Podcasting is different from every other medium because the content isn’t generated by the host.
With a blog, YOU write the content.
With a YouTube channel, YOU talk to the camera.
With a podcast, YOU host the show… and talk with guests.
A bulk of the content comes from your interaction with the guest. That guest might share insights, education, lessons, resources, etc.
Listeners will also subconsciously rate the quality of your show based on the emotional vibe that you give off on the podcast.
For example, you might listen to a podcast and think that the host sounds robotic, candid, and fake. Based on their monotone interaction with the guest, it’s just boring. It’s informative, but boring.
When listening to another show, you might laugh out loud on the street (like a crazy person).
People around you will stare at you, but you can’t help smiling because of something funny that one of the guests said.
Even if it’s an educational podcast, you can come away feeling like you “had a good time” while listening to the show, because of the casual interaction between the host and the guest.
By becoming a better podcast host, you’ll actually build a competitive advantage for your show which sets you apart from everyone else in the marketplace. This article will show you exactly how to do that!
1. Set Your Guest at Ease with This Technique
No one performs well when they’re nervous or anxious. That’s why we don’t really seem like ourselves on job interviews and first dates.
Anxiety is the enemy of authenticity.
It’s your job to make your guest feel relaxed and comfortable while they’re on the show. You want to set their mind at ease, so that they’ll actually forget you’e recording it all.
An easy way to do this is to send over some sample questions to prepare your guest for the interview. They can provide a few bullet points, outlining their answers. This accomplishes a few things, like:
- Makes them feel more ready for the show.
- They have something to “hold on to” if they don’t know what to say
- Gets their brain thinking about the subject matter.
Even if you don’t ask any of these questions, it will make the guest feel more prepared for the interview. You can also use their answers to guide questions if you ever lose your place.
A lot of setting someone at ease happens before the interview and in the early stages. Another simple thing that you can do is get them warmed up before you hit record.
We all go into our pre-programmed way of answering questions that are asked by strangers. You want to bring out their human side. Before the interview goes live, you can:
- Ask them easy personal questions (where are you from)
- Share a funny story
- Get them loosed up talking about non-threatening topics.
Once you go live, you’re going to want to maintain this energy. Don’t switch into an alternate persona. Don’t get all formal all of a sudden. Just transition smoothly as though you’re continuing the conversation.
Primarily, guests are looking to non-obvious cues from YOU about how they should conduct themselves. If you’re super serious, they’ll assume that they should be serious. If you’re laid back and tell stories, they’ll be relaxed too.
One of the things that I’ll purposely do is “mess up” if I feel like the guest is trying to be conscious of every word their saying. If they’re feeling too uptight and like they need to answer every question perfectly, then I’ll mess up and be like “oh man, I can’t think of the word, haha. Anyway…”
This lets them subconsciously that it’s okay to mess up, which will make the more likely to share things that are spontaneous rather than purely logical.
2. Stories are golden
When I first got started with my podcast, I thought that it was aaaall about information. I wanted to ask great logical questions that really go to the root of the information I wanted to share with my viewers.
What I’ve come to discover is that most people get bored when there is too much information, even if it’s good information. They’ll tune out.
The formula for an engaging podcast is simple… get your guests to tell stories (or tell them yourself). Stories will draw listeners in, peak their curiosity, and get them wanting to find out what happens next.
Oddly enough, people tend to remember the lessons from stories more than if you were to just share that lesson with them as though it was a bit of information.
You can use stories to convey tips, lessons, and takeaways. You can also use stories to serve as a mental “break” after going super in-depth with some logical explanation. Stories are emotionally recharging and allow us to get back to processing more information.
Finally, stories can be used to build an emotional relationship with your listener. After hearing a story, the listener might think “I want to be like that!” or “wow, I respect __ a lot more.”
It’s a non-invasive way to share more personal information with the audience. If you were to just tell them “I like the color green. My favorite movie is Star Trek. I dated this one girl in high school named Tina,” they’d be like…
… okay… why do I care?
But, if they picked up that information through a story, they’d be like “huh, I didn’t know mark liked Star Trek.”
It’s powerful man!
The only way you’ll get your guest to tell stories is through the use of questions. You’ll have to alter the questions that you ask them to elect stories. Examples include:
- Tell me the story of…
- What did it feel like…
- What happened leading to…
- Describe ___….
- Where were you at that point in your life…
- What was the moment when…
3. Be One With The Audience
You need to be in the audience’s head throughout the show.
If the guest says something that is very technical, ask them to explain it. If the guest says something that would elicit a question, ask it.
Always be reminding yourself what the audience might be feeling at this moment in time and what might be on their mind while hearing the information.
A listener is there for a reason. He or she wants to get something out of the podcast episode. They’re seeking out tips, advice, or they’re bored and want to be entertained.
By getting inside the mind of the audience, you’ll be able to ask much better questions of your guest.
I would also keep a close eye on the reason that people say they like your show. Listeners might really resonate with your personality. In that case, experiment with showing more of it!
