Thinking you want to be a guest on podcasts? Great idea!

This is the story of two coaches. Ginger and Mary Ann. They both decided to launch their coaching businesses at the same time. Both choose similar coaching paths, how to survive on a deserted island. Sure, it was a bit niche (and I don’t mean the female version of a nephew) but they were each having a decent amount of luck getting new clients.

However, both Ginger and Mary Ann wanted to take their business to the next level. Ginger sat back and hoped her contacts would send her some referrals and business would start rolling in. Mary Ann, on the other hand, decided to go out and get some guest spots on podcasts. 

A career as a coach in life or business matters can be highly rewarding and, at the same time, it can be a lot of hard work and effort. If you're a life or a business coach, then you need to do what you can to spread the word about your awesome services. The more people that know what you do, the more people will raise their hand to work with you. 

There are many great reasons Mary Ann chose to be a guest on podcasts, and so should you.

Making Your Email List a Lot Stronger

Mary Ann had started growing her email list but only have a few hundred contacts. She knew she needed to build a strong list. A rock-solid email list is one of the keys to getting ahead in the digital marketing age. If you want to take your coaching career to the next level online, then strengthening your existing email list can go a long way.

Being a guest on a podcast can rapidly build awareness regarding your services and all that you can do for your clients. You can capitalize on these efforts by offering a free gift to the listeners. This gift will encourage them to sign up for your email list and allow you to continue the conversation. 

Is your email list read? Be sure to read up on how to get the most out of Email Marketing or check out our video on who to hire to help you with email marketing.

If you want to expand your email list and as a result have access to higher numbers of potential clients day in and day out, then being a guest on a podcast can do you a world of good. 

Credibility

Ginger assumed her time as an actress would offer her the credibility she needed and get her hired faster. It worked a little but most people realized that being an actress was very different than being someone who could survive on a deserted island. 

Credibility means so much in the world. People don't want to work with life or business coaches who don't appear to have credibility. They want to hire consummate professionals who know what they're doing. If you want the members of your target audience to be able to believe in you and all that you can do for them, it can help you immensely to land podcast guest spots. 

Getting to be a guest on podcasts allows you to share your wisdom and knowledge in a way that is free to the listeners. When they hear what you have to share, they begin to trust what you can do for them. 

If you're lucky enough to be a guest on a renowned podcast, then you will instantly gain some “street cred”. The podcaster is endorsing you in their own way. But even if you stick with small audience podcasts, these podcasters have a strong relationship with their listeners and you are benefiting from that relationship. The listeners will wonder why you're special and relevant enough to be a guest. 

If you're associated with the host of the podcast, they'll have less reason to doubt you. Strong associations can do a lot nowadays. If you have a tangible "interaction" with someone who has a lot of sway, online or elsewhere, it may rub off on you. It's crucial to do anything and everything in your power to establish ties with people who have excellent reputations. If an individual learns about your life coaching services through a credible podcast, then it may motivate him or her to believe in you and in your talents.

By choosing to appear on several podcasts geared towards her target audience, Mary Ann quickly developed a fan following of her own. A following that was highly interested in what Mary Ann had to offer.

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Showcasing Your Existence to Brand New People

Scoring a guest spot on a podcast can be an amazing thing for coaches who want to showcase their services to brand new people. If you want people who have never had the chance to find out about you to discover you, then going on a podcast can do the trick. 

Sharing your wisdom on a new podcast will expose you to significant numbers of people who are all hearing about you for the first time. That may open you up to potential clients. They may rapidly make the decision to sign up for your previously mentioned email list. Some of these new people may swiftly opt to purchase the products or services you have available. If you want to open yourself up to new people who are excited about you and your wisdom, then being a guest on a podcast can be a game-changer of sorts.

Don’t be like Ginger and hope to attract new audiences, be like Mary Ann and go find new people!

How to Get Booked as a Guest on a Podcasts

Great, but how the heck do you get on podcasts. It seems like you have to know someone, right? I mean, aren’t most guests on multiple podcasts because it’s an “insider’s club”?

