How to Leverage Podcasts to Gain Visibility and New Clients for Your Business

Podcasts have gained a lot of popularity since their inception in 2004.  It seems like just about everybody is hosting a podcast or has been a guest on a podcast, and for good reason.  Podcasts are an incredible way to share your knowledge and expertise, establish yourself as an authority in your field, and reach a much broader audience.  They rely on the idea of “attraction marketing” as opposed to pushy sales tactics that can drive your audience away.  This kind of marketing draws your audience to you through establishing authentic connection.  Your audience can see your face and hear your voice, and they will naturally either gravitate towards you or not.  If they do, just like that, they will be reaching out to you (instead of the other way around).  Another excellent perk?  Podcasts do not cost a billion dollars.  In fact, most podcast hosts will allow you to come onto their show for free, as long as they feel like you have something valuable to offer their listeners/viewers.

A lot of you might be thinking, “Geesh, this all sounds great, but I don’t even know where to start!  I don’t know any podcasters.” and that’s perfectly okay.  Finding podcasts to be on is actually quite a bit easier than you may think.  The quickest and easiest way?  Go to Facebook groups.  I know that some of us may have an aversion to that platform, but it really is the best way to find your podcasting tribe.  Go to the search tab and type in “podcast” and see what comes up.  One of the groups that comes to mind is “Find-a-guest, Be-a-guest” (which is a free group, though there are also paid upgrades available to members).  Podcast hosts go into these groups because they need to find guests that can keep their audience engaged.  They rely on this methodology because it’s easy for them to learn a lot about you in a short amount of time.  If you put up a request to be a guest on a podcast, they host can quickly check your personal profile which will also have a link to your business page and your website.  They can compose a simple snapshot of who you are and determine whether or not it feels like a good fit.   Podcast “guests” go into these groups because it offers them the opportunity to showcase their expertise and post about how they can add value to a podcaster’s audience.

Whether you find your podcasts through Facebook groups or elsewhere, there are certain steps you will definitely want to take to ensure that the experience is a positive one for all involved.

• Know your audience!  Look for podcasts that have your ideal client as their audience, too!  Sometimes this will be obvious (if I’m a business coach, for example, I might want to be on a podcast that focuses on social media marketing strategies) whereas sometimes it won’t be so obvious.  Perhaps you’re that same business coach and a podcast about doulas and midwives reaches out to you and it feels a little wonky.  Then, as you open the conversation, you learn that your podcaster’s audience has been looking for new ways to snag new clients and it all starts to make sense.

• Start small. While it can be tempting to go straight for the most popular podcast that is going to ensure the biggest exposure, give yourself some time to get comfortable with what you’re doing.  Taking a few test spins on smaller podcasts will help you to understand what subject matter most eloquently speaks to what you do, to get comfortable speaking on video, and figure out any technical difficulties that could trip you up.

• Be prepared! A lot of podcast hosts will send you the questions they intend to ask prior to the podcast recording.  Others may even ask you directly what you want to talk about.  Having a clear idea of the content you will be discussing is imperative to a successful podcast.  Have a short bio prepared, as well, for your podcast host to reference.

• Polish up! Before the podcast airs, make sure that your website, Facebook profile, LinkedIn page, IG page, and any other marketing platforms that you use are up-to-date and cleaned up.  You want all of these things to look professional when your audience starts to do a little digging.

• Get a timeline. So often this part is missed!  Ask your podcast host when the episode will be recorded and when it will be aired.  Sometimes it may take a while to get your episode up and running, so you’ll want to make sure that you’re promoting relevant events, trainings, master classes, launches, challenges, et cetera.

• Be proactive with marketing! Ask your podcast host to send you the marketing assets so that you, too, can promote the episode on your end.  Not only will it benefit you, but it will also be appreciated by your host.

• Add a media tab to your website. This is a great place to include links to all of your podcasts, guest appearances, articles, et cetera so that it’s all in one place for easy reference.

If you follow these guidelines, you will have success podcasting.  It can be a lot of fun and a wonderful way to gain exposure and new leads and to expand your network.

If you’re still feeling a bit wary on your marketing strategies, don’t hesitate to reach out.  Whether we work together in a one-on-one capacity, you take advantage of some of the free marketing resources on my site, or you join a training or our Facebook group, “Be a Confident Entrepreneur, Gain Confidence and Grow Your Business”, there are always ways where we can connect.