Obviously, getting top-class guests is essential for a successful podcast, but it can also be one of the biggest challenges for any podcaster.
As host of the hugely popular podcast, The Solopreneur Hour, Michael O’Neal knows the challenges and, as the guest list on his own podcast will testify, knows how to find and entice the guests you most want to attract.
At the We Are Podcast conference in 2017, Michael took to the stage to give us some of his top tips for mastering the art of the interview. It was a fully packed session. Part of the presentation was his tips for getting great guests for you podcast. He focused on three methods, through events, through a third party and finding guests on other shows.
Get your networking on at events
From Michael’s perspective events are the best place to land great guests for your podcast. “By far the best way to get a great guest for your show is to be at an event with them,” he says. “I always recommend doing at least an event per quarter if you can.”
Michael recommends getting an intro buddy when attending conferences and events. Your intro buddy is simply someone you can rely on in a group situation to act as an intermediary and introduce you to someone you’d like to meet, and vice versa.
Get connected through a third party
Third party introductions are another top strategy for attracting guests. As Michael puts it, “Third party intros are so powerful. If you know of someone, say you have a friend of yours who has a podcast and they’ve had a guest on their show, or they’re in email contact with someone, it’s just a matter of saying, hey, will you give me an email intro to that person. It goes way further than a cold intro,” he says.
It’s showtime
Other podcasts are another top source of great guests, particularly if you know other people who have a podcast that you can reach out to.
But not just other people’s shows. Michael also finds his own podcast to be great source of interesting guests, which makes sense when you think who’s most likely to know top entrepreneurs than other top entrepreneurs. “I always say by the way have you had a great experience and do you know a couple of people who might be a great fit for the show.” It ties it together nicely, “you ask them for that third party intro,” he says.
If fact, tying all three strategies together might be the best strategy of all. “You went to an event, got a great guest and now you’ve got a bunch of great guests,” Michael says.
You can listen to Michael’s entire presentation here.
https://mustamplify.com/shouldistartapodcast156/
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.