It's not always easy to score a guest position on a podcast. Being a guest on podcasts is something that in many cases demands a lot of effort and time. Some people are lucky and have some ins that others don’t. They may have friends or family members who run podcasts and who are willing to let them on. If you're not that fortunate, however, you don't have to panic. That's because there are a few straightforward strategies that may give you access to invaluable guesting opportunities.

Like Podcasts That Are on Your Radar

If you're a podcast devotee, then that instantly makes your chances of scoring a guest position a lot higher. The more you know about a specific podcast that's on your radar, the better. Follow any and all podcasts you like on social media platforms. Stay in the loop regarding any contests or competitions that may be coming up for them. You might also be ready to jump if they open up a call for guests. 

If you're in the know, then you may be able to devise a strategy that can help you get exactly what you want. Approaching the people who run podcasts out of nowhere can be a huge mistake. If you grasp the ins and outs of a podcast well, that may make you come across as being proficient and serious.

Work on Your Approach to Outreach

If you truly want to score a guest spot on an established podcast, then you need to think about your approach to outreach through in great detail. You clearly have to pitch yourself and your concept to the people who run the podcasts that pique your interest. 

The biggest mistake you can make, though, is sending them pitches that seem spammy in any way, shape or form. You don't want podcast hosts to feel like they're getting the same tired messages as countless others. That's the reason that you should go the extra mile. 

Use the research that you've conducted to pen a highly eloquent, detailed and nuanced message that covers all of the bases and more. Talk about what you specifically could add to their podcasts as a life or business coach guest. Highlight the things that make you distinctive, engaging and worthwhile. You want to make it clear that they can get something out of your guest appearance.

Flattery can also go a long way. It can be insulting to request to be a guest on a podcast that you know absolutely nothing about at all. Don't insult podcast owners' intelligence levels. Talk about their show in detail. Talk about the things they do that you appreciate the most. Go into past podcasts to the best of your ability as well. Don’t focus on just the most recent episode. Be as detail-oriented as possible. People who host podcasts understandably get a lot of messages on a daily basis, especially the bigger shows. They're sick and tired of reading ones that don't say anything different or interesting.

Realize That People Like Talking About Themselves

People who are in charge of podcasts don’t want to hear you ramble on for an entire message about yourself. It's clear that they need to know about you and all of the advantages of your coaching services. But these things should be shared in a way that lets them know how you can help their audience, not how their show can help you.  

Don't bore people incessantly with things about your favorite foods and your aspirations. Make it 100 percent apparent that you want to help their listeners. People appreciate that. If a podcast host gets the impression that you simply want to use him or her, then he or she will lose interest in you and in your life or business coaching career extremely rapidly, and that's the last thing on the planet that you want.

Persevere

Being a guest on podcasts isn't easy. It's particularly hard to be a guest on podcasts that have substantial audiences. That's the reason that you have to be tenacious and determined. Don't give up quickly. If you get rejections from a few podcast hosts off the bat, don't use them as an excuse to get discouraged. Rejections are totally normal. You should use them as motivation to keep pushing forward. Don't forget that they can build character. Don't be demoralized if the first few podcasts you contact have zero interest in you. 

If you keep trying, you'll inevitably come across some podcasts that want to reap the rewards of your insight. The more research you perform, the better as well. If you target podcasts that are in line with your life or business coaching approaches, you may have higher odds of success. 

Delegate Smarter

There are some key ways your virtual team can help you get booked on podcasts. 

• Research podcasts geared towards your niche audience. Help you find the ones you need to focus on.
• Manage your guest appearances by filling requests from the podcaster for things like your headshot, bio, and links.
• Promote your appearances on social media

Notice we didn’t mention sending out the requests. We encourage you to personalize your messages to podcast hosts rather than using canned responses. If your team is strong enough to do this on your behalf, great, but it still comes across better when it comes directly from you.

Podcasts are a great way to get exposure and build your coaching business. By taking strategic action in how you reach out to podcasts, you can start appearing on episodes as soon as next week!

And, of course, we are here to help! Check out related blog posts below.

I was about to set out on a six day, 2500 mile journey from Sayville, New York to Phoenix, Arizona. I’d be spending six or seven hours a day in the car, on my own. What was I to do with all that time?

Learn, of course! I could just tune in to my favorite podcasts and expand my knowledge, one mile at a time.

According to Jay Baer, “32 percent of Americans listen to podcasts monthly.” This represents approximately 105 million people!

And that is why it makes a LOT of sense to have podcasts as part of your digital marketing strategy. It’s a great way to build authority, credibility, and likeability in your coaching business. It’s one of the fastest ways to establish yourself as a thought leader.

However, creating a good quality podcast is not easy. There are many podcast production tasks to complete and trying to do them alone can be overwhelming. Having a podcast production A team can help save you a lot of time and overwhelm.

8 Podcast Production Tasks that You Should Stop Doing Now

You've spent a considerable amount of time planning and recording your podcast. It's covering a topic that you are truly passionate about and you are excited to share it with the world. However, you are a busy entrepreneur. The time that you spend in podcast production could be time you use to follow-up with customers and get more sales.

Outsourcing podcast production tasks to experienced freelancers is your best bet. Here are 8 podcast production tasks that you should outsource so that you can make the best use of your time.

Doing guest follow up

It's tempting to focus on communicating with your podcast guest before the show and neglect further communication with him or her afterwards. Bad idea! You should always follow up with your podcast guests. Here’s why:

• Your guest can help you promote the episode with his or her network.
• He or she may have suggested possible collaboration opportunities that you should accept.
• There may be a possibility of a future collaboration between you and your guest. This gives your brand further exposure.

Following up on podcast guest invitations can also take up a lot of your time.  Often emails end up in spam folders or are forgotten. Remind your prospective podcast guests of your invitation. Remember to follow up with prospective guests 3 days after you've sent the initial invitation. 

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Creating graphics

YouTube has thumbnail images. Podcasts have something similar called cover art. This is the first thing that listeners see when they view the podcast. Well designed podcast cover art can attract listeners. Having none or minimal cover art can turn listeners away.

Podcast cover art isn’t something that you should mess around with if you aren’t a skilled graphic designer. Sure, there are online design programs like Canva that can make it seem like an average person has strong design skills. That is not enough if you want to create stunning graphics.

Here are some key elements that a talented graphic designer will include in good podcast cover art:

• Vibrant and contrasting colors
• Appropriate use of white space and text
• Strong representation of your brand
• A design that visually communicates the podcast’s subject
• A design that can adjust to any screen size
•  The right fonts that don’t detract from the design

Writing show notes

Podcast show notes are the real deal! They do a lot to enhance your podcast’s appeal and visibility. Rachel Corbett defines podcast show notes as, “a written post on your website that relates to the content you cover in your podcast.” You’re probably groaning right now. After all, the reason you created a podcast in the first place was to avoid writing.

The reality is that you can’t avoid written content even if you’re using a podcast. Podcast show notes are valuable because they:

• Are great for search engine optimization (SEO) and hence make your content discoverable
• Enable you to build internal links on your website and share other resources
• Offer a good way to add content to your website without needing to come up with new ideas
• Can be viewed on any device. An iTunes podcast is not accessible on an Android device and vice versa. However, website visitors can read your show notes to get a sense of what the podcast is about without necessarily listening to it.
• Allow you to include links to references you made throughout the podcast
• Make your podcast shareable on social media

A skilled writer can help you create engaging show notes. Why waste time struggling to get the show notes together yourself?

Editing Audio

Good audio is a crucial component of any podcast. It is a podcasting faux pau to produce audio:

• Using low quality audio equipment
• That is not levelled
• Has background noise

Audio editing is necessary even if you use the best audio equipment. A sound engineer who gets a fairly good raw audio file can make your podcast sound magical. Podcast production is not as simple as recording a conversation, but Virtual A Team can help you find the right sound engineer.

