Everybody gets bored. Sometimes you can sense the host is having trouble staying awake.

This question gives you an opportunity to answer the question, “Why are you qualified to offer the services you are promoting?” If you haven’t discovered the five story archetypes, you can download the Report here.

Role model? Use this opportunity to make friends. You talk about how you overcame obstacles — the kind of obstacles faced by ordinary people, such as illness, learning disabilities, or family crises. Or you could talk about how you worked with a nervous client who felt inadequate to accomplish her goals. You’re leading up to, “If I can do it, you can too.”

Innovator? Use this opportunity to introduce your innovation and explain why you’re unique. Talk about how you discovered a need that wasn’t being met, so you found a solution. It’s unlikely anyone else can offer that solution and you explain why. You might talk about a client who had tried everything, was feeling desperate, and then found your solution.

Educator? Create some mini aha moments. Or you could talk about how you became an expert in your field…or how your expertise

Passionate Advocate? This one’s easy: What drives your passion? Something from your own life? Something you observed?

Celebrity? You’re not reading blogs to figure out what to say; you’re at home in the spotlight. Your host feels honored and if I were you, I’d turn the tables and talk about how pleased you are to be here and how much you want to keep helping people.

A few thoughts …

(1) These background questions are intended as an introduction. Your audience will start fidgeting if you go on too long. They want to hear the meat of your presentation!

(2) Questions about your current business need to be answered carefully. Think of those absurd job interview questions, “Tell us about your weaknesses.” You choose a weakness that won’t disqualify you for the job. Similarly, you’re being interviewed for a job by your prospective clients. That’s a good way to frame your thoughts as you plan for your interview.

(3) Always, always make the host look good. Add comments like, “That’s a great question!” or, “I’m so glad you asked me!” or, “I love answering that question because it gives me a chance to talk about …”

When you make the host look good, you look even better. It’s no accident: the best interviews often feel like one of those feel-good kumbaya events.

If you’d like to hone in on your story archetype,  fine-tune your message, and create some solid high-converting copy, let’s set up a story consultation. We’ll identify your next steps and blueprint your content creation. Plus you get the 30-minute Test Drive guarantee. New!

With the new year coming up, many of us will be holding teleseminars. We will also be inviting others to be guests and hosts.

Here are some tips to invite a guest (and I’m happy to be your guest if we are a good fit!).

(1) What makes Egert or Elena a good choice for your business? Will Egbert attract sign-ups among your target market so you can grow your list? Will Elena give you credibility because you get to say, “I interviewed this famous person?” Will Egbert agree to publicize the event to his big list? Will Elena make an offer with an attractive affiliate commission?

We’ve all made this mistake: We’re so excited to get a famous person that we don’t ask these questions. We also forget that sometimes our list would rather hear from someone new who may be less famous but more targeted to their needs.

Egbert’s name will attract a lot of traffic. You’ll gain credibility from hosting him. But will that be enough? 

(2) What’s in it for Egbert? Why would Elena want to be a guest on your podcast? Does your market buy their products? Have they written you commission checks (evidence that your audience likes their products)? Are they newcomers looking for exposure?

Tip: Make it easy. “I’ll do all the footwork. You can just appear.”

And remind the guest they’ll get rewards even on a small show. You gain more credibility and you sound great if you were interviewed by someone else. They’ll almost always benefit, unless you’re a really bad interviewer.

(3) Guests don’t like surprises. You set the rules. Do you want the guest to send questions? Or will you make up 10 questions and send them to Egbert for approval? Will you just turn the call over to Elena so she gives a presentation with no interruptions? Negotiate these opportunities *before* the guest appears.

I always give my guests a list of questions I’m going to ask. They can negotiate whether to change or modify the questions.

(4) Send the guest a call-in number well before the appointed date. If you’re using a teleseminar system, make sure your guest is signed in as an administrator or host (systems use different terms). You need to be able hear Egbert even when all participants are muted.

(5) It’s a nice courtesy to send a thank you message afterward. Some people send hand-written notes or personal cards. Some guests will view this gesture as friendly but others will think it’s a little over the top.

What do YOU think? What’s been your experience as a host or guest? Click on the “Comment” link below to share your views.