Erik K. Johnson has been coaching radio air talent since 1995. By building relationships with audiences, he has taken multiple radio stations and radio shows to the top of the ratings. His writings will teach you how to turn your information into engaging entertainment and transform your podcast into meaningful, profitable relationships.
Hi Erik!
I would love to read an article about securing guests for podcasts. Of course, it’s much more difficult to do so verses on-air radio shows. But I’m sure there are tricks of the trade.
For example, I scour the interwebs looking for cool internet shows, and track down some of the guests they had on. They are more likely to appear on a podcast having been on one before.
I’d love to hear about other options, or methods.
Thanks
Tim, Erik asked if I would take a moment and post a response to your question.
I would like to encourage you to change your mindset on how difficult it would be to get interviews.
The truth is that I found that podcasters actually find it quite easy to land guests for their shows. There are not abrupt cuts in the conversation to go to commercial break.
The best thing you can do to get guests to agree to come on your show is to PRODUCE A GREAT SHOW that SOUNDS GREAT!
This way, when you send them an invitation to be a guest on your show, you will send them a link to a specific episode that they can sample to get feel for what you do.
They will click on the link and check out the look and feel of your site and they will click to listen and if it SOUNDS GREAT (both content and audio quality) they will almost certainly say yes.
However, to think people are more apt to accept a radio interview is simply a false belief.
With a podcast, the interview isn’t just a one time deal to a few thousand people who happen to be listening live. Instead, it’s available to EVERYONE IN THE WORLD and it is archived, easily found via Google Searches and has so many other benefits!
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the great tips, Cliff!
Hi Cliff
There’s no question I’ll have to retrain my brain from a long time radio career, especially when booking guests. I booked a few guests that appeared on other podcasts and had success. But when I tried to book a few other guests I had on our radio show, they had no interest on being on a “internet podcast.”
I like your idea of sending them a link to a particular show, or a “highlight reel” of what our show is about. Then that might make it more appealing to them to appear on the show.
We produce our show with video via (Stickam) so we bring more to the party than just “old fashioned radio audio!”
Thanks for the suggestions Cliff!
Tim
Tim Sheridan
lavistastudio.com
Tim,
One of the things that might help is by describing your podcast as an “Internet Radio show.” Some people (8 years into this) still have no idea what a podcast is. Most people understand radio, and understand the Internet. I typically call my show an Internet Radio show, then as the conversation moves forward I might drop in the word “podcast” so they can connect the two.