Welcome to Podcasting Problem Solver
Leah Bryant [00:00:00 - 00:01:10]:
[00:00:05] Welcome to the Podcasting Problem Solver. [00:00:07] I am Leah Bryant, your podcast growth strategist. [00:00:11] So I want to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with yourself when answering it. [00:00:17] How many podcast interviews have you done in the last six months? [00:00:23] Two, five, maybe 10? [00:00:27] And after every single one, what happened? [00:00:31] Did people follow your show and stick around, join your email list, book a call with you, or did nothing happen? [00:00:42] If it's the second one, I promise you it's not because you did a bad interview or that you picked the wrong show. [00:00:51] The problem, more than likely is that you sent warm, interested people to a destination that wasn't ready to receive them. [00:01:01] Podcast guesting is everywhere right now as a growth strategy. [00:01:05] And I get sounds super smart and super fun and all the things right.
Why Podcast Guesting Isn't Working for You
Leah Bryant [00:01:11 - 00:02:03]:
[00:01:11] You tap into someone else's audience and get exposure and build authority. [00:01:16] All true, but there's a version of guesting that works in a version that just keeps you busy feeling productive. [00:01:24] Today, I'm going to tell you exactly what needs to be in place on your own show before you spend another minute pitching yourself as a guest anywhere. [00:01:34] So here's what I want you to remember about guesting. [00:01:39] You are essentially running a referral campaign. [00:01:42] You show up and deliver value, people get curious about you, and then if everything goes according to plan, yes, they do go looking for more. [00:01:52] And where do they usually go looking for more? [00:01:55] Well, the first stop that is if you shared it is your podcast. [00:02:01] Now, imagine this.
Building a Solid Foundation for Your Podcast
Leah Bryant [00:02:03 - 00:02:43]:
[00:02:03] You've just baked a beautiful layered cake. [00:02:07] Or maybe I should be talking about cheesecakes, and that's going viral on threads right now. [00:02:11] But I digress. [00:02:13] You've spent time on this beautiful layered cake. [00:02:17] It looks incredible, but then you cut into it and realize that there's nothing holding the layers together. [00:02:26] No filling, no frosting, nothing in between. [00:02:30] It still looks like a cake from the outside, but the moment someone takes a slice, it just crumbles apart. [00:02:38] Well, that's what it's like to guess on a podcast when your show does not have a foundation.
Leah Bryant [00:02:44 - 00:03:39]:
[00:02:44] Sure, it looks great on the outside, you sound great, all the things. [00:02:50] But when someone follows you back to your podcast and takes a closer look, the layers aren't sticking. [00:02:57] Wah wah. [00:02:59] They land on your show and they don't immediately understand who it's for. [00:03:05] The episode titles don't really speak to them specifically, and there's no clear thread pulling them from one episode to the next. [00:03:14] So they'll probably listen to half an episode and think, meh, this is fine. [00:03:18] And never come back so what happened is, is that you lost them because your show wasn't set up to keep them. [00:03:27] Now, if you're sitting there saying, oh, gosh, yep, this sounds about right because you've been doing the guessing thing and it hasn't been converting the way you expected, well, that's exactly the problem that we're going to solve.
Essential Elements for Podcast Growth
Leah Bryant [00:03:39 - 00:04:43]:
[00:03:39] And Position and Found, which is my eight week program to get your show strategically positioned so that when the right people find it, they actually stay. [00:03:49] That link is below. [00:03:51] So what does quote unquote ready really look like? [00:03:54] Leah, what has to be true about my show before guesting is worth my time? [00:04:00] Well, I'm so glad that you asked. [00:04:03] It's really three things, which is clear positioning, a strong listener journey, and a working conversion path. [00:04:12] So when I say clear positioning, what I mean by that is that when someone lands on your show for the first time, whether that is in like Apple podcast or, or on your website or they've googled something and landed on a show notes page, they know within seconds that your show is for them. [00:04:32] Your show name, your description, your episode titles, your episode description. [00:04:36] They should all be doing the positioning work. [00:04:38] They should be speaking directly to the person you want to attract.
Clear Positioning, Listener Journey, and Conversion Path
Leah Bryant [00:04:43 - 00:05:20]:
[00:04:43] Now, if a new listener has to listen to three episodes to figure out who you help and how, you are not positioned clearly enough yet. [00:04:54] Now, a strong listener journey means your episodes aren't just individual pieces of content. [00:05:00] They're all connected. [00:05:02] You built the bridges. [00:05:03] Pat yourself on the back. [00:05:05] There's a logical flow that takes someone from oh, I just found this show to ooh, I need to know more about this person's work. [00:05:13] So again, think of it as a bakery that has a menu. [00:05:16] When someone walks in for the first time, you can see everything that's available.
Leah Bryant [00:05:21 - 00:05:55]:
[00:05:21] You understand the specialty and you know what to order. [00:05:24] Right? [00:05:25] Now, if your back catalog feels like a random assortment with no structure, well, a new listener doesn't know where to start and most of them won't try. [00:05:35] We're busy people. [00:05:36] We don't want to sit and try to figure things out. [00:05:38] Right? [00:05:38] We want things to be easy. [00:05:41] And a working conversion path means that there is something for a new listener to do after they've listened. [00:05:49] Now, I'm not talking just a vague oh, follow me on Instagram. [00:05:54] Well, yes, that's great.
