If you have recently started your podcast, you might be thinking of ways to expand your audience and widen your reach.
Well, you’ve opened the right article.
Having podcast guests is one of the keys to increasing the number of your listeners and subscribers to your show.
The trick to getting great guests on your podcast is to have an idea of the type of person you want to have on your show and start thinking about where they would hang out online for you to reach out. Then ask for them to be on your show.
The quality of your podcast plays a major role in what guests would be interested in being on your show as well as them referring like-minded people to you. When I was building my podcast that reached the top 3% in the world I knew the kind of people I wanted to have on my show and after I got one of them I kept asking them if they had friends that would be a great fit for the show.
This strategy worked flawlessly and helped grow the show quickly and gave me a list of people to have as guests.
Simply put, your goal is to attract high-quality podcast guests to engage with, build relationships, and expand your reach.
Keep asking your ideal guests to be a guest on your show and some of them will say yes. From there it's just about having a great podcast, making sure they have a great time and they will recommend it to other people who can be a great addition to your show.
If you're struggling still here are some pointers that have helped thousands of people succeed with locking in guests for their show.
Also if you want me as a guest send me a message on my website I love being a podcast guest. Include a scheduling link and I will be happy to be on the show.
Here are some tips that are proven to work.
1. Define Who Your Perfect Guest Is and Why
Most of the time podcasts rarely define who their ideal guest is. Just like starting a business, it's incredibly important to identify who your ideal client is. What attributes do they possess that would make them a good guest.
Some of those traits include:
-Industry
-Skills/knowledge
- Ideology/mentality
-Level of achieved success in a subject or filed
-Personality Traits
The list can go on and on. The challenge is to identify as many features as you can to help guide you on who would be an ideal guest. By listing it out it removes the guesswork of who may be a good guest and you can boil it down to 3-5 questions that would qualify or disqualify a potential guest.
This strategy will also help you ask your podcast guests for recommendations. Typically they will ask if you're looking for more guests. By simply giving them the same criteria every time will help increase the number of potential guests and will remove the fear of when you will find a guest.
Bonus, Don't forget about your audience. Think about what your podcast audience would like to listen to and why. What style of podcast would they like and what would catch their attention. Make sure each podcast episode delivers on what your audience would want and a style that will keep them coming back.
2. Make a List of the First 100 Guests You Want
Write a list of the first 100 people you’d like on your podcast. This could be a wide range but narrow enough to be relevant to your niche. By following the first part you should have a clear idea of who they are and how to identify them.
Chances are good you probably know them or they may be on your email list. This will drastically help you get guests and if you already have some contact information for potential guests it gives you a head start.
Think about the best of the best in your niche and add them to your list.
You may not be able to come up with a complete list of 100 guests but don't forget to check out social media platforms and google to come up with your list.
This list can help you get your show started and if you come across someone who would be a good fit for your show ask them and if they don't have time add them to your email list to keep in touch with them.
In podcasting, an email address is a golden ticket to keeping in touch with a potential guest. Typically I will have two email lists. One for guests only and the other for the public. This helps me reach out to my inner circle if I need someone for a show and allows me to reach the masses for upcoming podcast interviews.
You can also leverage platforms and tools like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Hunter.io to get guest contact information.
Simply reach out add value and ask for them to be a guest. Most people would be shocked who would say yes to being on a podcast. It's easier and less scary than you think.
2. Create Incredible Content for Your Audience Starts With Your Guest
While you’re out scouting for talent, you have to give them a reason to come on your show in the first place.
Chances are, your guest may listen to one or two of your episodes to get a gauge of your style and content.
So you have to deliver.
Create deep, value-driven episodes or conversations that your guests will want to add to. If you're ever curious to know what serious value and deep content is look up the show Hot Ones on YouTube. It's an incredible interview where a man named Sean interviews famous people and asks them 10 questions. For each question they eat a spicier and spicier chicken wing. He does a tremendous amount of research on guests and many of them are shocked how he finds out the information to ask.
That is seriously deep value and it shows your guests you care about them and their time.
Spend as much time as you need to plan and execute your podcast. Podcasts should be released on a regular schedule so plan accordingly to what you think is possible.
When that high-influence, high-quality guest finally says yes, it’s essential to have these other steps in place to deliver.
If you can wow your guests your podcast listeners will pick up on that and be blown away with the quality you can deliver to them. Your guest interviews can be ordinary or extraordinary. The choice is yours on what you want to deliver.
3. Have an Open or Flexible Schedule
It would be best if you always assume the guest you are inviting is busy. At this point who isn't busy with their life.
Having an open schedule makes having podcasts tremendously easier however we know that isn't always the case. Sometimes you may need to schedule shows weeks or even months out. The more flexible you can be the better.
One thing I have found that works extremely well is using a platform like calendly to schedule shows. If the guest is coming to your office include an address on the invite. If your show is on zoom leverage tools like zoom to auto-generate a link to the show and get rid of the guesswork.
