3 Rookie Mistakes Authors Make on Podcast Interviews and My Quick Fixes with Allison Lane

Are you unintentionally hurting your author visibility every time you join a podcast interview? Most authors think podcasting is audio only, but today’s publishing and book promotion landscape runs on video clips, YouTube episodes, and marketing snippets pulled directly from your interview. If you don’t prepare, you lose opportunities before you even say a word.

In this quick episode, you’ll learn simple, inexpensive upgrades that instantly improve how you look, sound, and show up as the expert you are. These small changes can transform your author marketing, book promotion strategy, and overall presence when you're trying to get published. Hit play and get podcast-ready in minutes.

Resources: 

• Logitech Wired Headphones with Mic: https://a.co/d/duUpxCp
• AudioTechnica Cardioid Dynamic Microphone: https://a.co/d/7Qn43WT
• Get Allison's free guide: "Speaker Appearance Training, Tips, and Tech" at https://www.lanelit.com/appearance-guide
• Connect with Allison: https://www.lanelit.com/allison

In this episode, Allison discusses:

• [00:30] The surprising reason most authors look unprepared on podcast video
• [01:20] Why your laptop mic ruins your authority before you even start talking
• [02:10] The affordable microphone and headphones that immediately upgrade your sound
• [03:00] The echo mistake that can make your entire podcast interview unusable
• [04:00] The lighting fix that keeps you from disappearing into the shadows
• [05:10] Why showing your living room actually hurts your author visibility
• [06:00] A quick recap of the three tech essentials every author must use
• [06:40] A funny detour about cooking, Dutch ovens, and Boston teens with big appetites

If you enjoyed today’s tips, take a moment to rate and review The Author’s Edge. Your support helps the show reach more authors who want to write their book, launch with confidence, and grow their visibility. Share this episode with a friend who’s prepping for their next interview.

Get Allison's free guide 7 Shifts to Build Real Authority - and get recognized for your expertise (not your follower count): https://lanelit.com/authority   

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Transcript

1:02

Welcome back to the Author's Edge. I am your host, Allison Lane, and I'm so glad you're here for this shorty episode, which is all about how to prepare for the podcast interview. You know, you're going to go on as an expert. You know you're going to get requested. Can you come on my podcast? Can you share what you know? Since it's not a surprise, you need to be prepared for these things, and by preparation, I mean you need the right tools. You wouldn't believe how many guests join podcast links and they have just rushed in. They look like they're sitting in the dark in a. Sad cave of loneliness when you don't have the right tools, your voice will come across very tinny. Sometimes even with an echo, if you don't have the right lighting, you look like we just caught you in the middle of folding clothes in your laundry room. You just look unprepared and like you don't realize that the podcast isn't just. Audio. It is always video because Zoom links, Riverside Links squad cast. Links, they all capture the video. Even though a podcast will be delivered on like Apple Podcasts as audio, the video version goes on YouTube, the video version gets chopped up into little snippets to use in marketing. So yes, you've gotta show up with all your technology. It really with 15 minutes of prep and the tools that I'm gonna give you right now, you'll be all set. Number one you must have an external microphone. You may not use the microphone on your laptop. It does not sound good. It sounds like you're really far away and it ruins the listening experience for anyone. I listen to a ton of podcasts and I can tell you that there have been times when I start listening and just stopped listening right at the gate because it's a horrible listing experience. So you've gotta have a separate microphone. The microphone I have was, about$70. It's Audio Technica and it's on Amazon Audio Technica. I have mine on a boom, so I can swing it out of my way. Otherwise, I'd be constantly fiddling with it, but I can put it near me and I don't have to do anything about it. You also need to have speakers or headphones so that the audio coming back at you doesn't get picked up by your microphone. The headphones I like are Logitech. They are gaming headphones and they are$20, 20 bucks. They just plug into your computer with a USB Jack. And what that does is it keeps your speaker. And your microphone separate because if they're not separate, the audio from the podcast picks up an echo and it is horrible. You can't actually use the podcast recording when there's an echo. So you may not use your computer speaker and your computer microphone. You have to have something separate and the Logitech headphones actually have a microphone attached as well. But there's one more thing that you've gotta know. You need to think about your lighting now. Your lighting doesn't have to be for fancy. You can just grab a lamp in your house, but we wanna make sure that the light is in front of you. If the light is behind you, then you are backlit. The mistake that a lot of people make is that they want to show off their beautiful living room. We don't care about your living room. But also we can't see your living room because we're watching you. So it is irrelevant. I'm in my basement and this is happens to be where my office is, and there's a window in front of me, and so I am well lit. I don't have a light on right now. The camera that I'm looking at is in front of me. I'm not looking down. If, let me show you, here's what it would look like if I was looking down. Looking down means that your face is creating a shadow, which kind of sucks. So to regroup, separate microphone versus headphones. Definitely don't look down and make sure there's sufficient lighting. We wanna see both sides of your face. Otherwise you look like Marlon Brando sitting in a corner muttering to himself. So. Run now go to the show notes. I'll put my favorite tech tools in the show notes so you can grab the headphones that I buy. This is my, actually, I have to tell you, this is my third set of headphones because I continually roll over the USB port with my roller chair. I feel silly, and now I've revealed to you that I was not careful twice, but for 20 bucks, I don't feel so, so bad. Now, here's my detour for the day. It is holiday season. People are expecting full meals today in Boston. It is 10 freaking degrees. I need to know what to cook. I am a terrible cook. And worse, I hate being alone in the kitchen. So if you have a go-to. Meal, something that I, that I can put in a pot or in a crock pot or bake just so long as I don't have to stand in front of the freaking oven and stir something. Do not send me risotto recipes. I really need recipes that will feed hungry teenagers who are always looking for more protein, but I don't know how much more chicken with garlic and lemon my kids will enjoy. So send me something, please. Oh, and I just learned what a Dutch oven is. So if you have a recipe that needs a Dutch oven, send it my way. I'm ready.