“Your network is your net worth.”
— Porter Gale
The act of podcasting is like driving a train that never stops. Instead of chugga-chugga, we’re told consistency-consistency. You must keep your podcast’s steam engine going at any cost or else you could end up at destination podfade.
Nobody wants you to go there.
Network
As podcasters, we know the value of networking. That’s why we attend conferences and virtual meetups. There are Facebook groups for us to support each other and talk shop.
If you have an interview podcast, how are you nurturing your network of past guests? It dawned on me recently that many of us are neglecting what is likely to be our most valuable podcasting asset. You surely spend a lot of time and care curating the best guests possible… thought leaders, authors, and experts. Perhaps you even land the occasional coveted celebrity.
Don’t allow your podcast episode interaction with a guest to be one-and-done. It makes sense to develop a system for nurturing those relationships.
Goodwill
The currency of real networking is generosity. Hosting a podcast puts you in the perfect position. When we are a good host, we do everything we can to serve the guest.
I expect little in return. Of course, having a guest share the published episode with their network is a nice gift and very much appreciated!
Imagine my surprise when Howard, one of my past guests, recently shared his episode on LinkedIn. Although the episode was originally published in July 2018, his network listened to it as if it were recorded yesterday. Thank goodness for evergreen content.
The comments rolled in. See my comment below.
It’s been more than four years, and Howard still appreciates being a guest on my podcast — so much so that he’s open to getting together any time!
This Friday, I will meet Howard in person for the first time to play a round of golf. I hope he is still fond of me after seeing how many times I hit the golf ball!
Our unique relationship with our guests is special and deserves to be cultivated and grown.
Tactics
Here are a couple of things to try.
1. Create a Twitter List
If you’re on Twitter, make a list and add all of your past guests. This makes it easy to read your guests’ tweets so you can engage with a quick like or retweet. Build goodwill by engaging with past guests on social media.
2. Send a random email
Once a week, email a past guest. For example, I was reading about a company that I knew had acquired a company that one of my guests had founded. I forwarded the article saying, “Hey, I thought of you when reading this.” I also added a short note sharing my thoughts about the article. I got an immediate reply of appreciation.
I once thought about creating an email list of past guests so I can send out regular updates that include new episodes and notable news about my podcast. I changed my mind because who wants to be added to another automated (spammy) email? I prefer the personalized note. It may not be scalable, but it’s more meaningful.
What tactics can you share for nurturing and building your network? Have you built a system for keeping in touch with past guests?
I think there is real value there! I’d love to hear what has worked for you.
