🎙️ Guest Recording Prep

Welcome, and thanks for being up for a conversation on Productly Speaking!
This page covers everything you need to know before we record. Nothing scary, nothing overly formal. Just enough context so you can show up relaxed and ready.

What Productly Speaking Is (and Isn’t)

Productly Speaking is a conversation, not a performance.
We focus on real product stories: the messy moments, the unexpected turns, and the lessons learned along the way.
  • Story-first, not framework-first
  • Honest and human beats polished and perfect
  • No “thought leader” energy required
If it feels real, you’re doing it right.

Recording Basics

A few things to set expectations upfront:
  • Audio-only podcast, we'll use video for the recording, but only export audio
  • We record using Riverside.fm (you’ll receive a link)
  • Episodes are fully edited
    • You can pause, restart, or rephrase anytime
    • We’ll clean things up in post
There’s no pressure to get everything right in one take.

Audio Setup (Don’t Overthink It)

Good audio helps, but perfection is not required.
Recommended
  • Headphones (this helps prevent echo)
  • A USB or XLR microphone if you have one
Totally fine
  • A simple USB mic
  • A quiet room with minimal background noise
What we try to avoid 
  • Laptop speakers
  • Open-air echo
If you’re unsure about your setup, that’s okay. We can figure it out together.

Content & Tone Guidelines

To keep the show accessible to a broad audience:
  • Please keep language clean (no foul or explicit language)
  • Speak naturally, with no need to sanitize your story
  • You don’t need frameworks, slides, or prep materials
This is about your experience, not having the “right” answer.

A Few Reassurances

You don’t need:
  • a perfect origin story
  • a viral takeaway
  • a big name or fancy title
You do bring:
  • lived experience
  • real lessons
  • a perspective someone else needs to hear
That’s the whole point of the show.

Questions or Concerns?

If anything about recording, audio, or the format feels unclear, just reach out. Happy to help.
Looking forward to the conversation.
— Karl
Productly Speaking
Where product management gets real.