Another Microphone.
A Clearer Purpose.

Transcript from the episode recording, with speaker names added and paragraphs formatted for readability. Automated transcription may contain errors; the audio is the original record.

Brad Hauck 00:14

Is podcasting helping you build your business or just giving you another deadline? You don't necessarily need your own podcast to get your voice heard. You need to know who you want to reach and have something worth saying that people want to hear. Welcome to The Experts Journey with Dixie and Brad. Today we're exploring how authors and speakers can use podcasting to reach the right people. What makes you a guest worth booking? How do you pitch a conversation a host actually wants? And how can you interview someone else if you want to run your own podcast?

We'll also tackle whether hosting your own show makes any sense or whether the smartest move is just pulling up a chair at someone else's microphone. Good morning, Dixie.

Dixie Carlton 00:52

Good morning, Brad. Well, exciting news today, too, because we've just launched the new website.

Brad Hauck 00:58

Yes, so theExpertsjourney.com is live now, and it is a fantastic news site. It's got all of our episodes on there so far, along with information from each episode, transcripts, things to do, all sorts of stuff. Like it is the one place to go if you want to become a better speaker and author.

Dixie Carlton 01:20

It is absolutely brilliant. And the quality and the depth of the range of information on there is just mind-blowing. So I hope everyone gets to go and have a look and enjoy that. And well done to you for being so amazing at putting it together. So and yes, great time to therefore be talking about the power of podcasting and the reason why we think that podcasting is like the new black for authors or the new orange or whatever the colour of the year is. Podcasting is such an important p part of any marketing now. Well beyond radio, television, and interviews, even.

And I think one of the things that we really need to talk about is one, yes, we're also bringing guests into our show, but why is it so important? How do you get on great podcasts? How do you know whether there's a good fit for you between the podcasts you want to be on and being invited to one that maybe isn't quite so relevant to you or your brand? So let's start with the basics. If you want to be a podcast, who do you want to reach? And which podcasts are already having great attention?

Brad Hauck 02:29

Yeah, it's a good question because there's so many podcasts available. And it is interesting when you look at the stats, there's thousands and thousands of podcasts and they become extremely popular. I've been surprised by the number of people I know that actually listen to podcasts over radio and that now. And they're from all age groups, from young tradies I know right through to much older business people I know. People are really getting their information through podcasts. So there's a huge opportunity there, not just to have your own podcast, but to actually get on other podcasts.

And we're now seeing people actively trying to get involved in other people's podcasts to either promote themselves or to help people succeed in all different sorts of areas.

Dixie Carlton 03:10

Absolutely. And people may have noticed an emergence of companies that are positioning themselves or reaching out through email and LinkedIn groups, etc., to say, hey, we can help get you onto podcasts. Now I want to come back and talk about them a little bit more because I don't think that necessarily they are all that they're cracking themselves up to being. But I do think that there is a place in this marketplace for us to be very discerning about what kind of podcasts we want to be on, who we want to have help us get on them, and whether or not we should actually be doing much more of that homework ourselves.

And I talk to a lot of authors that I'm working with about how to get on them or how to get ready to pitch. One of the most important things is to make sure you're aware of what the podcasts are that are relevant to you to be on and why they should find you interesting to have on as a guest. So let's work through some of that.

Brad Hauck 04:08

Yeah, there's so much to look at with that sort of topic. I think one of the things that I've noticed over the years listening to podcasts, because I've always been an avid listener, is that the best interviews happen when the person actually knows the podcast or the hosts. So if you're a listener yourself of the podcast, you kind of you reflect back to previous episodes. So you've got that history knowledge in your head. Alternatively, people, so like we had Lindsay Adams on our podcast, and he knows both of us and we know him well. It just makes the conversation more fluid.

So when you're looking at podcasts, think about the ones that you enjoy that would be a good fit for you. But also, if you're thinking you're going on someone's podcast before you contact them, it's actually worthwhile listening to their content and getting to know what they do. Don't just offer your services because you might listen to a few episodes and realize actually, I'm not a good fit here.

Dixie Carlton 05:00

Absolutely. And it can do worse your ground if you end up messing it up than if you blindly plunge in and think, well, hey, it's good for the experience. Professional podcasters don't want you just testing your ability to do this. This is not a practice ground. So there are other ways to get media ready, which we'll touch on in a minute, but you need to make sure that you're not just treating this as an exercise in seeing if you can do it. You have to be serious if you can put yourself to be on someone else's podcast.

