One of the biggest challenges for podcasters is finding enough guests to keep up with their desired episode schedule. While there are plenty of people with opinions and ideas, finding those who can articulate them well and engage in a respectful conversation can be a challenge. In this article, we’ll explore some tips and tools to help you source and manage guests more efficiently, so you can produce more episodes and avoid pod fade.
Start with a personalised approach
The first step to finding guests for your podcast is to develop a personalized approach for recruitment. You should make the outreach as personal as possible and show that you’ve taken the time and care to reach out to them specifically. While it may seem like a daunting task to reach out to lots of people, there are a few tools that can help you manage the process more efficiently.
Use an interactive scheduling app
One of the most time-consuming aspects of scheduling guests is finding a time that works for both of you. An interactive scheduling app can take the hassle out of this process by allowing guests to book their recording time with you based on your available slots. There are many scheduling apps available, but some of the most popular ones are Calendly, Harmonizely, and Doodle.
Get the details you need
Once you’ve got guests scheduled, you’ll need to gather all the details you need to produce a great episode. This includes topics, social media handles, and anything they want to plug or avoid talking about. You can create a form for guests to fill out to make this process more efficient. This can be done using Google Forms, Typeform, or JotForm.
Manage your guests with a project management tool
Keeping track of all your guests and the status of their episodes can be a challenge. A project management tool like Trello, Asana, or Notion can help you organize your guests, their details, and the status of their episodes. You can create cards for each guest and move them through different stages, such as “Booked,” “Recorded,” and “Published.”
Find lots of guests quickly
Now that you have a process in place for managing guests, you need to find lots of them quickly. One of the best places to start is by looking for people who have given TED talks, or who have participated in events like Ignite or PechaKucha. You can find lots of these talks on YouTube and track down the speakers from there.
Another great place to look for guests is on social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn. You can search for people who are talking about topics related to your podcast and reach out to them. Reddit is another great platform to find guests. Look for subreddits related to your podcast topic and engage with the community. You can also post a call for guests on your social media channels and ask your current guests to refer others.
Conclusion
Finding guests for your podcast can be a daunting task, but with the right tools and processes, it can be much more efficient. By using an interactive scheduling app, getting the details you need, managing your guests with a project management tool, and searching for guests in the right places, you can produce more episodes and avoid pod fade.
