c+p digital

Conversion driven digital marketing agency, focussed on creative content.

How to choose a podcast host

Every show needs a host! Whether it’s a show on TV, or a radio show or other podcasts that you follow, you’ll find that the one thing that tends to draw people in and keep them engaged in the piece of content is the quality of that host.

The host has the role of moderator, the role of curiosity and question driver, and the general job of holding the show together. 

So picking a good host for your podcast is quite key. 

 

Want to learn how to build podcast infrastructure that pays?

 

I encourage people to think about four key areas to pick the perfect host for your podcast show. 

1. The first is thing to think about is your organizational chart. Ensure that your host is somebody that’s senior enough in your organizational to command respect from potential audiences and to bring in network reactivation

2. The second thing you want to think about is the personality of the host. If your CEO is an introvert who doesn’t love public speaking and conversations, then perhaps that’s not your best choice. Maybe you want to be looking to your CMO; or your even CTO for more specialist podcasts. Pick someone who’s relationship driven, who likes the conversations, and who really wants to ask the questions that get answers that will help your audience. Make sure that the person who becomes host is the kind of personality that will enjoy podcasting. This cannot be a chore!

3. Third, think about the degree of follow-through the person brings. Find someone who doesn’t put this at the bottom of their priority list. You don’t want to get a host who needs nagging and continual follow-up or, worse, whines constantly and ghosts you.
4. Finally, make sure that your host holds a high level of accountability for the business goals that the podcast is feeding into. So whether that’s making sure that you’re increasing your pipeline, bringing in sponsors for your programming, or making the connections you want for future funding, you want to make sure that the person who’s the host has a strong level of accountability towards those goals.
 
A word on DEI
The other thing to think about is equity. DEI, on a few fronts, is front and center. The world is invested, at this particular moment in time, in making sure that equity is delivered. Whether it’s women, or people of color, or people with different physical abilities, or older adults – you don’t tend to see a whole lot of diversity in the public eye. And that goes for podcast hosts as well. In your podcasting might be an opportunity to be intentional and decide not to go with the obvious. Note: if you feel resistance to that idea, because you feel that it’s tokenism, know that making sure that the right person is out there connecting with the audiences is good business sense.
If you are able to check off a few of these boxes for your host, you’ll have a really successful show!

Looking for a more detailed podcasting resource?

My name is Susan Diaz and I co-host 2 podcasts, The 4am Report, a top 25 ‘Canadian marketing podcast’, ranked just below marketing demigod Neil Patel. And ABCDEI, an inclusion podcast that is focussed on unlearning bias, one alphabet at a time; a top 5% podcast, globally! 

We’ve leveraged the success of these podcasts, as well as the podcasts we deliver for top brands as a podcast agency (c+p digital), spanning B2B across finance, future of work, marketing, and tech, to bring you the 101 primer on launching and running a ‘top 25’ podcast in your industry. 

Building podcast infrastructure that pays is available on-demand! It’s full of easy podcast wisdom, frameworks, checklists, workflows and tool suggestions that will serve you if podcasting FOR YOUR BUSINESS is on your plan.