Podcasting can be an extremely effective way to build your brand and show your authority in your niche but it is also a time consuming and costly endeavor.
You have to buy equipment and software, set a time to record weekly, and then edit and upload the podcast, not to mention the marketing. If you decide it’s right for you, you stand to benefit immensely, but it’s a big investment.
On the flip side, if you want to get the benefits from podcast and radio time without running them yourself, you can become a guest on other, existing shows and start building a following that way.
It’s surprisingly effective and a lot easier than you may realize. Here are three tips for doing so.
#1 – Subscribe to the Right Lists
Step one is to go out and find lists that connect you with other radio shows. There are a few of them out there, but my favorite in recent months has been RadioGuestList.
Most of the shows on Radio Guest List have between 100 and 20,000 listeners and there is a range of different topics to submit yourself to for consideration. There are few if any big shows here, but when getting started, this is a great place to look – on average 1 in 3 queries we send out gets a response.
#2 – Build a Small Portfolio and Upscale
When you’ve been featured on between 5-10 podcasts and radio shows, start gathering clips and create a media packet. This is the collection of links and clips you will send to larger booking agents and radio shows to get on the big name shows.
While most shows and hosts want people with established credentials, you’ll be shocked to find just how easy it is to “manufacture” those credentials. You can’t fake it – you still need to be on other shows, but if you’ve been on a podcast with 20,000 listeners and you can send that link to someone when querying for their show, it’s a much easier sell.
#3 – Hire an e-Publicist
At a certain point, it takes a lot more time and connections than you probably have while running your business to reach the largest shows and their hosts. This is where hiring a publicist can really come in handy.
Connect with someone who can reach out to big name shows and booking agents, or who already has those connections and can fit you into their schedules. Don’t assume that every person who appears on CNN Headline News or NPR is a world-class expert. Many are, but just as many are people with a large portfolio of professional appearances and a killer publicist who can get them into those positions.
If you’re an expert in a field – any field really – you can get featured on radio, podcasts, and even TV without a huge amount of time or energy investment. You’ll want to start small and work your way up to bigger bookings, but these shows are so eager to find people like you, I guarantee they won’t be cross-referencing everything you’ve ever done to make sure you’re the top expert or pitting you against dozens of other experts just to land the spot.
