Listening to podcasts is one of my favorite pastimes. My listening tastes are quite eclectic and depending on the topic, I may be more interested in the guest than the host -- and vice versa.

With a couple of seasons of hosting and co-hosting podcasts, my approach to choosing guests has been evolving.

Aspects I consider in my guest selection process include (not necessarily in this order):

1. What's your podcast about?

2. Who's your audience?

3. What's your strategy for putting a guest at ease?

4. Ask your listeners for suggestions.

5. What do you most want to know and who can talk about that topic? 

6. Read publications, press releases, newsletters for information about people who may interest you and your listeners.

7. Think of people you know in your neighborhood, church, school, clubs.

8. Consider your own comfort level talking and interviewing people you know and you don't know.

9. Ask yourself what's the one thing you hope the listener gets from the podcast.

10. What's the guest going to get out of it?

That final point is important to me. I always want to be sure my guests are happy they decided to be on my podcast and hopefully tthey will want to join me again. The success of Chicago Media Talks is in large part because of the guests I've interviewed and the stories they have shared with my listeners.

(Image by freepik)