Building Your Brand? Become a Podcast Guest! #MyBlogU

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Appearing in podcasts is able to give your brand an incredible boost. Even small podcasts can often gain a lot of traction because they deal with a specified field or topic.

Then there is the sheer reach of podcasts (even now when they seem to be overused). All the way back in 2013, Apple reported that there were more than 1 billion podcast subscribers on their platform alone!

That doesn’t even take into account the multitude of other sources, including straight from the podcaster’s website, networks like Maximum Fun and Blog Talk Radio, or more recent inventions, such as recorded interviews on YouTube from Hangouts On Air and Blab.

Those figures have only grown over the past couple of years, and now the medium is a force to be reckoned with. Podcasts have become a staple of online media, and it is time to begin considering how you can use the method for promotion yourself.

Getting Your Foot In The Door

The value of getting yourself on a podcast is huge. But how do you do it? There is no one way, but these are some useful tips for getting your foot in the door:

Play The Connections Game

We all know about Six Degrees of Separation (or the more amusing Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon). It is the theory that all things have less than six steps towards making a connection.

While it doesn’t always ring true, the principle behind it is surprisingly solid: you probably have a connection to a podcaster that is much closer than you think. Play the Connections Game and find links that get you into that podcaster’s radar.

Social media is a great way to find those connections. Both Twitter and Facebook show common friends and Linkedin will show how you are connected.

Be very careful using @LinkedIn Never click "Connect" on the "People you may know" because it sends generic connections. #myblogu

— Gail Gardner (@GrowMap) May 12, 2016

Alternatively, you can find immediate connections among those interviewed in the podcast and ask for an intro!

Search for Podcasters in Your Niche

Search which podcasts your niche influencers appear in: Searching Google for [“Influencer Name” podcast] is one option (You can also filter results to show you the most recent and fresh ones):

[This way you’ll find podcasts hosted by influencers as well as those you were invited to appear! Start with influencers you (personally) know well: This way you’ll be able to ask for an introduction to the host]

BuzzSumo that let you filter results by “interviews” (most of which will be podcasts):

Use MyBlogU to be alerted of new opportunities:

Expand Your Search Beyond Your Niche

I’ve talked about the benefits of going outside your niche for a long time now. Think beyond your profession. Think about your original and personal experience, unique perspectives or extra-ordinary ways to solve life problems.

For example, you can get featured because you are an inspiring entrepreneur or a woman entrepreneur, because you built something great, because you founded something, etc., etc. Searching for those opportunities, you are likely to discover lots of ways for you to tell your story and position yourself as an expert.

(?) What's your favorite topic you'd LOVE to be interviewed on (beyond on what you do for a living)… #myblogu

— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) May 12, 2016

Mine: HAVING IT ALL: Family, career, trips, crazy getaways, parties, … everything… #myblogu

— Ann Smarty (@seosmarty) May 12, 2016

Mine – The importance of sharing your knowledge #myblogu

— Phil Turner (@The5Currencies) May 12, 2016

The actual search terms will depend on your personal background and skills. For example, as someone who built a business while being a stay-at-home mom, I would use the following combination of search terms:

• [productivity podcast]
• [work at home podcast]
• [woman entrepreneur podcast]
• [WAHM expert podcast]
• [life work balance podcast]

This premium course includes a spreadsheet of numerous opportunities to be featured in a podcast.

Have a Solid Pitch

OK, what makes you a good guest for a podcast? You better know, because the podcaster is going to want to know. Maybe you have a product or a popular website. Perhaps you have invented something undeniably cool. Or you have a service that the podcaster has used themselves.

Whatever the case, put together a good pitch, along with an idea for a specific topic to cover in the episode. You will have a much better chance of wriggling in there if you have a good pitch.

Go With Newer Podcasts (At First)

Newer podcasts are going to be easier to be featured in, and it begins to leave a media trail you can point to when pitching to older shows.

Just make sure the podcast is relevant to your niche, has at least some consistent following – even if a small one – and is of a high quality.

Have The Host On Your Site First

One of my earliest podcast appearances happened because I knew the podcaster due to their spot on my website as an interviewee for a blog post. I had not known them before that point.

The podcaster managed to get some decent promotion, and that made them more than happy to extend the opportunity to me. Consider asking for a contribution or interview on your own site first. It has the added benefit of giving you some new content that will draw from their audience.

Do you have any tips for becoming a podcast guest? Let us know in the comments!