Emma Franklin Bell is the author, artist and entrepreneur behind The Ladies Lounge Podcast and founder of Beautiful Business Academy. Emma’s burst of positive energy makes her a great person to have a deep conversation with. The Ladies Lounge is a fascinating podcast, and it’s unique in that it’s not selling anything in particular.
I had the chance to sit down with Emma on my own show, Should I Start A Podcast, and she shared some invaluable insights with me, particularly on how to set up a successful podcast. One of the main problems many beginner podcasters face is getting the right guests to appear on their show. In this article, I’m sharing Emma’s own wisdom on how to do just that. I will also explain why it’s not as difficult or daunting as you might think.
If you’re considering starting up your own show or worrying about getting quality guests on your fledgling podcast (as Emma and her co-host did initially), consider some of the following ideas for landing guests:
- Look to your existing network – everyone should know at least one interesting or relevant person for their podcast. It doesn’t matter if this person is well-known or not. If they’ve got insight to share, give them some air time. A lesser-known person may also be more flattered than a household name and likely to give you their absolute best.
- Go to conferences and industry meet-ups – there is a lot of power in face-to-face meetings. Cold emails or other efforts to get in touch with people electronically are easy to ignore. Walking up to someone with sincerity and a respectful request is much harder.
- Send direct messages on social networks – If you’ve followed someone you admire for a while, there’s no harm in reaching out via Facebook or LinkedIn and asking if they can spare an hour. Be sure to do your homework and let people know why it’s worth their time.
- Look at other podcasts – if your guest roster is looking threadbare, consider checking out similar podcast guest lists for inspiration. Also, if the opportunity presents, go on as many other podcasts as possible. This is an effective form of self-promotion and you could get a reciprocal guest (and ideally a friend) out of the deal.
Once you get your name out there a bit (and land one or two known guests) momentum builds and it can help you book more guests. Things get much easier from there.
None of these tactics are foolproof, but they are a good first stepping stone if you’re just starting out. Combine some of these ideas with Emma’s advice, and you’ll be well on your way to landing interesting guests.
Don’t focus heavily on monetising your podcast. Instead, think of what value you can add, and have conversations that excite you, ones that you’d love to have even if no one was listening.
Author: Ronsley Vaz
Ronsley is the founder & chief day dreamer at AMPLIFY. He is an author, speaker & serial entrepreneur.
He has a Masters’ degree in Software Engineering and an MBA in Psychology and Leadership. He is known as the creator of We Are Podcast – the first Podcasting Conference in the Southern Hemisphere, and the host of The Bond Appetit Podcast and Should I Start a Podcast. He has an audience of over 3 million in 133 countries.