Social media is where everyone’s mind goes when we think of promoting a podcast.
They think of sharing clips, quote images or audiograms like this:
And those are fine, they’re like billboards for a podcast. They mostly fly by in people’s feeds.
But here’s the dirty little secret: Posts about podcast episodes rarely get comments or shares.
Which means those posts are getting squashed by the algorithm, to where 5-10% of your following will see them. Most likely it’s the people who already engage with everything you share. Anyone outside that 5-10% probably won’t see your podcast promotion posts.
So promoting a podcast isn’t about social media.
There’s a strategy where you can go directly to people who already listen to podcasts, and might be your ideal clients. You don’t have to convince them to listen to podcasts or explain how to download the Apple Podcasts app. They already know all that.
What’s the strategy? Get featured as a guest expert on podcasts.
Specifically, go get interviewed as an expert guest on the podcasts your ideal clients are already listening to.
This is a perfect strategy for an introverted expert. You can probably talk about your story and share your expertise all day. You might even be a people person and just be an introvert on social media. Either way, podcast interviews can just as effective strategy for you as they’ve been for me and my clients.
Chances are, in any business niche, you can find 10, 20, 50 or 100+ podcasts your ideal clients are listening to. For example, there are around 50 active podcasts for real estate agents. Fewer than that for mortgage pros, but many more than that for first time entrepreneurs or salespeople.
Whatever your niche, there are podcasts your ideal clients are listening to because they’re looking for answers. And if you’ve selected a very focused target audience and your goal is to build a cult following first, then you’ve identified a group of people who are out there listening to podcasts and NOT finding what they’re looking for.
That’s where you come in.
By appearing as an expert guest on those podcasts, you reach people you might never reach otherwise. And you’re not reaching them through an ad or a cold direct message (the dreaded DM). You’re reaching them by an introduction from a trusted source – the podcast host.
You get to share your Clear & Compelling Idea, take about the problem you solve and give high level tactical content that draws people in.
When the host gives you an opportunity, you talk about your podcast and what people will learn there.
Give them a sneak peak at the deeper content you share, and who you help them become by listening to your podcast.
Unless you have the personality of a houseplant, you’ll see your download numbers immediately grow when you appear on a podcast as a expert guest.
I’ve found that podcast guest interviews are the most direct path to more podcast listeners. Go where the listeners already are, get a trusted introduction from the host, and invite the audience to check out your podcast. Very simple, but very effective.
You can do this often as you like depending on the number of podcasts in your space.
Personally, I shoot for getting interviewed 2-4 times a month. There are a bunch of podcasts that coaches, consultants and thought leaders listen to. So it would take a while for me to run out.
If you’re in the mortgage space, maybe you can do an interview every 4-6 weeks that specifically reach mortgage pros, and sprinkle in a few guest interviews on podcasts for sales and entrepreneurs just to build your authority and stay visible.
Plus there’s a special bonus to this strategy: Podcast interviews directly lead to speaking engagements.
My first speaking engagements all came from connecting with podcasters who were also putting on events or referred me to event organizers, including a respected coach and event organizer based in Australia that led to multiple events there and in LA.
Often the people running events will run podcasts to promote their events, such as Social Media Marketing World and Agents of Change. Those hosts use their podcast to screen their event speakers, watching for feedback from their podcast audience before setting their speaker lineup.
One thing people often don’t know about getting booked on high quality podcasts, is that the best way to get those invites is to invite the host to be a guest on your podcast. Give them a great experience and hint at the content you share, and you’ll often get an invitation in return.
If you want to get a couple of the tools and templates I use to execute this strategy for myself, pop in your info below and I’ll send you my Trello Pitch Board Template and a Walkthrough video. I show you how I get booked on 2-4 podcasts every month.
If you’re not sure how to pitch yourself, here are a couple practical tips that you won’t hear from anyone else.
1. Start with your network first. Don’t pitch the biggest podcasts, pitch the podcasts where you have a connection or relationship you can leverage.
This might be a podcast where you personally know the host. Or maybe you have a mutual friend in the space. Or you know one of their guests.
That’s the easiest way to reach out. Leverage a relationship or mutual connection. So it’s not truly a “cold” outreach.
2. Focus on your story first, topic second. In some niches, going topical can be effective, but many podcasters are looking for interesting stories more than topics. If you can give them a eye-catching and surprising story you can share, it makes you an easier guest to book.
One of my clients is a former pro-snowboarder turned money mentor, who started a clothing shop, became a financial advisor and then millionaire real estate investor. He and his wife flip homes together and they even filmed a pilot for HGTV.
He has tons of amazing topics he could speak on, but his story is the first thing I would lead with in pitching him to other podcasters. It makes it easy to envision a fun, fast-moving conversation, with some high-level content sprinkled in. If you think you don’t have that kind of story, remember that any expert has a story of the breakthrough insight that sent you down the path you’re on now. I call that a “Discovery Story.” I have yet to find an expert that lacks the ingredients for a great Discovery Story.