Our special guest today is Travis Lachner, CEO and Creative Director of Beast Node and host of The B2Beast Podcast. Join Travis and our host Casey Cheshire as they delve into the art of podcasting, emphasizing the importance of making shows entertaining as well as informative. Travis shares insights about preparing guests for interviews, creating engaging segments, and utilizing podcast episodes as effective B2B sales tools. He also discusses memorable strategies he has used to make his podcasts enjoyable and engaging, such as integrating games and unboxing sessions into the shows, whilst still keeping a professional front and maintaining a business-focused conversation. Travis encourages organic conversations over heavily scripted ones and highlights the importance of deeply researching guests for successful interactions.

Takeaways:

• Prepare your podcast script meticulously, including aspects like speaker names, sectors, and contents. The script acts as a roadmap that gives the conversations and dialogues a clear sense of direction.
• For each podcast, have clearly outlined segments such as an intro, main interview, and a fun closing element. This provides a solid structure for your conversations and helps keep your audience engaged throughout the episode. 
• When interviewing guests for your podcast, put the spotlight on the guest. Devote more time to extracting and showcasing their expertise and experiences rather than dominating the conversation yourself.
• When it comes to prepping your guests, stick to offering a summary of the segments that will be covered during the interview. Avoid providing them with a list of specific questions as it can lead to rehearsed answers and an unengaging conversation.
• Consider integrating segment-based strategies in your podcast. For example, a closing game segment can add an element of excitement and fun, improving audience retention.
• Master the art of conducting a post-show conversation or "green room" chat. This casual chit-chat after the main interview can open doors for further conversations and establish deeper relationships with your guests.
• If the objective of your podcast show is to generate leads or make sales, use the opportunity to gently introduce your services or products during the post-show chat. Rather than making it sound like a sales pitch, express it in a way that illustrates how your services/products could offer value to the guest.

Quote of the Show:

• “The best shows that are succeeding, sustaining, and generating positive ROI have at least some element of entertainment attached to it.” - Travis Lachner

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travislachner 
• Website: https://thebeastnode.com 

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/xCBZoCfRnkY

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/