Okay so I have some experience in this arena, AND I want to talk about ANYTHING other than trauma, so I thought I would revisit one of my favorite topics which just happens to be story sharing.
I was super nervous when I started Comfortably, Uncomfortable, Conversations, but I only really started it because the pandemic was weighing on me, and I knew that if I didn’t start connecting with other humans I was going to drown in isolation.
For the first two seasons of the show the main question and theme of the show was “how the fuck did or do, you stay sane during all the trauma of life?” now however the theme has changed as has the title of the show, and I am far more prepared to move forward in my own life than I was before.
Now that I’ve changed the name of the show (largely on a whim,) I have really started to think about the responsibility that comes with promoting other people, their stories, and their brands.
When we’re putting people on our show, and when we’re sharing the umbrella of our brand with them, we really need to think about whether the person we’re dealing with has values that align with our own. It’s super important especially as content creators that when we are collaborating, that we focus our energies on working with those who live as authentically as we do, and that’s why making sure your online portfolio is super important.
Doing the Prep Work Is A Must If You’re Going To Promote Yourself
When I am looking for a guest I want to see that they have ALL the things, I want to make sure not necessarily that they have a huge audience, but that they have the time and the energy to promote themselves, and that they are interested in “Doing the Work.”
So what I mean by that is:
- Is your website a full website that showcases your expertise? Or is it just a simple page that you’re using to sell a book without telling the audience what that book is about?
- Do you have your:
- Facebook Page
- Youtube
- ANY of the above?
- Does your digital footprint align with my values, YOUR values and make a concentrated effort to showcase a path of consistency?
Yes, I am not so secretly looking to find out if you are supporting supremacy based on religion, politics, or race. Yes you’re giving me free content for my website and my brand, but don’t forget that this is an exchange. By appearing on my brand, podcast, or website, you’re getting my audience’s ears on your product or service. I have a right to know who I am interviewing, and what to expect when they come on the show.
The reason that literally ALL this information is important isn’t because we want to make sure you have lots of followers or that we want to see that you are famous, it’s so that we can say “this person has been doing this for awhile and their entire digital footprint showcases their expertise, their authenticity, and their commitment to the things that come out of their mouths.“
When people come to Stay Lifted Sis I want them to say “Wow I never thought about that before,” I never want them to feel like they’ve been lied to, or they’ve wasted their time listening to my show or checking out my website, so making sure that the people I work with are on the same kind of path is SUPER important to me.
Here are some tips to help you prepare for your podcast/YouTube/live interview to make sure that you AND your audience get the best experience possible:
- Relax and be yourself. You aren’t’ selling YOURSELF, you are selling your BRAND, and in order to that the best way possible, you have to be yourself. If you can’t be yourself even in front of strangers, when can you be?
- If you are absolutely not comfortable, it’s totally okay to let the host know that you’re not ready, or prepared, but PLEASE give them enough time to make sure they can fill the slot. Backing out at the last moment is SUPER unprofessional, unless of course it’s an emergency.
- Baby, you don’t have to dress up to do a podcast interview, you MIGHT want to if it’s a live stream, but getting “dressed” means having your digital footprint in gear. If that’s not on point then you have just wasted the audience’s time. If they can’t contact you when the show is over, what’s the point?
- Remember what you’re selling. Yes yourself, yes your brand, yes your experience, no your drama, no your diva behavior, no your lies, no your overcompensation.
- IT’S OKAY TO LAUGH.
Ok here’s the thing, one of the reasons that I changed the name from Comfortably Uncomfortable Conversations is that so few of the conversations were fun. Sure they were great convos with awesome people, but we weren’t laughing, we were talking about serious shit, ALLLL the time.
It’s not fun, it’s not interesting, when all you’re doing is talking in a monotone voice, when someone asks you how you find laughter, how you find joy, come up with an answer that’s more than “oh well I work out.” tell us a funny anecdote, let us know all those moments that when you think about in your life make you howl with laughter.
Stop Being Humble When Your Host Congratulates You
Yes, you did that thing. You created that business, you started that company you wrote that book, you built that dispensary, YOU did those things, and while you may have had help it was YOUR concept that YOU made sure got built.
So don’t ever ever feel like you have to be overly humble. Say thank you, let the person complimenting you know you appreciate their support and then talk to them about how you did it. People don’t necessarily want to know JUST how humble you are, they also and more importantly want to know HOW you did it, so that they can too.
Finding or Being A Guest on a Podcast
#FindAGuest:
If you are looking for a guest use #FindAGuest on social media, there are lots of great Podcasting Facebook Groups that you can use to network and connect with others, and it’s a great way to find interesting people to interview, and even to make friends. When you use #FindaGuest people will tell you why they want to be on your show, and you can find some really great people to talk to about their experience.
#BeAGuest:
If you are looking to BE a guest use #BeAGuest, those same groups are using this hashtag to find people that want to be guests, and so if you use it in your introduction posts, when they go looking they will find you. It’s a great way to express who you are, and to have people tell you THEY want YOUR time, it’s a total boost of confidence and the more people are interested in your brand/personality, the more you get to pick and choose which opportunities fit your needs best.
I hope these tips have helped, if you’d like to be a part of the Stay Lifted Sis podcast interviewees, please fill out this form, we are always looking for new and exciting guests to join the sisterhood of amazing women who lift others up.
Sending all my love,
Devon J Hall
Loud Mouth Brown Girl 