On The Road...
I'm in the middle of my last booked travel...for now.
Hello from a Starbucks in Santa Monica, CA, where it’s normally sunshine and flip flops, but is currently overcast, chilly and drizzling. Perfect weather to be holed up with a toffeenut latte, my book and laptop.
I’m here for my book signing this evening at Zibby’s Bookshop where I’ll be in conversation with my college friend, Kirk Hawkins. He’s a KTLA weatherman and news anchor and we attended UCSB together over two decades ago. Tomorrow…
The audiobook and ebook launch! You can grab yours at Barnes & Noble or Amazon!
Tomorrow is one of the original pub dates for the actual book and yet it’s been over a month since the hardcover released and it’s still promotion, promotion, promotion time! Let’s be honest, book promotion should never really end, especially if you plan on writing another one some day. In addition to that, a book sale is a book sale no matter when it happens, therefore, keep promoting!
The Lifespan Of A Launch
On the podcast tomorrow, I’m talking about how podcast interviews can increase the longevity of whatever you’re launching. By now, you know it’s not a one and done. You don’t show up for the interview and that’s it. You have to share, share, share. In addition to this, you don’t know when the interview is actually going to go live. You can certainly ask if it’s possible for an episode to go live on your launch day, but know that the request can’t always be accomodated depending on what the host already has scheduled. But does it even matter?
When working with clients, especially authors, we book interviews well in advance of their book launch but that doesn’t mean the host’s calendar will be open next week or even next month. In addition to this, the recording might not actually go live for a week or a month or even a few months. I look at this as a good thing because it lengthens the time of your promotion.
Interviews going live before a launch date allow for pre-orders, gathering new followers or attention before a launch. Interviews going live on the day of your launch allow for you to appear to be in multiple places in one day, which happens to be the big day. Interviews that go live after your launch date allow for the continuation of promotion. Couple the interview going live with your own promotion of the interviews and you’ve now extended the lifespan even longer. Don’t forget that if you’re tagging the host, the host will most likely share your share…furthering the reach and lifespan even more. Remember that this is a marthon…not a sprint. This mindset applies to PR, your business and life.
Why Podcast Hosts?
Podcasts and podcast hosts are one of the most trusted sources. This is a fact! Acast released a study in October 2023 that says 75% of podcast listeners have sought out a podcast for product endorsement. People trust people. People trust podcasts.
Is it because podcast hosts are just like the rest of us and most don’t get paid to do what we do? I don’t have sponsors, ads, nor do I receive compensation for anything I promote. I’ll get a free book to read if I decide I want to interview an author but that’s all of the compensation I receive (and I’m very happy with that). My show is my show and therefore, I get to say what I want, offer up my opinion as I see fit and endorse products, services and people I believe in. One thing I will tell you is that I don’t speak much at all on things I don’t like. What’s the point? I can rant all day long about a book I didn’t enjoy, but does that anyone good? Absolutely not AND it hurts the feelings of the author. I’d rather promote the heck out of something I truly love and enjoy so that you will want to experience the same thing. You can be sure that if I share something, I’m all for it.
This is why podcasts are so trusted. This is why having the trust a podcast host extends to you by inviting you onto their show is so precious and shouldn’t be taken lightly. This is why it’s so important to say thank you and share your interview.
Building Trust
You have built-in trust via the podcast you’re on. Listeners trust the host and now trust you as well. You can expand on that trust by showing up and being consistent in every podcast interview you do. Deliver quality content that is going to help the listeners. Let them know and understand that you are here for them and expect nothing in return. If you do this every time, the trust listeners have in you will continue to grow. Your brand and name will become more recognizable. You will be a trusted source. Trust builds confidence and dependability. It’s something you want to be known for.
Building trust allows you to reach more people. In 2023, we started tracking how many podcast listeners our clients reached with every interview. We ended the year at 1.13M podcast listeners. This year we are already at 1.54M…it’s not even March! Show up. Be consistent. You’ll see the difference!
Podcast Interviews
Last week I had some terrrific interviews go live!
I was on Crista Grasso’s Lean Out Your Business podcast. We discussed how to leverage podcast guesting for growth.
Azul Terronez welcomed me on Authors Who Lead to talk about pitching to podcasts.
For all self-published authors, I was interviewed by Agnes Wolfe on Author’s Alcove about how you can utilize podcast interviews to advertise your book.
To hear a bit about my personal journey, listen to my interview on Podcast Junkies with Harry Duran. We discussed embracing change and the power of storytelling.
I was honored to be included in Thrive on the most important boundaries I’ve set!
Tomorrow I head back home…to my family, podcast interviews, work, writing and in 2 weeks…another television appearance! I’ll be on LIVE In The Bay on KRON4. Catch me on March 11th at 1pm PST!
Until next week my friends….