Sick of pitching to land clients?
I have good news and bad news for you: pitching is always going to be the direct line to landing work, but there are other tactics you can mix in to keep things fun.
(And, if you ask me, pitching CAN be fun, but I’ll save that conversation with you for another day 😉 )
I am thrilled to share Kate and I sat down with podcast pitching pro Christina Lenkowski to pick her brain on all things podcast guesting.
“But Nicki, I’m an introvert!”
“But Nicki, I’m no expert!”
Hear me out, we cover all this.
Going on podcasts as a guest can not only establish you as an expert, but allows you to reach hundreds, if not thousands of members of your target audience—all at once.
And, as the owner of the extraordinary podcast pitching service Publicity x Christina, Christina is the go-to expert on getting online entrepreneurs the visibility they need for the paydays they want (her copy, not mine—but isn’t that good?!).
Full disclosure: I’ve even used her services!
Listen now to see how you may be able to add this tactic to your business strategy!
TUNE IN: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher
Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[01:32] We’re gonna talk about podcast guesting and how to get your message out there by being a guest on podcast. I think we tend to default to, I’m gonna do outreach by writing. I’m gonna write things. I’ll post things on LinkedIn or I’ll post things on Instagram.
[02:35] What kind of an opportunity are we looking at here? How can it benefit someone looking to build their service business? How important guesting on podcasts is for building your brand? Podcast guesting will get you in front of new audiences if you want your business to grow.
[03:42] A lot more people are getting their information, entertainment, whatever it is through a podcast platform. Social media are wonderful but it is very hard to get in front of new people through that avenue.
[04:59] Millennials and younger are the biggest listeners of podcasts. Gen X and above are listening too. We just like that audio only option. I could be doing other stuff, but still getting the information that I want.
[07:32] Our clients make way more money by going on niched podcasts that a lot of times are smaller podcasts because people really trust that host. It gives instant credibility when you arrive on their platform.
[11:10] There are over a million podcasts. I just want you to realize that there are so many opportunities out there to be getting in front of audiences ’cause you think about it and it’s like everyone listens to different stuff. A lot of people that are in corporate, they turn to podcasts for entertainment, for relief.
[13:30] How can someone start approaching the idea of reaching out to a podcast? What are a good couple first steps? All introverts out there, most of our clients are introverts. They are having a one-on-one conversation. They’re not in front of a big group of people. It truly is a conversations that’s recorded and then put out later.
[14:56] How do I start pitching myself to those opportunities? We get No’s, we get ghosted, et cetera. I just want you to be prepared for that and it has nothing to do with you. As long as you send a good pitch, there’s a million reasons why that didn’t work out.
[16:38] You need to be coming with topics that make sense for their audience. It is a great way to get started because that is what’s gonna get you to the yes. In the pitching process, you wanna cut straight to what is the value you’re offering.
[17:37] Who am I to be on a podcast? What credentials do I have? What’s advice do you have for people? Particularly with women. We tend to second guess everything. First of all, this isn’t live so we can cut out anything.
[19:15] I want you to ask yourself is literally what is the worst that can happen? by putting myself out there? Pitching myself to some shows, getting on shows. It’s almost like pitching is one thing, but then actually getting the yes and needing to go on the show is a whole other thing.
[20:10] I have so many people that come to me that they’re like I’m really good at what I do, et cetera, but the referrals have dried up, or I’m just not getting that many. They realize that they have not been putting in the work to get in front of new audiences regularly.
[20:20] Our business won’t grow unless we’re getting in front of new people. Also knowing that when you go on shows, you’re there in a service over self-promotion attitude.
[20:44] You’re going on a show to talk about what it is that you actually know. You’re an expert in. Even if you ramble a little bit. They’re gonna go in there and slice it out. You shouldn’t be a robot. People wanna hear the real you. That’s what they like.
[26:07] Number one, they’re gonna ask you questions. You’re not gonna have to come up with all the topics. You will go in with ideas of things to talk about. This will be part of the pitch certainly, but it’s something you will talk about with the podcast host probably in advance.
[27:30] You’re really going into this about as prepared as you could possibly go into a conversation. It’s gonna get easier and easier as you get asked questions because you’re just gonna feel more comfortable in front of the mic the more you do it.
[28:53] One thing I really recommend, you got to listen to an episode of the show before you have your guest spot, even if you’d listened to it before. It will help you start thinking about some of the stuff that host is probably going to ask you.
[28:16] It is very true that it just puts everybody in a really good vibe and mindset for when you start the actual recorded conversation. It signals to a podcast host that they’re working with a pro.
[31:13] At the end of a interview, I am always thanking the host, genuinely for getting me on top of their platform because I know it’s a lot of work. Then the next thing I say is, What value can I provide to you? I come up with ideas like would love to come do a training in your program. I would love to come do X, Y. Z.
[31.58] This is an excellent, excellent way to further that relationship with the host by providing them with even more value for their audience. So just by doing that you’re gonna get yourself in opportunities that you wouldn’t have had otherwise.
[34:52] I have a quiz at publicityxchristina.com. That quiz is a really great way to know, Hey, does this make sense as something to do on my own? We have a training that’s all about how you can build out your pitch template and pitch yourself.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
” Don’t get caught up in the numbers because the numbers aren’t what’s going to make you money. It truly doesn’t matter if it’s a hundred people, if it’s a thousand people. If it’s the right audience and the right fit, that’s gonna be a way better bank for your buck, in my opinion, than just trying to go for the biggest.”
” You’re gonna sweat and stumble your way through your first couple interviews. Everyone does. So, it is absolutely a muscle. It’s repetition. It’s getting out there, it’s doing it over and over, and you become more comfortable as you go.”
” I truly believe that the worst thing that can happen is if you do not put yourself out there then your business will not grow.” – Christina
” It’s a one-on-one conversation. We get right to the deep, the meat of the conversation. You’re talking about something you know about with one human. And I think, that’s so much easier and such a different.” – Kate
” You are there as a guest to share your expertise, but to also help that podcast host’s audience learn. You are coming in to benefit them in some way, shape or form.” – Nicki
” If they’re good hosts, I feel like they put you at ease too, to make it a comfortable conversation..” – Kate
” Do not sleep on the host relationship and how you can bring about to the host that have you on their show. It’s all about providing value first, but when you provide value first it comes back to you.” – Nicki
” A great way to start is getting yourself booked on shows and seeing what that looks like in your business. Is this making a difference? If it does, then maybe this becomes a main marketing driver for me and this becomes what we invest.” – Christina
Mentioned in the Episode
Related Links
- Top Podcast Episodes for New Copywriters
- 8 Must-Listen Podcasts to Amp Up Your Digital Marketing Knowledge
- 12 Business Books and Podcasts for the New Year
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About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
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