This special guest is a serial entrepreneur and seasoned podcaster who has been featured in Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and many more. Mike Malatesta is the creator and Host of How’d It Happen, Author of Owner Shift, and Dream Exit Expert. Mike joins Host Casey Cheshire for a takeaway-packed discussion on the importance of satisfying your own curiosity through your podcast, common guest introduction mistakes to avoid, and if you have an obligation to read every guest’s book.

Takeaways:

• If you’re interviewing a guest who makes frequent podcast appearances, they likely have a prepared narrative that they tell on every show. It’s up to you as the host to develop questions that get them to open up and share what lies beneath their pod facade.
• When you’ve sparked the guest’s curiosity about themselves, guests will get more comfortable venturing beyond their tired talk track, to the point where they stop thinking about the podcast because they’re focused on the great conversation you’re having.
• New podcasters may find it frightening to start an interview without a long list of prepared questions, however as they gain experience, many find that they only need a jumping-off point and can successfully navigate the conversation from there.
• Whether or not you hold prep calls with your guests prior to recording with them, it’s still important to have a process for getting your guests the right information they need to crush their interview ahead of time.
• If you decide not to utilize a prep call with your guests, you still need to start building rapport with your guests. For example, Mike uses the first 20 minutes of the remote podcast recording call to start getting to know his guests and ensure their comfort.
• Avoid sending subtle signals to your guests that you don’t care about them. Two common ways this can happen are by asking the guest to introduce themselves or by reading the guest’s bio verbatim. Show you care by putting some effort in and making their introduction a unique experience for them.
• As a host, you need to make sure you’ll actually be interested in the guests you invite and the questions you ask. If you’re bored by your guests or the topic you’re discussing with them, the quality of the episode will drop drastically. If you don’t care about the guest or the topic, why should your audience care about the guest, the topic, or your podcast?

Quote of the Show:

• “I'm trying to get my guests to be curious about themselves.” - Mike Malatesta

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemalatesta/
• Company website: https://mikemalatesta.com/
• Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@howdithappenpodcast1780
• Owner Shift Book: https://www.amazon.com/Owner-Shift-Getting-Selfish-Unstuck-ebook/dp/B09KR3DNRK

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/G9-9V06VvCk

Creating The Greatest Show is produced and sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/