How to Boost Your Book Sales with the Power of Podcasts - BM411

Susan Friedmann [00:00:30]:

Welcome to Book Marketing Mentors, the weekly podcast where you learn proven strategies, tools, ideas, and tips from the masters. Every week, I introduce you to a marketing master who will share their expertise to help you market and sell more books. Well, guess what? Today, it's me again and my trusty cohort, Jane Maulucci. 

Welcome, Jane. Oh, thanks, Susan. So happy to be here today. I'm always happy to have you here. And I know people love it when we do this together.

So what's our topic today, Jane?

Jane Maulucci [00:01:05]:

Well, I wanna talk to you about podcasting. Now, there's a lot of us who don't have the time, energy, or inclination to have our own podcast, but I understand that podcasts are a great way to promote your book. If I'm not doing my own podcast, what am I gonna do? Give me some ideas.

Susan Friedmann [00:01:25]:

I love it because, as you know, we've been doing book marketing mentors now. We're in our 8th year. Actually, it's the 9th year because we've done 8 years, so it must be 9th. Maths is not my strong suit, as you can tell.

Jane Maulucci [00:01:39]:

You're much better with words.

Susan Friedmann [00:01:43]:

We've done over 400 episodes now. And the best way to promote your book is actually to be a podcast guest. This is the hottest trend in marketing, well, marketing strategy for your books. It's finding the right podcast to be a podcast guest on. I know you're gonna ask me, what's the right one?

Jane Maulucci [00:02:11]:

How do you figure out it's the right one? I mean, there's so many of them and they're so Millions. Yeah. I mean, you've got a quite a wide selection. So where do you start?

Susan Friedmann [00:02:22]:

Well, it's finding out, first of all, where your target audience is. You wanna be talking to people who are going to be interested in your book, in your message, in your information, in potentially your services if you're going to do speaking, training, or coaching. It's not only about the book. In fact, I don't feature just books and I don't feature guests who have written a book necessarily. Many of my guests haven't written a book. However, they've got the information that is relevant. So mine isn't necessarily a good one if you are looking to actually promote your book, which I actually think is not necessarily the best approach. It's more in terms of your message, the information that you want to share.

Susan Friedmann [00:03:17]:

And so you're looking at for your target audience.

Jane Maulucci [00:03:21]:

Okay. If my target audience is, I don't know, let's say it's in the medical field, what kind of podcast am I looking for?

Susan Friedmann [00:03:30]:

You're going to be looking for podcasts in that arena, but medical field is huge.

Jane Maulucci [00:03:36]:

Mhmm.

Susan Friedmann [00:03:36]:

You know, healthcare is huge. So it's starting to do some research. Now obviously, you can hire someone to do this for you, but if you want to do it, and I think it's a good exercise, is to actually start looking at the different podcast directories. Just go in and Google the best podcasts in healthcare, the best podcast in education, and the best podcast in business or small business. So it's gonna come up with maybe 20, or 25 of the top ones. Those are usually on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify. You know, there are the hot directories out there where we all have our podcasts. So look at those.

Susan Friedmann [00:04:30]:

Start doing the research. You know, just type in into Google or whichever search engine you use, looking for those top ones. And then go in and look at those ones and see which ones have guests because not all podcasts have guests. Oh, good to know. Yeah. I mean, there are just some people who just talk about their subject.

Jane Maulucci [00:04:54]:

Mhmm.

Susan Friedmann [00:04:55]:

And it's only them. Whereas, in fact, the top podcasts, so I've just been reading, Jane, are ones who interview guests. So I like that.

Jane Maulucci [00:05:08]:

Yeah. Now, if you've say you've figured out 5 podcasts that you think are gonna be great for your target market, and, you know, talking to the same people that you wanna talk to, what's your next step?

Susan Friedmann [00:05:21]:

To listen to them. Oh. And find out that this is a good podcast, a good fit for you. I love it when people listen to my podcast, you know, who are going to be guests in particular. I love it when people listen to the podcast. And thank you listeners, because we're one of the in the 1.5% of podcasts listened to worldwide, which is really exciting. Yes. Go in and listen to them and listen and do some research and really see, do they attract your target audience? What kind of response do they have? What are the reviews like of the podcast? Look at do people comment about the podcast? Do some of your own research to see that this is a good match for you.

Jane Maulucci [00:06:18]:

Okay. You found the right podcast. You've made your pitch, and they're willing to have you on as a guest, Suspecting that everything goes very well and it's really great content, what do you do after the podcast?

