Automate Your Guest Podcast Interview Process
As a podcast host, there is a TON of work that goes on behind the scenes before you hit record and interview your guest. Between booking, getting their headshot, sending the guest the right material, it’s so easy for some important elements to slip through the cracks. Today I share my automated process to save time and money, and allow your guest to show up and wow your audience.
What a podcast host needs and some of the challenges:
- need to know about the guest – bio/headshot/topic/
- guest needs instructions
- dealing with emails back and forth
- or maybe you are paying a VA to do all the communication for you
- inevitably something falls through the cracks – the guest is not prepared, or they miss the interview, or you realize you don’t have their bio the day of the interview.
Let me share what I do to automate the process to save time and money and help the guests show up prepared and wowing your audience.
What outcome do you want for yourself and the guest:
- save time
- ensure nothing slips through the cracks
- ensure a great experience for the guest
- the guest shows up prepared and ready to impress your listeners
- wow the guest showing how organized you are and professional
- save money (no need to pay a VA to do these tasks)
How to fully use your calendar/scheduler to automate gathering what you need from the guest:
You can customize the form you use to book your guest. Include these items in that form to gather the info in one fell swoop.
- link to one-sheet
- headshot
- social links
- bio
- interview questions
- ask about their commitment to sharing the episode
Once a guest books here’s what you can automate in their confirmation email and reminders:
- have the Zoom information and how they can connect with you to record
- share with them if it’s video or audio, so they are prepared
- if you require specific equipment (microphone, earphones)
- any instructions about lighting, what’s behind them
- how long the interview is so they are time conscious
- the format of the podcast (ie if you have a commercial halfway through)
- are there specific questions you ask them so they can prepare
*can even share a webpage that has all that info in it – and put the link in the emails
Some schedulers even automate a follow-up sequence AFTER the call – can automate a thank you – what to expect AFTER the interview. Maybe ask them to review the show.
Have a process for your back end:
Here are some sample processes I use that you can incorporate.
- my team puts the bio/headshot/social links on our Show Notes Google Doc
- the headshot is saved in Canva and our Google Folder
- I have a script sheet that pulls that info in and has a spot for me to include any necessary tidbits about the guest, and questions to ask, and ready to prepare for the show
- I connect on the social media platforms with the guest
Do you have a process AFTER the show goes live?
This is another area you do not want to ‘wing’. You want to wow the guest, ensure they are prepared to promote (and you can promote and leverage the episode).
- have email templates ready to go and slot in the correct information for the guest
- Send an email to the guest a second time (a few days later) to be safe
- you can even send out an email the week before it goes live giving them the heads up
- maybe you send out a thank you email or gift or card
- know what promotional material you make for EVERY episode and outsource when possible (talk about a time saver)
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What if you had ONE company that did it all and you spent less time project managing team members and the moving parts that go with podcasting?
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