Podcasts have been around for some time, but their popularity has grown over the last couple of years, especially during the pandemic. As of writing, there are 464.7 million podcast listeners around the globe, and there are shows for just about every interest. From news, politics, business, finance, and sports to even more niche topics like online dating and decluttering your home—the art of podcasting is limitless. If your business isn’t appearing in podcast interviews, you’re missing out on an opportunity for free exposure. Let’s discuss why and how to effectively market your business through podcasts.
Why Podcasts Are an Effective Marketing Tool
Ok, so podcasts have become increasingly popular, they reach far and wide, and often attract specific audiences. But there are several additional advantages to appearing on podcasts:
Demonstrate Knowledge and Expertise
Just as news reporters find subject matter experts to serve as sources for their stories, podcast hosts look for topical experts to speak on certain areas of interest. Talking about something you’re well-versed in is a way to show off your knowledge, demonstrate your capabilities, and establish credibility as a professional.
Personalize Your Brand
Podcasts allow for a look at the people behind a brand—something that doesn’t come quite as naturally via other marketing outlets. Customers want to see the authentic, human side of a company so they can connect on more of a personal level and establish trust.
Repurpose the Content
Even if the podcast episode itself only reached a small number of listeners, it can be reused elsewhere to extend its visibility and engagement potential. Once the episode is released, you can increase its reach by posting the link on your social media platforms, featuring it in an upcoming newsletter, and sharing it on your website.
How to Land Podcast Interviews
Now that we’ve discussed why they’re effective, let’s talk about how to land interviews so you can market your business through podcasts!
- Determine who will best represent your brand. If you’re a solopreneur or a small business owner, this person is probably you! No one knows your business better than you do. If you have a team, select someone who’s a confident speaker and can comfortably share their knowledge on the subject matter.
- Research podcasts relevant to your business. Identify podcasts that reach an audience similar to or representative of your ideal clients. While the interview may not be directly about your business’ products and services, the end goal is still to raise brand awareness among those who could end up being your customers or who know people that match your ideal client profile.
- Contact the appropriate person. Find the point of contact’s email address or phone number and get ready to pitch yourself as a guest.
- Develop your pitch and customize your angle to the podcaster. The key to a good pitch is to know your audience. If you own a candle company, you’re not going to pitch yourself for a baseball podcast. And if you’re trying to land an interview on a podcast about women in leadership, don’t start by telling the host about the variety of scents your candles come in. Open by demonstrating your relevancy to their show and why you’d be a worthwhile guest.
- If you do get selected as a guest, start preparing for your interview. Do more research on the show and listen to past episodes so you know what to expect as far as format and flow.
After the Interview
But the work doesn’t end once the interview does. After taping your discussion, you should:
- Thank the host(s) for having you on and giving you a platform to share your story. You may even let them know you’d love to come back on in the future, or ask them to keep you in mind as a guest for other podcasts/interview opportunities.
- Share the episode on your social media, website, or even with friends and family! As previously mentioned, cross-promotion helps get some more mileage out of the interview.
- Collect analytics or get feedback from the podcaster. It’s hard to know how successful your podcasting is if you haven’t established how you’ll measure what success looks like to you. Maybe you have a goal of appearing on a certain number of shows this year, or you’re hoping to see an uptick in followers and website visitors after the episode drops. You can even ask the host for input on how the interview went and if they can share info on episode downloads.
Ready to give it a try? Work on your pitches and let us know how it goes! And if you’re struggling to gain exposure—or even to tell your story in an effective, captivating way—you likely just need the help of outsiders like us who can see the forest through the trees. Contact us to learn more about our services and how we can promote your brand. Plus, check out this podcast that our COO, Julia Becker Collins, was recently featured on.
