
Add podcast appearances to your marketing mix.
With so many ways to achieve my mantra of “being everywhere, all at once,” some of you might wonder what the most effective strategies are for building your brand and your speaking business.
In short, you want to know which marketing and promotion tactics will deliver the most bang for your buck.
Is it guest blogging? Blogging on your speaker website? Or going crazy on your social channels? What about podcasts? Are they still a thing?
Yes! They are very much a thing. Sometimes, they are the best activity you can do to build visibility and showcase your expertise.
Are Podcast Appearances Still a Relevant Promotion Strategy for Speakers?
Here are the minute marks that cover highlights in this episode:
Are Podcasts Still Relevant as a Marketing Activity for Speakers?
The stats speak for themselves, 180 million Americans have listened to a podcast, and 38% of the entire US population listens to a podcast on a weekly basis.
For context, those figures represent a doubling in the number of people listening to podcasts in the last eight years.
Think about it, with most (if not ALL) of us owning smartphones, listening to a show on headphones or earbuds while we’re doing something else (driving, walking the dog) is a no-brainer.
Hence the explosion in podcast listeners over the last decade.
So you can bet your you-know-what that doing podcast appearances is a great way to showcase your expertise to new audiences and grow your exposure simultaneously.
But what about them specifically should appeal to you as someone growing a successful speaking business?
Key Advantages of Doing Podcast Appearances as a Speaker
There are several advantages for speakers to consider when it comes to doing podcast appearances.
Yes, it’s true that the potential business impact of appearing as a guest on podcasts might well be dependent on your specific niche (some industries and sectors just don’t have many podcasts to choose from).
However, from my perspective as someone whose niche is public speaking and who runs her own podcast, here are three compelling reasons you should consider becoming involved:
#1: Podcast Appearances is a Great Way to Reach a Specific Audience or Demographic
Podcasts tend to be skewed at specific demographics or interests. It’s not like social media, where anyone and everyone can see your content.
The people you’re about to get in front of have already been narrowed down into a group interested in the topic you’re about to discuss.
In many ways, it means a lot of the hard work has already been done for you. It’s like running an ad without paying for the expensive targeting capabilities that usually accompany online advertising.
#2: You Get to Talk About Your Expertise and Share Your Knowledge
One of the most valuable skills we have as speakers is our ability to share our knowledge with others.
Speaking opportunities allow us to do just that – share our knowledge with a group of people and make a positive difference in their lives and careers.
But podcasts take that one step further. Not only do you get to share your experience and insights with an audience, but you also get to talk about a topic where you’re an expert, something you’re passionate about, and something nobody knows better than you.
Just being a guest interviewed is enough to establish authoritativeness on a subject, but to actually get the opportunity to share your own experience and knowledge is a massive bonus.
It can be just as powerful as landing a speaking gig, except the audience listens remotely rather than in person.
Appearing on other people’s podcasts is still one of the best methods for building credibility and thought leadership in your space because it’s more personal than a blog post or a LinkedIn article.
People can hear your voice, get a feel for your personality, and establish more of a connection with you than they might with a blog post or article.
#3: They Can Deliver an Incredible Return on Investments (ROI)
Another huge advantage for speakers to do podcast appearances is that it can usually deliver incredible returns on investments in terms of business impact.
For example, let’s say you appeared on one podcast, and that podcast had 1,000 plays or downloads. That might not seem like a lot at first glance, but let’s assume that each of those downloads was worth the equivalent of $10 to you as the speaker.
That’s $10,000 in potential business impact for just ONE episode appearance!
Compare that to the cost of running an online Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ad campaign, which might have an average click-through rate of just 0.5% and a cost per click of $3, and you’re quickly seeing that podcast appearances can be a far more effective marketing activity for speakers than paid ads.
You can often snag a podcast appearance on a podcast for free, too.
Hosts are always on the lookout for engaging guests, so if you’re quick to respond to their emails or reach out on social media, you’ll often find that they’ll be willing to have you as a guest for free.
Great, So I Should Do Podcast Appearances on As Many as Possible, Right?
No, not quite.
It’s important to remember that not all podcasts are the same, and it would be good to research what kind of audience the selected podcast has and if it aligns with the audience you want to reach.
There’s no point in spreading yourself too thin and appearing on podcasts that don’t align with your target demographics.
Remember, as I always say, NICHE DOWN.
You have to become the go-to expert in your space to grow your speaking business successfully. You can’t do that if you appear on every podcast that has a tenuous connection with your area of expertise.
You have to be relevant to the listeners. The more relevant you are to them, the more valuable they will be to you as the speaker.
So be careful regarding the podcast shows you choose to appear on.
Podcasts Appearances Are More Effective Today Than Ever Before for Speakers
Although podcasts have been around for quite some time, they’ve certainly grown in popularity over the last few years.
Today, they represent an excellent investment for a speaker looking to grow their visibility and build their credibility in their space.
While you should always research a podcast to make sure it offers the kind of audience you want to reach and aligns with your area of expertise, there’s little doubt that it can deliver significant ROIs.
Whether you gain new coaching clients or secure a few speaking gigs off the back of a podcast appearance, this can be a powerful way to reach new audiences AND grow your speaking business.
If you want more help growing your speaking business, check out my new training program, The Booked Gigs Course. In it, I give you my four-step repeatable path to converting leads into gigs.
So when your podcast appearances start generating new leads for you, you’ll know exactly how to turn them into paying clients!
Can I Feature You?
Make sure to Subscribe and Rate & Review the Podcast show on your preferred Podcast platform.
I feature podcast listeners on every podcast (starting in 2023) and I’d love to feature YOU next! Simply leave a review and tag me on social media @charlijanespeakers to let me know. I look forward to connecting.
Resources & Links
The Charli Jane Speakers Club – Learn more.
If you’re ready to get on more stages you’re in the right place! We provide members with 5,200 – 10,400 speaking opportunities a year! Yep, you heard that right! There is something for everyone.
I also created a program called The Booked Solid Success Path. It goes hand-in-hand with the speaking opportunities. Plus, an amazing community and more!
Episode 140: The best way to manage and organize your speaking leads.
The Breakthrough Public Speakers Community – Join us here.
My team and I are inside this community helping you, encouraging you, and supporting you through your speaking journey… along with 3,000+ speakers!
I hope you enjoyed the training episode.
Every week I release a new training episode to help you launch and grow your speaking business.
Keep Inspiring! – Wendi xo

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Meet Wendi McNeill
As the Founder and Owner of Charli Jane Speaker Services®, Wendi has been “Opening Doors of Opportunity” for speakers since 2002.
Charli Jane Speakers provides speakers with support, exposure, tools, tips, speaking and media leads, coaching/learning programs, and much more to assist them in growing their speaking business. Learn more about Wendi
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