How to Be a Successful Guest on a Talk Show

It’s very hard to meet someone for the first time and be your true self. It’s even harder to act like yourself when you know the conversation will be broadcast to thousands, if not millions of people. Being a “good” guest on a talk show isn’t just a skill you’re born with. Celebrities do press interviews all the time, yet most of them are quite boring on talk shows. With the popularity of the podcast, it’s now easier than ever to get yourself booked on a talk show. It’s definitely great exposure, but it can backfire if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Make sure you research and listen to every show you’re going to be on before you’re on it. Maybe even have a quick phone call with the host before the interview. Even if you’ve done a hundred interviews, the format and feel will be different every time, so you want to prepare. What are you allowed to say? Does the host have a rival he or she doesn’t like to talk about? Has the host seen your act or read your book?

If you go on a talk show, be willing to talk! Think of some funny and relevant stories you’d want to share and tell the producer before the show. If the producer thinks it’s a good idea, he or she will tell the host and then the stage is yours. Unless the producer tells you otherwise, you shouldn’t give a quick one or two sentence answer. If you notice the host is talking more than you, that’s a good sign you’re not doing your part. Don’t be afraid to give the long answer.

It’s very hard to be truly entertaining on a talk show and you don’t want to seem desperate to get a laugh. For example, one way comedians try to be funny is by recycling jokes from their live show into a talk show. Nobody wants to hear you on a talk show and then go see your act and hear the same material! You don’t need to be very witty during an interview. If you’re not funny, don’t worry! No one will remember and life goes on.