How to get booked on podcasts

In the past couple of months, I’ve been on A LOT of podcasts, and most of them haven’t come out yet. I’ve been recording 3-5 a week, and sometimes up to 10 a week for the past few months.

People have often asked me how I do it, so I’m just going to make this post to explain the process, which is simpler than you would imagine.

1 – I have a backend page on my website that lists all my podcast appearances and what I am qualified to speak about at: www.russellnohelty.com/podcastappearances.

NOTE: I also have a similar one that explains panels and other bookings that I’ve done at: www.russellnohelty.com/book

2 – I use the following services to book appearances.

Podcast guests

http://podcastguests.com

Spotaguest

https://www.spotaguest.com

Poddit

http://poddit.net

Matchmaker

http://matchmaker.fm

Radio Guest List

https://www.radioguestlist.com

Admittedly, many of these shows are small and just starting, but some will grow to be big, and even if they don’t, if you are building up your reps then all you need to worry about is getting booked and delivering value.

3 – I am also a part of several podcast groups that often reach out looking for guests. This does not happen often on all the groups, but it happens enough.

Podcast Guest Connection

https://www.facebook.com/groups/109831329700952/

Podcast Guest Experts

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PodcastGuestExperts/

Podcast Guest Collaboration Community – Find a Guest, Be a Guest

https://www.facebook.com/groups/234007497618342

Podcast Movement Community – For Podcasters

https://www.facebook.com/groups/674109956009963

Podcasters’ Support Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/571436979623574

Podcasting Smarter

https://www.facebook.com/groups/549846491846252

Podcasts!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1469123326688946

Podcast Creators, Speakers, Talk Radio, Live Streams, Vlogs & DJ’s Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/622594431262237

Most of these are looking for subject matter guests, mindset experts, business owners, etc to interview, and I have a lot of varied experience which makes it a little easier for me to book being as I own three different successful companies, and have a bevy of different experiences.

Do not post on any of the above Facebook groups that you want to be a guest unless it’s in the rules that you can. You have to wait for a post to come up, and they will come up, and then be ready to pounce on it. The websites are specifically built for that and have their own rules, so follow them.

4 – I go to each site and group once a week and have a little blurb I send to each one, tailored to the needs of each podcast. It’s not very long, but it digs into who I am, what I do, and why I’m a good guest. My base intro is:

I’m interested in being on your show. I am a USA Today bestselling author and six-figure creative entrepreneur. 

[ADD SPECIFIC INFO ABOUT SHOW NEEDS]

You can view my previous podcast appearances at www.russellnohelty.com/podcastappearances and my bookings at www.russellnohelty.com/book. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks, Russell

I’m also not picky is somebody has been doing it for a week or ten years, or if they’ve got an audience of 10 of 10,000. I’m just trying to get out there and talk to as many people as possible to build out my reel.

Podcast guesting is WAY different than podcast hosting. In some ways, they are the same but in many ways, they are completely different. When you are a host, your job is to drive the conversation and make the guest look good, but as the guest, your job is to carry the conversation and impart value with every question, along with not stumbling over your words.

I was on several shows before the last couple of months, but I have probably increased my show count by 4-5x in just the last couple of months from using the resources above. I check a least once a week, but recently I have been checking every morning for new podcasts to appear on, as there are usually a couple of new ones that pop up every day.

I would say that for every 10 inquiries I send out, I get 2-4 bookings from it.

There is generally an 8-12 week lag between recording an episode and it coming out, plus 4-8 weeks between being accepted for a booking and actually recording. Often there is a pre-interview call as well, which means you have an even longer wait, but if you want to be on air with different podcasts, then this is how I’ve been doing it.

One last thing I will note is to try and keep your bookings on one day a week, or in the evenings. When I first started my bookings speckled my whole week which hurt me getting in the groove for writing. Now, I keep all my interviews to two select days a week (Monday mornings and all day Thursday), which means I can get a lot more done throughout the week without eating into my productivity. Some podcasts do not record on the days I record, and then I have to make a decision if it’s worth it to make an exception.

That is my general process, and I just rinse and repeat every week.