Get Yourself Booked on Podcasts!

When I was planning my book launch for A Woman’s Guide to Search & Rescue, I read about podcasts. Why they are one of the most important ways authors today are spreading the word about their books. I researched podcasts myself for a few months, booked myself on two, but it was a steep learning curve. I ended up switching my energy to other promotion tasks.

Then I read an interview with Michelle Glogovac, who calls herself the “podcast matchmaker.” Once again, I was struck with the potential gold of these interviews, and I reached out to Michelle. I ended up hiring her and her wonderful assistant, Allison, to book me a podcast tour.

Michelle read my novel in August 2023, we talked extensively about it in September, and she and Allison began their research. They research over 50 podcasts, looking for which would be just right for me and what I offer. Michelle put together a sell sheet for my book, specifically designed for pitching me to podcast hosts.

The best part of collaborating with Michelle was this: she is a natural educator. She taught me how to think outside of the box about my potential interview topics. To consider that hosts would be interested not just in my book itself. I could branch out! I could intelligently discuss side topics like women heroes, writing a book (and finishing and publishing it!), my writing practice. I could even talk about general life topics: making a career change in my fifties, solo adventures I took, courage in crisis, and how food journalism influenced my novel writing.

I had to learn about the best microphone (I now have a blue Yeti) and good earbuds. Because many podcast hosts post interviews on YouTube, a good background and lighting is essential. As I did more podcast interviews, I improved my setup, got additional side lights for my desk, set up the background better, knew what colors to wear. And most of all, learned how to talk intelligently with a podcast host and discuss my book.

Some hosts don’t really talk much about your book when you’re on their shows. That seems odd, but it turned out OK for me. We discussed writing, or life changes, or aviation, and I was able to refer to things I’d learned about each while writing my book. They always gave it a mention in the show notes at minimum. Many hosts wanted to dive into the book’s topic, ask why I wrote it, discuss the ups and down of creating a bestseller. That felt more aligned to my purpose for being on the show, but I learned a lot no matter what.

I’ve been so delighted with the podcast experience so far. I started interviews in June, averaging four to six a month, and the bookings continue into the new year. Sometimes the shows aired immediately; often they aired weeks or months later. Several were timed for my book launch week in October.

Now that I’m releasing a second novel, Last Bets, in 2024, Michelle is working with me to transition. I thought it would be hard, but it’s not. Hosts look at themes, the overview topics that I tend to return to with each book, and this is always fun to discuss—it made me have to think carefully about what did carry over. But it’s working: already, I’m getting asked , “What else are you working on and how does it connect with your current novel?” and I can answer! How my favorite themes and fascinations come out in every one of my novels: intergenerational friendships, badass women who are heroes down deep, and why taking risks brings unexpected blessings. I can also talk about how all this echoes in my own life, not just in my fiction.

Michelle’s new book will be published on January 17, 2024, and you can pre-order it now. I highly recommend it if you’re an author wanting to get into podcasts yourself.

Here is my interview with Michelle—enjoy!

What was your first podcast experience and why did you fall in love with the podcast world? 

Although podcasts have been around for over 20 years, it wasn’t until 2018 that I figured out how to listen to one! A friend from my birthing class with my first child knew I was on the path to figuring out what I wanted to do in my career after having been laid off from my 18 year corporate job in aviation. She told me about a life/business coach who was launching her podcast.

I started listening and was mesmerized by the message that we all have a purpose and passion in life.

I believed this, but didn’t know what mine was. I knew I wanted to do something that would make the world a better place for my kids, but wasn’t sure what that was. After listening and sharing my journey on my social media platforms, the host reached out to me and asked if I wanted to pitch her to be on other podcasts. This was it! As they say, the rest is history.

I fell in love with the podcast industry because it allows people to share their knowledge and stories with others in an intimate way while allowing listeners to know they aren’t alone in whatever they’re doing. The fact that podcasts are free to listen to and there’s a show on every.single.topic made me understand that this was how I could help others: by sharing their stories, tips, tools, and more with those who need to hear it while also helping clients gain visibility for simply being themselves.

Tell us why podcasts are so vital to book promotion today.  What’s changed in the way readers access books, in your opinion?

Podcasts are vital to book promotion today because they allow anyone and everyone to hear directly from the author. We've seen big changes in the publishing industry and when ebooks came out, we saw less people going to bookstores. When COVID hit, we saw the elimination for a time being of book signings and book tours. Podcasts allow readers to meet authors and get to know them all from the comfort of their home or car or the gym. Authors get the opportunity to reach new audiences and potential readers by being a guest on podcasts and for those that prefer not being on stage, it allows them an opportunity to have an intimate conversation with one other person that will simply be overheard by thousands when it airs.

