How to Be a Swell Podcast Guest

Advice from a podcast host who's interviewed 1,000+ people

In the last decade, podcasting has exploded from a niche medium into a mainstream source of information.

Depending on who you ask, there are approximately 400,000-700,000 active podcasts on the market these days, with nearly a quarter of them following an interview format.

With podcasting now a major platform for sharing ideas, there’s a good chance you’ll someday be invited to appear on a show — even if you’re not a bestselling author or a celebrity promoting a new project.

Perhaps you'll be asked to speak on an industry-specific podcast about your expertise in management, HVAC systems, or industrial lighting.

Maybe a local show will want your perspective on community initiatives or the non-profit cause you volunteer with on weekends.

Whatever the scenario, knowing how to be an engaging, professional podcast guest is becoming an increasingly valuable skill.

For better or worse, we’re shifting toward a more oral culture — one where being able to speak well can matter as much as doing good work. If you can’t clearly and compellingly talk about your work, you’ll limit your ability to promote it, no matter how high-quality it is. Podcast hosts often vet potential guests by listening to a past appearance, and if you come across as flat, annoying, or unfocused, you won’t get many more invites coming your way.

Some of being a good podcast guest — like a pleasant voice and natural charisma — is simply inborn; you either have it or you don’t. But other winning guest qualities can be intentionally cultivated and implemented during the interview.

As someone who has sat on the host's side of the microphone for over 1,000 interviews, I've seen the full spectrum of guest performances — from the memorably magnificent to the painfully awkward.

To give you a behind-the-scenes look at what I appreciate in a guest and a set of practical guidelines that will allow you to kill it if you ever get the chance to be one, I've distilled my experiences into the following great-guest guidelines.

1. Get a Good Microphone

When I first started podcasting in 2009, the sound quality on many podcasts, including AoM’s, was abysmal. That's because there just weren't that many affordable USB mics with good sound quality on the market. Consequently, most of my early AoM interviews were done over the phone, and it sounded like you were listening to 1980s AM radio.

While there's a certain charm to that, poor audio quality can make for a poor listening experience. Sound quality can significantly impact how your message is received and remembered. A lot of listeners will immediately turn off a podcast if it doesn't sound pleasing.

Today, there's no excuse for poor audio quality. There are plenty of affordable, high-quality USB microphones on the market.

I've tested a TON of USB mics.

The mic that we send all of our guests (free of charge) is the Audio-Technica ATR2100x. It's only $50, but it's the simplest USB mic to use, and it sounds rich and studio-like. I've sent out hundreds of these mics over the years. It's a great set-up.

My second favorite mic is the Samson Q2U. It's a little more expensive, but like the ATR2100x, it's easy to use and provides great sound quality.

I don't like the Blue Yeti or the Blue Snowball, even though they're really popular with "creators." They've got this tinny sound and pick up a lot of ambient echo. They just sound bad. Whenever I tell my guests I'd like to send them a mic and they say, "Oh, I already have a quality mic; it's a Blue Yeti," I tell them, "Let me just send you an ATR2100. I like it better." They usually end up liking it better too and permanently make the switch to the ATR2100.

Also, don't rely on your Apple Airpods or other earbud mics. They don't sound good.

Stick with the ATR2100. You won't regret it.

2. Know What Kind of Podcast You're Going On

Before you appear on a podcast, take some time to actually listen to a few episodes of the show.

By listening to some samples of the show, you'll get a feel for the host's interview style. Is it conversational or more structured? Does the host like to go deep on certain topics, or do they prefer to cover a lot of ground? Do they tend to ask unexpected questions that catch guests off guard? Should you let the profanity flow or curb it? Understanding these dynamics will help you prepare, feel more comfortable once you're on the air, and engage in a style the show’s regular listeners will appreciate.

3. Prepare, But Don't Over-Prepare

The conversations on the AoM podcast are a little more structured than on some shows, and in the lead-up to the interviews, I like to send our guests an outline of the questions I plan to ask. This lets them know what’s coming, allowing them to start letting their responses percolate in their heads. If a host does this for you, review the questions well and think about what you want to say. Jot down a few bullet points for each question, but resist the urge to write out full answers. Reading from a script makes you sound stiff and unnatural. Podcast listeners want to feel like they're overhearing an interesting conversation, not listening to a rehearsed presentation.

That said, it's helpful to have a few key points you want to make sure to bring up. These could be stories that illustrate a point or exact quotes or statistics you want to include in your answer. Having these ready will prevent the dreaded "I should have mentioned that/I said the wrong date" feeling after the recording ends.

4. Know Your Material Like the Back of Your Hand

This is related to the point about preparing, but if you're going on a podcast because you have expertise in something, make sure you know your material.

I've had a few interviews over the years where, though I asked the supposed author questions about the book he supposedly had written, he didn’t know the material and couldn’t speak to it. It became obvious during the course of the conversation that the guest hadn’t written the book himself — it had been ghostwritten. I scrapped those interviews and never ran them.

Look, I know it's pretty common for non-fiction books to get ghostwritten, but for the love of Pete, if you're going to go on a podcast to talk about a book that you're purported to have penned, you better know exactly what's in the book. Know your material!

5. Don't Just Wing It

Here’s another point related to the preparation piece.

As mentioned, I thoroughly prepare for each interview and send the guest an outline of the questions I want to hit before our conversation. I don't follow the questions to a T, but it provides a rough outline of how I'd like the discussion to go.

Every now and then, I'll get a guest who will respond to receiving my outline of questions with, "Oh, I'm not going to look at these questions. I prefer to be spontaneous and improvise on the spot. I think it makes for a better conversation!”

