How to Leverage Guest Podcasts to Grow Your Business

Welcome!

I am so excited to share my knowledge of How To Leverage Guest Podcasts To Grow Your Business.

In this 4-part master class I will share how to attract new prospects, get more sales, receive valuable speaking invites, and more partnerships with influencers through guest podcast appearances. Let’s get started!

Why Guest Podcasting

So why guest podcasts?

Because it is a proven method and strategy for success. As a podcast guest, a whole new world is opened for you. New people who perceive you as a credible and expert thought leader. The podcast host shares your episode with their audience. All new prospects with zero advertising cost. Delivering a turbo charge to your name and business recognition & credibility.

Plus, being a podcast guest establishes your authority, improves your SEO, and provides the ability to garner more influencer and media attention. The audience assumes you must be an expert, because you are a featured guest on the podcast.

And each guest appearance builds towards more opportunities. It becomes easier to get on more shows. Along with securing other forms of media exposure for your business. Podcasting is an amazing platform to tell your story and allow customers to find you.

I LOVE guest podcasting because you are quickly and easily able to make an emotional connection with the audience. With your energy and passion, you can rapidly build rapport with the potential prospect, establishing the Like – Know – and Trust factors.

By creating this positive impression, you connect with the audience. Influencing them to want more. Growing your business is sales. And sales is relationships. Being a podcast guest is a big jump start to initiating a relationship with new prospects. It’s that simple.

In part 2 of this master class, I will reveal why podcasts are a must in your sales strategy.

This is Part 2 of the master class, how to leverage guest podcasting to grow your business. Let’s dive right into why podcasts are a must in your sales strategy. I will share podcast growth, address your bandwidth, and help put you on the path to success.

Podcast Growth

Podcasts are growing rapidly and are not close to saturation. More people are tuning in and there is a surge in new programing. Research shows that many people listen to podcasts while performing solitary tasks… such as driving, commuting, working out, walking the dog, and so on.

This means you are being broadcast directly into potential prospect’s ears. The audience is able to form a connection and familiarity with you when you are a guest on a show. As you can see from the stats, this an important platform to attract new customers.

Right For Me?

Okay, you may be thinking… This all well and good for you Lynn. You’re an extrovert and podcasting comes naturally. Bzzt… Actually, my first guest spot was terrible for the first 15 minutes. It was new, I was nervous, my voice was shaking, and the list goes on.

We learn by doing. It’s that simple. If you stay out of the game for fear of failing, there is no chance to succeed. Check out the video below where Amanda shares her story of overcoming her self-limiting beliefs to become a podcast rock star.

So yes, you can do this. Remember, the unknown is where everything you don’t have lives.

There are two other critical considerations – your bandwidth and resources. For some of you, these may be the same thing. You will be making a time and resource investment to secure guest spots, do the interviews, and then promote the episodes.

Once you have your process set up, which I will be sharing shortly, it only takes about 3 hours total for each guest appearance. This includes securing the guest spot, prepping for the interview, recording the show, creating promotional graphics, and posting your episode to your website, social channels, and including in your next sales outreach.

3 hours total for me and my team to reap the wealth of benefits from being a podcast guest is an easy choice.

In part 3 we will dig into the process of getting started. You can download your copy of the process map below to follow along.

Hi again, Lynn Whitbeck here to take your through part 3 of our 4 part master class on how to leverage guest podcasting to attract new customers and grow your business. Let’s go through the process of getting started.

These 12 steps will ensure you position yourself and your business to capitalize on every guest podcast appearance.

Step 1

Step 1 is to brainstorm the topic or topics you can discuss as a podcast guest. Start with your experiences – career and life. Your milestones and achievements. Include your passions. Make it fun by brainstorming ideas with your team members, partners, and family with a glass of wine or beer.

One key point, is do NOT limit yourself to shows that focus on your industry, product, or service. You get lost in the crowd. You can certainly do these types of shows, but think outside the box to stand out.

As an example – I’m a sales champion, author, leader, entrepreneur, speaker, trainer, and sales strategy consultant. I’ve been a guest on a wide-variety podcast genres. From leadership to empowerment to overcoming impostor syndrome to entrepreneurship, and of course, to sales shows.

Creating several speaking topics around uncommon subjects provides an entrée into a unique audience with a shared interest. And, it will make your offer at the end of the episode fresh and intriguing.

Bio Refresh

You should already have your executive bio, but it’s important to revisit. As a potential podcast guest, hosts are looking for why you will be a good fit. You will want to cover who you are, your areas of expertise, topics you can discuss, sample questions, how you will promote, and social proof.

