Podcast Interviewing
Do you have a targeted podcast interview strategy to profit at a higher rate? What if your guesting on the wrong shows, or your implementation is not serving your goals? Then you need to listen to this episode as I chat with Podcast Guesting Icon, author and founder of Interview Valet Tom Schwab. We covered SO much! Why podcast guesting is not the goal, how your why matters, tips on being a great guest, and how to get more ROI from your podcasting guesting.
The State of Podcast Guesting
Interview Valet collects so much data and puts out the State of The Industry report each year. We can all get better with data. Without the data, you are just making wild guesses.
Before Covid Zoom was used by 1 out of 3 podcasts. After Covid, over 70%. It’s easy and so many are familiar with it now.
1 out of 5 podcasts used video pre-covid, and 75% use video now. What huge growth. It changes how you show up. You can repurpose that in so many ways. YouTube is one of the biggest search engines for podcasts.
Now is the time to update your video – you want to look professional. If the host shows up looking good, professional microphone, good lighting, background, and attire. If you don’t look good or sound good you just killed your credibility. You can’t ‘wing’ it anymore. You have to show up differently.
During Covid, there was a huge influx of new 1-2M podcasts, but things have gotten back to pre-covid. So many podcasts died off. We are back on track. Less than 450,000 have been published in the last 30 days. Most podcasts die after the first 10 episodes. There is definitely room for a quality podcast to launch and succeed.
When it comes to podcast guesting – you can guest for a specific time period (to support a book launch). Some will stop guesting because they can no longer take on any clients (too busy) – which is a good thing. So there are such things as ‘campaigns’ of podcast guesting.
It’s not about the interview, it’s about results
It’s not about the podcast interview, it’s about the results you get from it. It’s a form of marketing, and if it doesn’t make money, it doesn’t make sense. You can’t ‘guest’ for the sake of guesting. You need a strategy, a system, and track results.
How do I figure out the ROI of podcast guesting? It depends on your goals. If it’s SEO, that is easier to track. If it’s for repurposing content, or influence…it will affect the approach. You also have to think about the lifetime value of a customer and how many clients you get from podcasting too.
Send people to a dedicated ‘welcome page’ so that you can see what shows are getting you the highest results. Look at Tom’s for an example: https://interviewvalet.com/leverage/
The kinds of podcasts you are on will also affect your ROI.
- look at the audience you want to speak to
- are the listeners like the host or aspire to be like the host?
“Fishing for sharks and going to Lake Michigan won’t work.”
- look at their website – if they do show notes it has more value especially with backlinks
- what is their reach – how many people are going to hear you?
- are they promoting the episode?
- what is their branding – would you be proud if one of your customers heard you on that podcast? Often the last video or podcast you were on comes up on searches so be mindful.
Going on some popular show may be fun or a feather in your cap, but will it affect your credibility and would you be attracting your ideal client.
It’s not about recording MORE podcasts, you want to repurpose, promote and leverage EVERY episode. You want to build stronger relationships, use the content in multiple ways and get in front of the right audience.
What not to do when podcast guesting
What not to do? Simply show up for the interview and think that’s good enough. Don’t follow up with the host. Don’t connect with the host. Don’t promote the episode. The podcasting world can be a small circle and you’ll get a bad rap. Be a graceful guest. Connect with the host, promote the episode, and help the host spread the word on the show.
The goal is NOT to get on a podcast. Growing your brand and business should be the goal. If the host has access to your perfect audience why would you not want to build a relationship with them? If you do a good job that host will want to promote you. Plus imagine the referral source you could foster.
Why? Is your audience there? What are you trying to do? Is it consistent with my brand, my marketing? Do my customers listen to podcasts? What expertise do you want to share? Do you need more leads, and more exposure for your business?
Talk about topics that move your listeners forward, be focused on the talk, show your expertise. Take them to the next step. It’s more than just a ‘great conversation’.
Setting the right expectations is also important. Expecting to be on a show that gets 10000 downloads per episode is not realistic. Sure Joe Rogan’s show is high profile and it would be amazing to get in front of that many people – but if they aren’t your audience it doesn’t make sense.
QUOTES
- “If you don’t sound good or don’t look good. You just killed your credibility.” — Tom Schwab
- “Most podcasts die within the first ten episodes.” — Tom Schwab
- “If it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense.” — Tom Schwab
- “Don’t ever sell on a podcast interview.” — Tom Schwab
- “On a podcast, you never have to promote yourself. If you do a good job, that host will promote you better than you ever could.” — Tom Schwab
SNIPPETS
- [4:39] — [5:12] “If you don’t sound good or don’t look good. You just killed your credibility…”
- [8:36] — [8:58] “Most podcasts die within the first ten episodes…”
- [11:03] — [11:30] “If it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense…”
- [23:34] — [23:44] “On a podcast, you never have to promote yourself. If you do a good job, that host will promote you better than you ever could.”
About Tom
Have you ever thought your digital marketing might actually be hurting your business? That you are not “breaking through the noise”, you are just adding to it? Perhaps you are not “one funnel away”. Maybe that funnel is stopping the big fish you want. Our guest today has a refreshingly new view. Tom Schwab asks you to consider that you are just One Conversation Away. That’s the title of his new book based on his experience and that data working with over 700 leading brands as the Chief Evangelist Officer at Interview Valet. If you want a rich life and a profitable business, Tom believes you are just One Conversation Away.
Have you ever considered that what we are being sold about digital marketing is wrong? What if it’s hurting the business? What if we all are buying the powerful tools and leaving out the fuel that powers them?
Tom Schwab believes the best things in life come from conversations. It’s these powerful, sometimes awkward conversations that propel us from where we are personally and professionally to where we dream of being.
As an engineer, a Navy Veteran, and Nuclear Propulsion Plant Operator Tom thinks differently “Tough Minded, Skeptical, Sometimes Even Cantankerous, but always technically competent, always thinking -”What if” is how the head of the Nuclear Navy described it.
As a small business owner and entrepreneur, he understands the unique challenges of business owners. This led him to be an early pioneer of using inbound marketing for e-commerce and targeted podcast interviews for marketing that connects.
Tom is the author of two books:
Podcast Guest Profits: Grow Your Business with a Targeted Interview Strategy, called the bible of podcast guesting
And
One Conversation Away: A manifesto for a rich life and a profitable business.
RESOURCES
https://interviewvalet.com/leverage/
Buy Tom’s book “Podcast Guest Profits” on https://amzn.to/38Fi7sl
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What if your podcast guesting/show brought you more leads and clients?
What if you had ONE company that did it all and you spent less time project managing team members and the moving parts that go with podcasting?
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