Our world is very much online and being an author means that you have to be present online. Podcasts allow authors to not only share their stories, writing processes and how they came up with their books, but they also give authors marketing material that they can share on their platforms. Repurposing podcast interviews is not only a perfect way to thank a podcast host, but it's also a great way to market yourself as an author.

We've seen Bookstagram and BookTok become very popular. People love the recommendations of others and once they learn they can trust a recommendation of someone, they want more of them! This is especially true for books. The beauty of podcast interviews that differs from Bookstagram and BookTok is that we get to hear from the actual author and get to know them as people. As someone who has always thought of authors as celebrities, it's always a big deal to me to get to interview an author. I think podcast listeners feel the same way.

How do you “matchmake” guests and hosts?  What do you look for?

I do a lot of research and what I call "stalking"! For all of my author clients, I start by reading their books from beginning to end. I Google them in addition to asking a lot of questions and having a zoom call with them. I make it a point to learn their story and ask the questions that I want to know, not as a podcast publicist, but as a reader and podcast listener.

We discuss who their ideal audience is and why. Then there's the research on the podcast side. I have been able to create a "Rolodex" of podcasts that past clients have been interviewed on and therefore know those audiences.

My team and I are also researching new shows every day to pitch to. The research includes listening to episodes, looking at the host's website and social media accounts, reading their show description and more to understand who their ideal audience is and what they're trying to offer their listeners. When certain aspects align, then we know there's a match!

What are some of the most common mistakes that guest do, when on a podcast?

Not being prepared, for starters. You should always listen to an episode, check out the host's website or social media account and try to get to know the host before hopping on the interview. This not only allows you to go into the conversation with knowledge, but shows that you've done some homework and gives you topics you can easily chat about with the host.

Another mistake I often see is when a guest has too many distractions. Your phone should be put in airplane mode, notifications turned off, and you should be fully present for the interview. When a guest is distracted by something, it's not only obvious to the host, but the listeners will be able to pick up on it as well.

The last mistake I see made is not being tech-ready. You should have an external microphone and headphones for your interview. An added bonus would be a ring light for your webcam to ensure you have the best lighting in case the video portion is released.

Know what platform you'll be recording on (hint: it's in the calendar invitation!) and test it out ahead of time so that you don't show up at the exact time to record and then have to scramble to update your computer with a different browser.

Can you share your top three tips to being a better podcast guest?

I have a lot of tips, but I'll try to narrow them down! For starters, avoid the mistakes I mentioned above! Have an external mic and headphones and do your homework on the host.

Relax. Go into the interview with the mindset that this is a conversation with another human being over a cup of coffee. Be yourself and share your stories, journey and knowledge as freely as possible so that people get to know you and want to know more of you. Have a call to action so that you can tell listeners where they can find you, what you can offer them and a way to capture their email address.

Thank your host by sharing the interviews everywhere you can and tagging them. There are a number of ways you can do this, but putting it in your Instagram stories for only 24 hours is not how! If you prepare graphic templates ahead of time, you can save yourself time and make it easy to share your interviews.

Order a copy of Michelle’s book, How to Get Booked on Podcasts, on amazon, bookshop.org, and Barnes & Noble. Release date is January 17, 2024. Highly recommended!

Your Weekly Writing Exercise

Browse the world of podcasts for authors. One place to start is Apple Podcasts. Or Spotify. And here’s an interesting discussion on Reddit. Search for a topic you’d enjoy discussing or hearing about and check out the links that come up.

Listen to samples from shows you might want to be on. I could tell immediately that some hosts like to dominate the conversation and the author got very little air time. Others had a political agenda that didn’t fit either me or my book. I spent time listening and learning, and eventually came up with ones I wanted to pitch. I also asked friends about their favorite podcasts (a post on Facebook yielded 25 suggestions!).

But I went further than my specific book topics of women heroes, women pilots, Search & Rescue, estranged sisters because my life experience and interests had given me a lot more to bring to a conversation. For instance, my book topic of estranged sisters could become a discussion on families, family health, recovery from family trauma, or how relationships change as we age.

Brainstorm other topics you feel qualified to talk about. Research podcasts about these as well.

This week, start or expand your list/research of podcasts you might imagine yourself on.