You can take a look at mine and download as an example. Go to About, then Media Kit. Obvious reminder: be sure to include hyperlinks to make it easy for hosts.

Media Kit

Once again, you probably already have a media kit, but you should review and refine for guest podcasting appearances.

Run your headshots thru photo feeler. It’s a free tool to test your photo and see how others perceive you. The link is on our favorite tools download below.

Gather your headshots with a score of 80 or higher, images of any free offers, and your bio/speaker sheet. Then pop everything into a cloud location. This makes it super easy to share with the podcast host.

LinkedIn

Regardless of your topic range, take a fresh peak at your LinkedIn profile. Be sure to add “Speaker” to your headline. This is not a presentation on LinkedIn, so I’ll cut to the chase. Hosts will judge you based on your profile.

I often receive messages from show hosts asking me to be on their show through LinkedIn. So, invest an hour or two to update your profile.

And be sure to review your profile on your mobile. My background photo is a bit wonky on my profile. Or at least it is right now as I am recording. It’s on our list to fix, so maybe it will be on point by the time you watch this. But mobile is the Queen, so make sure profile looks great on this medium.

Website Update

If you don’t have this on your website, add a speaker page with a link to download your bio/speaker sheet and access your media kit. Then make sure to have a means for interested parties to contact you. I’ve got a contact form and Calendly link.

And be sure to add a page to showcase your authority. You can check out both our About > In the news page as an example.

Landing page

On your website, it’s critical to create a unique landing page for each podcast topic or category. This page you are on is an example.

I’ve been on multiple podcasts, summits, and featured articles about leveraging guest podcasting to grow your business. For these types of podcasts I direct listeners to this page when prompted by the host.

Lead Magnet

I’m sure you already have landing pages with lead magnets. What’s important, is for the page to naturally connect with the topic of your guest podcast appearance. Each topic landing page should have unique offers for the podcast listeners.

Lead magnets to identify and gather new opportunities. Make the offer fresh and interesting for the podcast target audience. It important to move everyone who accepts your offer into your welcome sequence and sales funnel.

Templates

The reasons it only takes me and my team 3 hours to secure, record, and promote my guest podcast episodes are planning and templates. We mapped the process and identified who is responsible for what and when. Then templates we created can quickly and easily customize for each guest appearance.

The planning and template creation is a one stop investment which makes everything flow seamlessly.

Equipment

Let’s turn to setting up your equipment and staging your location. I have a great video on how to look and sound your best. It's also featured in this master class.

Guest Directories

So how do you find podcasts and get the word out that you are a great guest? There are several podcast directories that are free and work really well to connect guests and hosts. We list our top sites in our tools, equipment, and resources sheet you can download below.

Another idea is to survey your current customers and identify the podcasts they listen to.

The single easiest path to secure guest podcast appearances is to sign up with a podcast directory or two. Spend time creating a strong guest profile. Use the work you put into your bio refresh and media kits.

Be sure to communicate how you will share the episodes you appear on far and wide.

Outreach

Whether you reach out to hosts via a podcast directory or directly, customize your message to demonstrate a fit.

I review the most recent 10 to 20 episodes, and listen to at least one show. Then I can evaluate if the podcast will be mutually beneficial. When I contact the host, I refer to an episode that had genuine resonance. Then I suggest three fresh topics for the interview.

I follow a similar process when I am invited to be a guest. And once you start guesting, you will receive more and more invitations. I past the tipping point a while ago. So I can pick the invitations I accept.

Secure spot

Once you have secured your guest spot, it’s time to celebrate.

Doubly true since this ends part 3 of our 4 part master class. We will cover promoting and leveraging your guest appearances to grow your business.

This is part 4 of how to leverage guest podcasting to grow your business. I’m Lynn Whitbeck and my core value is to be of service to others. In this 4th and last video we will walk through our 12 steps to knock your guest appearance out of the park.

And more exciting – generate new leads, opportunities, and sales. If you have not already done so, download the process map below as a quick reference.

PRE-PROMOTE

Once you have secured your guest podcast interview it’s time to pre-promote your appearance. This is not just about social channel posts. Your upcoming appearance is a great piece of news to share with your existing customers and prospects.

Connect on LinkedIn

Be sure to connect with your host on. LinkedIn or other core channels for your business. Tag the host and their pages to warm and widen your exposure.

Utilize your upcoming guest appearance in your sales outreach and follow-up.

