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(By Yann Ilunga) Every podcast interview you do as a guest can be leveraged beyond the scope of the show itself. The question becomes: what can you do to make that happen and get more traction from your podcast guest interviews? In this article, we take a look at eight different strategies you can implement.
#1: Grow Your Network and Pay-It-Forward
The post-interview chat is the moment you and the host have after the interview has been recorded. Many podcast guests make the mistake of completely ignoring it by quickly saying goodbye and leaving. The advice I’m about to share with you is simple but can go a long way in you growing your network.
Make sure that you always have a moment for the the post-interview chat with the host. The one thing you could ask him/her after the interview is permission to connect on social media (I always ask “Would it be okay with you if I connected on Facebook and LinkedIn?”).
By doing this, you’ll expand your network of LinkedIn and Facebook connections.
And you can even take it one step further.
#2: Pay-It-Forward
I have to thank my friend and Podcast Growth Hub member Tough Girl Podcast host Sarah Williams for this one.
Do you think the host did a very good job interviewing you? If you do, then pay-it-forward!
You can do so by writing a review for the podcast or, even better, by endorsing his/her LinkedIn skills, as well as by writing a nice endorsement. This isn’t just an excellent way to pay-it-forward and to stand out, but it can also help you “enhance” your LinkedIn profile.
In fact, some hosts will follow the principle of reciprocity and will return the favor.
#3: Add Social Proof
True, what we’ve just looked at falls under the social proof category. However, what I’m referring to here is social proof for your site.
Did the host pay you a compliment? Did a listener praise you on social media? Then ask for the host’s permission to add his/her words to your website in the form of a testimonial. You can also take a screenshot of the fan social media shout-out and add it to your podcast guest webpage.
And if you’re an author and heard good things about your book from the host, a listener, or both, then you can ask them to re-share those words in the form of a book review.
None of the above happened?
You can still add a link to your podcast guest interview on your website’s Press Page.
#4: Repurpose the Interview Content for Your Platform
Are you struggling to find the time to create content for your own platform? Then you can take your podcast guest interviews and add them to your website. You could write a couple of introductory sentences and embed the podcast episode player or even repurpose the entire episode into an actual blog post, or use it as the base for a video.
Here’s a good example: Nice Guys on Business Podcast host Doug Sandler wrote this Q&A article (which is a standalone piece of content) based on his podcast interview with Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey.
You can do the same with your podcast guest interviews or hire someone to do that for you.
#5: Repurpose the Interview Content for Your Speaking Gigs
Are you a speaker? Incorporating some of the gold nuggets you shared during your podcast guest interviews into your presentations is an excellent way to enrich your conference talks.
A quick note: if you plan on mentioning a podcast and its host by name, I’d recommend sending an email to let him/her know beforehand.
#6: Get Beta Users, Readers and Clients
The sixth way to leverage your podcast guest interviews is connected to point #3.
If the host or some listeners expressed interest in your SaaS, book, or similar, then you could ask them to join your beta group, grab a copy of your book or try out your software.
This is an excellent way to get beta testers and readers, receive feedback, and even have some of them become actual clients.
#7: Get an Introduction
There are several strategies you can use to find podcasts to be featured on as a guest. Did the host have nothing but great things to say about your “performance” as a podcast guest?
If the answer is yes, you could take a moment during the post-interview chat to ask him/her for an introduction to a couple of podcasters he/she believes would love to have you as their guest.
#8: Start a Collaboration
In case you leverage joint-webinar and rely on affiliates to help you promote your products and services, then this final point is for you.
What do you think of the host?
If you feel as if the two of you “clicked,” then you could inquire as to whether he/she would be interested in helping you build buzz around something you’re launching or selling by collaborating with you as a webinar co-presenter or affiliate.
Yann Ilunga is a podcasting consultant and systems strategist. He’s the host of The Podcaster Lab and creator of what Forbes dubbed “Podcast Community to Join” — the Podcast Growth Mastermind.