Everyone wants to be famous, right? Ok, maybe not everyone.
But if you read my last post about podcasts, you may have started to feel that little itch behind your ear — yes, I’m talking about your brain — that may have gotten you thinking about what being on a podcast or two could do for you and your business.
And that’s good. You should be thinking about this. Because it’s 2020, and podcasts are kinda like the modern radio interview… that never expires!
Imagine. You, an expert in your field, sharing your views with an infinite audience of your peers and your target customers. Magic.
So, where do you begin when it comes to getting yourself those coveted podcast interview slots?
Well, for starters, you’ll need a killer podcast pitch document. This is the thing that you share with the podcast hosts so that they can decide whether or not you’re a fit for their “pod.”
In this 5 minute video, I tell you exactly what to include in yours.
Spoiler alert: you’ll need a high quality photo of your smiling face and about six other things to really complete the package.
Once you’re happy with your pitch doc, you’re ready to embark on your adventure in self-promotion.
Inhale, hold. 3, 2, 1… Exxhaaallle…
Assemble your list of podcasts.
There are many online hubs for podcasts. Apple is probably the most well-known. And that’s where I suggest you begin. Head over to the iTunes store and select podcasts in the dropdown menu to begin your search. Enter any words or phrases that make sense for you. Business, entrepreneurship, sports industry, technology. Then, scroll through the listings and jot down the ones that sound interesting to you. This is basic research here people.
If you’re the impatient type, you’re in luck, because just a few weeks ago, I released a list of all of the sports business podcasts that leaders in sports should appear on this year. Save yourself a few hours and get that list HERE.
Locate your target podcast hosts on social media.
Oh podcast host, where art thou?
Twitter is the platform of choice for the media, and that includes podcasts. And so this is where you’ll go to find podcast hosts in their native environment. Sure, the majority of podcast hosts have LinkedIn profiles, but almost all of them are on Twitter. So, go there first. And follow them. Follow, follow, follow. Each time you find a host on Twitter, add that person to your podcast pitch list, as I did in mine.
If you don’t find a host on Twitter, you can try LinkedIn. You can try Instagram. You can Google the podcast and find its url. Be relentless. If you dig deep enough into the pit of information that exists online, you’ll find that host. And from there, you can begin pitching.
My favorite part!
Craft your written pitch.
If you’re planning to send your pitch to podcast hosts via Twitter, then you’re going to want to build a simple paragraph to introduce yourself to them on that platform. This should be short and sweet. Pleasant and patient. Upbeat and professional. When I say upbeat, I’m really referring to the tone of your note. I do like a nice exclamation point here and there, but let’s limit that to one on these, please. Uber excitement can come off as desperation or lack of experience, and you aren’t either of those things, so keep it chill. And remember, you may not hear back from anyone right away, so don’t sweat this too hard. Just do it.
One paragraph is all you need. And of course your call to action, which is to ask them to look at your pitch document, which you’ve conveniently attached to your note. Don’t forget to attach your pitch doc. You’ll be kicking yourself, hard, and sheepishly sending them a second note to apologize for leaving that off in the first message. Can you tell I’ve done this before? ;)
Send away!
The send button is your friend, ok? It’s the ultimate symbol of productivity. You’ve done the work. You’re proud of what you’ve done. Now, you must send your pitch. It sort of reminds me of the ancient relic that is the telephone. I can remember actually breaking into a sweat before dialing that last phone number of the kid in the ninth grade who called to ask me to that homecoming dance. What would happen when I dialed that last digit? I would surely die. This is kinda like that… except you can’t hang up when the person on the receiving end of the message responds.
How did we get here? And what am I talking about? Oh yes, pitching podcasts.
So, you’ve got the ammo: your pitch document, your list of podcast hosts, their contact information, your pitch…. It’s time to press send. And don’t forget… Just like sales, this is a numbers game. The more you pitch, the more spots you’ll land. So, send away!
Just in case you missed the subtle links I included above, you can find my sports business podcast pitch list (already assembled and ready for your eyes) HERE.
And my five minute video guide to creating your killer pitch doc is waiting for you over HERE.
Cheers to your podcast fame!
