A great podcast guest does more than help create great content. Beyond the message they share, they share in the work needed to grow your audience, because they realize by helping you, they are helping themselves. Regarding the interview, let’s hear from the experts that place guest experts on podcasts all over the world. They know what makes a great guest because they have placed literally thousands of guests on shows. To the experts in guest placement, I pose the question, “How can a well prepared guest help you build your audience?”

A well prepared guest can help a podcast grow their audience in a number of ways. A great guest is excited and honored to be a part of the podcast and is willing to share about their interview, assuming it’s a good one and presents the guest in a favorable light. You can help them be prepared for an outstanding interview by letting them know in advance what to expect and providing them with any resources that you want them to be aware of.

That said, you also don’t want to overdo the amount of information that you send because your guest is likely a busy person with other things to do than read through pages and pages of content. Overdoing it will often times work against you because the guest is less likely to read everything, making it easy to miss the important stuff. Choosing a guest wisely also can help you position yourself as being aligned with the guest. This allows you to borrow credibility from them. A well prepared guest also helps you as the host deliver an outstanding interview. Keep in mind that as the host you also should be well prepared for your guest. Nicole Holland, InterviewsThatConvert.com

A well-prepared guest builds your audience by contributing valuable content that your listeners can’t wait to hear more of. When a listener learns from your guests and is entertained by your guests, they will subscribe and download your show each and every episode. Jessica Rhodes, Interview Connections

Content is king, but context is god. When your guests knows about the specifics of your show and the audience they can tailor their stores to provide engaging content with laser focused context. Instead of another generic interview it becomes the podcast that gets talked about and shared. Leverage great guests for more loyal listeners. Tom Schwab, Interview Valet

When you have a guest that adds to your great content pool but also dives in with a desire to help you build your audience, you have a guest that any podcast host would be eager to interview. As podcasting gathers popularity, this type of guest will become the rule rather than the exception. Help your guest by helping them, share these points, presented by the pros who understand what it takes to be a great guest.