What Not to Do
Before You Guest on a Podcast
Hello Higher-Minded Humans,
I know you came to this space to check out our plant-y podcast and related content. But one throughline that has always been present is podcasting and working in the media. After more than a decade of crafting and receiving pitches, interviewing guests, and producing various podcasts, I decided it was time to share some of the insights I've gained along the way.
If you have no interest in ever becoming a podcast guest or pitching yourself to a media outlet, please feel free to unsubscribe from this section. To start, I thought it would be good to focus on what not to do before guesting on a show.
Here are some things (not to do) that may seem obvious, but are largely ignored by guests:
Ignore the host’s instructions pre-recording. If they ask you to wear headphones or earbuds, it’s for the audio editor/producer’s sake. It doesn’t matter how nice your microphone/laptop is, following this step saves the podcast team a lot of time as a whole. And please don’t argue with the host because you have the latest fancy tech thingy or because it’s “usually not an issue” - it’ll only start the conversation off on a sour note.
Avoid taking twenty minutes (at the very least) to check out the podcast on which you are about to be a guest. Find out the host’s name, spend at least ten minutes listening to an episode to get a feel for their style.
Ignore the podcast’s social media. Do your homework to make sure that your feeds align, and don’t use branding as an excuse not to tag and promote the episode on your platforms. If the show is taking the time to promote it, match that energy, and it’ll go a long way.
Avoid taking a few moments the day before to check your audio settings.
That’s it for now! Tell me in the comments how you prepare for a recording!