Podcasts are an excellent marketing tool for business owners. That's what Podcast Marketing Radio is dedicated to proving! They are such great tools because they allow you to connect with your audience, provide real value and content to help them, and broaden your revenue streams. But, many small business owners feel daunted at the prospect of starting a podcast. After all, podcasting is a new skill set for many and involves serious effort and commitment. Luckily, there are experts like Jason Cercone who are willing to help us out. Our conversation with Jason on this episode of Podcast Marketing Radio was full of different tips and tricks for up-and-coming podcasters. We specifically honed in on the idea that showing up as a guest on already-established podcasts is the best route to get into podcasting yourself. Jason shared a bunch of information and tips on why being a podcast guest is so beneficial and how you can go about doing it. Here's a round-up of his top tips: 1. Provide value through podcast appearances One thing that is so great about podcasts is that they are a medium that facilitates real conversations and meaningful content. As a business owner, you have valuable knowledge and information to provide to your audience—solutions for their problems, tips to help out, and industry expertise. When you go as a guest on another podcast, you can share that with an audience, establishing yourself and knowledgeable and trustworthy. So, when you end an interview with, "If you're interested, come check out my own podcast," the listener is more likely to do so. This is a vastly different way of getting your name out there than through social media, which relies on small bites of information over the in-depth conversation. Social media certainly has its place, but it comes with ever-changing algorithms and moving goalposts. This makes it challenging to connect with and grow an audience. Podcasts, however, allow you to provide education, information, and entertainment, to help you effectively reach your specific audience. 2. Do your research and find the right podcast Okay, so maybe you are convinced that getting on some podcasts is a good idea. The next step is to find the right podcast. You could send a mass email a bunch of podcasts to see if they'll host you, but this is kind of like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. Instead, have some real thought and deliberation behind what podcasts you want to partner with. To determine the right podcast to collaborate with, do some research. Search for shows in your industry or space, listen to a few episodes, and learn about the host. What is the goal and direction of the show? Is it aligned with yours? Podcasting is about connecting to an audience, so do you share a similar client and listener base? Part of this due diligence also helps see the quality and mission of the podcast. Some hosts are, frankly, not prepared for guests. They don't plan ahead and the interviews can be all over the place. As you do your research, you can better pick out quality podcasts that align with your own mission and values. It's important that you are choosing strategic partners, not just whoever will have you. Showing up as a guest on random podcasts doesn't do much to help grow your own audience or connect with your ideal client or customer! 3. Build rapport instead of pitches You've done some research and identified a handful of podcasts that align with your own mission and values. Next is pitching! Well, kind of. Pitching yourself—or guest presentation, as Jason prefers to call it—is really about building rapport. In your research to choose podcasts to approach, you would have listened to a number of their episodes. Use this as a point of connection. When you reach out to introduce yourself, refer to a specific part of a podcast episode and share why it connected with or inspired you. Then, having established that positive rapport, suggest a future...
