Grow your exposure: be a guest on someone else's podcast…regularly!

More and more thought leaders and business leaders are creating their own podcasts. And no wonder: it allows them to speak directly to their audience, an audience who tend to be busy professionals and want to listen to something while they do other things.

But, part of a thought leader's audio strategy should be as a guest on someone else's podcast.

Here's a question for you: which of the two is better for your exposure?

a)     Being interviewed by host Leigh Sales on ABC TV's 7.30.

b)    Interviewing Leigh Sales on your podcast or YouTube channel.

Without doubt, the correct answer is a)*.

The exposure to a national audience of around 750,000 viewers dwarfs the impact Leigh Sales would have on your own podcast. You wouldn't say "no" to Leigh being on your program, of course – famous names will arguably bring credibility and lead to bigger audiences.

But, it's worth being on someone else's channel, where you are exposed to an audience you wouldn't otherwise have access to.

Few of us have the opportunity to be on a national TV or a radio show, but increasing numbers of quality podcasts have decent-sized audiences where you could provide content.

Podcasts are more shareable than TV or radio shows, and podcasts are archived, so you could get further people listening during the life of the podcast series.

It's well worth finding what those podcasts are and who the podcasters are.

HOW TO FIND A PODCAST TO BE A GUEST ON

I asked Los Angeles-based Kelly Glover, founder of The Talent Squad, who specialises in booking entrepreneurs and authors on to podcasts.

She says that when you pitch to be a guest, it's a two-way vetting process. "The podcast might be a fit for you but are you a fit for the podcast?" she asks.

Kelly says you should run through a basic checklist:

• Listen to a few episodes and gauge the audio quality, episode content, and overall interview style.

• Audit the podcast's back catalogue for themes in topics and identify what can you add and white space opportunities.

Remember that pitching above your weight can damage your personal brand so self-awareness is key and knowing if you fit into the guest line up.

How do you approach a podcaster and be invited on their show? Kelly says, without "a pre-existing relationship or warm intro then you are crafting a cold pitch. That's fine! Industry-standard for pitching podcasts is via e-mail to the host or producer.

"Keep it short and focus on what value you provide the audience rather than making it about you and why you want to be on the show. Avoid cut and paste generic fill-in-the-blank pitches and craft individually addressing show specifics.

"A common mistake is people pitching before they are media-ready. You need to package your personal brand before you pitch! That means having your brand collateral ready and housed in an online press kit with your biographies, hi-res headshots, talking points, one sheet, and previous media interviews."

WHAT PREPARATION SHOULD YOU DO BEFORE THE INTERVIEW?

Kelly insists that you shouldn't wing it – it's a waste:

"If you're not strategic during your podcast recording then you've just had a nice chat," she says.

"Make no mistake, podcast guesting is an earned media strategy with the goal to benefit the audience, host and yourself. This requires preparation before the interview.

"Every podcast is an individual media outlet so do your background research on the host, related brands, and the show.

"Reverse engineer all elements so you can truly cater your message and performance to the audience while delivering value and effectively integrate your key messaging, soundbites, and call to action."

ONCE YOU FIND YOU'VE BEEN ACCEPTED ON A PODCAST, HOW DO YOU PRESENT YOURSELF?

No doubt, you'll be guided by the questions and direction of the host. Nonetheless, there are some things to keep in mind when you're in front of the mic.

Former BBC and ABC producer and previous colleague of mine, Heather Dawson, says you should try to talk naturally and with expression.

"Don't use jargon because that's just alienating. And I must say I get a little bit dispirited by too much technical talk or too much modern marketing spiel," she says.

"Most importantly," Heather insists, "speak from the heart and if you think that you're not speaking from the heart, just practise a little bit more on putting more emphasis into your words and away you go."

HAVE ACCESS TO DECENT EQUIPMENT

Importantly, most podcasts won't necessarily be in the same city or town as yours. Inevitably, you'll be interviewed remotely. I'm gobsmacked by the number of podcasts where the guest sounds like they are being recorded in a wind-tunnel or worse.

It's because they are relying on the host recording at their end. In this article, I write about setting up your own media studio and how to record your own track, then sending the audio file to the host later on. If you sound clear, you'll sound credible, and people will enjoy listening to you.

The interview isn't the end! – Kelly Glover

Finally, Kelly says, "In order to squeeze that valuable publicity juice out of your podcast guesting experience, you need to promote, leverage and repurpose.

"Podcast interviews are not a one-and-done play. There is an understanding that you as the guest will pull your weight once the episode goes live. Share generously on socials and tag appropriately.

"The podcast guesting strategy is cumulative so leverage your interview into bigger online and offline opportunities. Take advantage of the evergreen nature of the medium, and repurpose your appearance into multiple pieces of content then add to your content queue."

* Assuming ABC's 7.30 audience is your target market.