By Cheval John

I want to say that I am very sorry for not writing this post yesterday due to Thanksgiving.

I understand that you were expecting it and I promise you that it will not happen again.

The post is the seventh lesson of the second book I am blogging, “8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn” as part of Nina Amir’s “National Nonfiction Writing Month” challenge.

Without further ado, here is the post.

When you finish your show, the first thing you should do is send a thank you e-mail to either the guest or the representative of the guest who made it possible for your show to happen.

The reason is it shows proper etiquette to the person who worked behind the scenes to connect you to their client.

Another reason is the person might be connected to someone who you admire and want to have on the show.

Let’s say you don’t send the “thank you e-mail” or even a thank you note to the person, you might think you are not hurting anyone.

However, your guest will remember how you showed no appreciation for them taking the time out of their busy schedule to be on your show.

Secondly, the person will tell their friends about how you did not send them a thank you e-mail.

Once that happens, it will be hard for you to gain more guests because of the negative perception you have created because you did not send a thank you e-mail.

On the flip side, when you send the thank you note, your “guest” will speak well of you because they have seen you have taken the time to thank them for being on your show.

When you least expect it, the person will connect you to their clients that would make great guests for your show.

As a result, your podcast will go to the next level.

Video Courtesy of BookGirlTV

By Cheval John

This is the fifth lesson (chapter) on podcasting as part of a series of posts for my second book “8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn.”

I have taken part in Nina Amir‘s “National Nonfiction Writing Month” challenge.

To find out more about the challenge, visit the website at www.writenonfictionnow.com

Without further ado, here is the post below:

Even though it is very important to have talking points from your research, you should not stick to the script.

You should try and be as conversational as possible with your guest and show your personality because a audience loves a person who is very authentic and willing to be real.

That does not mean you should talk about yourself the majority of the time while you are doing the show because it will come across as self-promotion.

Your main job is to showcase the guest and lift them up to your audience, not in the way that you do not have some disagreements about a particular subject.

If your guest ask you about your work, then you can chat about yourself for a bit.

Always keep in mind the 80/20 rule.

80% of the show is focused on the guest while 20% is focused on you.

Video courtesy of CenturyBooks

By Cheval John

The post is the fourth lesson (chapter) of my second book, “8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn.” as part of the National Nonfiction Writing Month challenge.

If you want to participate in this challenge, visit the website at www.writenonfictionnow.com/wnfin-2012/participate-wnfin/.

Here is the fourth lesson below.

I had booked a guest who was coming out with a new book.

Everything was scheduled and we were counting down to the day of the show.

Once the show began, the guest did not call in and I had to improvise while I was waiting for the person to dial the number for the show.

The guest sent me a message and said, “Her assistant did not sent her the number to call into the show.”

So I gave her the number and the show went on as usual.

I could have avoided the blunder if I had sent a reminder to the assistant the day before with the number to call.

You might think you do not need to send them or their representatives a reminder because they said they got it jot down in their calender.

However, it is always important to send a reminder because it can determine if you will have a great show, a mediocre show or no show at all.

As in my case, the show was near perfect after the blunder.

So how do you send a reminder the day before the show begins without feeling like you are being rude?

Below is an example of how to send the reminder notice for your guest:

“Jane Doe, I hope you are having a great week and I can not wait for the show tomorrow. Just in case, here is the number to call five minutes before the show begins at 3 p.m. eastern, 2 p.m. central, 1 p.m. mountain, noon pacific: 1-888-888-8888.

Thank you again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to make an appearance on the show.

Have a great day.”

Cheval John
Host, “Name of Podcast”

So to recap, if you want to make sure that you and your guest or the representative of the guest are on the same page, send a reminder the day before the show because you will avoid the awkward moment when you are by yourself doing the show without a guest.

Video courtesy of Nina Amir

By Cheval John

So now you have landed your guest for your podcast and are counting down to the show.

One of the most important things you must do before the show is to do your research.

You might say, “That is so obvious.”

The sad reality is many people don’t do their research on their guest.

The host might think they can wing it with the guest on the show.

However, your audience can tell right away if you are on top of your game.

When you do your research on the guest, you will find out interesting things you never knew before.

From the research, you can create some talking points which will be a guide for you once the show begins.

And when you ask your guests specific quotes, they will feel very valued because of the research you did before the episode.

Once that happens, the guest will refer your show to their friends who are influential as well.

In addition, you will gain greater credibility with your listeners because they know that you are very disciplined in preparation and also your audience knows you value them.

The blog post is the third lesson (chapter) from the second book I am blogging here, “8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn.”

Video courtesy of Josh Sundquist