Most podcast hosts and journalists find expert guests by searching online. They look at who is already talking about the topic, whether they like how that person explains it, and whether the person seems knowledgeable. Then they pick the safest choice. Someone with a lot of published work is low-risk, because the host already knows what that person stands for. Credentials they can’t find online barely count.
The short version
- Hosts start with a search, not with a list of the most qualified people in the field.
- They judge what they can see: how you talk about the topic and whether you seem to know it.
- They pick the lowest-risk option. The more you’ve published, the more they have to go on.
- Certifications and years of experience rarely come into it, because the host usually never sees them.
- To get picked, make it obvious online who you help, what your expertise is and why you’re the person to contact.
What a host checks before inviting you
When a journalist or podcast host needs someone for a topic, the process is practical. In my experience, it comes down to four questions:
- Who is talking about this topic online? They search, and they see who shows up.
- Do I like how this person talks about it? They read or listen to what you’ve already published.
- Do they seem knowledgeable? They judge your expertise by your content, not your CV.
- How risky is it to invite them? The more they’ve seen of you, the safer the choice feels.
The same goes for being asked to guest post on a website or to speak on a panel. The person they already know something about is the easy yes.
What hosts usually don’t see
This is the part that’s hard to hear. The host isn’t weighing your certifications against someone else’s. They usually never see your certifications at all.
What you have
What a host sees when they search
Certifications and training
Nothing, unless they show up in what you publish
Years of client work
Only the experience you’ve written or talked about publicly
Answers you give clients every week
Only the answers you’ve posted
A body of published work on your topic
Who you help, what you know, how you explain it, and what you stand for
Why the more visible person gets picked
I know a coach who had certifications and years of experience with pregnant and postpartum women, including in the hospital. Another coach, with much less experience, started talking about the same topic after getting pregnant herself. Because the second coach was more visible, she got the panel invitations and the podcast interviews.
The hosts weren’t choosing the less qualified coach over the more qualified one. They were choosing the coach they could find. (The full story is in why someone less qualified gets more recognition than you.)
Today, the more visible person gets the interviews. Your expertise only counts once people can see it.
Check what a host would find about you
Search for yourself as if you were a podcast host looking for a guest on your topic. Look at the body of work you’ve put online and ask:
- Would someone who doesn’t know me understand exactly what I stand for?
- Is it clear who I help and what my expertise is?
- Is it clear why I’m the person they should contact?
If the answer is “not really,” a host searching your topic won’t find a reason to pick you, however much you know.
How to become the obvious choice
Build a body of work before you need it. Start with the questions your clients ask you most often and publish your answers. Then keep going, because consistency is what turns “she knows her stuff” into “she’s one of the experts on this.”
One of my clients works with parents of gifted kids. When she posted continuously and then pitched bigger news outlets, she was accepted immediately and quickly became known as one of the experts on the topic. Nothing about her expertise changed. People could just see it now. The step-by-step version is in how to become known as an expert in your field.
I built HeySuna to make that consistency doable next to client work. You pick from ready-made content ideas, answer questions in a 10-minute interview, and get blog posts, newsletters and LinkedIn posts built on your own expertise and point of view.