075: Tom Schwab on productizing podcast outreach
Tom Schwab is the force behind Interview Valet, a productized service focused on getting people on podcasts to let the world know what it is they do.
In this episode, we discuss how to turn podcasts into leads for your business.
Episode Highlights
[3:30] Once their youngest is in college, Tom & his wife plan to spend one week every month in a different city, where Tom can work in the morning and spend the rest of the day enjoying the destination
[4:30] Tom is an inbound marketing engineer. Many small businesses struggle to get their message out. Podcasting is a great way to turn listeners into leads.
[6:10] Interview Valet is a full done for you service - it allows you to be the quest, and they take care of all the rest.
[6:35] Inbound marketing is proving content that builds the know, like and trust. This strategy never changes. Tactics change, however. Interview valet uses the inbound strategy through the tactic of podcasting, which is incredibly popular and converts much better than blogs.
[8:30] They focus exclusively on the podcasting / traffic side, and like to partner with other companies that help with converting funnels.
[8:50] Interview valet came from customer requests. Customers are the experts.
[10:10] The 6-step framework to kill a podcast: 1) Prospecting 2) Pitching 3) Preparation 4) Performance 5) Progression 6) Promotion
[19:50] Always test to see what’s working and what’s not to drive more conversions. Give 3 ways to say a yes (yes, Yes, YES!!!). People are at different commitment levels and stages of the buying process. Offer different yeses for these different levels.
[21:40] Personal assessments work very well. People want personalized solutions to their problems. Let your customers segment themselves
[23:40] Cater your stories to your audience. And make a custom welcome page for that story. Give the listeners a reason to visit the welcome page.
[26:00] Before you ask to be on a podcast, listen to a few episode and understand it. Follow them. Share their content. Leave reviews. Be known to them, so your initial reach is not a cold call. Be brief, polite, persistent. Make the host look like a genius for having you on there.
[27:20] The goal of being a guest on a podcast is not selling, but to make the host look like a genius for having you. Build trust first, and the pitch should be natural. Include a one-page pitch sheet
[29:40] Don’t blow it by being too salesy.
30:20] So many podcasts never air, because the quest blows it. Be real. Add value. And focus on what’s in it for the host & audience. "You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want" - Zig Ziglar
[31: 30] Make it easy for the host to say yes with a one-page pitch sheet. Be selective in who you pitch to maintain credibility.
[33:00] Don’t do interview swaps for swapping sakes, but because it works for both audiences.
[34: 10] The system is the secret, not the specific tool. Getting started, use whatever system works for you. Expansion can make Trello and Asana obsolete. Interview valet has their own database that came out of scaling up. Don’t skip steps in your system.
Resources
This episode is sponsored by Outbound Creative & Win Your Dream Clients
Outbound Creative helps agencies and consultancies win their dream clients through eye-catching outreach campaigns. Learn more at OutboundCreative.com
I am currently writing a new book all about winning new clients for your agency. Learn more and sign up to receive a free copy when it launches at WinYourDreamClients.com