How to Be the Best Podcast Guest and Tell Your Story with Confidence

What's your story? This is the question to ask yourself as you consider being a podcast guest. You want to master your own story so that you can tell it with confidence and ease, and leave a lasting impression on listeners.

If I asked you to tell me about yourself, what would you say? If I asked you to share a story with me about a pivotal moment in your career or your entrepreneurial journey, could you think of one quickly and tell the story with ease?

After doing 800+ interviews with women entrepreneurs around the world on the Support is Sexy podcast (and hundreds more as a journalist for more than 20 years now), I can tell when someone is struggling to tell their story -- even if that story is a good one. In print interviews, that's okay, as most editors can (and often do) help you out. On podcasts, this absolutely does not work. People only have your voice. And you want to captivate them each time you speak.

If I asked you to tell me about yourself, what would you say?

So to help you tell your story with passion, confidence and ease, here are six key components you want to include:

The core: What is the key focus of your story and why is it important, especially to this interviewer or audience? Are you telling about a childhood experience that you had that taught you a lesson, are you telling about a career misstep that you don't want the listener to make, are you telling about a key turning point in your business and how you reached that point? What's your story and why should the listener care? Always have the payoff in mind.

The challenge: What is the challenge you went through on this journey? Every hero has a challenge, so what was yours? What obstacle did you face and how did it make you feel? Take us to that moment.

The dip: What was the lowest point in your journey? A moment when you didn't think you were going to make it, all hope was lost, you weren't sure of the way out, or you were most afraid?

The turning point: What, or who, was the turning point for you? Describe the light at the end of the tunnel and how you got there? How did you come out of that dip and bounce back? What did it feel like to know that you had discovered a way through? (If you haven't bounced back just yet, this may not be the story you want to tell. You want to leave the listener with hope in the end. Even if it didn't work out or turn out for the best, there should still be hope. Also, remember it's better to share scars than wounds. Scars have healed, wounds are still open and may still need some time to fully heal. Is your story a scar or a wound?) 

It's better to share scars than wounds. Scars have healed; wounds are still open and may still need some time to fully heal. Is your story a scar or a wound?

The lesson: What are three (3) key takeaways that you can leave the listener with from your story? Be specific, but keep your audience in mind. Even if they were personal lessons for you, make them universal enough so that the listener can buy into them, too.  

The result: As a result of this journey, how are you doing things differently today? How are you applying the lessons learned, and how can the listener apply them to their lives as well?

Practice telling your story -- to your reflection in the mirror, to friends and family, to small groups, even share small bites of it at your next dinner party (if appropriate). The more you tell it, the easier it gets. As you do more podcast interviews, you may feel like you've told your story so many times that no one wants to hear it. I always remind my clients that the key components of the story stay the same because, well, it's the truth, and the truth doesn't change. However, as you become more comfortable with telling your story and you master it, you will feel at confident highlighting different parts of the story depending on your audience, and knowing on which points you want to spend more time and others you may move through more quickly.

Elayne Fluker is the author of Get Over 'I Got It', which will be published by HarperCollins Leadership on May 11, 2021. The book encourages unapologetically ambitious women to get over "I Got It!" Syndrome and embrace support as their super power. Pre-order your copy now at getoverigotit.com and receive special bonuses!

Elayne Fluker is also the founder and CEO of Chic Rebellion, a content consulting agency that helps women and BIPOC entrepreneurs and executives develop their thought leadership, elevate their brands and grow their businesses. Learn more at chicrebellionmdia.com.