The following post was submitted by documentary newborn and family photographer Jenna Christina after being interviewed for episode 251 of the podcast where she went into detail on utilising email marketing to better connect and go on to book your perfect target client. Although Jenna was nervous about coming on the show with no prepared questions, she did a beautiful job of sharing her thoughts.
Here are some of her tips for when you get called up for an interview on this or another photography podcast.
Even if you're not supposed to be prepared, be prepared
If there is something that you are extra good at compared to others, jot down some things you want to remember to mention about it. You might not be sure what this is – in which case I would think back to what other photographers have said to you. Do they envy your social media caption skills? Do they always comment on how well organized you are? Are people asking you for tips about blogging? When you prepare a bit, you will have something helpful to share with the listeners.
Figure out how you can show up for your peers
Why are you excited to be interviewed for a podcast? If it’s not to promote a particular thing you have going on right now, you could figure out if you’ll eventually want to help other photographers with something (see the previous point). Maybe create a freebie for them to sign up for, so that eventually you could provide support to someone 1-on-1 if you’re interested in that kind of thing.
Smiling makes you sound more relaxed
I was SUPER NERVOUS about the interview. I’m not great with public speaking, even if it was just a recording and nothing live, I was nervous for the two months I waited for my interview. But as long as you keep smiling (which is easy with a fun host!), you sound so much less nervous. I had a note in front of me that said SMILE while we were recording.
You can take a break
Because the interview will be edited, don’t worry if you need a bit of a thinker before answering a question, or if you need to look something up. I totally blanked on another photographer’s name whose blog post I talked about and didn’t think to just take 10 seconds to check.
Breathe
You’ve been asked to participate for a reason – this means the host knows you have something valuable to share, even if you don’t feel like an expert right now.
Listen with a support person
When the episode rolled out, I found it very hard to listen to my own episode – I think we all cringe when we hear ourselves recorded. But listening to it with my husband made it heaps easier because he didn’t seem to think there was anything “off” about how I was talking, so that calmed me down. Not to mention the really kind comments and emails I received from listeners in the PhotobizX premium member Facebook group!
Jenna Christina is a San Francisco Bay Area based documentary newborn and family photographer. You can find her podcast interview here and her notes about her interview here.
Leave A Comment