The key to being consistent is book shows as often as you can. It's easier to have shows recorded and not release them than it is to be waiting for your next guest.
The more flexible you can be with your schedule the more likely you are to have guests regularly and remove the stress of scheduling shows.
Line up your future guests on a regular basis and if you have to move a show its easier than you think.
Be respectful, give your guest as much notice as possible and work out a new date and time and you're going to succeed.
4. Leverage Social Media & Your Website
Social media can be the backbone of keeping your guest pipeline full.
With platforms like LinkedIn it's easier than ever to reach out to your ideal podcast guest and ask if they would like to be on your show.
Social Channels have made it easier than ever for us to connect with influential people and our target audience. Most podcast hosts never get creative enough to find their ideal guest and because of that they struggle to keep producing quality content for their listeners.
Social media is huge and don't think small. If you're in the landscaping niche and have a show about podcasting there are Facebook groups, Reddit threads and Instagram accounts you can start to poke around in to find guests. Check out different social media channels and when one starts to become stagnant, move to another platform.
Most Facebook groups will allow you to post as long as it's not self-promoting. You may not be able to say I am looking for podcast guests in the group. But, what you can ask is has anyone been on a podcast and what did you like about it. The people who have been a guest will speak up and you can start to ask the people that immediately respond.
5. Steal Other Shows Guests
If you're unfamiliar with Listen Notes you need to start leveraging it. Finding competing podcasts is the easiest way to find guests for your show.
Listen notes is a website where you can search for relevant podcasts and see information about the show. It gives the global rank and other information useful to hosts. You can also see who has been on their show. Typically guests are happy to go on multiple shows as it helps them get brand exposure.
The technique can also be applied to other avenues such as YouTube and social media. If you search competitor channels and see they are inviting special guests on reach out to those guests.
The worst they can say is no.
So why not take a chance and reach out.
Keep your eyes open for guests seeking opportunities.
You can always go and search for relevant hashtags and find people but an easy way to get guests is to go to conferences.
There are conferences everywhere all the time.
Go to an industry-specific conference with your ideal guest and talk to people. Collect and hand out cards and in a matter of days you will have a list of people who would be great guests for your show and you could quickly be booked out for the rest of the year.
The key is to get creative. Each industry has its own types of media outlets. Start poking around, you will be surprised who you find.
6. Make Your Guest the Star
Let your guest shine on your show! Let your audience hear how amazing they are! Provide an avenue for them to freely share and promote their experiences, projects, or whatever they’ve got going.
This way, they will feel valued and loved by your audience and will be happy to recommend others to your show. Since your guest has given you free content, make sure to promote their products to your audience as well. It should be a give-and-take situation, after all.
People tend to like people who ask great questions and allow them to speak. A secret I have used on my show that has never failed is staying quiet. Most people can't handle more than 3 seconds of silence and in today's day and age that's a long time. I simply sit there and stay quiet. Naturally the other person will feel weird and begin to speak. Some of my best podcast interviews have been me asking great questions and staying quiet after. You would be surprised how little you need to speak if you ask great questions.
When guests feel valued on your show the podcast listeners can feel it on the other side. You drive the show and let your guest shine through and your show will grow faster than it ever has before.
Don't Do This
The pointers above will help you invite and treat your high-quality podcast guest professionally. But here two things that you should NOT do as a podcast host.
Do not oblige your guest to share the episode.
Asking your guest to share the episode is common place but don't force it.
If you did a great job as a show host your guest will naturally want to share it with their audience. They should feel inspired and excited that they were on your show.
Do not invite guests just to increase your audience.
Although having a high-profile guest is a key to increasing your audience, that should not be your primary motivation.
Typically people with huge followings know who they are. If they feel like you're trying to piggyback off their audience to grow the likelihood of them ever agreeing to be on your show is slim to none at best.
If your show lines up with what they are doing and you prove you can provide value to them then its worth asking but asking just because is never the right answer.
Overall no one is going to like the show because the guests won't be excited and your audience will feel it when they listen.
How to Find Guests for Your Podcast
There are several outlets you check out to find guests for your show.
My personal favorites are:
Facebook Groups
LinkedIn Groups
Podcast Booking Agents. (I have the best guy please reach out to me personally if you want to work with him)
Blog posts about your niche
These three have enough shows combined to keep you finding guests for years to come.
Attracting podcast guests is no easy task and it takes time. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will your podcast be. The easiest solution is to make a list of people and start inviting them to the show. Provide such an incredible experience they want to tell their friends to be on the show. It works time and time again and makes having guests on your show easy and fun. You're a content creator when you have a podcast. Start to create great content with amazing people and over time you're going to have thousands of listeners if not more.
If you're looking for an awesome guest and think I would be a good fit reach out I am happy to jump on a podcast and provide insight on entrepreneurship, podcasting, and more.
