Looking to elevate the caliber of guests you have on your podcast? A professional query letter can make all the difference in getting that best-selling author or well-known expert to accept an invitation to come on your show.

In this episode, I share tips for how to write a professional query letter. I've booked dozens of guests for radio shows over the years. And, this formula can help you book experts on your podcast, too.  See a sample below. Try it and let me know how it works for you. Thanks for tuning-in, and Happy #InternationalPodcastDay.

Sample Guest Interview Media Query Letter 

Dear (potential guest),

I read your story in the (xyz magazine) regarding your research and find it fascinating. Would you be interested in being interviewed for my show, “the xyz podcast”?

In this interview I would ask you about (state topic(s) or talking points you would like to cover) The interview would take around 15 minutes, be prerecorded at your convenience, via phone. 

If you are interested in speaking with me, possible interview times include this Tuesday, Thursday or Friday afternoon, between 12-4 p.m. Pacific Time. Or, next sometime week. 

The interview would air on the (name of podcast). (Include a brief description of your podcast, including a description of your audience - who listens to your podcast, demographics or audience reach - such as national or international listeners, if this is relevant).

Thank you for your consideration, I look forward to speaking with you.

Kind regards,

Joe Reporter

(your podcast name)

(your cell phone if you wish to include)

Tune-in to the BroadcastEdge podcast for more pro-broadcast tips for podcasters. Look for the show wherever you get your podcasts, or online at BroadcastEdge.net 

#BroadcastEdge #poweredbylibsyn

Top interviewing tips for podcasters and broadcasters. You'll learn the first and final question that should be asked in every interview, as well as simple tips for crafting your interview that will save you time in recording and editing.

When producing an interview, I recommend that you consider serving listeners a 'slice of pie,' a specific angle of a topic, rather than serving an entire pie in a single episode. Breaking content into more bite-size pieces gives you more material to explore on future episodes, and keeps the interview a reasonable length.  Prepping or pre-planning an interview in advance can help you sound and feel more organized, keep on topic point and save time in post-production.

BONUS TIP: One tip I did not mention in this podcast episode is to never provide questions to your interview subject in advance. It's fine to share a brief list of talking points you plan to cover - so the interview subject knows what will be covered - and this can be in outline form. Similar to questions, just not the exact questions.  When you provide questions in advance, you run the risk of your guest sounding too canned. I've heard interview guests actually reading their pre-written answers on the air when they received questions in advance and it just does not sound natural. 

Also in this episode, I give kudos to the recent Podcast Movement conference in Nashville, where I was a presenter on "How to Turn your Passion or Profession into a Podcast." And, to Libsyn, my podcast host. I had the good fortune of being the grand prize winner at Libsyn's #PM21 booth, I won an iPad Pro!! Thank you, Libsyn and Podcast Movement!!

Podcast Movement (#PM21) brought hundreds of podcasting enthusiasts to Nashville, Tennessee earlier this month. In this podcast, I share a couple of important bits of information I picked up at #PM21, including:

1. The average podcast listener spends 6 hours 45 minutes a week listening to podcasts. There are a lot of podcasts to choose from, so make every moment of your podcast count. You can do this by editing your show for clarity, streamlining ideas/topics. 

2. YouTube is a place where most people find new podcasts.  Offer a video version of your podcast on YouTube. (Some podcast platforms such as Spotify will not accept an RSS feed that has video on it).

3. Choose a recording service like Zencastr or Riverside.FM over Zoom when interviewing guests, it sounds and looks more professional.

For more tips, subscribe to this podcast, or listen to my episode How to Turn your Passion or Profession into a Podcast on BroadcastEdge.net.

An opening monologue offers a powerful way to connect with listeners. From sharing industry news, to an interesting story or tip, an opening monologue for your podcast offers ways for you to connect with listeners, and it can help them got to know you better.

In this episode, Lisa Osborn shares tips for crafting your monologue and why you would want to.

Have a topic idea for a two minute tip? Click here to share it with Lisa. 

How to turn your passion or profession into a podcast. That's the theme of Lisa Osborn's panel at this week's big Podcast Movement conference in Nashville.

In this special episode, Lisa's joined by her co-panelists, George T. Bundy who offers tips on branding yourself across a podcast and social media. Lisa's sister, Gina L. Osborn, shares successful show launch strategies that she has learned from launching two podcasts, Behind the Crime Scene and Lead Like a Lady with Gina L. Osborn. 

Some podcasters, interviewers and news reporters cut the breaths out of their recorded stories. But, it just doesn't sound natural. Tune-in for Lisa's take on cutting out breaths, and how you can make your stories and podcasts sound more natural.

Have a topic idea for a 2-Minute Tip? Click here to share it with Lisa. Thanks for listening!

Welcome to this brand new podcast offering pro-broadcast tips, tools and ideas for improving your podcast, or starting a podcast.  In this episode, I share some information about my background in broadcast media and how I can support you in becoming a professional sounding podcaster. Subscribe to the podcast, so we'll be on the journey together.  You can also listen on my website - BroadcastEdge.net