Author Interviews How to Appear on Podcasts for Book Promotion

Author Interviews How to Appear on Podcasts for Book Promotion Author Interviews: How to Land Appearances on Podcasts for Book Promotion Author interviews via podcast appearances are one of the best ways to build authority and reach targeted audiences of ideal readers, as well as promote your book.Best of all, once you’ve appeared on a podcast, you’ll be able to use your interview as proof of your expertise and experience when you pitch to other podcasts.This is especially beneficial if you self-published a book since you dont have the support of a big publishing house- youre doing all the book marketing on your own!And this is a powerful way to spread the word about all the good your book can do.Heres how to land author interviews:Do your researchRate and review the podcastFeature the podcast hostsTailor your pitchOffer ideas related to your bookLeverage common connections you haveSend samples of previous author interviewsCreate a one-sheetDeliver value firstNOTE: If youre ready to turn being an author into a real career, check out our Sell More Books Program where we teach you how to build sustainable income with book sales. Learn more about it hereWhy do you need author interviews?Author interviews are beneficial for authors to spread the word about themselves as an author as well as their new and previous books.Think about author interviews the same as celebrity interviews when they have movies or TV shows premiering.Heres how author interviews can benefit you:You will reach a new audienceYour audience will be more receptiveYou market yourself as an authorYou market your newest book launchYou can market any previous books you haveYou will gain a larger social platformYou will sell more booksOverall, author interviews can only help you in your quest to become a full-time author by offering you book marketing opportunities.Check out this example of how beneficial an author interview of our very own Student Success Coach, Lise Cartwright, can be below. Its available both on our Youtube channel and Podcast. With over 8700 views on Youtube and many listens on the podcast, this inter view certainly helped maintain her passive income through books.How to Get Author Interviews on PodcastsBelow, you’ll discover 9 simple strategies to stand out in the eyes of podcasters and land author interviews on their shows.#1 Do your researchFirst of all, listen to the show before reaching out to podcast hosts. Podcasters are often approached by an author who sends generic emails proclaiming â€Å"I love your show,† and then ask to become a guest to promote their book.Other times, they’re approached with specific pitch letters, but the fit isn’t right.The reason for the mismatch usually is that the author who is pitching hasn’t listened to the show.If it feels like a chore to listen to the podcast, that’s a sign that you might be better off reaching out to a different podcast host.After all, you want to find podcasts that are in your niche, which usually happens to be those you listen to anyways.Here are a few things to ask yourself wh en you want to reach out to a podcast for an interview:Do you listen to them on your own?Do you resonate with their core message/theme?Are you involved in their community on a regular basis?Would you be proud to be a featured guest on their podcast?Are you a fan of past featured guests?Answering these positively will help you determine which podcasts to reach out to. Without doing the proper research, you could wind up upsetting the hosts and burning those bridges.#2 Rate and review the showOnce you’ve listened to a show, subscribe to it on iTunes. Then, rate and review, too.Ratings, reviews, and subscriptions help the podcast’s ranking. Most importantly, reviews are a powerful form of social proof that will encourage new people to listen.Mention the review when you submit your pitch. For example, you could write, â€Å"Listening to John Doe’s description of his struggle to grow his business in spite of his terminal disease was truly inspiring. Now, when thing s get tough, that message keeps me going. That’s why it was such a pleasure to write a 5-star review of your show on iTunes.†Your message will bring awareness to what you’ve done to support the show, greatly increasing your chances of landing a guest spot.#3 Feature the podcast hostsIf you currently have a podcast or YouTube channel, invite the host to be featured as a guest.By being on your show, the podcasters will learn about your background, and most importantly, about your book. In many cases, they’ll be compelled to invite you as a guest.Even if the podcast hosts don’t ask you to be on their show, they’re still much more likely to say yes when you ask them. Also, I send a copy of my book to my podcast guests, who in many cases write a review of the book on Amazon and then offer to have me on their show.If you dont have a podcast, then feature them on your social media or website.You could also write a blog post about the main lessons l earned from the show, and tag the host on social media when the article is published. Be cautious when applying this strategy, however.A subpar article, a half-hearted effort to capture what’s valuable about the show, or overblown praise will probably backfire.#4 Tailor your pitch to the host’s story and the mission of the showWhen I first pitched my ideas to Dave Lukas, host of the Misfit Entrepreneur Podcast, I mentioned how much I loved that he’d created the show as a legacy for his daughter.When he learned that I related to and understood his mission, it was easy for him to agree to have me on his show.You can do the same. Find out why they do what they do, and if it resonates with you, then center your pitch around that.Here are a few tips for tailoring your pitch to land your author interview:Mention something you learned from their showMake a connection from yourself to the shows mission and themeConnect your books message with their showsDoing this will help you reach podcast hosts much more effectively and show them youre a great fit for their show.