I’m looking to be on other podcasts

When I began my podcasting journey in January 2015, the medium was still very much a novelty. People were enamored with the idea that literally anyone can broadcast whatever they want and have it streamed on the web, all for minimal investment.

And as a result, it seemed like everyone and their mom was starting a podcast. And as you can imagine, the medium was not better for it.

First rule of economics is when you increase the quantity of anything, it loses its value. A lot of people heard about guys with names like Tim Ferris, James Altucher, John Lee Dumas etc. who were building massive followings and profits with their podcasts, and thought, “If they can do it, why can’t I?”

Suffice it to say all those copycats faded out about as quickly as they sprouted up. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes with those shows, both in building audiences and monetizing it. To think that copying the superficial elements of a show and expecting it to be attractive to anyone is laughable.

That being said, the medium has grown up a little bit in the intervening time. Word got out among the masses that building a podcast following involves legitimate work – which is something that most people would just as soon avoid at all costs. As a result, people are not as prone to impulsively jump into the fray with a podcast that might last a few months at most, with all that time and money basically wasted.

But with THAT being said, podcasting is a wonderful medium for anyone who has the inclination to do some real work, both in producing and monetizing. Some people like me prefer to host shows, interview other people, and reap the benefits. Others don’t have shows of their own, but instead make the rounds being on as many podcasts as possible to attract new email subscribers, or whatever is the preferred means of keeping in touch with folks.

Then there’s the vast majority who do a combination of the two.

So if you’re inclined to do any type of marketing by being on other people’s podcasts, allow me to offer a few pointers on how to get the most out of the experience.

You always want to have a mindset of creating value for those who are listening. They’re giving you their time, their most precious asset; the least you can do is give them some sort of return on their investment.

Of course you’ll have something to offer the listeners, either your own podcast, maybe a book or product for sale; but hold off on going in-depth about it until the very end – or until the host mentions it and asks you questions related to it.

And for goodness’ sake, have a decent looking website for people to visit. I had one guy approach me quite eagerly about being a guest on one of my shows, but his website looked like it was created in 1957 and hadn’t been updated since. I politely declined his offer. A website doesn’t need to be overly fancy; it does need to give the appearance of being organized and showing some decent personal taste.

It is also a good idea to invest in an inexpensive USB microphone to give the best product. Computer and cell phone microphones are pretty good these days, but there’s nothing like listening to a podcast when both host and guest are using a quality microphone.

I could probably go on, but those are some of the basics.

Now if you have a podcast and are looking for a guest, feel free to hit me up with an email and I’d love to do what I can to provide value for your show. james@jamesdnewcomb.com