TPU78 – Do You Really need Podcast Guests for your Podcast?

Do you really need Guests for your Podcast?

How do podcast guests help in the growth of the show and is getting a guest on the show something that is really essential?

Let us look at these questions in this week’s episode.

A few weeks back I received an email from one of my listeners asking me why I stopped bringing guests on my show.

This question prompted me to create this episode.

Because it is important that we understand the strategy behind bringing podcast guests to our podcasts. This will also help us decide if we really need podcast guests for our shows.

Most of what we are going to discuss will be from an indie podcaster’s perspective, from the point of view of podcasters who are running their shows on their own.

Do You Need Podcast Guests for Your Show?

There are 2 kinds of people who usually start a podcast –

1. People who are experts in a certain field and who are looking at further enhancing the value of their personal brand, and building more authority for themselves.
2. The second type of people are the ones who are interested in conversations and they want to use that talent of their to motivate people.

The strategy to be used in both these cases differs and one critical aspect of this strategy is about bringing on guests.

In the first case where you are trying to build a brand of yours and also establish yourself as an authority, it is important that you appear as an authority.

You have to be the one who is to be known as the expert and in order for that to happen, you need to control the conversation and showcase yourself as an expert.

In such a case, your strategy has to take a two-prong approach –

1. You create solo episodes where you are sharing tips and advice that can help people learn and grow
2. You also bring in guests who can add more value and give more information to your audience.

Now when you bring in podcast guests, it will help you in 3 ways –

1. Bringing in a slight variation to the format and which in turn will help with better engagement and breaking the monotony of a single voice.
2. A third-party expert coming on the show and endorsing some of what you would already have shared, further helps you build your authority
3. It will help you with creating content

If you dissect this model and take a deeper look, you will realize that –

1. This format will be a monologue-heavy format where the bulk of the episodes will be you sharing information, at least in the first couple of years until your authority is established and you are considered a go-to person in your niche or field.
2. The reason for bringing in podcast guests is primarily to endorse the knowledge you are sharing and also to bring in a variation to make your show more interesting.

My show falls into this category. Most such shows fall into the education category. It is hence that my show is monologue-heavy.

But does that mean that I won’t be bringing in guests?

Absolutely No!

I will be bringing in guests periodically. It is an opportunity for me to learn and build relationships and I don’t want to waste that.

Now if you look at the second category of podcasters which usually is something that you will see in the inspiration niche, the objective of the show is to inspire people.

And one person talking into the microphone every week wouldn’t be inspiring at all. Isn’t it?

Instead, if you can get achievers from various fields and get them to talk about their journey to success, then nothing else would be needed to inspire and motivate people.

Such shows as guest-focused and needs a lot of guests. What you will notice about such shows are –

1. The guests are the attraction for these shows. People tune in to listen to the guests and their inspiring stories. The host becomes the facilitator. He wouldn’t really be sharing a lot of knowledge on the show, instead, he would make the guests talk more about their knowledge and their journeys
2. These shows become popular because of the kind of guests they bring in and the kind of questions that the host asks to get information out of the guests.

In such shows, the number of monologues would be very few and most of the episodes will be interviews with guests.

Pros and Cons of Monologues Vs Interview Format Podcasts

Both these models have their own Pros and Cons.

1. While running a show that includes monologues gives your more control over your publishing schedules, the interview formats can be extremely effective if you plan your interviews well in advance and maintain a repository.
2. Content ideas can become a challenge if you are running a monologue format which in the case of an interview format show is easily taken care of because the content comes from the guests.
3. The editing time in the case of monologues is very less whereas it is high in the case of an interview-based podcast
4. Getting guests can be a huge challenge in interview-format podcasts but you don’t have to worry about that in the monologue format. Just pick up your microphone and record.
5. Succeeding at interviews is an art and it lies in how well you are able to extract information from your guests. It has everything to do with the way you ask questions. But in the case of a monologue, the art is in how well you can engage your audience and not bore them with your one-way conversation.

So to answer the question – Do you need Podcast Guests for your show?

Not really. You can very well focus on a monologue format podcast and there are numerous podcasts that are running in that format for years now and they are successful too.

But the choice of bringing podcast guests will also depend upon the kind of podcast you are planning to produce.

Pick the right strategy and run with it. That’s the way you will be able to succeed.

My simple tip is – Run a Hybrid format show. Be a little innovative and creative in how you can create monologues in your interview format podcasts and it can be even more effective.

Resources Recommended for Podcasting

Here are some tools and resources that I recommend for podcasting. These are the ones that I personally use and am satisfied with and hence am recommending them.

• Acast Podcast hosting – Acast is my favorite podcast hosting company. They have excellent customer support, have a pocket-friendly plan, and even have a free option with no limits.
• Behringer Audio Interface – You will need an audio interface if you are using an XLR microphone. This is my recommended audio interface.
• Zencastr – Zencastr is the easiest option to record interviews, both audio-only and audio+video. This is a must for an interview podcast. Go to zencastr.com/pricing and use my code “thepodu” You’ll get 30 percent off your first three months of Zencastr professional.
• Audacity – This is the best and the most feature-rich free audio editing software. It gives you a lot of options while editing your interviews.
• Blue Yeti USB Microphone – My recommended microphone
• Tidycal – My recommended calendar and booking solutions
• Fusebox – Embeddable Podcast Player

Thank You for Joining

Thank you for joining me on the show today.

I hope you enjoyed the information I shared on the episode and that you found value in it.

If you did, then you would want to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform. The links to the prominent ones are mentioned below.

If you are new to podcasting you can join my FREE 10-day ecourse on “how to start a Podcast” and learn the basics of starting a podcast.

In case you have any questions, you can drop them below and I will respond to it.