When you’re being interviewed for a podcast or media show, your host will often ask, “Tell us about how you got here.” All too often the guest goes into a long episode of True Confessions.
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!