Part 1 of 3
How to land a spot on a broadcast for marketing your invention
Podcasts provide another venue for you and your invention to get in front of a new, targeted audience.
BY ELIZABETH BREEDLOVE
Podcasting is not what one typically thinks of when considering the term “social media,” but the two are closely related.
Podcasting is a key part of any holistic digital marketing strategy for inventors or anyone in the business of selling—not to mention that there is something inherently social about the sort of connection a podcaster makes with his audience, particularly compared to other content mediums. There is something more intimate about hearing someone’s voice.
So why is podcasting a good medium for someone trying to launch or market a product?
Digital media consumption, including podcast listenership, continues to increase. Statista says that in 2020, 55 percent of Americans had listened to a podcast at some point. Spotify reported that 22 percent of monthly active users listened to podcasts on their platform in the third quarter of 2020, up from almost 14 percent in the third quarter of 2019.
In other words, podcasts provide another venue for you and your invention to get in front of a new, targeted audience.
Below you’ll find what you need to know about landing a spot on a podcast, along with some considerations if you’re thinking of starting your own podcast.
Part 2 on this subject next month will discuss how to start a podcast related to your business. The following month, I’ll show how an innovator used social media to launch a podcast service for kids.
Finding relevant podcasts
To begin, identify podcasts for which you would be a great fit. Go to your podcast platform of choice, such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and browse through the top podcasts in any categories relevant to you.
Once you have a solid list, move on to Google. Search phrases such as “top podcasts about [subject]” or “podcasts for [audience].” Add your Google findings to your master list.
After you’ve built a list, you can begin to curate it and prioritize podcasts to target. Take the time to research past episodes to see what types of topics are covered in depth, and look at the format.
Your goal is to identify podcasts that are related to what you would like to talk about, that your target audience likely listens to, and that have a format that suits you. For example, if a podcast is only the host talking to the audience and there are never any guests, it’s not a podcast you’ll want to pitch.
Pitching yourself
Once you’ve narrowed down a list of target podcasts, you can start emailing the host or producers of each podcast to pitch yourself.
Any time you pitch yourself or your company, keep the focus on how you can help the publication and add value for their audience.
Podcasters in particular look for guests with valuable content that they can share, and/or someone who already has an audience and a presence online in hopes that the guest will encourage their audience to listen to the podcast, growing the podcast’s listenership.
When crafting your pitch, it may be helpful to start with the subject line. Make your topic or content the subject. Summarize your story or content but be clear and concise.
Begin your pitch by quickly introducing yourself. Explain who you are and what makes you a valuable, credible guest, but don’t focus too much of your pitch on this. Remember that your goal with the pitch is to tell how you can provide value for the podcast, not to focus on yourself or what you can get out of the interview.
After introducing yourself, you can begin talking about what you can offer the podcast. Show that you’ve listened to it before and are familiar with what the podcast is about and its format, then mention some topic ideas you have or what you’d like to talk about.
Preparing as a guest
Once you have an interview scheduled with a podcaster, it’s time to get yourself ready.
First, prepare for the actual content of the podcast. Don’t go in blindly. Listen to a few episodes ahead of time, if you haven’t already, so you know what to expect. Additionally, write down any talking points you’d like to cover during your interview.
Make sure you are technologically prepared for the conversation, as it will almost certainly be done remotely. Ask the host how he or she typically handles interviews—via Skype, Zoom, a phone call or something else. Ask if there are any instructions for you, such as whether you should record the conversation from your end as well.
Once you know what technology you’ll use, do a test run. Make sure you have a quiet room reserved for the call, then test your recording equipment and any software you’ll use to run the call or record it.
Steps after the podcast
First and foremost, follow up with the host to express your gratitude. Podcasting is a great way to network and form valuable connections, so don’t let the opportunity go to waste.
Then, share, share, share! Blast out a link to your podcast episode anywhere you can: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and even to your email list.
Not only does sharing the episode show goodwill to the host, it provides an avenue for potential customers to connect with you on a deeper level by hearing your story told in your own voice. It gets your audience into your sales funnel.
Finally, look for your audience to grow and your sales to increase. If you have Google Analytics set up on your website, you should be able to track traffic coming to your site from the podcaster’s site.
If you want to track podcast traffic even more closely, you can offer a coupon code exclusively to the podcast listeners and track when and how often the code is used. Just make sure to clear this with the host before your interview.
Happy podcasting!