Posting on a Listing Service

Podcast promotion is often a stickler for coaches. Wouldn’t be great if you could just upload your podcast and have new listeners appear in droves? There would be more podcast stars and podcast listeners if it were that simple. Here are some of the best podcast directories that can help your podcast reach a wider audience:

• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Spotify
• Stitcher
• TuneIn Radio

Listing on these podcast directories requires more than simply uploading the podcast, crossing your fingers, and waiting for the best to happen. You need someone who understands SEO best practices to help you use the right keywords, podcast description and tags to increase visibility.

Posting on your website

If you haven’t been posting your podcasts on your website, you need to start posting them now. Here are some reasons why posting your podcast on your website is important:

• Remember show notes? Show notes on your website make it more visible and add valuable content that positions you as an industry expert.
•  Your podcast needs a home on the internet that it can call its own.
• Your podcast archive is easily accessible on your website.
• A sales funnel can be created with the podcast being used as a lead generating magnet. Potential customers can be guided along the sales funnel on your website.

Posting on social media

Social media marketing (SMM) will be around for a long time to come. The Pew Research Center states that approximately 70 percent of “American use social media to connect with each other.” It would be remiss of you to avoid using social media in your podcast promotion plan. The thing is though that SMM takes great skill and experience to produce the best results. It will bleed your pocket dry if you don’t know what you’re doing.

A social media marketing expert can help you:

• Create and execute a social media marketing plan
• Prepare attractive content for your social media pages
• Post consistently on your social media pages so that followers don’t lose interest
• Reduce your ad spend
• Create targeted ads to meet the needs of your customer segments

Sending out email announcements to guests and to audience

Email marketing is one of the most important podcast production tasks. Your email subscriber list is filled with people who are already interested in your podcast. They are the people who will tune in and share. Here are some strong reasons to incorporate email marketing in your podcast production tasks:

• Your email subscribers will be the first people to know about new podcast episodes. They will feel like VIPs.
• Email provides a good way to inform your podcasts listeners when new episodes are released and also provide a direct link to the episode.
• Other content and promotions can be included in the email

Email marketing may seem simple on the surface. However, it requires skilled copywriting and attention-to-detail. It is often best to hire an email marketing expert.

Keeping Track of It All

Now that you’ve decided to outsource a lot of the podcasting tasks, how do you keep track of who’s doing what?

First of all, hire a great online business manager who can do this for you. An online business manager can help manage the workflow process and the people assigned to the different tasks. He or she will be able to follow up and make sure projects are moving forward. Your online business manager will ensure nothing is falling through the cracks.

Next, make sure you have a great project management system. We talk about some of our favorites in our Project Management Program Comparison. Once you’ve chosen a system, make sure it’s set up to follow a clear workflow and all of your team members have access to the system.

Putting It Altogether

You are passionate about the difference you make as a coach. In fact, you probably started your podcast to share this passion with the world, not really realizing the amount of time and effort it would take.

Podcast production tasks you can outsource include:

• Guest follow up
• Creating graphics
• Editing audio
• Writing show notes
• Posting on listing services
• Posting to social media
• Sending email announcements to guests and your list

When you can stop doing these tasks and start outsourcing them, you’ll have more time to do what only you can do. Let Virtual A Team help you build your podcasting A team. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Is it finally time to hire a copywriter? Do you have a lot of great thoughts to share but it’s become a full-time job keeping up with writing all that content that you could really use a content writer. Or maybe you have a sales page to create and you know selling isn’t where you shine.  

I was recently having a conversation with a very close friend of mine. She's a brilliant writer. But she's new at marketing her skills. We were chatting about the different types of writers and she asked me a very important question.

"How am I supposed to compete with writers on the other side of the world that charge 1/2 cent per word when I charge 10 cents a word?"

As you begin to look into hiring someone to take on the writing for your business, you run across different terms and vastly different rates. So how do you know who to hire and what to pay?

The terms content writer and copywriter are often used interchangeably but they aren't the same thing. The old saying, apples to apples, just doesn't work here. If you've ever bit into a Fiji apple expecting it to taste like a red delicious, you totally understand what I mean.

