Is a great host!
You know that saying “Behind every great man is a great woman”? While I hate that saying because it’s pretty sexist, it helped me come up with the answer to the question “What makes a great guest?”
Behind every great guest is a great host!
Great podcast guests will:
- be easy to work with
- provide a ton of valuable content
- listen to the podcast before recording their interview
- make the host look good
- be generous in promoting the interview
All 5 of those things are great and podcasters will appreciate guests who do all of those things. That being said, the most important thing a guest needs to be GREAT is….
a great host!
I have been interviewed hundreds of times over the years and to this day, when I feel like my ‘performance’ on a podcast isn’t great, it is usually because the host was not a great interviewer. If you, as a podcast host, feel like your guests aren’t great, look at your own interviewing skills and see how you can improve. I’m telling you, a really good interviewer can make even the worst guest sound good.
David Ralph, host of Join Up Dots is a terrific example. He has high energy and he doesn’t restrict himself to a show flow. To learn how to be a better interviewer, listen to my interview with him here! As someone reading my blog, I understand you may night like listening to podcasts. That’s okay. I have great show notes so visit the post and learn his tips!