Brad Hauck 05:33

Yeah, symbiotic relationship because you're bringing your audience, they're bringing their audience, and both of you are hoping to gain from that. You they're hoping to grow their audience, you're hoping to grow yours, whatever it happens to be that your goal is personally. But it's really important that you understand that it's about both of you, not just you helping them out. You're not helping them out. There's other people that they could get on the show. So think about what you can bring to help make their life, their podcast, even better for their listeners.

Dixie Carlton 06:04

I mean, you need to have things like perhaps the gested questions, although sometimes I've been a guest on other people's podcasts and that hasn't been required or even particularly wanted. And if they are great at doing their homework, they will know enough about you to have their own questions. So you don't necessarily have to say, I want you to talk about these three things. But you may want to actually say, I've got a list of three or four things that we'll learn to cover if you would like me to share that list with you. It doesn't hurt to offer, but essentially you need to be open to just having a conversation about what specifically they wish to talk to you about.

And they or their assistants will have done your homework to make sure that they're hitting the right straps with that. But the other thing is too, you need to make sure that when you're pitching, that what you have to say is relevant to them and also not a specific copy of the last three episodes that they did. You don't want to sound like every other guest that they've had. You want to make sure you know how to stand out. So some deep reflection is required before you start getting too carried away with pitching.

Brad Hauck 07:12

Yeah, you don't want to go on and repeat the same story on every show. There's no doubt about it. You want to think about what you're bringing, what could be unique for this show, what might target them. Recently I was on the Dale Carnegie podcast here in Australia, and we went in on basically that we were going to talk about AI and how it affects business. And it was a really great conversation because the interview went well. We bantered back and forth and threw some ideas out there, and we just went with what we felt the conversation was leading into.

And that made it really interesting when I listened back to it to go, okay, that was a really great conversation. It wouldn't have been where I would have directed it if someone said, Oh, what do you want to talk about? And I think that's important that as an interviewee on a podcast, that you think about that. But if also you're running a podcast, it's okay to ask questions that come to you halfway through. So it's like the opportunity to stand in front of the world's greatest salesperson and ask the questions you want to ask. Sometimes that's really cool.

And if you want your own podcast, you get those opportunities. Yeah.

Dixie Carlton 08:19

Now, one of the things that you've just touched on is the fact that you need to be ready to allow the conversation to flow. And one of the things that I often do when I'm media training someone is ensure that they know how to speak in whole sentences, not in full paragraphs. Because it's a conversation. You need to allow space for the other person to speak. Now we've heard a number of times where someone has literally gone on and on and the other person hasn't been able to get a word in edgewise to ask a question or to direct the conversation the way they wish it to go.

So the people who are generally running the podcast, like the podcast store, they know how to do this really well. They are experienced interviewers. You as a guest, if you're not used to being a guest, need to know how to pause and allow the other person to be part of the conversation, not just listen to you take over. Very important.

Brad Hauck 09:14

Yeah, there's nothing worse than getting someone on who won't shut up. And that sounds terrible, but what you're looking for is a relatively succinct answer with a little bit of story, a little bit of depth, but not just prattling on and continuing on. And as an interviewer, that's quite hard sometimes. So that will often hit the editing floor. So when I'm going back and editing this podcast, for example, if an answer's too long and it really isn't adding anything to the show, I may cut a chunk of that out. And that's normal in television and fields like this.

So remember, if you don't want to end up on the editing floor, be precise. Take a moment to think about your answer. For example, interesting question. Breathe, think, and give it an answer. It's okay because in a podcast you cut the spaces out. It's okay if you take a second. It's not like it's a live stream. Now, live streams are entirely different. So it's okay to do those sorts of things.

Dixie Carlton 10:08

The other thing you want to be thinking about is also slowing down the way you speak sometimes because the people that are listening may not be quite geared towards your accent or your style of speaking. So you want to make sure that you just slow your normal conversation pace down just a fraction, and that takes practice. It also means that you should be practicing some of your best isms. Now, when I'm working with someone on their book, we always look at what their isms are, right? What are their specific ways of saying something that sounds just perfect?

It's like, oh, I wish I could write that down. Those isms that you have would be the sort of things and the sentences that you say should be rehearsed ahead of time. You want to make sure that you land some of those specific isms with punch. That means making sure you say it without faltering, falling over, and allow them to land so that people go. I like that.

Brad Hauck 11:05

Yes, it's interesting. Sometimes when I'm doing editing, I'll notice the numbers and R's in an auditory recording. And it is interesting. Some people have hardly any and some people have a lot. Now I have the ability to pull them out, which is great because of AI. It's there's one there. Straight away, there's that thinking pause. Rather than saying it, sometimes it's worth stopping and thinking first and then saying it. But some people are really noticeable when you're interviewing them. They are thinking on their feet, and so they're going to have a lot more than R's.