Interview Prep

When preparing for your interview you may want to rehearse. This is especially important for your first few guest appearances. It’s normal to be a bit nervous, but a rehearsal will boost your confidence. You may recall my hot mess story.

The day of the interview, review the topic and any questions you may have been provided so they are fresh in your mind. Perform an equipment check and don’t forget to test your wi-fi connection.

Grab your tea, water, or whatever soothes your throat. Be ready and connect to the interview link 3 to 5 minutes early. Then take a deep breath, relax, and have fun during your interview.

Interview

There are a number of components to being a great guest. Even though we touched on equipment in part 3, I would like to share my top tips on how to present yourself. These are your body positioning, body language, and tone.

Regarding audio, your mic positioning will radically affect how you sound. You want to position yourself directly in front of and close to the mic. Be mindful of your head movements because if you move your head left to right, or close in then back off, your voice will fade in and out.

Now that does not mean I want you to be immobile. Far from it. Smile and nod your head from time to time. What’s so cool about smiling, is that you convey it in your tone of voice. Your vocal cords are pulled differently when you are smiling. Smiling while talking makes your voice warmer and friendlier.

A key fact to remember, is that 93% of communication is non-verbal. That’s why your camera needs to be at eye level. Looking people in the eye conveys confidence, assurance, and authority. You want to make a real connection with and have a huge impact on the podcast audience, your future customers.

To rapidly establish rapport with the audience, tie your experience and advice to stories. Stories naturally draw people in and generate the desire for you to tell them more.

Be sure to have a tip that can be easily and immediately acted upon by the listeners. This can also be tied to your offer at the end of the episode. At the end of most shows, the host will ask to share how the listeners can contact you or learn more.

This is where you invite listeners to take advantage of your offer. It’s really important not be self-promoting during the episode. It’s a huge turn off for the listeners & host.

Make your offer at the end with brevity and enthusiasm. It must make sense to the audience for them to take action. And of course, to express your gratitude for being on the show.

Re-purpose topic

The content you prepared for your interview should be repurposed. It could be an article, blog post, infographic, guide, or checklist.

This 4-part master class originated as a guest podcast appearance. I re-purposed and expanded the content as a guest summit appearance. Next the content was used in an article on Total Girl Boss. Then we created the companion process map you can download below. Added the tools, equipment, and resources sheet. And now, have re-purposed, refined, and expanded the content into this 4-part master class.

All of these assets have been incorporated into our sales outreach. So far, my first guest podcast on this topic has produced 6 new pieces of content and counting. The point, is leverage the great content you create!

Interview Published

Once your guest episode is published, it’s time to promote and use to your best advantage.

Quick Pro-Tip: not every podcast host informs you when your show is published. We use a Google sheet to track my guest appearances. My team routinely checks to see if any of my guest episodes have been published.

Once your guest episode has published start promoting it. Your posts should highlight key takeaways, action items, ask questions, or address pain points to improve engagement.

Website News

Add the episode to your news page on your website. This is valuable social proof – use it. This has the double function of creating a backlink to your own site.

LinkedIn Feature

Update your LinkedIn profile by adding your guest episode to your featured area. You’re an authority – show it. Plus, it will help with future hosts who check you out.

Newsletter

Your show appearance is a tremendous opportunity to share the news with your existing customers and prospects. Your customers will be so excited to see your success.

Include your magnet as an insider perk. Giving value and showing generosity is crucial to building, maintaining, and nurturing long-term relationships.

Social Posts

Remember in part three where I encouraged you to create templates, use them for your own guest episode social post graphics & video snippets.

Even if the podcast host provides you with shareable graphics, you may want to use your own due to branding or other considerations.

Welcome

It’s vital to welcome new prospects who come in through lead magnets. I recommend a 3-part welcome with valuable bonus content.

Sales Outreach

As a podcast guest you give your brand a personality and a voice, in a way that text on a page or website cannot. Using your voice to be your brand eliminates the “stranger” in the equation.

Every time you are a guest on a podcast, you are giving the audience an opportunity to get to know you and your business. To become engaged with your story and make a connection. And each appearance feeds your sales funnel.

Being a guest on a podcast is an incredible opportunity. You are presented to an entire new pool of potential customers. You and your team can leverage the show to promote your business, and best of all, there is zero advertising cost.

We have also created a resource for you with our favorite tools. Most have a free version. We use these daily or weekly, and confidently recommend these resources.

Below, Rachel outlines three of the tools we've found to be most helpful in our organization.

Download our PDF highlighting all of our favorite tools, equipment, and resources below: