Podcasting Guesting “Tools of the Trade”

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If you’ve read any of the previous articles on my podcast guesting series for the Podcast Business Journal, then you know what podcast guesting can do for you, as well as which goal(s) you could achieve through it.

The next step is to make sure you have what you need in your podcast guesting toolkit.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what the key podcast guests “tools of the trade” are.

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A High-Quality Microphone (and More)

The audio quality is something that contributes to the podcast listening experience you and the host create for the audience. It’s not only about the what (the content you share) but it’s also about the how (how it’s delivered).

This is why you need a good quality microphone.

The Audio Technica ATR-2100 and the Samson Q2U are two popular and reliable microphones (I use the Samson Q2U myself, you can hear it in action by listening to any episode of The Podcaster Lab) – and each of them costs less than $100.

An additional thing you could do to make sure your podcast guest interviews sound as good as possible is to get a pop filter or foam cover and to use a recording software like Audacity (it’s free) or Hindenburg Journalist to record your side of the conversation yourself.

And if you’re planning on doing video interviews every now and again, my webcam recommendation is the Logitech c920.

To avoid echos and to ensure you can always hear the host, have a pair of headphones handy. It can be your smartphone headset or something a little more advanced like the Audio Technica ATH-M30x, M40x or M50x.

A Scheduling Tool

If you’re a podcast host yourself, chances are you are using a scheduling tool already.

Tools like Calendly, AcuityScheduling, Book Like a Boss, ScheduleOnce let you set up your calendar availability and have the hosts (or guests) pick a date and time for the interview.

Scheduling Tool

A scheduler is an excellent way to streamline the process and avoid unnecessary back and forth email exchanges between you and the various hosts – especially if you’re in different time zones.

Your Podcast Guest “Presentation Assets”

There are a couple of things you can use when pitching yourself as a guest.

Quite many guests rely on the so-called podcast guest One-Sheet, a downloadable PDF that includes a short bio, your main interview topics, and contact details.

I often recommend my podcast guesting clients and students to pair the One-Sheet with what I refer to as the Podcast Guest Webpage.

This page features pretty much the same information as the One-Sheet (on mine, I’ve added some testimonials by hosts and listeners who’ve enjoyed my guest interviews, as well as a few photos the host can use when creating the marketing material for the interview).

Podcast Guest Webpage

And it has one well-defined goal: helping the host learn more about you and decide whether to interview you or not.

For some, a webpage is more practical in that it’s easier to customize compared to a PDF file and it can also include multimedia content such as short videos, embedded podcast players, etc.

A Project Management Tool

If you’re a business person, then you’re probably relying on a project management tool.

Whether it’s Trello, AirTable, Asana, Plutio or anything else, you want to make sure you have a way to easily map out your podcast guesting.

This is where you could add the list of podcasts you’d like to be featured on.

Your Lead-Generation Assets

Lead-generation assets refer to everything you need to grow your email list.

If you’re new to this, then you can look into:

An email marketing software: this is what you’ll use to manage your email list, send email broadcasts, set up automated email sequences, etc. (ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Aweber and MailChimp are a few popular options)

A landing page and opt-in form builder: this will help you create elements people will use to join your email list, such as a landing page, an opt-in form or a button (looking for options? Thrive Architect, LeadPages and Thrive Leads are good ones to start from)

A lead-magnet: this is a free, downloadable resource you offer in exchange for people’s email address

Pretty Links: this is useful if you’re using WordPress, as it allows you to create “memorable redirects”, links that are easy for listeners to remember when mentioned on a podcast

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A Social Media Scheduler

This last “tool of the trade” hasn’t much to do with your planning or presentation, rather with the marketing.

In most cases, the content of the podcast guest interviews you’ll do is going to be evergreen – it’s relevant today and it will be next week, next month and even a few years from now.

Because of this, it’s a good idea to consistently share it with your community, fans, and followers.

Personally, I’m a fan of social media schedulers like SocialBee or MeetEdgar for the fact that they let you add content to your social media rotations and have it published – automatically – on a regular basis.

A perfect way to keep promoting your guest interviews while popping on the host’s stream on Facebook, Twitter or similar (as a podcaster, I can tell you that we love it when guests help us promote the show!).

This article was originally published on the Podcast Business Journal.

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