Episode 70: So, You Want To Be A Podcast Guest

*some links included in the show notes may be affiliate links (see disclaimer below)*

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DISCLAIMER

Some links included in this description may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission, however there is no additional charge to you. Thank you for supporting Mountain Practice Journeys so I can continue to provide you with free content!

Links to other websites, products, and services do not endorse or guarantee the services, products, or information contained at the other sites. The information, products, resources, materials, services, and documents found here are not intended to be a substitute for legal, financial, or other professional advice, nor does their use establish a professional relationship between you and Cindy Norton or Mountain Practice Journeys.

INTRO

You’re listening to the Mountain Practice Journeys podcast: a comfy, cozy place for private practice introverts, highly sensitive therapists, and solopreneurs who help and heal.

This is the place for practical, nature-based, magickal support for your business and life.

MAIN

Hello there, and welcome back to the Mountain Practice Journeys podcast! I’m your host, Cindy. Here in Episode 70 I’m going to talk about how to go about being a guest on a podcast.

Before I get started, I wanted to share that if you’ve thought about starting a podcast, but after listening to my series this season you have decided that it’s too much work, you may decide that you just want to guest on other people’s podcasts. This way you can get your message out there without having to do so much behind the scenes work.

Now on to the main topic…

This will be a short and sweet episode as I’ll only be sharing two main tips, but I think these are the only two you need.

The two tips are “Do The Leg Work” and “Follow The Steps.”

Let’s start with doing the leg work. Do the leg work upfront and take the time to investigate whether or not you would actually be a good fit to guest on each podcast you reach out to. Listen to at least 5 recent episodes of the podcast so that you can get a feel for the host, the culture, and the other guests. And if the podcast has been on air for a while, it wouldn’t hurt to listen to a couple of earlier episodes as well.

I believe that it is your responsibility as a potential guest to do the first step of qualifying yourself for the podcast. This doesn’t always mean that you will be accepted as a guest though. But I think that it is common courtesy.

Blindly reaching out to as many podcasts as possible just because you want to talk about your product, or service, or offer with no regard to the podcast culture and community that the host has cultivated feels really slimy and inauthentic to me. I understand that people hire others to get them booked on podcasts, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but the key word here is authenticity.

So, if you’ve decided that you want to be a guest on podcasts, I suggest that you go to your favorite podcast app, and first see if any of the podcasts that you currently listen to may be a good fit for your topic. If so, you’ve got step one covered and you’re halfway there. Next, you can do a search for keywords that relate to your topic and pick 3-5 new podcasts that seem to be in your niche and begin listening to them. As you listen, take note of the ones that resonate with you and your message and start there.

My second tip is to follow the steps that the podcast host has outlined in order to express your interest in being a guest. Take time to look at their website and see if there’s an inquiry form specific to being a guest, or a guest application form. If you don’t see this anywhere, check out their social media accounts and see if there is any mention of this in their bio. And if you still don’t see it, send them an email or reach out via the contact form on their website.

For example, I have a Podcast Guest Application that is listed on my main podcast page. This is the first step in my process.

Seems simple enough, right?

As an aside here I just want to mention that there’s a reason that I have a specific process outlined for becoming a guest on my podcast (as well as for other processes in my business), and that is because it is only me in my business. I don’t have assistants or employees. It really is only me. And that’s why I like to keep things really simple, clean, straightforward, and automated. Now back to it…

I just mentioned the people that hire others to get them on to podcasts. Well, podcast bookers are notorious for not following the steps you have outlined. I’ve had podcast bookers reach out to me via email with an attached bio stating that so-and-so would be a great guest for my podcast, and I can almost guarantee that the booker nor the guest have ever listened to an episode.

In regards to the automated processes I have in place, I have an email autoresponder that includes the following statement in the message: “If you are inquiring about being a guest on the Mountain Practice Journeys podcast, please fill out the podcast guest application here. Due to the number of requests, I don’t respond to email inquiries for podcast guests.” And I provide a link to my Podcast Guest Application. I have this statement in my autoresponder so that I can better manage my time, and weed out those who are not serious about being a guest.

99% of the time, this system works wonderfully. But a few months ago I had the same podcast booking agent emailing me several different bios for speakers for my podcast, and then sending follow up emails to ask if I’ve seen the previous emails. I keep getting emails, so I eventually have to email back and direct her to my process. I say that if so-and-so wants to be a guest on my podcast, the first step is for them to fill out the Podcast Guest Application, and I haven’t heard back.

Call me old fashioned, but I really value authentic relationships and I don’t buy into the fast-paced culture that most of our society subscribes to. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had some great booking agents reach out who follow the steps in my process and it has resulted in some wonderful guests.

One way that I cultivate authenticity is that I require that the potential guest fill out the podcast application themselves, and this tends to rule out the majority of those who are just seeking to be on as many podcasts as possible to hock their product or service. I also ask that, for those who I don’t have a prior relationship with, that they schedule a ‘Coffee & Connection’ session so that we can meet online and just have a chat and get to know one another, while we discuss potential topics.

But, honestly, most of my guests organically come to me. And there have been several that I have connected with on Instagram, and because I love their presence and message, I have reached out and invited them to be a guest.

I have no shortage of guests, so I’m totally good with losing some potential guests because they don’t want to go through my process. And I believe my more authentic process results in better guest episodes, better connection during those episodes, and better relevance to my audience.

And I have a bonus tip for you. When you do reach out to the podcast host, be sure to customize your message to the particular podcast. I can spot template messages from a mile away, and it really turns me off. Be sure to talk about your favorite episodes and what you liked about them. Share why you enjoy listening to the show and how your topic would be a great fit for the audience of the podcast. And, if you haven’t completed step one, this is going to be really hard for you to pull off.

Anyway, I hope this was helpful to you. In addition to the two basic tips, I also wanted to give you an inside peek into how I go about selecting guests for my podcast, as this may be helpful if you are looking to get on a less commercialized podcast.

ACORN (Tarot Card Pull)

Welcome to the acorn segment. With each solo episode I’ll be drawing a tarot card to help provide some magickal inspiration and insight.

The card for this episode is Judgment.

I’ll describe the card for those of you who may not be familiar. There are men, women, and children rising from their graves with their arms outspread and looking at an angel in the sky blowing his horn.

This card is all about rebirth, renewal, and inner calling. You are being called to level up and step into who you were meant to be in this life. You are destined to be so much more, if only you return home to yourself. You have more power than you know and you don’t need to look for it outside of yourself.

Remember, if you’re not living the life that you want, you can start today.

I’ll post a picture of the card along with the message today on my instagram @mountainpracticejourneys so head on over and let me know if this message resonates with you at this time.

THANKS

Thank you so much for joining me today. This episode concludes Season 7 of the Mountain Practice Journeys podcast. I’ll be taking a 3 week break and will be back before you know it with a wonderful Season 8 filled with helpful topics and inspiring guests.

OUTRO

I’m truly grateful that you choose to join me here for practical, nature-based, magickal support for your business and life. For more inspiration and to see what I’m up to, join me over on instagram @mountainpracticejourneys If you’re enjoying yourself here, please head over to Apple Podcasts and hit those 5 stars and I’ll be over the moon. And if you’d like to work with me, join me in Forestmind, my cozy, small-group mastermind for private practice introverts, highly sensitive therapists, and solopreneurs who help and heal. May the forest be with you.