Should You Have Guests on Your Podcast? [Ep. 174]

 
 

Click play to hear whether you should have guests on your podcast:

 
 

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Here’s what to expect from this episode:

Over the years, I've gotten to know and worked with a lot of podcasters, and a lot of the same challenges come up for people. I like to address a lot of these things on the podcast, and today, we are going to talk about one of those common challenges.

In this episode, we're talking about having guests on your podcast. I want to focus on one question that comes up time and time again: Should you have guests on your podcast, or should you not?

As you'll hear, it's not a one-size-fits-all answer.

Should you only have big-name guests on your podcast? Will having guest episodes affect your position as an expert? What even are the benefits of podcast guests? Hopefully, after listening, you'll be able to answer those questions (plus a few more) and have a better idea of what makes the most sense for your unique show.

If you want to talk through this and brainstorm with somebody, you can always message me on Instagram @podcastingforeducators, and we can bounce some ideas around if you need somebody to be a sounding board for you.

Tune into next week's episode, where I dive deeper into the specific systems you need to have in place when it comes to bringing guests on your podcast!

QUESTIONS Covered:

  • Should you only have big-name guests on your podcast?

  • Will having guests on your podcast take away your position as an expert?

  • How do you find the balance of guest vs. solo episodes?

  • What are the benefits of bringing guests on your podcast?

  • Are guest episodes easier to plan?

  • Should you have guests on your podcast?

Favorite podcasting resources:

  • Sara Whittaker 0:01

    Sara, your podcast is a powerful tool that serves your audience and your business, but how do you manage it all bring in new listeners and convert those listeners into customers. That's what the show is all about. Welcome to podcasting for educators. I'm Sara Whittaker, classroom teacher turned podcast manager, and I'm here to help you get the most out of your show, all while making an impact on other educators over the years, as I have gotten to know a lot of you who have podcasts and I've worked with clients whose shows we manage, a lot of the same challenges come up for people, and these are things that I like to address on this podcast. And today we're going to talk about one of those things. We are going to be talking about having guests on your show. We're going to get into it in this episode, and then in next week's episode, we're going to continue this conversation. So today I want to focus on the question of, should you have guests on your podcast, or should you not? A lot of roadblocks that come up for people who consider having guests on are, how will having guests on my show benefit me? Like, is this a bad business move to highlight other people on my podcast? How do I find the balance of guest episodes and solo episodes? Do I need to have like a 5050, split? Do I need to be consistent with how often I have guests on my show? And then the third big roadblock is that planning, coordination, piece of guest episodes, like getting that scheduling figured out, technology, all of that stuff that feels really, really hard for people at times. So let's talk about that today. The first thing I want to touch on is that I think some people feel like, if they have guests on their podcast, they need to be like these big name guests, and they want to do that because they think that if they have well known people on their show, then their podcasts are going to suddenly increase overnight. And that does not typically happen. Would be nice, but that's usually not what happens. And if you're someone who already has guests on your show, you have probably found that that is the case. It doesn't blow up your podcast. It doesn't, you know, double triple your downloads, because a lot of these guests don't actually share the episode to their audience, which can be really frustrating. And also, if it's a big name that your audience is familiar with, chances are that's going to be very exciting, and your audience might find that exciting as well, but chances are, they've already heard this person talk about the big topics that they've talked About, so it just doesn't usually have that ROI that that we might expect it to Now, as far as guests not sharing your episode, that can be extremely frustrating. I get it. I have been in that situation many, many times where people that I've had on this show do not share out the episode to their audience. And there are things that you can put in place to really help combat that and help increase the amount that a guest shares, and we're going to talk more about that next week, but I mean to be clear, you can absolutely grow your listenership as a result of guest interviews. I just don't want you to use that as your only or like your biggest growth strategy, because it's just not going to end the way that you want it to. The way that I see guests coming onto your podcast is that guests should be seen as a way to fill gaps in your podcast, fill gaps for your audience that you can't necessarily fill because there's so many overlapping topics that you can speak about on your podcast, that maybe somebody else would be the better person to bring in and speak to that topic. So you want to be bringing in people who can compliment what you do, who can educate or entertain your audience in some way. And those don't always have to be guest, quote, unquote experts. They can be listeners. They can be clients, customers, students of yours. Big name guests do not always equal the best content. Just because somebody doesn't have an audience of, you know, 50,000 100,000 plus people, that doesn't mean that they don't have something really great to share with your audience, and that doesn't mean that they can't be a really, really awesome guest for your podcast. So that's the first thing I wanted to talk about. The next thing is that, like I mentioned at the top of this episode, you might wonder, if I have guests on my podcast, is that going to take away from my positioning as an expert? And this is going to be super dependent. On the type of podcast that you have, there's plenty of podcasts out there. I'm sure that you can think of some as well who interview people for every single episode, and it's a super successful and super lucrative show, because in a lot of those scenarios, they're getting paid sponsorships. That's how they're monetizing their podcast. But if you're somebody who has a podcast for your business, and you're more of a solopreneur, and your purpose of the podcast is obviously to support your audience, but also to drive people to your email list, your digital products, if that's you, in most cases, I do not think that you should be doing an interview for every single episode, because then you're not giving yourself that chance to really put yourself in that seat of being the expert and doing the majority of the talking. Of course, again, there are always exceptions to this, especially when we think about how we're defining a guest, for example, like if you're a coach and you do 15 minute coaching session podcast episodes where you're actually live coaching somebody on a topic, that is for sure, setting you up as an expert. Even though you're having, technically having a guest on your show. It's more of you kind of helping this person talking through something while showcasing your services. But if you're somebody who, again, has a podcast for your business, and you're just bringing other guest experts on to talk about topics that you might not necessarily be the best person to speak to, and that's all of your episodes, that's where there's going to be that disconnect. I truly think that hosting a podcast alone sets yourself up as an authority. So even when you do have guests on, you're still seen as the expert, as long as you have those solo episodes mixed in. So if you are that person who is using your podcast to, you know, drive people to your digital products, to grow your email list, to bring in new members for your membership, whatever it is, if that's you, I think that having a bit of a mix of guest and solo episodes is a great way to go. And it doesn't have to be 5050, you know, it could be 80, 2080, solo, 20 guests. And it does not have to be consistent. I know people who, especially for scheduling purposes and like for their planning purposes, to make it easier for them, they will do one guest episode per month, and then the other episodes are solo episodes. So that's an option for sure, but it doesn't have to be that consistent. If you don't want it to be you can just kind of have them sprinkled in. And then, of course, you also want to pay attention to your stats. Look at your download numbers. Look at your consumption rates. If you start sprinkling in guest episodes and they're doing really well, great. Do more of them if they're tanking, maybe it's best to pull back or kind of switch up how you're doing guest episodes. Okay, so overall, as far as the benefits of bringing guests onto your podcast. It does have the potential to bring in new listeners, but we're not going to use it as like our number one growth strategy. It gives you the opportunity to meet so many new and amazing people. That's been one of the most fun parts of podcasting for me is getting to know my guests and then continuing that relationship down the road, so it can lead to new friendships. It can lead to networking and other visibility opportunities later on. If you're bringing on a guest who also has a podcast, there's the opportunity for doing a podcast swap where you can then go on their podcast, so you're both kind of getting that visibility. It can be a nice break for your listeners to hear from somebody else alongside you, and again, fill those gaps like we talked about and for a lot of people, often myself included, it can feel sometimes easier to plan and record guest episodes, because it's just more of like a conversation with somebody. Obviously, you want to plan it. You want to know what you're talking about so that you're creating the best content as possible for your listeners, but it does feel more conversational than sitting behind a mic and doing a solo episode. Okay, so to fully answer this question of, should you have guests on your podcast? You're like, Sara, tell me yes or no, it's clearly not a one size fits all answer, as you can see from from what we've talked about. So think about the stuff that I covered today. Think about what kind of show you have, and think about how guests could fit in to your unique show.

