Today’s guest is a tremendous attorney, storyteller, and podcast host. Ashley Menzies Babatunde is the Host of No Straight Path through HubSpot Podcast Network and an Associate at the O’Melveny Law Firm. Ashley outlines how to find good podcast guests, what podcasting has done in her life, and why it’s so important to listen to your past podcast episodes.
Takeaways: Selecting Guests with Inspiring Stories
- Find guests with inspiring stories that fit the theme of your podcast. Three ways to select guests with great stories are 1) Start with people you know; 2) Stay connected with people on social media platforms; 3) Be open to guest pitches.
- By starting with people that you know, you already have an idea of their story, how they tell and reflect upon it, and how they would show up during a podcast interview.
- Keeping up with interesting people and their stories on social media allows you to get a sense of their stories to see if it’s worth exploring more with them on your podcast. Take note of where you find inspiring stories and whose stories they are.
- Most people that pitch themselves as podcast guests have a story to tell and have put work into sharing their story. Usually, these people have experience speaking and have been on other podcasts so they shouldn’t require much coaching from you.
- In preparing guests for your podcast you should give them an overview of the show, some of the questions, and the recording logistics. Let them know about how deep your conversations go and assure them your show is a safe place to share their stories.
- When editing, you should strive to portray the guest in the best light possible. In case their stories need some links to be coherent, consider using voice-over in post. With voiceover, it’s important to make sure the guests are sharing the most impactful parts.
- Although it might be awkward for you, you should listen back to your podcast episodes. This lets you learn from any mistakes you made and helps to identify questions or segments that left you or your guest feeling bored or uninterested.
Quote of The Show:
“Vulnerability and honesty are important in telling the best stories”
– Ashley Menzies Babatunde, Creating The Greatest Show, Episode #022
Ashley’s Links:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-menzies-babatunde-89437036/
- Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/no_straight_path/?hl=en
- Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ms_menzies/?hl=en
- Company website: https://www.omm.com/
- Personal Website & Blog: https://www.ashleymenzies.com/
- Podcast: https://www.ashleymenzies.com/no-straight-path
Ways to Tune In:
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/12f108ea-018f-44a6-8bb0-9444e9cbf3cc
- Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creating-the-greatest-show/id1638399900
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1B7OnWCGoxBRzH2rbkEFIf
- Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL2NyZWF0aW5ndGhlZ3JlYXRlc3RzaG93L2ZlZWQueG1s
- Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/creating-the-greatest-show-4823789
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/vAhmbmoHupI