When it comes to booking guests for your podcast, conventional wisdom says to book the person most conversant on the topic you’re covering.

But what if there are a few guests who can get the job done? Who should you chase?

If all guests are equal on the surface, look at them from a marketing angle: Who will help you make the biggest splash? It’s almost always going to be the person who’s most active on social media.

…and that doesn’t always mean who has the largest number of friends or followers. Anyone can amass a lot of names on a list; you’ll want to identify the person who’s most engaged with his/her audience. That’s a person who will gladly share a link and talk about your show and the interview you did.

Don't just take our word for it -- The Podcast Landscape 2023 report concludes that, "Podcasters need to be more strategic about 'word of mouth' because word of mouth remains the top source of discovery.' In fact, 67% of respondents said they started listening to a new podcast because they saw it on the social media feed of someone they follow. 

Leveraging this information in your guest selection process is critical. Guests who are active on social media are more likely to share their episode, and that's how you'll get listeners.