Getting interviewed on podcasts is just as impactful, if not more, as guest blogging was in 2015. You can drive tangible business impact through strategic outreach. This For this episode, we had Mark Colgan on the show, to talk about how to choose the right podcasts to speak on, how to reach out to their hosts, and the impact it can have on your business if you do this well.

Mindsets:

• It’s not just podcasts - think about how you can get your brand in front of the people you can help.
• Use your gut - if it feels like the right thing to do, then do it, even if you can’t 100% attribute the success
• Focus on building relationships, rather than pitching. Podcasting is an evergreen play, and compounds over time.

Skillsets:

• Research
  • Who else is talking to my audience? Who else is selling the same or similar product? Who is selling a service or product adjacent to yours?
  • Who is speaking at industry events?
  • Where are your competitors speaking?
• Copywriting
  • Deep personalization is the key, just like in sales outreach.
  • Keep it short
  • Be different
• Admin and follow-up. No different than tracking sales pipeline activity, you should be tracking your podcast outreach and follow-up activity.
• Set your speaker up for success
  • Run a practice interview
  • Have a clear CTA rehearsed

Toolsets:

• ListenNotes
• SparkToro
• Airtable for tracking activity
• Separate domain for sending emails, just in case your outreach emails get flagged as spam
• Rephonic

Results:

Personalized outreach can get you get you an outreach reply rate as high as 70%.

And actually being interviewed on podcasts can drive sales activity, especially if you are focusing on smaller niche podcasts for the exact audience you are looking to get in front of. Some sample results that Mark shared from his clients:

• Over 50% of new signups for a coaching client
• SaaS company closed their largest deals from the host themselves

Proofpoint’s POV:

We love podcasts here at Proofpoint. We have even created shows for a number of our clients. We also love being on other people’s podcast - It’s fun!

That said, even I walked away with some new things to try after this conversation. It makes complete sense to treat your podcast outreach like you would high ticket sales outreach. Focus on building a relationship first.

The rigor that Mark describes for doing the research, crafting the message and building a repeatable process is an absolute master class in how to do this, and we will definitely be implementing some of these lessons as we try to speak on more podcasts.

A bit more about Mark:

Mark is the second guest in a row who lives in Spain. He is a long-time sales leader, who actually used his cold outbound skills to cold pitch his girlfriend on Instagram. Watch till the end to hear the story.

Helpful Links & Resources:

• Connect with Mark on https://www.linkedin.com/in/markcolganmarketing/
  
  

 Connect with Mike & Gaby at Proofpoint:

• Mike’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegrinberg/
• Gaby’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellaisrael/
• LinkedIn Company Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/proofpoint-marketing-llc
• Proofpoint YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/ProofpointonYouTube
• Proofpoint Website: www.proofpoint.marketing