website

Adding a page to your website promoting you and your work is another great option. You’ll be able to include more engaging assets on your website than on your one-sheet.

Your promo page could include:

  • Audiograms: You know we love them around here! But seriously, audiograms are a great way to help other podcasters get to know you. And, more importantly, hear you, which is a huge selling factor for a podcaster.
  • Videos: Videos of you speaking or vodcasting are great ways to show off your chops as a speaker and build credibility.
  • Podcast Recordings: Rather than only telling people about your guest appearances, you can embed podcast episodes that feature you so they can get the full experience of what you’re like as a guest.
  • Social Feed(s): Pull in your favorite social feed to allow hosts to check you out without having to leave your website.
  • Reviews: You may not have any yet, but you should start building a collection of reviews of you as a guest. Make it super simple for fellow podcasters to review you with a quick Google form that you include in your thank you email post-recording.

Examples of podcast guest pages

These examples are from well-established speakers and podcasters. Remember, you may not have as much content when you first build your page. Take what applies to you and your show, and continue to build your page over time.

Create profiles on sites dedicated to matching hosts and podcast guests

There are many companies dedicated to connecting podcast hosts with potential guests. Most of these sites allow you to create a profile for your show to find guests and a profile for yourself as a guest.

Pre-Recording

Listen to their show

I know it’s obvious, but it has to be said. If you want to give a successful interview and get a feeling for how your stories may fit into their format, you need to familiarize yourself with the show.

Ask for questions ahead of time

While the conversation will hopefully flow naturally, and you likely won’t get to every question, your host should have a list of questions prepared for the interview. It’s perfectly fine to ask for them in advance of recording.

Seeing the questions will help you prepare and better understand what they’re looking for you to cover. It also allows you to make suggestions for additional questions or highlight a few you’d really like to get to.

Prepare notes: stories, points you want to make, topics that would work well for a particular segment

Do your homework. It’s easy to assume that being a guest will come naturally if you have your own podcast and are comfortable on the mic. You know what happens when we assume…

Take ownership in your appearance and prepare for each one individually. Take 15-20 minutes to brainstorm. Then share your notes with your host. These notes can help steer the conversation and ensure you get the best exposure for you and your brand.

Schedule a meet an greet

If your host doesn’t initiate a quick phone call or video session, it’s totally to your advantage to do so. Even talking to them for 10-15 minutes will help you familiarize yourself with the host and their personality and cadence.

This convo would also be the perfect time to practice using the recording software/platform you’ll use during the interview. While you can’t prepare for everything, this quick session will cut down on day-of technical trouble.

Post-Recording

Promote and re-promote

In addition to your own promotion, your host may have some promotional asks of you when the episode is released. You can also ask them for their promotion schedule so you can re-promote their posts and stagger yours.

Be sure to tag your host in all of your promotional posts and ask that they do so in return. Ask your host if there are any hashtags associated with their show, and share the important tags to your audience.

Share the power of audiograms

If your host isn’t using audiograms to increase the discoverability of their podcast content, help us spread the good word! Create a few videos for the episode and share them with your host.

Here’s a great example of an audiogram focused on promoting a guest from the Ordinary Vegan Podcast featuring Björn Öste, co-founder of Oatly.

Thank the host and their team

Don’t stress, but put some thought into this one. A thank you could be as simple as an email or elaborate as a gift or handwritten note. Thank yous are another way to add your personality and brand to the experience. Capping off the experience of having you on their show with a nice note or a signed copy of your book will solidify you in the great guest category.

If you think it’d be a good fit, invite them on your podcast

Finally, complete the podcast guest/host circle of goodwill and invite them on your show. If you were a good fit for their podcast, they’re likely a good fit for yours. Guest appearances work both ways, and audiences often follow their favorite personalities across lots of podcasts on various topics.