Latest / She Speaks to Scale / 27. How To Be The Podcast Guest That Keeps Getting Booked
Transcript
- Sarah Collins: Hello and welcome to She Speaks the Scale with me, Sarah Collins. the podcast that empowers women in business to own their voice, be heard and create impact, one communication insight at a time. a former senior television producer for ITV and ITN. It's my mission to bring the communication skills we need to thrive in today's world of business to the generation of women who simply weren't taught them. Whether it's scaling your authority and stepping into thought leadership, scaling your impact on camera on stage and beyond, or scaling your revenue through speaking opportunities, this podcast will help you use your voice to be heard so you're trusted and remembered when it matters most. Before we begin, if a speaking opportunity came your way tomorrow, would you pass on it, say yes through the nerves or confidently agree? Understanding your speaker identity is the first step to being able to scale and I have a quiz to help you do just It takes two minutes to complete and we'll tell you where you are now and your potential next steps on your speaking journey. I'll drop the link in the show notes. giving a talk in a few weeks to professionals in the education sector all about podcasting. And in preparing for it, I realize it would also make a great solo podcast episode. As speaking on podcasts is one of the things I help my clients with. When you're scaling your authority and visibility through speaking opportunities, being a great podcast guest is a necessity. But it's not just in the turning up on the day that counts, It's also what you do before the interview and afterwards, too, that makes an impact. Essentially, it's not just how you sound and what you say, but it's in how you prepare and what you do once the episode is released that counts too. everything I'm sharing in this episode today comes from the experience of being a podcast host, but also being a podcast guest myself and producing podcasts as part of my role for ITN. In this episode, I'm going to break down each of the three stages so that you can become a seasoned podcast guest without any of the worry beforehand or overthinking afterwards, and that you leverage every opportunity as best as you can. So, why does being a great podcast guest matter? So, if speaking plays any kind of part in your business growth strategy, then podcasts are a great way to raise your visibility. You are stepping in front of another person's audience, people who already like, know, and trust the host. That borrowed credibility is incredibly powerful and it's something that takes years to build on your own. A podcast appearance isn't just a one time opportunity, it's evidence. When you share a podcast interview done, future podcast hosts and event organizers can see that you can speak, That you're comfortable using a microphone, that you have something to say, and that you're worth booking. As a senior producer, this is exactly what I've been looking for when it came to selecting guests. Your previous appearances are your portfolio, so every single one that matters. And the cumulative effect of appearing on podcasts regularly is significant. Each one builds on the last. Your confidence grows, your message sharpens, and you start to become that voice that is worth listening to. So what does it take to get onto a podcast? Don't just write out a few notes and expect everything to go okay. You have to prepare properly, and that starts before you've even been booked. Now, there are two ways to get onto a podcast. When you become more visible in your business, podcast hosts who may also be people in your network may invite you to be a guest on their podcast. This invitation is flattering. It means they've identified that you are someone worth having a conversation with. You have insights to share that provide value to their audience. But I see so many people say no to these opportunities because they just don't feel ready, not realizing that with just a few steps you really can be. Now I'm not going into what to say on a podcast in this episode. You've heard me say often enough, laying the foundation so you always have something to say is key. if this is where you are at right now, then go back and take a listen to episode 10, what to say when you don't know what to say, as it touches on all of this. And the other way of getting onto a podcast is through pitching yourself. One way to prepare to do this is by actually listening to the podcast itself and then write a personalized pitch, not a generic one churned out by AI. Podcast hosts can immediately tell whether a pitch has come from someone who has genuinely listened to their show or someone who has sent the same email to 50 different podcasts with the name swapped out. Please, please, please, please do not be the second one. Give the host two or three topic areas you could discuss that are directly relevant to their audience. And take a look through their podcast library to see if those topics have been. Covered before, and if they have, how can you add to that? Make it easy for them to say yes and make it clear why it should be you, not just what you know, but why your perspective, your background, your experience makes you the right person for their listeners. And when it comes to preparing for the interview itself, be intentional about what you want to say. Know your key messages, the things you most want the listeners to walk away with. One of those should be a clear opinion or position on something in your field, not a safe generic answer that literally anyone could give, a genuine point of view. And think about how you want the audience to feel. Is it inspired, reassured, challenged? That emotional intention will help shape. How you deliver everything. And listening to an episode in advance gives you so much information. The host style, the audience, the tone. How can you provide genuine value to that specific audience? You'll need to tweak what you say slightly for each opportunity, depending on who's listening. And ask yourself what can I bring to this conversation that nobody else could? What perspective, story, or insight is uniquely mine? That's what makes an interview worth sharing. So then you're going to step into your expert voice. By this I mean doing a few things. Podcast listeners don't want generic information. They could find themselves on Google. They want a perspective, something that challenges their thinking. It's what gets clipped, shared, and remembered long after the episode has been released. Now I'm about to deliver a talk and there are other speakers on the same day who could potentially cover similar ground. I could let that worry me, but instead I've lent into my specific expertise because there aren't many people who have had 20 years experience in television production who are also qualified coaches. I built my talk entirely around that. And that's exactly what I'd encourage you to do. There will always be people in your field doing a similar thing, but there is nobody who has lived your experience and arrived at your insights in the same way. So use that. Starting a sentence with authority comes down to the words you choose, and most people don't realize they're undermining themselves until they hear it back. I think or perhaps instantly softens your credibility, even when what follows is genuinely excellent. Swap those out for here's my take, or the research shows. The content might be exactly the same, but the impact with just that slight tweak in your language can be completely different. And being a podcast guest doesn't end when the recording is done. When it's about to be released, ask how you can help to promote it and share it with your audience. Put it on your press page and reference it in your email or blog and tag the host too. Hosts remember the guests who go out of their way to share the episode. And in a world where visibility compounds, taking 10 minutes to properly promote an episode is one of the simplest and highest value things you can do. Once an episode is live, it becomes evergreen long form content, findable for months, sometimes years after recording. It sits on the host websites, gets shared in newsletters, and keeps working long after you've moved on to the next thing. every time someone new finds it, they're discovering you for the first time, and that is truly powerful. I often talk about becoming the voice of choice in your field. Podcast guesting is where that voice gets built, refined, and heard. And it just starts with one, then another, then another. So keep pitching yourself, prepare well, and show up fully. Before you know it, you'll be consistently speaking on bigger interviews, bigger stages, and there will truly be no stopping you. Thank you for listening to this episode of She Speaks to Scale. If you liked the episode or you think it will be useful for someone else, please follow and leave a review. Don't forget there's a link to my speaker identity quiz in the show notes. It takes just two minutes to find out where you are now on your speaking journey and what your next move should be. Remember to speak with intention, not hesitation and let your voice be heard.