275. 3 Ways to Be a Great Podcast Guest with Jessica Rhodes

You want to be on podcasts! What a great way to be introduced to someone else's audience, share your story, and have people learn about your business and what problems you solve. However, there are some ways to blow that opportunity as a podcast guest.

Jessica Rhodes founded Interview Connections back when no other agencies like it existed.

She loves helping entrepreneurs who feel like the best-kept secret grow their business online through genuine, human-to-human connections. The podcast interviews Jessica and her team have booked have helped their clients generate millions of dollars in sales, sell thousands of books, and transform countless lives.

Jessica has three important pillars for becoming a podcast guest. 

The first pillar is the relationship with the podcast host. Many people leverage podcast guesting as a ticket to someone else's audience, but they don't focus on the host. Podcast interviewing is about networking, collaboration, and having a connection with another human being who's in your line of work and has your target market.

Recognize the value of the interview, even if nobody listens to or downloads the show. The opportunity to answer questions, share a story, and reflect on how powerful what you're saying is valuable. Jessica recommends connecting with the host on social media and learning about their business. 

"I don't think entrepreneurs really understand or know the amount of resources, time, and money that goes into having a podcast," says Jessica. "Whether there's 50 people listening or there's a thousand people listening."

The second pillar of podcast guesting is repurposing the content: What stories are you talking about? What are you sharing? What anecdotes are you sharing? What are you saying about your story? Prepping the host by explaining what you will share will help you have a compelling interview.

Jessica says it's important to have good-quality equipment, from learning how to use your microphone correctly to having good lighting. Some audience members might listen to audio only, while others might watch clips. When you give a good interview, there will be many clips that can be edited and leveraged on social media.

The third pillar is to give a clear call to action. It should be free—it's not a webinar or a pitch. If you gave a good interview and people liked hearing from you for the first time, where can they get more? It might mean a discovery call or offers to join the guest's online community—whatever gets a conversation going.

"There is so much less legwork on the back end once they opt-in versus an ad lead who's very cold and just kind of you caught their attention,” says Jessica.

Podcasting can be a great way to generate warm leads. Jessica says this is all about being intentional with show selection. It expands and opens you up to audiences that aren't in your immediate circle of influence.

Podcasting is a long-term strategy. Refine your message over time, and it's a skill to give a great podcast interview, whether you're a host or a guest. Stay visible and stay consistent.

It also takes time for people to hear you. 

The podcast industry is continuing to grow—the medium is not going anywhere. There are more than 3 million podcasts, and they are becoming more targeted and niche. This can mean a better return on investment because they're small podcasts with more concentrated listeners.

“You're going to see really targeted small audiences that drive big results because you're in front of the right people,” says Jessica. At its core, podcasting is a networking strategy.

“If one out of every 10 podcasters that interviews you, you guys end up doing something amazing together, that's incredible. So see the value in every interaction, every opportunity.”

Check out Jessica's free Podcast Interview Prep Checklist: 

Connect with Jessica Rhodes: https://interviewconnections.com/ 

Other GoG episodes you might want to check out:

How to get the PERFECT guest to say yes to your podcast: https://youtu.be/Ta8bSk4bOG4 

How to Make Money Podcasting (Without Burning Out!): https://sarahwalton.com/make-money-podcasting/

You can check out our podcast interviews on YouTube, too! http://bit.ly/YouTubeSWalton 

Thank you so much for listening. I’m so honored that you’re here and would be so grateful if you could leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, and clicking "Write a review." Then, we'll get to inspire even more people!

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