The interviews where the guest decides to wing it never go well. They ramble, they wander down dead-end paths, and there's no cohesion to the conversation. In fact, every time a guest has said, “I prefer to be spontaneous!” the interview went so poorly we didn’t end up publishing it.

People often think that spontaneous talk is more authentic. But the truth is, most people struggle with extemporaneous speaking. Even those who seem naturally gifted at speaking off the cuff often have spent a lot of time preparing and practicing to make it look effortless. As Mark Twain famously put it, “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”

If a guy with the biting wit of Mark Twain didn't just wing it, you shouldn't either. It will just end badly.

6. Create a Distraction-Free Environment and Get Dialed In

If you're recording remotely, as opposed to meeting with the host in a studio, make sure you record in a quiet, distraction-free environment. Find a room with minimal echo, silence all notifications on your devices, and let others in your household know you're recording.

You don't need anything fancy to create a podcast studio. I've conducted all of my podcasts for the past 13 years from my bedroom closet. It's the quietest place in the house, and the clothing hanging around me eliminates any echo.

And while you're doing the interview, make sure you're dialed in. I've had several guests over the years who I could hear typing on their laptops, opening and closing drawers, or eating. They weren't really keyed into what I was saying or asking them, and when I tossed the conversational ball back to them, they dropped it. Respect your host by focusing on the conversation, and the conversation alone.

7. Don't Sell!

Podcast guests are typically trying to promote something, whether it’s a book, product, service, or simply their personal brand. They’re not going on a show simply out of the goodness of their hearts and because they love to spend hours chatting with others. And that’s fine — they deserve to get something in return for their time!

But, one of my biggest pet peeves with a guest is when they promote their work too overtly — when they bring it up throughout the conversation. They'll start every sentence with "As I write in my book . . . " or "I cover this in the second chapter of my book . . . " or "My company offers courses that go into detail about this, but I can give you a thumbnail sketch . . .”

Yes, I know you talk about this in your book. You're on the show because we're talking about your book. You don't need to remind us about your book in every other sentence.

Yes, I know you offer services on this. We mentioned that at the beginning of the show.

We edit out as many of these promotional tidbits as we can, but some can’t be cut without marring the flow of a sentence.

Excessively promoting your work/yourself turns listeners off. It makes you seem inauthentic. People want to at least believe that your primary purpose is offering value to folks. They don’t want a sales pitch.

Paradoxically, dropping the promotion to focus on providing value is the best sales pitch. When you seem genuine and generous, when people find themselves caught up in the interesting things you have to say, that’s the most effective advertisement of all. That will get people more curious about your book/product/service than directly mentioning it over and over again.

8. Make Your Answers Long Enough (But Not Too Long!)

Your response to the host’s questions should be of a Goldilocks duration — not too long and not too short.

What keeps a podcast engaging is the back-and-forth nature of the conversation; a listener’s brain perks up as the conversational ball passes from one speaker to the other. If a guest monologues for too long, without the host having a chance to interject, the listener will start to tune him or her out.

So aim to give responses that thoroughly answer the question without becoming needlessly drawn out. Around three minutes is a good maximum for length. Don’t feel like you have to convey everything you want to say in one burst. If the host is interested in digging deeper, he can ask follow-up questions that give you a chance to voice additional points.

On the other hand, you don’t want to be too laconic. Overly terse responses don’t supply enough information to adequately answer the host’s questions and make the conversation seem stilted and staccato.

Aim to strike a balance — be thorough in your responses but concise enough to keep things engaging; responses that are around two minutes long are a good sweet spot.

9. Don't Make Too Many Noises

A tenet of being a good listener in a conversation is to make affirming noises as someone else speaks: “yeah,” “hmmm,” “right.” This lets the speaker know that you’re engaged and paying attention to what they have to say.

But what works well for a one-on-one conversation, works less well for a conversation that’s being overheard by other people.

While it might seem courteous to add lots of affirming sounds as the host talks, too much overlapping audio can become distracting and make the host’s words harder to follow.

I'm not saying, "Don't make ANY affirmative noises." Just use them very judiciously — only when you really want to emphasize your agreement with or reaction to a point.

10. Reduce Filler Words and Make Your Delivery Engaging

Avoid filler words like "um," "uh," "like," and "you know" as much as possible. A lot of people will end nearly every sentence with “right?” Which is superfluous.

Avoiding filler is a hard thing to do! I've been podcasting for a decade and a half and still have trouble with filler words, though I've gotten better with it . . . I think.

The problem with filler words is that if used too much, they're distracting and disrupt the flow of your answer, making your points harder to follow.

While we remove as much filler from both my and the guest’s track as possible, not all of it can be cleanly cut, and not all podcasts even try to remove the filler. If you’re on a video podcast, editing out the filler won’t be possible. We’ve sometimes removed over five minutes of filler from sixty minutes of a guest’s audio; left in, that kind of empty verbiage will really bog down your delivery.

If you need a moment to gather your thoughts, it's better to pause silently than to fill the space with filler words.

Another way to improve delivery is to vary your tone, pace, and volume. Such variations keep listeners engaged. No matter how interesting the content is, if it's delivered in a monotone way, it will fall flat. Try to be animated and put some energy into your voice.

Smile when you talk — it genuinely changes how your voice sounds and makes you more appealing to listen to.

For advice on how to get better at your delivery, I highly recommend checking out a podcast episode I did with communication coach Michael Chad Hoeppner. I've implemented several of his tips with some success. Though again, I’m far from perfect!

I’ve certainly seen the full gamut of guests over my 16 years working in the podcast space. I can say for sure that when people follow the suggestions above, their appearances are more engaging and well-received. And, I’m much more likely to invite them back again!

Hopefully, these tips will help you hit a podcast home run if you’re ever invited to hold forth before a (quality) microphone.