Totally lukewarm/possibly even ‘so not-hot it’s frozen’ opinion coming up: podcasts are great. I’m a fan as a listener, as a previous co-host of RE: The Podcast (as in, we decided to close the podcast after 5 fab years – I wasn’t ousted), and as a business owner. I’m also a HUGE fan as a sometimes podcast guest.
Often, when we’re told that podcasting is great for business, the focus is on starting a brand podcast, but it’s also true of guesting on someone else’s podcast. Being a podcast guest has so many benefits for you as the guest, as well as the podcast host. Basically, it’s a win-win – and who doesn’t want one of those?
1. Being a podcast guest can help your website rank better
The S in SEO actually stands for Studio Cotton (ok, it doesn’t, at all – it stands for Search, as in Search Engine Optimisation). But Studio Cotton are SEO experts, and being a podcast guest can reap excellent SEO rewards.
One of the ways it helps is by increasing your backlinks. A backlink is essentially a link from any other website to yours, which Google uses as a little stamp of authority that can impact how your website ranks (e.g. higher, and more often).
Backlinks can also pass on context – for example, if you’ve got a backlink from that small business podcast, it’ll help Google understand that you’re most likely a small business yourself.
Backlinks are a huge component of SEO, but they can be a real pain to build up. But when you guest on a podcast, it can collapse the time it takes to build this strong backlink situation: because not only will you get one from the podcast host, but also all the other platforms the episode is listed as well.
For example, we hosted our podcast on Libsyn, but it also existed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, and all the other major platforms, giving guests all these backlinks in one fell swoop.
2. It creates more results about YOU in Google searches
Guesting on other people’s podcasts helps your SEO in another way: by adding more relevant content to the internet for when someone does Google you.
That means multiple places which people could click to, where they’ll still land on content that’ll teach them more about you. This increases your online reach, as well as the proliferation of your personal brand and work.
It also means the podcast host is getting clicks, impressions and visits from people thanks to you, which is always lovely!
Like a lovely piggyback, but where you’re both piggybacking each other, so in actual fact, not really a piggyback at all, more a kind of otters-holding-hands-in-the-water kind of vibe.
3. Introduces your work to a podcast’s listeners
As well as increasing your SEO reach, being a podcast guest will naturally increase your general reach by introducing the audience to you and your work.
For example, I’ve always found going on crafty small business podcasts really helpful, because it’s an area of the small business industry I don’t crossover with as much as, say, service providers (which isn’t to say I don’t want to. I love you crafty folk! Come say hey!)
Whether they’re a never-miss-an-episode diehard regular, or they just dip in every now and again, a listener of the episode on which you guest will become familiar with your work.
4. Alignment with the podcast’s brand
When you’re a podcast guest on someone else’s show, listeners will assign the qualities of the host and podcast’s brand onto you and your business by association.
For example, if the host is known for being kind and funny – their listeners will most likely think of you as kind and funny too (unless you really prove that not to be the case on the episode…but you wouldn’t do that, would you?)
Flipped on its head, this is also a cautionary tale as to why it can be dangerous to appear on a podcast you’ve never listened to. If they’re viewed as negative or misinformed, for example, that could be transferred to you.
5. Positioning you as an industry authority
(or a ‘thought leader’, if you like that term!)
And whilst we’re talking about brands: guesting on a podcast is great for growing yours.
Being given a platform like a podcast automatically infers a level of credibility and trust – that you’re not only an expert in this area, but the expert in this area. If people want the person for the job, then you’re that person.
6. Creating deeper connections with potential customers and clients
Because podcasts are longform content, they contain more opportunity for listeners to get to know you – and therefore be closer to paying you.
This isn’t even to say you have to spend the whole episode dropping lore about your personal life; it’s just the nature of conversations, and listening to people talk.
Think about how well you’d feel like you know me listening to a 50 minute podcast episode that I guested on, compared to skimming an instagram carousel that I put together.
7. Giving you more content to share on social media
Do you ever struggle with what to post on social media? Lots of people do – and I’m definitely raising my own hand here. When you’re a guest on a podcast, you’re basically just saying lots of wonderfully wise and helpful things: so why not turn them into wonderfully wise and helpful pieces of content?
It could be a snippet of the podcast as a reel, or a particularly marvellous sentence you uttered turned into a graphic.
If you’re lucky, the host might create content with you in it and send it to you to use (like friend of Studio Cotton Liz Mosely did when Aime was on Building your Brand.
View this post on Instagram
You might even want to use something you said as the basis for a different longform piece of content: a blog, perhaps, or an email.
Sometimes things that we find hard to articulate when written down come out a lot easier when spoken (which is one of the reasons I sometimes tell clients to dictate captions, rather than face the blank screen of doom) – this might be the kick-off you need for a stellar piece of writing!
8. More media for different ears and places
This one’s from our benevolent Studio Cotton overlord Aime, and I’m going to leave it in verbatim in case this is a real-life grievance she wanted to air online:
“My friend Kelly won’t read my excellent and funny and helpful and humble blog because she only listens to podcasts…BUT the point is that it adds to the options for someone who might prefer audio content, so you don’t miss out just because some people can’t or won’t read”.
So. true.
9. Proving your chops as a public speaker
Being a podcast guest creates a real, tangible example of you as a speaker, which is a huge asset in your business owner arsenal.
Proof that you’ve been asked/chosen (if you pitched) to speak beforehand is exceptionally useful for booking future podcast spots, as well as public speaking like keynotes, panels and guest workshops.
It’s less of an unknown quantity for the people in charge of the lineup, giving you the edge over first-timers who haven’t yet built up their repertoire.
10. You get free feedback on how you show up
This one’s close to my heart, as someone who’s whole thing is helping small business owners explain what they do; sometimes an outside perspective is really helpful in how your expertise, experience, and offers are being perceived.
For example, the host might say “Natalie, you’re an expert in ethical marketing” and you, Natalie, will think “Oh! Yes, I suppose I am – a lot of my content is on how to be kinder on the internet, but I can totally see how that plays into my role as a social media manager”. Yaknow?
Plus, as the host and producer only want to publish great episodes, they’ll ask questions and guide the conversation to where you’re most knowledgeable and entertaining, helping you uncover gems along the way.
11. Podcast guesting can result in sales
Look, there’s a reason authors go on a podcasting tour when they’ve got a book coming out.
A lot of the time, podcast hosts will give you time to pitch something you’re working on – especially one that’s tied to the conversation you were just having, because it’s helpful to the listeners who’ve thought “God, this was great! How can I get more/finally get [whatever you help with] ticked off my to do list/chat to this brilliant brain 1:1?”
It’s a great chance to directly promote your services, offerings, book, lamps, straight-through-the-letterbox coffeebeans, etc.
12. Being a guest on a podcast is way quicker than writing a blog
Look, I love guest blogs – I’m writing one right now, and you’re reading one right now. But I started this at 10:20ish, and it’s now 15:24, and I only took half an hour’s lunch to eat a Caesar salad.
By comparison, guesting on a podcast is much quicker: perhaps 30 minutes to organise, an hour to record, and 10 minutes to write a caption once you get the assets back. Then, you’re good to go!
Not only is guesting on someone’s podcast good and fun, but it also WORKS. If you want to listen to some examples, you can listen to Aime as a podcast guestugest here, or me as a podcast guest here (this playlist was an idea I totally stole from Aime, by the way, because she’s brilliant).
And if you fancy chowing down on some more podcasty words, there’s a whole host of them for your perusal on the blog here – there’s even a couple more from me!
