We all know that a podcast is a great way to promote your brand. The sound of your voice allows an audience to really connect, your personality is conveyed and arguably, your message is absorbed that much easier.

Those committed to producing a quality podcast understand the urgency to stay relevant and fresh. The only way to keep and build an audience is to pay them back with new insights and perhaps even different perspectives. One way to achieve this is by hosting a guest on your podcast. The question now is, how?

Find the Win-Win

It is not necessarily hard to pick out your podcast’s dream guest.  This first step should be quite easy for you as ideal guests have something obvious and substantial to add to your podcast’s overall conversation.  Now, how can you turn that feeling into something mutual?  Provide a win-win.

Whether you are pitching a PR manager or your guest directly, keep the main focus of your request on the benefits for them. An audience-reach of X, which falls into the demographic of Y, and includes people who are desperate to learn more about your Z.  Also, see if you can find out the current happenings of your guest’s career (i.e. do they have a blog, did they just come out with a new book, etc.?) and detail how you would plan to cross promote.

(Editor’s note: check out this post on getting past the gatekeepers when you’re working with high-level, popular guests.)

Explain Why Your Audience Is Their Audience

Your invitation is your chance to pitch, so you’ve got to really sell your podcast if you want to land that special guest.  Be sure not to assume that your guest-in-mind has even heard of your podcast.  With this in mind, position your pitch to display your attitude and exemplify your unique voice; this is your chance to let them know what you’re all about.

Another great selling point is if you can mention guests that you’ve hosted the past.  This will help your invitation holder better understand any commonalities between each of your brands.

Whether you have a past to promote or not, be upfront and genuine about your intentions. I admire your contribution to our industry and I know my audience would be thrilled to learn more about your upcoming work and opinions on…

Give Them a Head’s Up on The Discussion

At this point there’s a chance that you’ve peeked your potential guest’s interest.  Push them over the edge by giving them a heads-up.  Attach a list of sample questions/discussion topics you’d hope to explore. This way your guest can get a feel for your style and the types of discussions at hand.

Express your flexibility in terms of working around their issues or necessary demands.  The beauty of a podcast is that everything can be done digitally, so don’t let distance or schedule constraints hold you back.  Close your invitation with a link to your proudest podcast to date.  When trying to reel the best in, in only makes sense to provide the tastiest bait.

What tips do you have for scoring a killer guest for your podcast? Share with a comment below.