This is how to leverage podcasting as a low-budget marketing tool.
4 min read
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I have been on over 75 podcasts in the past year, sharing my story about MASAMI, the clean premium haircare brand I co-founded in February 2020. That’s right, 75 and counting!
While being a guest on podcasts may seem difficult and intimidating, I’m here to tell you that it’s actually quite easy. There are a lot of advantages to incorporating podcasts in your marketing plan. First, podcasts are a great way to tell a holistic brand story (much harder to do with digital ads and our short attention span).
Good podcasts are like binge-worthy Netflix shows — once you stumble on one you love, you’re likely to listen to all of the previous episodes. The beauty of podcasts is that they are evergreen, so they are discoverable long after you record the episodes.
Additionally, podcasts can give people a sense of the people behind the business — transparency has become a mandate these days as people want to understand the founders, their values and their story. Podcasts are also a great source of content. You’ll get long-form content that you can use on your social channels (and if the podcast is also video, you can post it on YouTube). You can also take snippets and soundbites to push out across Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Finally, the search engines will love the content — which helps your SEO.
Related: Top 25 Business Podcasts for Entrepreneurs
How to find opportunities to be on a podcast
So, how do you go about being a guest? The first step to being a guest is understanding what you can comfortably (and expertly) have a conversation about. For me, topics include launching a business, brand positioning, juggling kids and work, clean beauty, haircare, wellness, female empowerment, marketing tips, leadership advice and career pivots. Luckily, there are loads of podcasts on all of these topics and the numbers keep growing. In fact, nearly 900,000 podcasts launched globally in 2020.
Next, you need to pitch yourself to podcast hosts. Fortunately, this isn’t as hard as it seems. Many podcasts have websites where you can submit an application to be a guest. Lots of podcasts also rely on networking and communities such as Facebook groups to find guest. Poddit has a “Find a guest, Be a guest” Facebook group you can join. You’ll see the “asks” by podcasts hosts for guests to speak about specific topics. You are sure to find ones that are relevant to you. You can also submit your “Be a guest” profile and see who is interested in having you on their podcast.
Related: Podcast Advertising: Is Programmatic the Next Big Thing?
How to prepare for your podcast interview
You just got accepted to your first podcast. Congrats! Here are a few tips to make sure you’re prepared:
- Be conversational. Have fun. Remember that if you say something you wish you hadn’t, or you are fumbling for words, most podcast hosts can edit it out. A lot of hosts will do a pre-podcast call to go over the interview format, the questions or just get to know each other. You can always offer up specific questions for the host to ask too. Overall, it’s really about making sure you’re comfortable so you can have a natural and organic conversation.
- Know your material and be prepared to share examples and details. While high-level advice can be helpful, I’ve found that the more granular the suggestions, the more people find them useful. Don’t be afraid to share tools, brands and partners that have worked for you. Chances are they will work for someone else too.
- Get the tech stuff right. If you don’t have a quality mic and headphones, now is the time to invest. Make sure your lighting is good if you are being videotaped as well. Don’t forget to find somewhere quiet where you won’t be disturbed (as charming as your dog may be, it’s not great to hear him or her on your podcast). And don’t forget to turn off computer or phone notifications.
That’s it! See, it’s really not so hard. You’ll find that it gets easier and easier the more you do. The key is to just get started. You’ll be happy that you’ve unlocked an entirely new storytelling channel for your business.