Podcasting
Last week I received the following email. It made me cringe. I'll be using this space to talk about my podcasting journey and some of the things I've learned along the way as a host and guest.
Being a Guest
Before starting my own podcast I was able to be a guest on several other podcasts. I hadn't been creating content long before people started to reach out. It's really exciting to be asked to be a guest but there are definitely so many things I wish I had known before going on some people's shows.
Here are some questions I ask hosts that ask me on with no readily available information.
Why do you want me as a guest?
When will my episode be published?
Will materials be sent to me to share on my platforms?
Am I able to send over my accommodations for you to read before agreeing to this?
This is a lot to send over email/DM so I usually ask for a chat session. I never pay to be on people's shows and I wouldn't advise you to. There are a lot of podcasts out there and lots of them are looking for guests. Never be afraid to ask and never be afraid to say no. Remember that this is a shared experience for you both, you need somewhere to share your thoughts and they need someone to share their thoughts.
Dan Talks with Dan Van Note (He/Him) was the best podcast I was apart of in 2022. He was prepared, fluid and ready to answer any questions I had with understanding. I hope to be in more spaces like this in 2023.
Hosting
Not to toot my own horn but a lot of my guests have truly enjoyed their time on my show. 💁🏾♂️
Things I do to create a safe space for my guests to share:
I have a special guest form that asks for accommodations.
I send over my accommodations and my boundaries to my guest as soon as they book.
I send over 20 possible questions I could ask in the interview with words we use often.
Every step of my process I send over an email. a. Ex. Email after booking a time, email the morning of in excitement, email after interview, email before episode is posted with attachments to share.
Before we start the interview I ask various questions about their safety. The most important question I ask is "Is there anything else you can share with me to create a safer space for you?"
There's a lot more to my process but what I will say is the more you go on other people's shows the more you'll see as a guest you'd love to have.
Finding Guests
I've written a lot about how I used to fill seats instead of choose the right people for my special space. Yes, there's a difference. I've come a long way from my first episode where a random White woman, who knew my guest, thought it would be appropriate to overrun the conversation-whew!
Here are some questions I ask MYSELF before I even reach out to a potential guest:
Why do you want this person as a guest?
How many times have you interacted with this person?
How many of my values are they aligned with?
WHY DO YOU WANT THIS PERSON AS A GUEST?
Now, some people still slip through but as a seasoned host I'm pretty good at keeping the conversation on track. Just remember to stay true to the types of experiences you want shared in your space and the types of people you want to be able to take information away from your show. Lastly, you are not obligated to have anyone as a guest on YOUR show and the people you want on your show, want to be on your show.
You got this. I hope this helps this year and the next. If you took anything from this, please support the mission. 💜