How to Profit as a Podcast Guest

Podcasting has become the most common way for people, businesses, and churches to share their message with the world. Podcasting has made a resurgence and is now stronger than ever.  In 2019, there are more than 700,000 active podcasts and more than 29 million podcast episodes. 

Here are some statistics to show why you should be paying attention to podcasts:

• 70% of Americans have heard of podcasts
• 51% of Americans (12 or older) have listened to a podcast
• 32% of Americans listen to podcasts monthly
• Nearly one-quarter of Americans listen to podcasts weekly
• Podcast listeners are much more likely to earn $75,000+ per year
• 54% of podcast listeners are more likely to consider buying an advertised product
• By 2022, podcast listening is estimated to grow to 132 million people in the United States.

Podcast listening “on the go” is one of the most popular ways to consume content.

• 65% of people will listen to a podcast on their phone or tablet. 
• 33% listen to podcasts on the computer.
• More than 50% of podcast listeners will listen “at places other than their home.” 
• 23% of podcast listeners said that podcasts were the number one audio source they listen to in the car.
• The most popular places people listen to podcasts are at home, in the car, at work, or riding public transportation:

Because I live in a small town in Southeast Texas, I don’t get the opportunity to go out that much and do speaking because I’m three hours from a major city. Being a podcast guest offers me an excellent opportunity to speak to thousands in my target market from my home in just 30 minutes a week. Being a podcast guest helps you reach a whole new stream of prospects and clients, get your message out there, and add another layer of credibility to what you do.

 Why Being a Podcast Guest Wins Over Creating Your Own Podcast

If podcasting is so great, why not start your own, rather than appearing as a guest on other people’s podcasts?  Starting a podcast is not for the faint of heart. They take much work to get started, and you must continually feed the podcast. You’re always on the search to find new guests to interview and transcribing the show notes for each episode as well as syndicating each episode can be time-consuming.   

I liken being a guest on a podcast versus hosting your own podcast to having a neighbor with a great swimming pool. You might want your own swimming pool, but then you look at the neighbor’s pool and say, “Wow, he’s already got a swimming pool, and I don’t have the $40,000 to install my own. Why don’t I go borrow my neighbor’s pool?” It’s the same thing with a podcast. Why go to all this trouble to start up a podcast when you can be a guest on someone else’s? 

Will Being a Podcast Guest Work for Local Business Owners?  

If you have a geographically based business such as a chiropractor practice or small business accountant, why should you be on a podcast that is syndicated to people throughout the world? It’s about attracting people from all over the globe. It’s about establishing authority and credibility among your current geographic customers within your local area. Moreover, you can embed the podcast on your website and send out a link to your email list so that your prospects can listen to what you said on the podcast.

Businesses That Won’t Benefit from Being on a Podcast

The only people for whom podcasting might not be the best choice are those who are desperate for immediate sales or anyone who’s chasing a transaction. Podcasts are evergreen. For that reason, you don’t want to promote a time-limited offer, like a webinar that’s happening on a specific day or a sale lasts three days. The evergreen factor means you never know when somebody is going to listen to a podcast. They may listen to it right away when it’s released, or they may listen to it three months, six months, nine months, or even three years down the road.

 How to Pick a Podcast

With all the podcasts that are available, how do you decide which ones to select and request to be a guest?  Firstly, the podcast needs to be listened to by your target market and needs to be on a topic on which you’re an authority. For example, I found a top-rated Prepper Podcast that covers different apocalyptic survival strategies. I would have absolutely nothing to contribute to that podcast. Nobody on survivalist podcast wants to know how to become Business Famous. They want to know what the latest, most exceptional water filtration system is, or the newest light-weight tent that they can use in case of an apocalyptic event. 

Secondly, ensure that the podcast has regularly scheduled guests without any significant gaps in episodes. If you see a podcast publishing episodes for one month and then there’s a three-month absence of any guests, then they come back for a week, then there’s another three-month absence, that’s a podcast you’ll probably want to avoid.

Thirdly, look for hosts who have podcasting experience, with at least ten episodes published. Ensure that the latest episode was within the last two weeks because that gives you a good indication that they’re producing podcasts regularly. 

How to Find the Best Podcasts

The easiest way to find a podcast on which you can be interviewed is by going to Google and type in “Podcast + <your industry>.   When you do that, you’ll see multiple listings of podcasts about those particular topics. Begin to review and evaluate your findings, and whether they pass your personal litmus test. 

Pitching Yourself as a Guest

When you’re pitching yourself as a podcast guest, don’t make the mistake of pitching yourself with a vague label without any point, direction, or point of view. You must have a compelling topic and a compelling title that hosts cannot resist. What podcast hosts care about is whether you have a topic that’s going to be valuable to their audiences and is going to help them in some way. 

Want to discover how to profit as a podcast guest?  Click here to pick up my new course, Podcast Authority, to find out how to make the most of your podcast guest appearances.