Other people are more practiced. And I noticed recently we did an interview, and the interviewee had a lot of than Rs, which was fine. It's not an issue for me to edit. But we didn't. We had hardly any. And I thought, this is really interesting how we're getting less and less as we practice more and more running the podcast ourselves. So as an interviewer, you'll find as you do more interviews, you'll drop out a lot of that because you'll be thinking up front about what you're going to say, as well as listening to the person.

And then when you go on a podcast, you can also try and cut down on them as an as.

Dixie Carlton 12:12

And not only that's an ass, and look, there's no problem with the occasional ah or ah or moment to pause. It's when it's constant that you need to be thinking about whether to address it. But also when you listen back to yourself, you'll hear whether or not you regularly repeat specific words. I know that I'm guilty often of saying a particular word that is a little tiresome after a while. So I work really hard at making sure that I don't say that in every sentence. And that's taken years of practice, but also identifying it. So just listen back to yourself occasionally and feel your way into where you need to be picking yourself up or picking your game up in terms of being interviewed.

The other thing you want to make sure that you have, as well as the relevant credentials and like mindset to go into a podcast, is you need to have the best recording equipment. You need to have good lighting, good sound equipment, make sure that your internet's not going to drop out, that things aren't going to go wobbly technically, that you are going to be comfortable. I'm standing today because last week when we recorded, I noticed that my chair kept slightly dropping. And it was like, whoops, okay. So I had to adjust very quickly. And now I'm not willing to chance it and I don't want to replace that chair because I know it.

But you have to make sure that you're going to be comfortable and not pose a distraction while you're mid-interview.

Brad Hauck 13:40

Absolutely. The sinking chair thing is relatively common, funnily enough. I had one too, and I've replaced it and bought a new chair. And it was worth it for a whole hundred dollars. I got a new chair because it was not worrying me day to day, but every time I'd do a recording, I'd sink in the recording, and I'd do quite a bit of recording. So little things like that actually do make a difference. Having a good microphone makes a big difference. It gets rid of the bounce out of sound. So at the moment, I'm using a Rode mic.

I use a Rode NTSB USB. And great mic. I've had it for 10 years now, and it really takes a lot of the echo out of everything. And the software you use as well. But lighting is really important. And there's now companies, I saw a company advertising on Facebook, who come in and for a reasonable amount of money will actually set up your studio. So they actually mount the camera and the auto cue and the lighting and everything. And all you do is just walk in and press a button and everything's perfect. So if you're going to do this on a regular basis, rather than just ad hocing it, there is professionals now who'll come in and set it up for you.

And I know there was one based in Brisbane who's advertising, and their setup's really nice. So they've got the back key light, the front key light, all that. Now you don't have to go that far. Having a good 4K camera, which is worth investing in, and a good mic, you're probably looking at less than $500 for both of those. Your internet connection's a good one. Okay. My connection here is $1,100, which means it's $1,000 down 100 megabits off, which is quite a good speed connection, probably one of the faster ones that you can get in Australia.

You don't need to have that high, but you certainly need to make sure that everybody on the network is not downloading thousands of movies and doing other stuff while you're on it because you want to get the best strand possible.

Dixie Carlton 15:28

Yeah, definitely. And again, practice it, run it through, make sure that it works before you turn up on someone's podcast, especially if you want to impress them and be invited back. So one of the other things we need to think about is what makes you different? What problems do you solve? How do you stand out on someone's podcast? How do you make it that you are the most interesting person they spoke to that week, that month, maybe that year? How can you do something or say something or perhaps maybe you're going to give away copies of your book or you're going to post specific points of reference or interest?

How do you make sure you are just kind of extra interesting? And this takes some thought too.

Brad Hauck 16:13

I think it's worthwhile. When I talked about before doing a bit of research about the podcast you're going on and listening back through a few episodes at least, so you understand how the people who've been on before have talked, the topics, where things go, and all that. It allows you to actually then make some notes and go, well, actually, this story would be good. So write that down, say in a Google Docs so you can have it open in front of you. And maybe I want to mention this saying or this offer. Make sure you've got them written in front of you.

Because if you don't, when you get caught up in the conversation, of course, you forget those things. Now you won't be able to use all of them, but being prepared before beforehand means that in your brain will be this stuff sitting there waiting for you. And you'll hear prompts and you'll go, Oh, I can slot that in there. It's not being disingenuous, it's actually being prepared so that you're again offering the listener of the podcast what it is that they need to move forward. As before it's talked about on stage, you get up on stage, you do a presentation, you're out there for 45 minutes, and then it's all over.

