A great place to reach multitudes of prospects is by being a podcast guest.
If you want to attract more high-paying clients, then prospects need to experience you and your wisdom. A great place to reach multitudes of prospects is by being a podcast guest. The podcaster has done the hard work of assembling an audience. You just get to show up and share your brilliance.
Podcasts are multiplying like rabbits. At last check, ListenNotes reported that there are 2.7 million podcasts on the air. The good news for you is more are starting every single day.
“It really is the Wild, Wild, West out there, and there is a show for every kind of expertise,” says podcast guesting expert Nancy Juetten. “The key is to make sure there is an audience-to-message match. You don’t want to attempt to sell a Rolex watch to a migrant farm worker.”
In addition to being an Amazon #1 best-selling author of the Bye-Bye Boring Bio Workbook, Juetten speaks on more than 40 podcasts and virtual stages each year with her sassy sound bites leading the way.
Juetten advises podcast guests name and claim your niche audience for your message, just as you would for your own expertise. Here are five steps for podcast guesting success:
Step one. “Find shows that welcome guests and that reach your specific audience,” says Juetten. “I suggest locating shows that have produced a minimum of 20 recent episodes and already have welcomed favorable reviews. That lets you know that an audience is already created to benefit from your message. You can find this information by searching shows by name on iTunes.”
Step two. You can sign up for some of the better online matchmaking sites such as PodMatch.com and MatchMaker.fm. Free memberships are available. “Set up your profile, and relevant opportunities could be coming to your inbox as soon as tomorrow,” says Juetten.
Step three. You can also join one or more groups on Facebook that make the task of making the right matches remarkably easy. One of Juetten’s favorites is the Facebook group Podcast Guest Collaboration Community - Find a Guest, Be a Guest.
Step four. Sites such as Chartable.com make it fast and easy to quickly identify shows in your niche audience. “All you have to do is type in your niche in the search bar and voila!” says Juetten.
Step five. “Don’t forget to consider the people in your own circle of influence who may host shows or write columns or lead groups,” says Juetten. “They may be thrilled to welcome you as a guest faculty expert or contributor, and perhaps you can return the generosity in service to your own community.
Juetten adds that podcast guesting is a powerful visibility strategy that is built on a foundation of mutually beneficial and lasting business relationships.
“If you approach guesting as a series of one-night stands, you miss out on the bounty of results that can come your way indefinitely by intending to create amazing and lasting relationships from your first point of contact,” says Juetten.
Here five tips from Juetten on podcast preparation:
- If you want to get booked on a podcast, start with your mindset.
- Believe and behave as if the most important influencer is calling you tomorrow.
- That means being media ready, media savvy, and on message. Many an expert guest who was “the player to be named later” has stepped in to bridge a gap when the prior scheduled speaker or guest had life get in the way.
- Prepare a media one sheet that showcases what conversation you want to be a part of and what qualifies you as a guest hosts can’t wait to talk to.
- Go the extra mile by creating an “Interview Me” page that offers hosts everything they need to quickly get up to speed about what you like to talk about, along with accessing suggested interview questions, your head shot, your social media links, and other such things. Here is an example.
Juetten says once you’ve picked the low-hanging podcast guesting publicity fruit from the podcast guest matchmaking sites to get your reps in and gain confidence at the microphone or by live video, you may find yourself feeling hungry to step up to the bigger shows with even more influential hosts.
“Start by reaching out to the influencers you most admire, after first having done your research about what their show is about,” she says.
Post a five-star review, subscribe, and make your approach in the manner the host requests. Then suggest a unique point of view that would add value to their audience and invite a powerful, engaged conversation.
“Your fortune and your moment of opportunity at the microphone depend on the fine art of follow up,” she adds.
