Booking guests and recording interviews on your podcast
Bringing guests on to your podcast is a great opportunity to add a variety of voices, concepts, perspectives, and reach. It’s important to seek out like-minded individuals who align with your values and brand.
Guests are also good for marketing your show; they will likely share that episode once it is live, opening you up to a new circle of influence. It can help with networking and making connections in the industry as well. You can often set up an agreement with people you invite on your show to have you on their podcast if they have one.
The logistics of organizing guests can sometimes be daunting or confusing, however, the value of adding guests to your podcast is worth the hassle. This article will help break down how to find new guests, how to book them, and how to conduct the interview.
How to find guests
Attend industry events. Attending conferences, webinars, local meetups, and other networking possibilities are not only a good way to make connections for your company, but also a means of finding individuals who would be good interview subjects for your podcast. If you attend a seminar and you loved the speaker, approach them afterwards with an invitation to appear on your show. Gather business cards from potential guests so you can follow up with them after the events.
Look on Amazon for new related books. Amazon has the ability to search for new releases of books. A new author is most likely interested in getting their book some publicity. Inviting them to be on your show would not only be beneficial for you as they share their expertise, but it would be beneficial for them too, as they could plug their new book. Appearing on podcasts is the new book tour.
Search Apple Podcasts for related shows. Finding related podcasts or podcasts you can appear on is a great way to make connections in the podcasting community. Most of the time, a host who agrees to have you on their show would be willing to appear on yours as well. The podcasting community is huge and there are a lot of friendly connections to be made among podcasters.
Your existing network. It is obvious, but it might be overlooked. Your existing network of people should be the first area you tap into. Maybe it’s the CEO of a company your business partners with, your friend who’s a doctor, or your colleague who also owns her own yoga business. Whatever the case may be, chances are you already know a lot of people who would be great guests on your podcast.
Utilizing social media and Facebook groups. It’s not always necessary to approach people through formal emails or mutual connections. Sometimes connecting through informal avenues such as social media can get you the guests you need. Linkedin, Instagram or Facebook Messenger are helpful resources. Engaging with your followers and on others’ pages is a good way to make connections that could turn into interviews. Facebook also has hundreds of groups that you can join, specific to your industry, in which you can make connections or even put out a call for guests. Also look for Slack groups and other online forums on your topic.
Once you’ve found your potential interviewee, it’s time to reach out and book them. If you met someone in person, ask them if they would be interested in coming on to your show, exchange emails, and follow up with more details. If you went to an event and gathered emails from other people, you’ve connected on social media or you found someone through other means, craft a personal introduction and invitation to your show. It’s important that your potential guests feel you want them on your show and that you’re not just sending out a mass email. Once you’ve set a time, email them an event invitation and remain in communication with them leading up to the interview.
Helpful tip: send someone your calendar link or ask for their calendar link so you can pick a time that works mutually without all the back-and-forth of email.
When it comes to conducting the interview, Auxbus Chief Ambassador, John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneurs on Fire gives these tips:
- Ask unique questions
- Make sure your guest knows the questions ahead of time
- Nail the pre-interview chat
- Do your guest intro after (you’ll give a much better intro after you’ve interviewed them / know more about them … so it’s not a bio page read)
- Repeat the points your guests make throughout the interview (translate and reiterate for the sake of your audience)
- Get a clear and concise CTA (call-to-action) from your guest
- Engage in a post-interview chat (feedback, interview live date, ask for the share)
- One-week follow up with your guest
After your episode with your guest goes live, be sure to send them links to the episode, social media posts, or audiograms to make it easy for the guest to share your show.
This post was written by Auxbus, the first end-to-end audio platform designed to eliminate the obstacles that stand in the way of creating a podcast. Auxbus makes audio creation fast, easy and fun. Learn more and try it for yourself by visiting Auxbus.com
