Do podcast guests get paid? The short answer – Unless you are a world-famous celebrity like Manny Pacquiao, not with money.
But that doesn’t mean you should write off podcasts. The value you get back from a guest appearance is more valuable and longer lasting than a token payment.
Here are four ways your podcast interviews pay you back for your time.
1. A Warm Introduction to Your Ideal Audience
When a host allows you on their show, it reads as an endorsement or referral to the audience. Even if you’re only meeting for the very first time during your interview, a portion of the trust the audience invests in the host transfers to you.
Take our client Rae McDaniel. When they appeared on The Practice of the Practice, they not only got in front of an audience full of private practice owners, but their interview served more as a referral than a cold introduction.
The best thing about this benefit? You don’t even need to do anything to reap the benefits, other than show up and give your interview.
2. Social Proof
When you make an appearance on a respected podcast with an established host, it gives you a seal of approval to share on your websites and sales pages. These logos lend your business authority and help convert audiences to buy your services, programs or products.
You’ve definitely seen “As Seen In” graphics on websites before, but just in case you’re having trouble visualizing how to leverage your podcast interviews on your website, check out Rae’s “As Seen In” graphic.
This graphic lets new visitors to Rae’s website know they’re a trusted authority on their topic.
Our client Rita Barry took this a step further but putting her interviews on her site, so her potential clients could listen to some interviews and get to know her better.
She reported back to us that she’s converted clients using this strategy! It’s particularly helpful when someone is on the fence, or if you don’t use social media channels to show off a more personal side. Your podcast interviews give your audience that warm introduction and demonstrate your human side, making it easier for them to buy from you.
This is the best thing about social proof – you only need to get it once and you can keep using it in a diverse variety of ways, again and again!
Get creative about how you can use these logos! How can you integrate them into your proposals or speaker materials? Where else could you use them?
3. Search Rankings and Online Visibility
A major benefit of digital PR are backlinks – an incoming hyperlink from one web page to another website. When you receive these backlinks, they help you become trusted by search engines, especially when your backlink comes from an authoritative domain that search engines already trust.
Many successful podcasts have their own websites, and when you appear as a guest, they will often link back to your site.
For example, our client Finka Jerkovic was featured on Angela Proffit’s website following an appearance on her podcast Business Unveiled. You can see Finka’s name is hyperlinked to her website, and, as a result, this creates a backlink to her page.
Over time, these backlinks will strengthen your domain authority. (If you are unsure what domain authority is or how it works, check out this insightful episode of The Copywriter Club).
The take-home message here is that, even if you don’t understand the technical nuts and bolts, these links will help build your online visibility and make it easier for your audience to find you.
4. Leads and Income
Every step along the way, whether it’s establishing trust, demonstrating social proof, or increasing your online presence, leads you to your ultimate goal of bringing in new business and increasing revenue.
With 80% of podcast listeners tuning in for most or all of an interview, these audiences show a dedication to their favorite shows that is unparalleled in other forms of media. This makes them an ideal platform to present your message, be heard, and generate leads as a result.
In an hour-long podcast interview, you can bypass the common hurdles of establishing trust and authority, and accelerate the process through the sales funnel, which will ultimately put you in a better position to close more sales and bring in more revenue.
Now you understand the complete answer to the very simple sounding question “Do podcast guests get paid?” you can bravely set out to find well-suited podcasts, get booked, and bring in more new business and revenue.