How Lynn Whitbeck Leverages Podcasts to TurboCharge Business Growth

How to Leverage Guest Podcasts to Turbocharge Business Growth

In Blog by Lynn Whitbeck

Note: This article first appeared on Total Girl Boss in February 2021.

Helping others is the core essence of my values and mission. I’ve been able to live and work while being of service throughout my career, from closing multi-million dollar deals to executive positions and eventually the C-suite. Along my career journey, I learned that to achieve sustainable success, every business must answer their customer “Why.” This means solving the ever-changing wants, needs, and pain points of their clients, and continuously adapting, solving emerging problems, and nurturing customer relationships.

Why Podcasting?

With so many sales and marketing outreach options to choose from, I quickly identified podcasting as the ultimate method to tap into answering the “Why,” achieving far-reaching exposure, making emotional connections, and generating warm in-bound leads. Podcasting is a superpower to build rapport, establish authority, and transform decision-makers.

As a guest or host, I have been on hundreds of podcasts. For over three years, our top-rated podcast, Claim Your Career Crown, has provided valuable insights and the secret sauce for self-empowerment. Building on that success, our team developed and launched a second podcast, Future Forward Sales, which has already garnered 5-star reviews.

While launching and managing a podcast is a heavy lift, anyone can be a podcast guest and capitalize on this strategy for success. Attracting new clients, getting more sales, receiving valuable speaking invites, and finding more partnerships with influencers through podcast appearances.

By being a podcast guest, a whole new world opens. New people perceive you as a credible, expert thought leader. With your energy and passion, you can rapidly build rapport with the listener, establishing the “Like, Know, and Trust” factors. And, by creating this positive impression, you connects with the audience, influencing them to want more.

Every meeting scheduled after a guest podcast appearance is with a person who is very interested in the either the general topic covered, or a specific focal point during the discussion. In a recent first call with a man, let’s call him “Ted,” he dove right into asking me about training his team in sales. He shared his struggle in translating his “founder magic” into tangible strategies. We discussed the pain he was experiencing and what he needed to solve his challenge. Due the Ted’s engagement with the initial podcast, he felt he already “knew” me. It transformed Ted into a warm lead, and subsequently a fast close.

Getting Started

So, how can you get started to take advantage of this strategy to turbocharge your SEO, authority, and name recognition? Follow the four easy steps below for maximum impact.

  • Step 1: Get listed as a guest on sites like PodMatch and Podcast Guests.
  • Step 2: Create or refresh your bio and media kit for podcasting.
  • Step 3: Look and sound your best to knock your interviews out of the park.
  • Step 4: Build or update you offer landing page to share at the end of guest episodes.

What about your time and resources? Will guest podcasting be worth your investment? We have dug into the stats, and podcast consumption continues to surge. There is an explosion of new programming and consumer adoption to “smart speakers.” And research shows that many people listen to podcasts while performing solitary tasks such as driving, commuting, working out, walking the dog, and so on. This means you are being broadcast directly into someone’s ears.

Number One Reason

The number one reason you should be guest podcasting is the excellent ability of podcasts to lay the foundations of a relationship. You are delivering tangible wisdoms which can be acted upon immediately. An ah-ha moment that points the audience in a new direction or helps them maneuver to a beneficial outcome can be delivered in short time. This generosity will create a huge impact for your business.

To rapidly establish rapport with the podcast audience, tie your experience and advice to stories. Stories naturally draw people in and generate the desire for you to tell them more. So, when you are talking about your product or service, share the benefits in the form of a story.

When you tell stories, you enable the audience to relate to something in your experiences. It is that genuine connection as to why podcasts are so engaging. Plus, they have the added benefit of giving the listeners something to tell someone else about – perfect for a coffee break or water cooler convo. When you share stories about your product or service, you drastically increase the value served and provide ultimate engagement.

Being a guest on a podcast is an incredible opportunity. As a guest you give your brand a personality and a voice, in a way that text on a page cannot. Using your voice to be your brand eliminates the “stranger” in the equation, and people are far more likely to do business with someone they know than someone they don’t. You and your business are presented to an entire new pool of potential customers. The show episode becomes an asset you and your team can leverage to promote your product or service, and best of all, there is zero advertising cost.

Like – Know – Trust

Customers are people, and they want to buy from those they like, know, and trust. And it’s also universally true that no one likes being sold to. The easiest and fastest way to connect with your prospects and customers is to deliver value.

Every time you are a guest on a podcast, you are serving up worth and giving the audience an opportunity to get to know you. People get the chance to become engaged with your story and make a connection. Each appearance has the added benefit of feeding your sales funnel, creating fresh leads while providing a new asset to share with your existing prospects.

Guest episodes are the perfect launch pad to attract new leads and invigorate existing conversations. When you are a podcast guest, you are demonstrating your expertise and industry authority. This ability to set yourself apart as a thought leader directly influences how you are perceived. This is credibility you normally can’t buy without dropping a ton of coins.

Learn More

Receive our road map to leverage podcast guesting strategy for your business here.