In Episode 4 of the show, I gave a number of reasons why podcasts, and being a guest on podcasts, can be great for growing your business. Please go back and listen to that episode if you missed it. But among some of the key points I made are the huge audience - roughly 90 million people listen to a podcast each month, and the niche aspect of podcasts - there is a podcast for every type of field, industry, interest, with listeners who are passionate about that topic - your topic.

Hopefully after listening to that episode, you decide being a guest on a podcast or multiple podcasts can help you get more clients, customers or patients. You research podcasts that might be a good fit for you and your topic. You pitch the host or producer of that show. And hopefully you land one or more interviews on those podcasts.

Now the challenge is to be great on that podcast interview.

Here are a few ideas you should consider before your next podcast interview, so that you are a terrific guest, and so that you might get some new contacts, leads or business.
Listen to a few episodes of the show.
Knowing how the show usually goes is very important. Is the discussion fun and light-hearted? Is it serious? Is there are a lot of back and forth between the host and guest or does the guest get time to give long answers and explanations? Who is the target audience?

Understanding the nature of the show will help you adapt your message, your tone, your answers and be a great guest for that particular podcast.
Use the best equipment for the interview
Usually, the host or producer will send you technical information ahead of time. Things like whether the interview will be on Zoom or Skype or Remotely or some other service. He or she might recommend specific types of equipment. Always read those instructions and follow them. Even test your setup for that interview before you go live. But at a minimum, you need these pieces of equipment to sound great:

An external microphone - It can plug into your computer through a USB port or the headphone jack, depending on the microphone. But do not use the internal microphone on your computer or laptop. You will sound like you are talking into a tin can. And bad audio is very distracting to a listener.

Headphones to hear the host (don't use the internal speakers on your computer). You will often get an echo in the recording that sounds terrible. Don't worry about how you look with the headphones or Air Pods or whatever you use because the episode will usually be audio only.
Appeal to one type of customer, client or patient - your avatar.
You want to focus on your ideal client, ideal patient or ideal customer. Hopefully that avatar - that's the term to describe your ideal listener - matches up with that of the show. But then answer your questions to attract that type of person. Maybe it's a newlywed couple looking to buy their first house (if you're a real estate agent). Maybe it's a woman in her 40s going through a divorce (if you're a divorce or family attorney). Maybe it's a young adult who likes to play sports or run or lift weights (if you're a chiropractor, physical therapist or personal trainer).

I know people who actually find a photo of their avatar - their ideal client, customer or patient - and they post that photo on their computer and actually speak to that person during interviews.
Tell stories.
Podcasts give you the opportunity to give longer answers than you can on TV or radio. And since the interviews are longer, you can do more than just shares facts and statistics about your topic. You can tell stories - stories of patients or clients who have had that issue, success stories where someone overcame that problem. And people love stories. They remember stories. They can be much more persuasive and encourage people to take action than facts.