    If you want to, like, talk through this and kind of brainstorm with somebody, you can always message me on Instagram at podcasting for educators, and we can kind of bounce some ideas around if you need somebody to just be a sound board for you. One thing is for sure, if you have guests on your show, I think that three big things that you need are, number one, the systems in place to bring on. Guests and schedule guests without feeling overwhelmed. Number two, you need a system for encouraging guests to share the episode that they were on. And number three, you need a plan to bring on guests that will benefit your audience but still position you as an authority. So we're going to talk more about those things, specifically about systems that you need to have in place. In next week's episode, I'm going to walk you through some specific systems that I want you to have set up for guests, from the time that they book to the interview to after the interview. This was a short and sweet episode, but I think I got across what I wanted to and I'm looking forward to continuing this conversation next week. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. To keep this conversation going, connect with me on Instagram at podcasting for educators. I'm always looking for an excuse to talk about podcasting. If you're looking for support in launching, managing or growing your podcast, check out my online course, the podcasting for educators prep school. At podcasting for educators.com/prep school. I'll see you here next time you.

More about Podcasting for Educators:

Podcasting for Educators is the podcast for TpT authors and other online educators. It's a show that will help you get your podcast in front of those who need it most - teachers, counselors, literacy specialists, SLPs, parents, and more! Each week, Sara Whittaker and her guests will share top tips and actionable strategies that you will need in order to launch, manage, and grow your podcast. You’ll learn how to leverage your show to build long-lasting relationships with your audience and promote your TpT resources, courses, and memberships, all while providing valuable and accessible content!

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Sara Whittaker