How to gain the most from a podcast guest slot
Congratulations, you’ve scored a slot on a podcast. Maybe it’s the Full Stop? Here’s some advice that we’ve gained from our experience and gathered from our podcast community to help you get the best from your podcast guest opportunity.
Build a rapport with the hosts and the podcast. Building a rapport isn't just about good conversation, it can also lead to many other benefits. We will give your episode a shoutout, and tag guests on our social platforms, or even include a link when we email our listeners. This will extend the promotion beyond the recording and hopefully lead to continued mentions on various platforms long after the episode airs. Good podcasts put the guest at centre stage.
When promoting your podcast appearance, using hashtags and tagging is great for reach. It's not about volume, but relevance. Prioritise the podcast's specific hashtags (ours is #thefullstoppod and #thefullstoppodcast) and always tag the show or the show’s host(s). Doing so will boost visibility for you.
Matchmaker FM explain that it’s important to boost your appearance on social media. We agree. “ If you’re on LinkedIn, X (formally known as Twitter), TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, each channel offers a unique audience eager for content. And you should utilise every relevant social media platform at your disposal. Avoid the trap of one-size-fits-all. Recognise that each social media platform possesses its own distinct style and audience behaviors. So, instead of recycling the same message or visual over and over again, take a moment to tailor your promotional content to each specific channel. This strategy requires more time, but it effectively ensures your podcast appearance resonates with each platform's audience.”
Email your subscribers, a tip from Podbean, Matchmaker and all our social media marketing connections. “Email marketing is a great way of promoting your podcast appearance. So, once your episode is live, send your listeners and fans a message telling them about the episode. You can also take this opportunity to highlight critical takeaways from the episode too.”
Add the podcast link to your email signature, that’s an easy way to get the message out there.
Another tip from Matchmaker.fm is to engage with the listeners. You’ll be made welcome into our online community for free for a month into our podcast area where we have a post-pod chat. This is one way to engage with our online space. We, like other podcasts, have external social media. You can also engage with listeners after your podcast appearance has aired. When your episode goes live, spend some time going through the comments sections of the hosting platform, the social media posts you’ve created or been tagged in, or any shared links and respond to them. Doing so gives you an opportunity to respond to feedback and answer questions. Acknowledging fans goes a long way in fostering loyalty.
Capitalising on one podcast episode can have ripple effects across various media channels. And every new guest appearance on a podcast, webinar, or television show is a prime opportunity to reference and share past ones. Just referencing an appearance is enough. In other words, don’t turn every appearance you make into a shameless self-promotion segment. Quickly mentioning the fact you've been a podcast guest on other shows is a good way of not only building credibility, but also driving curious listeners back to older content you’ve created with others.
Podcast episodes, especially those with evergreen content, are more than a one-time promotion. For example, we have a Podcast rewind in our newsletter that promotes evergreen content and we frequently tune into awareness days with old content. It’s a bit like sharing your favourite song - if it's good, it never gets old.
Finally, Podwritten say this, “you need to promote interviews on your social media platforms to show the host you appreciate their time and work, strengthening collaborative relationships.”
Anything to add to this? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
