How to make the right first impression, nail your outreach and make your podcast as impactful as possible.
When creating a podcast for your brand or business, setting good metrics for success is an essential part of planning a great podcast. While it is easy to look at downloads and number of listens that you might receive, branded podcasts can have another form of ROI - the relationships you build as a result of great guests!
If the goal of your podcast is to build B2B relationships, we would argue that this is much more important than the number of downloads you receive, as it’s an opportunity to start deep and meaningful conversations with organisations that you want to connect with in your space. This makes for much deeper engagement than a short chat at a conference or watching a presentation.
In the words of our client Ash Read, Head of Content at Buffer:
"Podcasting is a great way to build relationships and partnerships with influential individuals and brands within your niche… the relationships built from podcasting can be beneficial over the long-term. There are guests we've had on our podcast years ago that I still connect with regularly today and brands we initially partnered with for audio projects that we've now collaborated with on multiple projects."
As Ash says, there can be a number of untold benefits - and not just for your podcast, but across your business. You never know what future projects you might collaborate on, knowledge you might share or new business you might pull in, just from having the right guest on your podcast.
However, we know that securing these sorts of impactful guests remains one of the biggest concerns for our clients. In almost every project, there are anxieties around attracting high quality guests from target organisations, especially if there is no existing relationship. But - with the right approach, this shouldn’t be a concern.
In this post we will lay out key considerations of how to attract the sort of guests you want and give you an email structure to start your outreach.
In this article, we explore:
The qualities that will attract the right guests
A structure for starting your outreach
Qualities that attract great guests
Here are some of the qualities we’ve seen that will help attract impactful guests onto your podcast:
1. A compelling format
This is often overlooked when reaching out to guests. However, the concept or format of your podcast is key to attracting quality guests. A simple, meaty structure that compels an audience will also allow guests to really envisage their contribution. An unstructured interview can feel overwhelming or like a waste of time - the individual may feel they aren’t able to contribute deep or meaningful insights.
For example, in our latest project with Hays, the concept is in the name of the podcast: ‘How did you get that job?’. Combining the personal and professional, we were able to attract high level guests like Shailvi Wakhlu, Director of Data at Strava and Adam Spearing, Field Chief Technology Officer at Salesforce. Future guests come from organisations like the Met Office, Google and Blizzard Entertainment.
2. Clear alignment of goals
While inviting a guest from a target organisation shouldn’t be the only reason to invite them on, it is a powerful win/win to include guests who both align with the business partnership goals, and who have a lot to say about the topics of your podcasts.
We suggest making a list of organisations you would be interested in speaking too but not letting that list bind you too much - if they aren’t the right voice, don’t compromise on quality. Ash from Buffer explains this balance: “Whenever we put together a new podcast series, we're always thinking about how guests can help us to tell the stories we want to tell and also help us to reach the right audiences”.
3. Having your research ready
Why do you want to speak to this person specifically about this topic? It’s important to do your research in order to lay this reasoning out in your initial communications with them. Let them know why you chose them - and this isn’t about flattery, it's about convincing them they are the best person for the job.
This ties in with making sure that you are inviting the guest on for the right reasons - are they the most qualified in the space? Have they led an inspiring project or published some key through leadership? You want relevant, exciting voices who will add something new to the conversation.
4. Being clear and concise
Be direct and upfront about what you are asking from busy people. There’s no point hedging to make it seem less of a commitment - this will only come back to bite you in the back later!
Be clear and let them know exactly how long the recording is, any prep they will need to do, and whether they will need to do a soundcheck or complete any other technical tasks.
How to structure your guest outreach
Here is a starter for 10 to help you construct clear emails to your ideal guests. Follow these steps for a concise approach to your potential guest. After all, people are busy and don't have time to read essays. As our Head of Production Sandra Ferrari says: “Address concerns in points not prose.” Here’s how to get it done:
Step One: Write a direct and polite introduction
This can be obvious and simple. For example:
I hope you are doing well, I’m [NAME and JOB TITLE]. I’m writing to invite you to guest on the [BRAND NAME] podcast, [PODCAST NAME].
Step Two: Include your overview
Give a succinct overview of what the episode will cover and why they are the only guest for the job. For instance:
In the episode we are looking to cover [TOPIC] and would love to hear your perspective because [DETAIL WHY] .
Step Three: Give them the background in brief
Quickly summarise why they should want to come on your podcast - this might be because of the host, listener numbers, other guests you have interviewed in the past or press you have received. Make sure to include a link to past episodes if you have them. For example:
[PODCAST NAME] is hosted by the experienced, [NAME,] who has interviewed executives at the likes of [INFLUENTIAL COMPANIES X,Y and Z] in previous episodes.
Step Four: Clarify the ask
Detail the time commitment required and try to preempt any anxieties they may have about the practicalities of recording. For example:
If you would like to join us for this interview, we would need:
An hour of your time for the interview
15 minutes a few days before for a quick sound check.
Plus any time you would need to prepare against the discussion points we would share with you beforehand.
In terms of the recording, it will be fully remote and we will provide a microphone and full technical support to make sure you sound great.
Step Five: Leave a good impression in your sign off
Take the opportunity to sign off optimistically and leave a good impression behind you. Leave the door open for any clarifications or questions they may require. For example:
We really hope you can join us for this interview, your perspective would be a really valuable one to add to the discussion in the space. Let me know if you would like to have a short call or have any questions about the process.
Here’s an extra tip: Don’t be afraid to chase up (politely!). People are busy and things do get missed in inboxes, so it’s okay to follow up in a friendly manner - just be sure to give the person a little bit of time to reply of their own accord.
And hey, we know that booking high quality guests is hard and time-consuming work, so if you don't want to do this, Message Heard producers take care of the chase for you! Get in touch with us at contact@messageheard.com.