How to Use “Podcast Guesting” to Get High-Ticket Clients with Jessica Rhodes

Unlocking Business Growth Through Podcast Guesting

In the bustling world of online business, many entrepreneurs seek effective strategies to generate leads and sales without the constant grind of content creation or endless DM hustling. One powerful approach that has seen significant growth is podcast guesting. But simply appearing on shows isn't enough; turning conversations into sales requires a strategic, intentional approach.

Why Embrace Podcast Guesting?

Podcast guesting involves being interviewed on other people's podcasts. This strategy has exploded in popularity. However, many people invest considerable time and energy into it without seeing substantial results or a return on investment (ROI). Jessica Rhodes, who founded Interview Connections, the first-ever podcast booking agency in 2013, highlights that while many get booked organically or by chance, they often fail to convert these appearances into clients. When approached with a plan, strategy, and intention, podcast guesting can become a predictable source of leads and sales for your business. It offers visibility and can keep a flow of leads coming in, unlike strategies that stop when payment stops.

Crafting Your Plan for Effective Podcast Guesting

Success in podcast guesting begins with a clear plan. It's essential to be intentional about who you need to speak to, based on your target audience and business goals. For most entrepreneurs, the primary goal is acquiring more clients. This means defining your ideal client as specifically as possible: what are their interests, challenges, industries, and what problems are they trying to solve?

Understanding your ideal client helps you determine which podcasts they are listening to or even hosting. A key monetization strategy is appearing on shows where the host is actually an ideal client.

Once you've identified your target audience and ideal shows, create a podcast one-sheet. This sheet should include topics and questions that podcast hosts could ask you. Importantly, these topics should not just be self-serving. Think about the objections you encounter on sales calls with ideal clients or areas where there's a lack of understanding about the strategy you offer. By addressing these points during podcast interviews, you can educate potential clients higher up in the funnel. This pre-education means that by the time they reach a sales call, they may already understand and trust your approach, making the conversion process smoother. You want the listener to feel like they received significant value from the episode, even if they don't contact you.

Finding the Right Podcasts for Your Podcast Guesting Strategy

Researching potential shows is a crucial step in podcast guesting. While there isn't one single definitive directory, several tools can help. Apple Podcasts is a starting point, although its search algorithm isn't always the most effective. Listenotes is recommended as a great free resource. On Listenotes, you can search for topics, keywords, or even the names of competitors or peers to see which podcasts they have appeared on. This is a clever trick to find relevant shows that might be a good fit for you. When searching, ensure the shows are interview-based and currently publishing new episodes. Paid directories like Rephonic also exist specifically for people seeking podcast guest opportunities.

When evaluating shows, don't get fixated on audience size. The number of downloads is typically only visible to the podcast owner. While metrics like the number of reviews can hint at a larger audience, they don't guarantee that audience contains your ideal clients. Stories from the hosts illustrate this point: being on a massive podcast didn't yield leads because the target audience wasn't listening, whereas a highly targeted, smaller podcast for a specific niche (like lawyers) generated significant leads. The focus should be on reaching the right audience, not just the largest one.

However, it is generally advisable to avoid shows with fewer than 20 episodes, as many new podcasters quit before reaching this milestone. Prioritize shows that have been publishing weekly episodes for at least four or five months.

Pitching and Getting Booked

When reaching out to podcasts for podcast guesting spots, the pitch needs to be tailored and customized, especially for larger shows. For bigger podcasts, the host often wants to see that the guest will bring equal value. This value can come from having a significant following that you can promote the episode to. Some top-tier shows may only consider guests with a following comparable to or larger than their own.

If you don't have a large social media following, you need "leverage". What unique value can you bring? Research the show's past episodes to see if your topic has been covered. Pointing out that they haven't discussed a particular valuable and relevant topic can make you stand out. Timeliness is also important for larger, trend-focused podcasts.

Keep your pitch short, to the point, relevant, and accurate. Podcast hosts receive numerous pitches weekly, sometimes even daily, so don't waste their time. Ensure they actually accept guests.

Follow-up is crucial. A significant percentage of bookings can come after following up multiple times via email or social media. Tracking your outreach and follow-up is essential, just like in sales.

Consistency and Practice

If you aim to make podcast guesting a primary lead generation strategy, consistency is key. The sweet spot for interviews is typically two to four per month. Batching recordings can make this more manageable.