#5 Offer three unique ideas related to your bookBefore I submit a pitch, I research the episodes in the past two to three months to see if anyone has explored the topics I have in mind.If my topics are fresh, I submit them. If not, I reposition my expertise with a different angle.My book is about influencer marketing. If I notice that only three weeks prior, another guest talked about influencer marketing as part of a business’s marketing mix, I pitch a different aspect of the topic, such as â€Å"how to build a list of subscribers with influencer marketing,† or â€Å"how to initiate connections with social media influencers to launch your book.†Resist the temptation to speak about a topic that deviates from your book. If you do that, your interview will probably not bring in new book sales.I encourage you to take a moment right now and write down three to five to pic ideas based on the core message in your book, which you can modify depending on the targeted show.#6 Leverage common connections you have with the hostWho do you think has a better chance to get a last-minute appointment with a busy hair stylist: a complete stranger or the friend of a current customer?The same idea applies to landing guest appearances on a podcast. Common connections matter.Often, when I appear on a podcast, the host will offer to introduce me to other podcast hosts who might want to have me as a guest.This is one of the easiest ways to secure future guest appearances.You might not even need a formal introduction. When you pitch, just mention that you know one or more of their previous guests.The idea is to find common ground.#7 Send samples of previous interviewsIn every podcast pitch I submit, I include links to three of my most relevant and significant podcast appearances.Those podcast interviews are relevant because they’re ideal for the audience of the new podcast I’m targeting, and they’re significant because they have reached large audiences.If you haven’t had podcast appearances yet, I encourage you to create audio or video clips with valuable content relevant to your audience that you publish on your site, and use those links as samples for the host.Even though samples of actual podcast interviews are much more powerful, the mere fact that you have a sample of your work will help you stand out among the competition.#8 Create a one-sheetTo save yourself time and effort, and to show your professionalism, I suggest you create a â€Å"one-sheet.†A one-sheet is a document thats a summary of who you are and what you offer as a guest.You could send the link to your one-sheet with your pitch, or use the information within the one-sheet to complete your guest request form or email pitch.Regardless of the situation, having this document readily available will save you time and effort.The main elements o f a one-sheet are: BioHeadshotPotential interview topicsTalking pointsRelevant linksAffiliate linksContact informationHeres an example of my own, personal one-sheet and what all the below information looks like compiled into, well, one sheet.Now lets delve into what each of these sections needs.BioCreate different versions of your bio (50-, 100-, 150-, and 200-word bios) so you’re ready when the podcast host asks you for a specific length. If you’re submitting the entire one-sheet, include the 100-word version of your bio in it.The bio should mention your book (even if you haven’t published it yet), and other credentials as proof of your expertise, along with at least one personal tidbit about yourself.HeadshotIt’s standard for all podcast guests to submit their profile picture before they’re interviewed. Invest in a professional photographer.No selfies, please!Potential interview topicsList no more than seven topics related to your book you could explore as a guest.You can check back to step number 5 if you need to generate some.Talking pointsSome hosts will ask you to provide talking points for the topic you’ll explore. Others favor a free-form style, and will lead the interview as an informal conversation.In either case, you should be prepared to provide talking points within 48 hours of being approved as a guest, though you can double check with the podcast host for specifics about this.Relevant linksInclude links to your main website, your book, your free offer for the listeners, and your primary social media pages.Depending on the host, you might also be asked to provide an affiliate link to a free download or low-ticket offer. In most cases, providing affiliate links isn’t required, but having the ability to create such a link on demand will help you stand out.If you’re submitting the one-sheet, then just write â€Å"Affiliate link for free download available.†Contact informationInclude your email address and phone number.Having your one-sheet ready will allow you to simply copy and paste the information when you complete guest request forms or pitch via email.#9 Always aim to deliver value firstAbove all, remember that your primary goal is to deliver value to your audience, and book sales will be a natural result of that value. If instead you approach the podcasters with the only intention to sell more books, they might simply ignore you.When you submit your pitch, always start what ifs a personalized explanation of why you are a fan of the show and how you can inspire and educate its audience.Then, mention your book as an additional asset listeners may benefit from.Value First!Good luck landing your author interview!After you land your first podcast appearance, itll be much easier for you to land the next. When you least expect it, the word about your book will have spread and you will make a much greater impact with your message.What matters most is that you take a ction and start reaching out to podcast hosts. You- and your book- deserve to be known!Ready to become a successful author?No successful author started from nothing.They had to work hard and earn their place by learning and applying what they learned when writing a book.Heres how you can learn more about how to become a successful author because youll never get there if you dont start today.