Podcasters Are the New Influencers Hiring an influencer can be expensive, and you only reach people on social media. Being on a podcast allows you to network and be seen across social media and search engines.
By Morissa Schwartz Edited by Amanda Breen
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Hiring influencers can get expensive for startups. You pay them and give them free products. They post about it on their social media, and you go on your merry way and hope that their audience sees it and acts.
Most reputable podcasts, on the other hand, don't charge you to be on their show, and if one does ask you for money, nine times out of ten, run! Podcasts typically have a substantial audience comparable to many influencers or micro-influencers. Additionally, your audience and theirs get to learn more about you and your business straight from you.
How do podcasts work?
On podcasts, you typically give about 30 minutes of your time interviewing with the host, talking about yourself and your business. The podcaster will post about the episode with a link to you and your business on his or her social media, where it will be available forever, whereas many influencers post a story that disappears after 24 hours. Podcasters also typically publish a short blog about the interview with the interview link or video on their website and backlink to you. This provides you with valuable SEO juice that will allow more organic users to find your website.
You can and should also share this interview on your own website and social media. There's great creative content for your audience that you don't have to make or have a marketing team create, which means more time and money saved. This is especially great for B2B companies that are bootstrapping.
Related: How to Attract Sales Leads Through Your Podcast Guest
Perks of being a guest on a podcast
Being on a podcast is an excellent alternative to paying an influencer because not only are you saving the money you'd pay an influencer, but you also get more marketing fodder out of it. You get the basic 360 — SEO, social media and PR — all for the price of being a guest on a podcast. In other words, being a podcast guest is a powerful thing.
Many people think it's intimidating, but it's just like the networking conversations so many business owners have. Podcasts are great for networking. Most of the hosts are also business owners, and I've even become friends with a lot of the podcast hosts that I've talked to. If you have ever been to a card exchange, done a sales call, or spoken to others at a business event, you can speak on a podcast.
Besides, at a business event, there is no edit button, whereas on a podcast, you can usually take solace in the fact that if you stumble, it can always be edited out.
Related: How to Promote Your New Podcast: 10 Effective Strategies to Try
How often should I go on podcasts?
I'm a big proponent of going on many different podcasts. Personally, I interview on about two podcasts per week. Each show is different. I have gotten so many followers this way. My DA for my business has gone up, and there are many Google results when a potential client searches my name.
I have also gotten many great new clients who have heard me on these podcasts. They hear me on the podcast and say, "I feel like I know you. I love what they do. I am ready to hire you." I hardly have to tell them anything about my company because they already know it from the show. It happens often — and not just to me. I also have helped dozens of clients secure regular podcast spots and have seen the same results across various niches and industries.
Podcasts have been a game changer for so many people. It could work for business-to-consumer (B2C), but it especially works for business-to-business (B2B). So if you are a B2B looking to get out there more and inexpensively advertise your product with 360, being on a podcast is the way.
Related: How to Promote Your New Podcast: 10 Effective Strategies to Try
