What You Need to Know About Both Sides of Podcast Interviews
Hey Friend!
Have you ever wondered how to land interviews on big podcasts? Do you struggle to pitch to podcast hosts and get interviews that can gain visibility for your show? Should you even bother interviewing guests on your show? When your show is small, especially when you’re just starting, it can be terrifying to pitch both yourself and your show.
You might be thinking, why would anyone want to engage with my show? I don’t have a large audience. What can I bring to the table? If this is you, don’t stress, everyone asks these questions at some stage of their podcasting journey. I share my top tips for pitching, podcast visibility, and how to grow your podcast in today’s blog.
Increasing Podcast Visibility and Growth Using Podcast Interviews
Why should I have a podcast?
Podcasting is the number one way I’ve grown my business. I was an entrepreneur for eight years before starting my show, and podcasting has taken my business to the next level. Podcasting is so great because it builds an organic, evergreen audience. It’s essentially a free funnel! It brings people into my world and builds trust with them.
The secret to having big revenue in your business is to have trust. Once you have created a relationship with your audience and they trust you, they want to buy from you. And selling things is what makes a business profitable.
How to pitch podcast interviews with big shows
It can be super daunting to pitch to shows bigger than yours. We want to pitch to these shows because they have a larger audience and can provide us and our show visibility we wouldn’t be able to get otherwise.
Get the podcast host’s attention genuinely
To get the host’s attention and have a shot at getting on their show, I like to do things a bit differently.
- Engage with them on social media: This means liking and commenting on their posts, engaging with their Instagram stories, and showing them how they are impacting me.
- Listen to their show: Know what they talk about, who they talk to, and how you can offer value to their listeners.
- Send them a voice DM: This means it’s more likely to get to the host and not be blocked by the VA. I would say something like:
“Hey, what’s up? You get a million pitches. But I had this idea about what I could teach your market that I haven’t seen on your show yet. And here’s the deal, I have a smaller reach than you, but my reach is really deep.
I promise to promote you across all the platforms. And I just want to serve your audience. I don’t even have a pitch I want to make. I just want to be of service because your show has been of so much service to me.” – Stef Gass
- Follow up with an email saying a similar thing.
Getting big shows to interview you for a podcast
Building relationships can work because it comes from a place of deeply caring about the host and their show and gets directly to the host. You still will get a ton of no’s, but that doesn’t mean no forever. Keep cultivating those relationships; a year from now, you might get a yes.
This informal and friendly process has gotten me on shows with 7 million and even 15 million downloads because I was reaching out authentically and sharing what I wanted to do for their audience. Being heartfelt about why you want to serve them works so much better than the ‘look at me, I’m so fancy’ pitch.
Pros and cons of interviewing guests on your show:
Now, to the other side of podcast interviews, should you have interviews on your own podcast? A few of you have asked why I have been doing just solo shows on my podcast so far. You’re right, this would be a great way to bump up my weekly episodes, but there are a few pros and cons you’ve got to consider when deciding if they are a good fit for your show.
Pros of interviewing guests on your podcast
- You have something new to give your audience because people may or may not get tired of hearing from just you and you bring more value.
- It gets you more publicity; if your interviewee promotes the episode, it can allow you access to their audience.
- If you enjoy interviewing people and talking to people who are further along than you.
- Very casual (at least in my experience) so less to edit.
Cons of interviewing guests on your podcast
- They are more work, you’ve got extra scheduling, planning, interview questions, etc.
- Some people prefer to not listen to interviews and might skip them.
- Find the right people who are a good fit for your show and get them onboard.
- More legal paperwork, drafting up contracts and releases.
Overall, do what works best for you and your show. Interviewing guests on my podcast doesn’t light me up, but if it lights you up, go for it!
There are no rules in podcasting. It’s about figuring out what works for you and your show. If you find someone who is super inspiring and will bring a ton of value, throw a guest in! It doesn’t matter if you have none, one, or weekly guests. It’s your show!
Have you ever pitched to anyone before? How did it go? Who has been your favorite guest you’ve had on your show? Let us know in the comments below. We love to hear from you!
I pray this blesses you!
Xo,
Stef
P.S. Listen to podcast episode 179 for podcast Interviews: Everything you need to know on both sides of the mic
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