Maybe they like a story that you told on the podcast. Then, tell more stories!
You might be very interested in the subject of your podcast, but you should never start podcast just for yourself. You also need to be mindful of the people listening.
It’s your job to deliver the content that THEY want. You can only do that when you intimately understand their thoughts, feelings, and even the beliefs they have about themselves and how it relates to the show.
For example, in one interview, I said “Well, if I was listening to this podcast right now, you’d probably seem like some guy with the midas touch. Is that true, or have there also been failures along the way?”
They then opened up and admitted to a bunch of failures. This made them seem more human and also made the audience feel more empowered. Someone probably had the thought, “Well if this guy messed up so bad and he still made millions, maybe I can too.”
If I had not asked that question, then the guest probably would have seemed less relatable. People might have been like “Well, of course he can do it. Everything goes right for him. But, what about me?”
The opportunity is there for a great show. Your job as a host is to excavate it and uncover it.
4. Know Why The Guest is There
A big part of being a good podcast “host” is similar to being a good dinner or party host. You must anticipate the needs and wants of other people. You must make them feel welcomed.
The guest must be having a good time in order for them to feel positive about the interview. They are there for a reason. They want to promote a book, a product, a service, etc.
Know why they’re there and give them opportunities to get their plugs in. When they get a chance to talk about something that is more self-serving they will trust you much more.
We tend to trust people who have our best interest at heart. This makes us open up to them more. If you’re only covering topics that you want in the interview, they’ll feel a tiny bit of resentment. Their mind will keep returning to the thought “oh, I have to remember to talk about x, y, and z).
In addition, by being mindful of this and giving softball questions, you’ll make it easier to get to the content that YOU want. When you get “the plug” out of the way and promise the potential for a future plug by saying things like “we’ll also get into x, y, and z later,” then the guest can RELAX.
We all only have so much mental capacity. Their mind will stop wandering to the thought “I gotta remember to talk about ____” and they’ll be more wiling to be in the present moment and think about the answers to your questions.
When you make the experience enjoyable for the guest, they’ll also be more likely to introduce you to other potential guests for your show. No one wants to recommend a bad experience.
5. Be Authentic (Or Else)
I believe that at times, we need to put ourselves in a particular emotional state to convey things like:
- A sense of urgency
- Excitement
- Passion
- Sadness, etc.
This is acting. You are conscious of how people perceive you and you are altering your emotional state so that the way your voice sounds is congruent with your thoughts and feelings.
That’s 100% okay in my opinion.
What’s not okay is trying to fake emotions. Don’t try to act excited when you’re not. It will come off as fake. Don’t try to pretend you care about something when you don’t.
Not only will guests sense that you are fake, but the listeners will as well (as result of your interactions with guests).
This will make them trust you less. They will also approach any announcements that you have regarding your own products or services with a bit of skepticism.
That’s a recipe for disaster!
Instead, if you want to come off as excited to talk to a guest, focus on something that you genuinely find cool and that gets you excited.
Sell YOURSELF on the experience so that there will be congruency between the tone of your voice and what you’re saying. Imagine how great it will be to talk to this person. Sculpt your thoughts and imagination a bit in order to get more excited.
6. Find good guests
A host can be very talented, but at the end of the day, they are only as good as the guest that they have on their show.
If you have a guest who is boring, irrelevant, closed-off, or unhappy, it’s going to be very difficult to shake them out of that emotional state in order to get them to open up.
Is Larry King famous for his interviews with random people? No, he’s famous because of his interviews with famous people.
Is Ellen Degeneres famous for her interviews with people off the street? No, she has on stars or viral social media sensations. She has her own personality, but still, her show revolves around the star power of other people.
What about Howard Stern? Yes… he does have some oddballs on his shows, but what he’s really good at is getting celebrities to open up and share things they wouldn’t normally share.
No matter how talented you are, you are only as good as the quality of your guests.
The hallmark of a good host is the ability to persuade sought-after guests to come on their show. You need to be able to gain access to valuable guests.
Ironically, this goes back to point #4, which is to have an intimate understanding of the psychology of your guest and why they would actually want to come on your show.
7. Take Care of Yourself and Your Show
You can do all of the above things, but if you forget to take care of your own interests, you will fail.
Based on some of the advice above, you might thin that I’m asking you to placate the audience and the guest that you have on. This is not true!
You’re simply providing a good show for them so that you can get what you want at the end of the day.
That could be to get more sponsors, sell products, or spread awareness for your personal brand.
A good host knows what they want and isn’t afraid to ask for it. Don’t afraid to promote, sell, and ask the audience for their attention.
If you are not willing to promote the show, your products, or yourself, then you will never be successful from an economic standpoint.
The only reason that shows are able to financially afford to continue is due to their business model. You are running a BUSINESS. The goal of a business is to make money.
Despite all of the fancy download numbers, cool guests, and life changing stories, the only thing that matters at the end of the day is how much cash you got in the bank.
That cash will fuel your ability to purchase equipment, hire assistants, or grow your show to reach more people.
