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When I first heard about podcasts, I have to admit, that I was skeptical about their lasting power. After all, there are already so many popular ways to get the information out there it seemed unlikely that one more medium clogging up the data stream could be beneficial. But alas, I was wrong! So wrong, that I ended up loving this form of information sharing and have been a podcast guest several times now.
The Stats
As a born numbers nerd, I love statistics and seeing where the trends are heading. That being said, after my new found love of podcasts, I had to check out the staying power of this new foreign medium. According to Podcast Insights, the number of regular podcast listeners has jumped almost 3 fold just since 2013. That is a pretty decent jump! Not only that, but the numbers show it continuing to have a steady incline each year, which shows me that podcasting is here to stay.
Business Marketing
All of those numbers are great but how does that translate to marketing myself and my business? Well, according to a newly released article on Forbes, podcast advertising is expected to DOUBLE between now and 2021, whereas radio marketing is expected to remain the same. This means that we, as a population, are spending more time listening to podcasts than the radio now. Since that is the case, it seems obvious that marketing on podcasts is the direction things are heading and I am more than happy to jump on this train!
Podcast Guest
Once I fell in love with podcasts, I knew that it was time to try and get on one of my favorites to talk about my story. Since I had been following this particular podcast and was a member of their private FB group, I ended up PMing (Private Messaging) the podcast host to inquire about their acceptance of new guests. She responded to me within a day that they were and wanted to know if I had a pitch. I pitched my idea and she loved it!
I have to say, that getting booked on other interesting podcasts haven’t been this easy, but I wish they were. Here are some other great tips to get booked on great podcasts that have also really helped.
Podcast Tips
Once I knew that I was going on and what my topic was, I was pretty comfortable with not over preparing. But a big part of this was because I knew the show style and layout pretty well since I had been a regular listener. However, some of the other podcasts that I have been a guest on weren’t as easy for me to prepare for.
The reason for this is because I didn’t know their shows as well, or at all, in some instances. A couple of times, podcast hosts reached out to me on social media to ask if I would be a guest on their show. I won’t turn anybody down, unless they don’t fit my genre, so of course I obliged. But those shows were more difficult for me to prep for since I hadn’t even heard of some of these podcasts before. I have also found that some hosts didn’t even tell me what they wanted to talk about, so I felt like I was flying completely blind! As a guest, a podcast interview checklist comes in very handy!
There are a lot of great tips that I would love to impart upon you for situations like these, but this article about podcast guest publicity just about sums it up, so I am not going to reinvent the wheel.
The Bottom Line
I did end up making those podcasts work out pretty well in my favor, for myself, my brand and the host. At least, I hope I did! But being well prepared for a podcast interview is critical for making the overall show, and podcast guest experience, beneficial for everybody.
After all, the podcast host wants to have a great show with fantastic information and an engaging guest to get their audience excited. And we, as podcast guests, want to help boost the podcast ratings while also boosting our brand.
If this is the direction that effective brand marketing is taking, then count me in. So far, I am loving it!
“Shanah Bell is a Holistic Health Advisor with a Masters Degree of Nutrition. She focuses on helping others learn how to heal through dietary adaptation, as well as freelance writes about nutrition and finance. She and her partner now have a blended family of 5, but as a single parent of 2, she was able to still make things work, while financially struggling with the help of food stamps. If you would like to connect with her, please check out her website www.adaptivenourishment.com.”