Well, the whole point of going on stage is to change someone. So you need to give them something to do when they leave. And it's no different with the podcasts.

Dixie Carlton 17:26

Absolutely. And if you can tum at something with a completely different perspective or a fresh angle, when you are pitching to go on that podcast, you need to make it clear that's what you are bringing to the table. That you have the ability to strike a different perspective or shed a different kind of light on something that then distance will be interested in hearing about. So keep that talk of mind. And this is again coming back to reflecting on your own skills and ability and where you stand out in your industry, not just for podcasting, but obviously on stage, etc.

So how do you make the after you are on the podcast be something that's of value to you? How do you make sure that this isn't just something that you say, oh, I'm going on such and such as podcasts? How do I make sure that they really have the ability to market me? Or I can market myself or provide some longevity after the microphones and cameras are turned off. What can you Yeah, sorry. What did you do when you went on the Daryl Carnegie podcast? Great example.

Brad Hauck 18:34

Well, I made the offer, of course, of people being able to get my book, which is one that's worthwhile for the people listening. Alternatively, if they wanted to talk to me about AI specifically and their business, the offer was there to have a free chat. So I think the thing is to work out what it is, what the audience needs, and make the offer based on that. It not every podcast will give you that opportunity. Sometimes it's thanks for talking. Now, if you want to see Brad, go to bradhauck.com or go to proficlix.com.au. And that's the end of the podcast.

It really does depend on the person and also the topic that they bring to the fore when you're having the chat. But I think the key thing is that you do have something there that you can offer. That is a great gift, that is an opportunity for people to succeed, to move forward. And even if it's made quickly, at least it's there and people know. But I think also little things like when you're recording the podcast, having your background behind you, having your logo on you, little subtle things also are important, not just the talking on a plain background or a muted background or something.

Dixie Carlton 19:44

Exactly right. And I think also when you are a guest, most of the time it will be a pre-recorded session. What you can also do for the podcast door is make sure that you assure them that you're going to not only ensure that they have the link for where you want people to go after the podcast, but also that you are going to promote the podcast to your own market. So when it comes out, they know that you are supporting your episode by put by sharing it and by talking it up, which in turn helps them get more viewers on their overall podcast series.

But also, if you have a link that you can just automatically send them and say, hey, free download to my book for your listeners is available here. Well, this is the landing page that I've set up just for anyone that's specifically interested in this topic, they can go there. And that you have that predetermined how you're going to share that with the podcast or their producers. That's helpful.

Brad Hauck 20:42

Yeah, it's always best to plan up front. Whether the opportunity arises or not will depend on the situation that you find yourself in at the end. But it's better to do that than to get to the end and go, oh, you know, freeze. So prior preparation, prefense, bad performance.

Dixie Carlton 21:00

Exactly. Now we're running out of a little bit of time for today, and we have covered a lot, except we haven't really talked a lot about the whole value of making a decision about poakster your own podcast, which I think perhaps we can leave for another day. But what I do want to say is that while you are thinking about being a podcast guest, you need to be thinking about identifying maybe three or five ideal podcasts you want to be on. Make sure you know that your audience listens to them and then draft your pitch document.

Explain why their listeners would benefit from having you on. And that's where you need to start moving towards doing this on a regular basis. And I recommend doing a pitch send at least once a month and being on someone else's podcast at least once a month to ensure that your name, your brand, your message is getting out there beyond your own inner circle.

Brad Hauck 22:00

Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. Sit down, think about what it is you're after. Think about who you could work with or who you'd love to work with, and start to move forward on putting a plan on how you're going to do that. If this episode has you thinking about writing a book, but you're not sure how to shape your ideas, reach out to Dixie at indiexpertspublishing.com. And if you want to become number one in AI, then contact me at proficlix.com.au. I can help you with an AI visibility audit. Don't forget our new website, theExpertsJourney.com, is live and you'll find all of our episodes there.

You can listen to them, you can read the show notes, you can read the transcripts, you can get all the downloads. Everything is going to be there. And there's lots and lots of information for anyone who wants to grow their business. Thanks for joining us on The Experts Journey. If this episode helped you, please share it with a friend who is an author or speaker. And we'll catch you next time.

Dixie Carlton 22:53

And of course, don't forget to review us if you love what you've heard. And of course, sharing us is always a great thing. And in one final footnote to this, if you think you'd make a great guest on our podcast, please grab the form on our website and fill it in and send it back to us. Or just write us a pitch. You're welcome to practice your pitching to us if you've heard this episode. Thanks very much, Brad. It's been a great episode as always. Talk soon.

Brad Hauck 23:20

See you in the next episode.

Dixie Carlton 23:21

Bye.