Before you hire any writer, it’s important to know the difference.

Keep reading or watch the video for a quick summary.

Copywriting Vs. Content Writer

Both content writing and copywriting are considered important components of marketing. The difference lies in the purpose and approach of each.

What is Content Writing?

The purpose of content writing is to entertain the reader and keep them engaged with your business. Think of content writing for things like:

• Blog posts
• Email newsletters
• Podcast scripts
• Ebooks
• Social media posts
• Guest blog posts

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In your coaching business, writing content can be a great way turn leads into prospects and maintaining the loyalty of your customers. Not only is it a cost-effective approach, but time-effective as well compared to traditional methods of lead generation. When done properly, it can improve the credibility and authority of your brand in a given topic.

When you hire a content writer, they focus on content marketing. They write with the aim of sharing information about a specific topic.

For example, they can write an article about the benefits of coaching with the aim of grabbing and holding the attention of potential clients. The article helps to influence your audience by providing educational information. This can help your coaching business to form trust and authority in the mind of the audience. They will then be more likely to buy your products.

Although you may not achieve a one-time sale this way, your audience may also be engaged and motivated to share your content on their social media account. This helps to spread awareness of what you do. It is also a great way of encouraging your audience to stay in touch with your business.

What is Copywriting?

Copywriting, on the other hand, is based on the old forms of advertising like direct mail and print ads. Think Mad Men (a show I still need to take the time to watch…)

Copywriting is used to market or promote your products or services. It is more sales oriented. Think of copywriting for things like:

• Sales pages
• Email sales funnels
• Social media ads
• Marketing video scripts
• Bios and About us pages

The aim of copywriting is to write in a way that helps to sell more stuff. The write-ups help your potential clients/customers see the value of your products or services so they are more willing to buy from you. It can also portray your product as the ultimate solution for the client’s needs.

You might think of a free webinar as a combination of the two. It’s 1 part content writing for the valuable information you’ll be sharing and 1 part copywriting for the close or sales pitch at the end.

Let’s take a look at each technique in more detail to help you understand the differences.

Purpose of Content Writing

In your coaching business, writing content can be a great way turn leads into prospects and maintaining the loyalty of your customers. Not only is it a cost-effective approach, but time-effective as well compared to traditional methods of lead generation. When done properly, it can improve the credibility and authority of your brand in a given topic.

Although you may not achieve a one-time sale this way, your audience will be engaged and motivated to share the content on their social media account. This means that your brand becomes more popular and attract more potential customers. It is also a great way of encouraging your audience to stay in touch with your business.

Purpose of Copywriting

Copywriting helps educate your audience on why a specific product or service would work for their needs. Great copy seeks to attract the attention of the audience. But it goes further to convince them why they should buy from your brand. So, it grabs the attention of the audience, and at the same time entices them into taking action. The aim is to achieve a one-time transaction rather than keeping the audience engaged.

To convert readers into customers, the writer will choose a compelling headline and use an attractive call to action. These elements reveal the greatness of your brand, invoking the need of the audience to be associated with your brand. They also explain why customers should buy from your brand and not any other.

Image compliments of Marketing Profs.

Do I Need a Content Writer or a Copywriter?

Who are Content Writers?

In dating, content writers would be the courters, the ones that take their time and build a strong relationship before popping the question.

They are also the marathoners. Their content tends to be longer than 1000 words. Their written pieces are usually long-form and detailed.

These writers create different types of content ranging from simple articles to search engine optimized rich-content. In their writing, they consider the use of keywords, meta, and the likelihood of the content being shared now and in the future. They possess editorial skills that allow them to write with intricate details and word counts. Since the aim is to grab the attention of their audience, content is designed to be easily consumed, interesting and informative.

Some content writers are journalistic in nature.  This type of writer does the research and reports on the information. Think of the basic how-to articles or "listicles". Writers of this type are much more common and often charge less for their work.

