The current “work from home” mandates have definitely increased the interest people have in listening to podcast shows. However, increasing one’s interest and keeping their interest can be as different as night and day.
Think of your own listening and/or viewing experience. If you listen to, or watch, podcast shows, it’s likely you found one that you thought would be great, but within a few minutes you lost complete interest. You exited out of the episode, never to return.
Ouch! That hurts on so many levels. Hosts are always looking to grow their numbers with engaging guests, but it’s not always easy. It’s not for lack of people wanting to appear on shows, but many featured experts are dry and boring.
One of the best ways to engage an audience is with stories.
Unfortunately, many people keep their story very well protected to minimize judgement from listeners and viewers. By doing this, they miss untold opportunity to inspire others by not sharing their story. It’s our stories that inspire (or warn) those we tell them to.
Will every show host want to hear your story? Absolutely not. But when you find hosts that do, it’s magical.
Lisa Nichols Story
“What you think of me after I share my story is none of my business,” Lisa Nichols.
I heard Lisa make this comment on a podcast interview she did a while ago. If you don’t know who Lisa Nichols is, she is the author of several New York Times bestselling books, a highly successful speaker and coach and a woman who is very transparent in sharing her life story.
Her story includes having to wrap her son in towels as diapers because, at one point, she couldn’t buy diapers. Her story also includes the fact that the father of her baby is in prison and has been for decades.
For a long time, she didn’t want to share this information, but realized, it was her story that gave people hope. Sure, it was also her story that gave some people permission to judge her, but she came to realize, no matter what your story, there will be those who are inspired and those who judge. It’s a fact of life.
Unfortunately, many people keep their story very well protected to minimize the judgement. By doing this, they also miss untold opportunity to inspire others by not sharing their story.
One of the best ways to share your story is with podcast interviews. Will every show host want to hear your story? Absolutely not. But when you find hosts that do, it’s magical.
Finding Opportunities
The process for finding interviews is pretty straightforward. You can search for shows on iTunes, Google, Blog Talk Radio and 
social media. The simplicity is the good news.
The bad news is that you’re not the only one searching for opportunities. Top shows can get dozens, even hundreds, of requests a DAY!
As much as you want the right shows to appear on, hosts definitely want the right guest on their show. “Right guest” doesn’t necessarily mean famous. It simply means you are engaging, a good fit for the genre and niche of the show, the audience will find you interesting and you have a great story to tell.
One of the most important things to do is research the show before you inquire about being a guest. To not do so is like throwing mud on the wall and hoping something will stick.
The more of a match you are, the more likely you will be invited onto the show.
Best part of all, the more you interview on the right shows, the more you story is told and the more opportunity you create to be on other shows.
A little recognized fact is that hosts listen to other hosts shows. They often find some of their best guests by doing so. And again, I’m not talking famous guests. I’m talking about experts who have an interesting story to tell.
Ready to Tell Your Story?
If you’re ready to share your story in a BIG way, my recommendation is to put time aside to search out opportunities. Rather than take a hit and miss approach, schedule time each day to not only research shows you might be a great fit for, but also to reach out to the show host.
For some people, it’s not as simple as knowing what to do. They need more information on how to go through the process. Click here to access the Virtual Podcast Tour Kindle Book and Bonuses.