Leah Bryant [00:05:56 - 00:06:34]:
[00:05:56] Put it in your description. [00:05:58] I'm talking about a specific next step that moves them closer to working with you. [00:06:05] So that might be an email opt in a discovery calling or a free resource that's relevant to what they just heard. [00:06:14] Did you hear that? [00:06:14] That's the key. [00:06:16] The path has to exist and it has to be obvious. [00:06:20] When all three of these are solid, that's when guessing becomes the multiplier. [00:06:26] When any one of them is missing, well, guessing then just becomes a time investment with no return. [00:06:33] Oh, snap.
Real-Life Examples of Podcast Guesting Results
Leah Bryant [00:06:34 - 00:07:01]:
[00:06:34] Guess that did go there. [00:06:37] Now, I want to paint a picture for you. [00:06:40] I have two podcasters. [00:06:42] These are previous podcasters I've worked with and I feel like this will be a really great example for you to hear. [00:06:47] They are both business coaches. [00:06:50] They both guested on the same show around the same time. [00:06:54] This show they guested on was a decent sized show. [00:06:57] The show had a solid audience and it was a great fit for both of them.
Case Study: Podcast Foundations in Action
Leah Bryant [00:07:01 - 00:07:52]:
[00:07:01] Okay. [00:07:02] Now, the first coach had been working on her podcast foundation before she started pitching. [00:07:08] Her show was clearly positioned for early stage online coaches. [00:07:12] Her episode titles were searchable and specific and she had a free guide as her listener opt in. [00:07:19] And she mentioned it in her show notes and in every episode. [00:07:22] And the week after her guest appearance aired, she got 11 new email subscribers and two discovery call bookings. [00:07:33] Now, the second podcaster, same caliber interview, same audience exposure, but this podcaster had a show that was kind of all over the place. [00:07:44] The topics were more broad, the episode structure was very inconsistent, and they did not have an opt in.
Leah Bryant [00:07:53 - 00:08:39]:
[00:07:53] So you know what happened? [00:07:54] Yes, you guessed it. [00:07:56] She got maybe a handful of new followers on Instagram, about 40 new downloads on her backlog that week. [00:08:03] And then it was crickets on these Internet streets, friends. [00:08:09] Very different results. [00:08:10] Right? [00:08:11] And the difference had nothing to do with how they showed up on that guest interview. [00:08:15] It was all about what was waiting for people when they followed these podcasters after the interview. [00:08:24] So here is your homework and I want you to really do this, not just think about it while you're on your walk or whatever else you're doing. [00:08:33] I want you to pull up your podcast as if you're a stranger finding it for the first time.
How to Audit and Optimize Your Show Before Guesting
Leah Bryant [00:08:40 - 00:10:00]:
[00:08:40] Read your show description, look at your last 10 episode titles, click on your most recent episode and read the episode description and also the show notes. [00:08:51] And then I want you to ask yourself these three questions. [00:08:56] One, do I immediately know who this is for? [00:09:00] Two, is there a logical place for a new listener to start? [00:09:06] Three, is there a clear, specific next step I'm being invited to take? [00:09:13] Now, if you answered no to any of those, well, that is where you're going to go to work. [00:09:20] Okay? [00:09:21] Do that work before you book your next guest spot because guesting will absolutely grow your show, but only if your show is ready to grow, right? [00:09:33] In my esteem list podcast framework, the attraction phase is specifically about pulling in the right listeners, right? [00:09:40] And that does include strategies like guesting. [00:09:44] But attraction will only work when strategy. [00:09:49] Yes, when the strategy is completely solid underneath. [00:09:53] So strategy is your positioning. [00:09:55] Think of it as your listener journey, right? [00:09:57] And it also includes your conversion path.
Transform Your Podcast With the Right Strategy
Leah Bryant [00:10:00 - 00:10:53]:
[00:10:00] So when that layer is set, everything in the attraction phase, the guesting, SEO, social content, those efforts not only compound, but they also stick. [00:10:10] So without a strategy underneath, attraction just produces traffic with nowhere to go. [00:10:17] And that is an expensive way to stay busy. [00:10:19] We don't want that. [00:10:21] We want you to be busy in the best ways. [00:10:23] So if Today made you realize that your show needs some structural work before you go all in on guesting, I want to help you do that. [00:10:31] Inside Position and Found. [00:10:32] It's my eight week group coaching program where we focus on getting your positioning on point, your listener journey intentional and your conversion path working so that when you do guests on other shows or when someone finds you through search, or maybe when someone gets referred your way, your podcast is ready to do its job.
Leah Bryant [00:10:53 - 00:11:18]:
[00:10:53] You can find all those details in the description. [00:10:56] I would love for you to come join us. [00:10:58] The car will open in June, so that is a wrap for today. [00:11:02] If this one gave you something to think about, share this with another podcaster friend who's been in full guessing mode. [00:11:08] They just might need to hear this. [00:11:11] And until next time, keep your podcast purposeful, strategic and your growth seamless and I'll see you next week.
