How to Be an Intriguing, Actionable PODCAST Guest

What a privilege being part of JJ Virgin's Mindshare Summit here in Scottsdale, AZ this weekend. What a joy it is being surrounded by hundreds of smart, talented physicians, functional med docs and health/wellness professionals.

One of the programs JJ asked me to offer was a 10 minute talk from the main stage on How to Be a Great Podcast Guest. I thought it would be fun to role-play a 10 minute interview so I was SHOWING, not just talking. I adopted both roles - that of JJ asking questions - and me answering. Here's the flow of the show.

JJ: What's your first tip on how to be a great podcast guest?

Sam: Speak for 60 seconds and put a sock in it. I wrote about this in a recent post, so I'll keep this one short. Suffice it to say, I mentioned that PTL - Pardon the Interruption - has been a favorite ESPN TV show for 20+ years. Why? The two hosts, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, only speak for 1-2 minutes at a time. That's it. A bell rings if they go overtime. They obviously know about Harvard professor Nancy F. Cohen's research that goldfish have longer attention spans than we do (Goldfish = 9 seconds. Human beings = 8 seconds.) They say their piece and then discipline themselves to put a sock in it. I brought a sock with me on stage and when my 2 minutes for each point was up, I put a sock in it!

JJ: What's another way we can be a great podcast guest?

Sam: Your ORIGINality is in your 60 Second ORIGIN story. Re-create the exact moment you became a person on a mission on behalf of your project. Put us in the scene and re-enact the dialogue so we feel we're right there with you. I told the story about a woman at a conference telling me, "My dream just went down the drain," because she couldn't crisply communicate her project's commercial-viability to a decision-maker. I wrote POP! (Purposeful, Original, Pithy) so people know how to pleasantly surprise decision-makers with original titles, taglines, pitches so they never again see their dreams go down the drain.

JJ: What's something we should avoid doing as a podcast guest?

Sam: Avoid platitudes like the plague. If you've heard it before, chances are listeners have too. Platitudes are a prescription for being a bore, snore or chore. Spice up your answers with intriguing quotes. If you don't want listeners to wait to take action on your advice, you might want to introduce Judy Tenuta's quote, "My parents always told me I wouldn't amount to anything because I procrastinated so much. I told them, 'Just you wait" or reference Rene Ricard's quote, "Tomorrow is another day, but then, so was yesterday." Then hook and hinge the quote back to your audience with, "Please don't wait until tomorrow, initiate by...."

JJ: Sam, what else can we do to be a great podcast guest?

Sam: Ask, don't tell. If the host says, "Tell me about your business," DON'T. Telling is one-way communication which is INFObesity. The goal is to set up a two-way conversation so listeners and viewers are mentally answering your questions in their head.

For example, you might ask, "Do you know anyone - could be yourself, a friend, or a family member - who is dealing with brain fog, fatigue, and sleeplessness? (Mention three problems you solve, the symptoms of your patients, or the needs of your customers so viewers instantly picture someone they know who is dealing with what you address.)

Next say, "That's what we do, we help people focus better and get a full night's sleep so they wake up rested." Then, give a 60 second example of a client (from the same industry or demographic of listeners) who is better off because they did business with you.

Voila. Viewers will understand and value what you do because you made it meaningful and memorable for them. You just transformed an elevator speech into an elevator connection.

JJ: Sam, one last tip on how we can be a great podcast guest?

Sam: Plant action seeds for follow-up. Give a specific time and place people can connect with you and 3 incentives so they want to do so. I said, "I'm Sam... HORN, in the blue water shawl. At our 12 noon lunch, I will be at a far table on the right as you walk out of the ballroom. If you'd like to brainstorm your 60 second origin story, strategize your next podcast interview, or hone your elevator connection, please come and join us. Once again, I'm Sam...HORN (pause and PUNCH your name so people can repeat it after hearing it once). I look forward to seeing you at 12 noon at the far lunch table on the right.

Now, it's time for me to... (big warm smile) ... put a sock in it. Hope you found these tips inspiring, insightful and useful and they help you be a GREAT GUEST.

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Looking for a speaker/podcast guest who will keep your audience engaged from start to finish? Sam practices what she teaches. You can trust her to INTRIUGE.