Other writers are far more creative and focus on delivering the content via a story or message. The content may still be a how-to but it's spun in a much more memorable way. These skills are much more unique and this type of writer often charges a premium for their services.

Who are Copywriters?

Copywriters are the ones who make a proposal on the first date. It’s all about the spring or the quick win for these writers.

These are the sprinters. Their copy is generally short and to the point.

Writers focused on copy will write with the intention of increasing customer conversion. They are wordsmiths who craft compelling headlines and content to prompt prospects to take action. A well-written piece of copy will prompt the audience to buy a product, schedule a tour, subscribe to a service or submit vital information for follow-up.

Copywriters are adept at using psychology to sell.

Finding the Right Person for the Job

Content writers and copywriters have certain basic skills required to do their jobs well. These skills include:

• Excellent grammar.
• Outstanding proofreading skills.
• The ability to write for their target audience.
• An understanding of your specific industry.
• Uses language the reader understands.
• They can take feedback and implement requested changes.

But let’s look at what unique abilities each has.

Skills of a Content Writer

If you are looking for someone to write articles for your blog or newsletter or to create engaging social media posts, then look for a writer with the following skills:

• The ability to write content that is engaging, not boring.
• Can write in a tone that mimics your “voice”.
• Enjoys brainstorming new content ideas.
• Knows how to research and reference articles without plagiarizing.
• Understands how to write for search engines while not losing readers.

To me, the number one requirement for hiring a content writer is the ability to write fluently in the native language of the audience. There are many sites where you can hire an inexpensive writer but a large number of these writers are not fluent in English. And the writing shows it.

The next most important quality is the ability to write engaging content. It should have a hook from the very beginning that draws me in and makes me want to read more. If the first paragraph of text is boring, I’m highly unlikely to keep reading. And I’m not alone…

Let’s face it, there’s so much content on the internet already that it is HIGHLY unlikely that your article will be an original idea. What will set it apart is how well it’s written.

Skills of a Copywriter

When you are ready to create compelling copy for your landing page, sales emails or even your About Us page, it’s time to hire a copywriter. Here are the necessary skills to focus on:

• An understanding of human psychology and why people buy.
• The ability to deliver powerful messages in a small amount of text.
• Knowing the needs of the target audience.
• The ability to use emotion to sell and logic to reinforce the decision.
• A knowledge of how to break complex concepts into simple terms.

I always find the best copywriters are always studying their craft. They are always researching the best triggers to use at any point in time. They know how to create something that doesn’t feel salesy while still having the ability to persuade. This isn’t about being the used car salesman that promises the car will work (long enough to get it off the lot). It’s more about the trusted advisor helping you to take action that will truly improve your life.

As you prepare to hire your first writer, check out our tips to hire a writer.

Tips for Working with Writers

You may argue that the two types of writing are almost the same. But the differences are clear and should be the basis for making your choice. Knowing the difference between the two enables you to hire the right person for the job.

Once you’ve hired a writer, is there a difference between how you work with the different types?

Content writers generally work best with long deadlines and few details. They want to freely express themselves in their writing while still fulfilling the necessary details and voice you are looking for.

Copywriters work better with specific details and information.

Content writers will often work with long term strategies.

Copywriters work with short term projects.

With both types of writers, expect a learning curve as they learn about your business, audience, brand, and voice. Take your time and offer suggestions and feedback. They’ll thank you for it and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by their ability to adapt to your needs.

There is no one best writer for your writing needs. In fact, most businesses find it ideal to hire both writers to work together in the organization. While one will be focused on informing the audience about a specific topic, the other will sell your brand out.

Summary

Hiring someone to help you with your writing needs may sound like a difficult task. Once you understand the differences, it’s more simple than you think. All you need is an understanding of the purpose, format, and goals of your writing needs.

If you want to gain an audience or inform people about your brand, go for a content writer.

If the goal is to increase sales or customer conversions, then hire a copywriter.

Still confused on what works the best for your coaching business? Virtual A Team has a team of both content and copywriters to meet your needs. Set up a complimentary strategy session to see how hiring a writer can benefit you.