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This may be hard to believe, but it wasn’t so long ago that it was hard for small or micro-business owners to find inforamtion and advice tailored just for you.
That’s what led Henry Lopez, host of The How of Business, to start his podcast. He was looking to fill the void and share actionable information for small business owners. More than 450 episodes later, this remains is the guiding principle Henry uses to choose topics and guests for the show.
The How of Business podcast is often ranked as one of the Top 200 Business shows on Apple Podcasts, and is featured as an All-Time Bestseller in the Entrepreneurship category. The show averages over 100,000 unique downloads per month, and has well over 2.6 million all-time downloads.
If you have advice for small business owners or a topic you want to discuss on The How of Business, this “How to Pitch” episode with host Henry Lopez will show you how to to formulate a pitch so that you can meet and surpass Henry’s criteria for podcast guests.
Listen to the episode to hear Henry share thoughts on interviewing guests vs. solo episodes, podcast guest pitch must-haves, and how his show continues to evolve.
☑️ If a podcast has specific instructions for guest pitches, follow them.
These days, podcasts often have instructions or forms for guest submissions. Henry’s criteria has been fine-tuned over many years of trial and error. On his website, Henry has a devoted page for podcast guests, which lists out expectations, including how to contact him, audience informations, as well as equipment recommendations.
His instructions are there for a reason and it all boils down to one thing: making it easier for him to decide if you are the right fit for his podcast. There are no bonus points for creativity or trying to stand out by reaching out to him directly.
“The best pitches are the ones that get to the point. Give me what I’ve asked for,” Henry says. “In other words, don’t try to circumvent my process.”
🥀 Flattery will get you nowhere.
Pitches that don’t get to the point are definitely top of Henry’s pet peeve list. He gets a lot of pitches, so he needs them to be direct and straightforward. He doesn’t need flowers or flattery or to hear how much you love the show (even if you actually do).
“Everybody says that [they love the show] and it’s not going to make me say, wow, you listened to an episode so I must take your guest,” Henry says.
He knows he’s lucky to receive the amount of pitches he does, but the flattery and compliments don’t give him the information he needs to make an informed decision about whether you’ll be a good fit for the podcast.
🎙️ Show that you have something to say (even if you’ve never been on other podcasts).
The first thing Henry thinks about when considering a potential guest is whether they and the topic they propose seem interesting. Basically, his litmus test is whether he’s actually interested in having a conversation with the guest.
The podcast guest pitch form for The How of Business asks for links to previous podcasts you’ve done. You won’t be eliminated if you’ve never been on other podcasts. But Henry doesn’t want to see that section left blank. Instead, give him a flavor of what you’d be like as a podcast guest.
“Give me a video or something where I can hear this person talk and express and share their idea to see if there’s a connection there for me,” Henry says.
Even when vetting guests who do have previous podcasting experience, he doesn’t care what show they were on.
“I’m listening for, right off the bat, sound quality. Does this person have the right equipment?” Henry says.
Once he’s established that a guest sounds good, he takes note of how they they answer questions and how informative their answers are. He’s generally trying to get a sense of how the guest will come across to his audience.
Connect with Henry
🗣️ What Henry does: Henry is a serial entrepreneur and small business coach who founded The How of Business in 2016. He has more than 35 years of diverse business ownership and management experience.
👋 Where to find him: Twitter | LinkedIn | Podcast
Links & Resources
- The How of Business with Henry Lopez
- Levante Business Group
- Henry’s interview with Mike Stemple on Ideation
- Henry’s interview with Norman Crowley
- Henry’s first and second interviews with Melissa Forziat
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