I have written about how to be a good podcast guest, but this guide goes deeper into the preparation that you can do as a guest. As the great Michael Jordan once said, “I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come”. In this case, the results is being a good podcast guest.
Do research on the podcast
If you have a Podseeker account, we show you the general podcast information along with the description from the last several episodes. We also show you some interesting demographics information such as gender skew.
The gender skew shows either male, female, or neutral. The gender skew does not mean that all the listeners are female, it means that the topics discussed are primarily of interests to females. You can also see the number of reviews, episodes, and the rating of the podcast.
You can also use a tool like Snipcast that generates summaries of podcast episodes. Reading summaries of past episodes will give you an idea on the topic and how the conversation flows. Some hosts like to have preset topics to discuss while others just go with the flow. You can gauge this from the summaries.
Note: podcast summary is a trending field especially with the rise of AI and LLM such as ChatGPT. At Podseeker, we’re always on the lookout so stay tuned and I will update this guide if we have any developments.
Get the vibe of the podcast
You can’t get the vibe of the podcast from reading summaries. So, I do recommend that you listen or watch the episodes from Spotify or YouTube. Part of being prepared is to match the energy of the show. Some podcasts are serious while others are more relaxed and chill.
You can listen directly from Podseeker or find the podcasts on Apple or Spotify. Try to get at least 15-30 minutes to get the vibe and tone of the show.
Do research on the host
If you want to go above and beyond, you can do research on the podcast hosts. Many hosts also appear on other podcasts and you can see what they like to talk about. Often, hosts sticks to a script or outline on their own show because they know what their audiences like; however, they would love to talk about something else on another podcast.
You can also google current news about them or read about their bio on Wikipedia.
Think about what success looks like
In How to be a good podcast guest, I wrote about the success framework. While preparing and doing your research, think about what success looks like for everyone:
- What does success looks like to the host?
- What does success looks like to the audience?
- What does success looks like to you?
You can prepare for what success looks like now that you have a better grasp of the podcast format, the topics, the audiences, the hosts, etc. Envision what topics will be fun to talk about, what jokes will be appropriate, and match the energy of the show.
Some preparation goes a long way so take notes and happy guesting!
