It must have felt like a relatively safe environment.
A podcast. A conversational format. A relaxed atmosphere.
Less combative than a traditional broadcast interview.
But as Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently discovered, comments made in a seemingly informal setting can rapidly become front-page news.
During an appearance on comedian Nikki Osborne's Bush Deep podcast, the Australian PM was asked to play a version of the "shag, marry, date" game involving Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Rhonda Burchmore.
After initially attempting to avoid the question, he eventually responded: "Oh, Kylie, clearly."
When Osborne followed up by asking: "You'd marry Kylie and shag her and date her?", Albanese replied: "All of the above."
The comments quickly generated headlines and criticism, leading the Prime Minister to issue an apology, saying: "I apologise unequivocally for the comments."
And it offers an important lesson for anyone who appears on podcasts.
Many media spokespeople approach podcasts very differently from TV or radio interviews.
They often arrive feeling more relaxed. And the format naturally induces a more candid conversation.
Some interviewees may even feel the need to appear more relatable to the podcasts, typically, younger demographic.
The conversation feels friendlier. Questions can appear less structured.
And there is often more time to explain an answer.
All of which can create a false sense of security.
The danger is that spokespeople begin to lower their guard.
They become more candid.
And they start saying things they would never say in a television interview with a traditional or mainstream journalist sitting opposite them.
Although the demographics (age, income and location) and psychographics (values, beliefs, lifestyle and opinions) of many podcast audiences are different to those of the mainstream media this doesn’t mean that the mainstream media and their audience aren’t listening.
The podcast audio is usually permanent, searchable, shareable and highly quotable.
And it is often filmed which means that traditional media outlets can clip it and use it on their own websites and in their own broadcasts.
Comments will be clipped and posted on social media within minutes.
Journalists can write stories about them.
Critics can amplify them.
And audiences can hear the remarks without the wider context the speaker hoped would soften the message.
The platform may have changed. The reputational risk has not.
The podcast boom has created fantastic opportunities for organisations and their leaders.
Long-form conversations give spokespeople the chance to tell stories, demonstrate expertise and connect with different audiences in ways that are difficult during a three-minute broadcast interview.
But the format can also create problems.
The longer someone talks, the greater the chance of drifting away from key messages.
Conversation can replace preparation.
Opinion can replace judgement.
And off-the-cuff remarks can end up becoming the story.
We've seen it happen repeatedly.
A leader sits down expecting a discussion about one topic and walks away generating headlines for something entirely different.
From a communications perspective, the most interesting aspect of this story isn't necessarily the remark itself.
It's that the Prime Minister had an opportunity to sidestep the question and initially tried to do exactly that, referencing the fact he had only recently got married.
Yet, as the tone remained light-hearted and conversational, he eventually engaged with the game.
That's a situation many spokespeople will recognise.
The challenging question arrives.
You know instinctively it's not one you should answer.
But then the presenter pushes again.
There's a laugh.
The atmosphere feels friendly.
And suddenly you're responding rather than resisting.
That is often how media mistakes happen.
Not through hostility.
But through comfort.
Here is a simple rule that all media spokespeople and PR teams should live by.
If you wouldn't say it in a live interview on Radio 4's Today programme, don't say it on a podcast.
Treat every podcast appearance as media engagement.
Because that's exactly what it is.
Before appearing, decide:
Having that discipline does not make you sound robotic.
It helps ensure that when the discussion becomes more relaxed, your judgement doesn't become more relaxed too.
The issue is not that podcasts are dangerous.
Far from it.
They can be one of the most effective communication channels available to leaders, comms, PR and media teams.
The problem comes when people mistake a public platform for a private conversation.
Podcast studios may feel less intimidating than television cameras.
The atmosphere may feel friendlier.
But the reputational consequences are exactly the same which shows why organisations should prepare their spokespeople for appearing on podcasts with the exact same rigour as they would any other media interview.
If this episode demonstrates anything, it is that the most difficult questions often arrive just after you've started feeling comfortable.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with more than 40 years of experience.
We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
Find out more about our media skills training where you can test your techniques with experienced presenters in a realistic podcast studio setting.