In the Viewfinder: What Makes a Great Podcast Guest
This week in In the Viewfinder, I’m pulling back the curtain on my editing process: what I cut, what I keep and where I might take things next.
Every so often, I like to change things up, add a little freshness to the way I approach this column.
So this time, instead of talking about what I look for in a podcast, I was wondering, what if I were the guest?
If I had unlimited resources to be the perfect podcast guest, here’s what I’d do: show up early, bring a clear arc to my story, sound great on the mic, have beautiful lighting and manage to speak in compelling sentences and be entertaining in under 20 minutes. Sounds easy, right?
Of course, most conversations aren’t that perfectly packaged. That’s where the editing room comes in.
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I’m an independent journalist and podcaster focused on startup and venture capital trends, as well as storytelling and how AI is reshaping business and work. I host "The Venture Variety Show" and "The AI Cognitive Shift" podcasts, and I write "The Venture Lens" newsletter on Substack and Medium. I’ve spent 30 years in business journalism, covering Silicon Valley and beyond for outlets like Venture Capital Journal, Reuters, PEHub and Silicon Valley Business Journal. Today, I also help founders and investors sharpen their stories through media training and content consulting. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, stay curious about tech and people, and I always welcome a good conversation.
