😬 Podcast Mastery: How to prevent a conversational black hole

I'd love to be considered a world-class podcast guest one day and I’ve noticed that the ones who are, do something differently…

Most podcast hosts start their interviews by introducing the guest, reeling off all their accolades and finishing with:

💬 '[Name], welcome to the podcast!'
💬 '[Name], Thank you for being here.'
💬 '[Name], I'm so excited to finally have you on.'

Well intentioned? Yes.

But it’s a trap - one that forces us into a conversational black hole.

💬 'Thanks for having me!'
😬 [And then we wait for the first question]

❌ Slow
❌ Predictable
❌ A bit awkward too.

Seasoned podcast guests know this, so they do something a little different and who better to demonstrate it than Rory Sutherland. Have a watch of this…🍿

Notice how he:

1. Acknowledged the welcome 🙏
2. Then added a bridge statement to get straight on topic 🧠 

But here is the real genius behind the approach:

1. Your audience gets value faster 🎁
   So they're more likely to continue listening.
   

2. You get to control the narrative ⚡️
   So your message will be landing peak listenership.
   

3. You help the host warm up 🔥
   They get nervous too!
   

4. You help the audience settle into the conversation 🎧
   The best podcasts don't feel like interviews
   

5. You set the host up to go off piste 🧠
   And ask a better first question.
   
   [I appreciate inexperienced hosts may struggle with this but that's good practice for them too]!

Going into every podcast appearance armed with a clear idea of where you might take the conversation first, is a really smart strategy.

Alex

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