Regularly doing interviews keeps you practiced. Taking time off can lead to rustiness. Just like any skill, practice improves performance, making you sound like a pro. Starting with smaller shows is a great way to get practice ("get the reps in") and hone your interview skills, including handling unexpected questions, before pitching larger platforms. It takes time to refine your message, perfect answering questions, and share stories effectively. Don't aim for just a few top-tier shows if you aren't ready to convert the potential audience. Being unprepared can lead to poor interview performance and inability to convert leads even from a large audience.

Regarding pitching frequency, success rates vary, but tracking your pitch-to-booking ratio is vital to determine the necessary output.

The Importance of Tracking Your Podcast Guesting Results

Tracking your podcast guesting activities is super important. You cannot improve what you do not measure. When doing multiple interviews, keeping track of each podcast, recording dates, publish dates, and who to promote to is essential. Hosts appreciate guests who promote the episode. Lack of reciprocation can hurt your chances of being recommended or invited back.

For the data-oriented, setting up a spreadsheet is recommended. Key columns should include:

• Show Name
• Show Website/Link (e.g., Apple Podcast link)
• Host Name and/or Booker Name
• Email Address
• Scheduling Link (if provided)
• Date Booking Secured (Helps track follow-up needs)
• Date Interview Recorded
• Date Episode Goes Live (Expect about a 3-month lag from booking to live date)
• Specific Call to Action Used for that show (if you use different ones)
• Links to Host's Social Media (Facilitates tagging and connection)

While tracking the performance of every single show can add complexity, tracking the overall strategy is key. You can often sense which interviews went well. The best feedback comes directly from leads who tell you which show they heard you on. Podcast guesting often results in lower quantity but higher quality leads; people who reach out after hearing you are often already close to being sold. Using specific landing pages for your call to action, primarily promoted on podcasts, allows you to track the performance of the overall strategy.

Delivering Value During the Podcast Interview

During the interview, the content you deliver is paramount. While practice is essential, focusing on three key elements is vital: information, stories, and a call to action. Provide valuable information and actionable tips that listeners can actually use. You want listeners to feel they gained significant value.

However, information alone is not enough to motivate people. As the saying goes, "facts tell, but stories sell". Sharing stories brings your work to life and helps listeners envision themselves as your clients. Stories invoke emotion, and people make decisions based on emotion, later justifying them with facts. Listening to client stories on podcasts can powerfully influence potential clients, as demonstrated by the speaker's own experience being moved to hire a coach after hearing her clients' stories. Effective storytelling is an art that requires practice and honing. Stories create vivid "sense memories" for listeners, making your message more memorable and emotionally connected than perhaps any other marketing strategy.

Structuring Your Call to Action

A well-crafted call to action (CTA) is essential to convert listeners into leads. There's no one-size-fits-all CTA. It must align with your business, brand, and target audience. Think about what your audience needs to move closer to becoming a client. For some, simple brand awareness and encouraging connections on platforms like LinkedIn works. For others, a lead magnet, such as a checklist or guide, is effective for building an email list. Whatever your CTA, make sure the URL you give is easy to remember and spell.

Revisiting Shows and Building Relationships Through Podcast Guesting

What happens if you pitch a show and get rejected? It's helpful to understand why, if possible. You can ask the host if they would be open to you following up later, perhaps in six months or a year, especially if your topic wasn't the right fit at that moment. It's better to ask permission than to unexpectedly pitch again later.

If you have been on a show before, returning for a second appearance is 100% recommended. This is why planning is beneficial; for example, going on podcasts a year before a book launch allows you to revisit those hosts with new content when the book comes out. Many guests are invited back naturally if the first appearance goes well. Keeping an organized spreadsheet of past appearances helps you plan these follow-up pitches.

Beyond just getting booked, actively looking for ways to collaborate with podcast hosts you connect with through podcast guesting is valuable. This relationship building is key to monetizing the strategy. Hosts appreciate genuine connections, learning from guests, and building ongoing relationships that can benefit both parties outside of just the podcast episode.

Successful podcast guesting isn't just about getting booked; it's a strategic process involving planning, research, effective pitching, consistent practice, tracking results, delivering value through information and stories during the interview, and having a clear call to action. By implementing these steps with intention, you can leverage podcast guesting to grow your business predictably.