Susan Friedmann [00:06:32]:

After the podcast, I mean, the best thing that you can do is to help promote it. I mean, here you are on the podcast. It's an opportunity for you not only to help the podcast host to promote it, but it's you. You've shared your information. It's valuable. You could put the link and embed it on your own website. You could potentially do it, you know, put it on social media. Let people know that you were on this episode.

Susan Friedmann [00:07:05]:

Don't rely on the host to just do it for you. You're not going to get many brownie points if you just leave it to the host. We're very particular. In fact, now, over the years, we've learned to do this. You know, you learn from your own mistakes, but we actually have an application form now for our guests to apply to be on the podcast. And one of the questions is that, are you willing to promote this, and where will you be promoting it? We actually give you the tools to be able to promote it. We make it easy. However, you've still got to do it.

Susan Friedmann [00:07:45]:

We can't actually do, you know, your posting on your website or, you know, on your social media for you, so we are relying on you to do that. That is the best thing that you can do to help not only yourself but of course, the podcast guest, which is a way of saying, hey, thank you for having me here.

Jane Maulucci [00:08:04]:

Oh, that's fabulous. I mean, your goal, of course, is to help promote your book and get your message out, but you also want to do that kindness because this person let you be on their podcast to thank them by sharing the information and making people more aware of the podcast as well that this person is hosting. Obviously, it would be of interest to the people that you're trying to market to. So you've got that commonality right there. You're doing everybody a favor just by getting out there and letting them know that this podcast is there and great to listen to.

Susan Friedmann [00:08:41]:

Absolutely. And another thing that I love is, number 1, if somebody refers me to, you know, another podcast host because I myself like to be a guest on other people's podcasts. Or in fact, if you, let's say, you have your own podcast, and maybe I would be a good fit for your podcast. We often do swaps with some of the guests, but it's not compulsory that we do that, but it's always a nice thing to be able to do. Usually, the kind of guests I have, if they have a podcast of their own, often attract an audience that would be a good fit for me. So that referral and that swapping is always a nice gesture.

Jane Maulucci [00:09:29]:

How do you suggest that you should prepare to be on a podcast? For yourself now that you've done the research, you've found the right podcast, you've listened to it, you know what they're doing on their podcast who they're talking to, and the kind of topics they talk about. But how do you, yourself, prepare for the podcast?

Susan Friedmann [00:09:48]:

One of the things that I didn't mention earlier, and I'll come to that, I think that's a great question, Jane. Thank you. Is preparing in the preparation that you have sent the podcast host, let's say, some questions that they could ask you. That's always helpful and some people ask for them. I always ask for them. I seldom use them because of the format. I just like to have a conversation with my guests and then use whatever they might have said about a topic. I use it as a springboard maybe to talk about something else that they mentioned that might be of interest to my listeners.

Susan Friedmann [00:10:33]:

Other podcast hosts are much more strategic, can want the questions, and they're gonna ask you the questions, and, you know, gonna answer them. Make sure that if you're giving them questions, that they're questions that are going to highlight aspects of your expertise, which obviously, I'm assuming, is in your book, then people love mistakes. People love stories. They love examples. So if you've got anything like that, be prepared to talk. Don't just give short, like one-word, two-word answers to questions. Be willing to expand on that because there's nothing worse than having, you think, an interview or a conversation that turns out to be more of an interrogation because you're constantly trying to find the right next question to ask your guest because they just give you a little piece of information and not more. So be prepared to expand, extrapolate, have a story, be interesting, you know.

Susan Friedmann [00:11:51]:

So have a real conversation. Absolutely. It is a conversation. And many times I mean, I don't do video, but many podcasts do. And so, you know, make sure that what you're wearing, you don't have jangly jewelry for women that, are going to get in the way and might hit the microphone or cause unnecessary noise. I've had people who got a microphone that rubs against the fabric of their clothing and that's disturbing as well. Your lighting, what you wear, how you look, I mean, this is all part of your image, your brand, your presentation. That's important.

Susan Friedmann [00:12:37]:

That's a whole other preparation. Sometimes the host wants to go through that with you beforehand. I've had times where I come on and maybe half hour early, then we go through all the tech stuff, make sure everything's working, that the mic sounds good, that you look good on camera. All of these things are important. And, of course, if it's a good podcast host, they're going to tell you what they want because, obviously, they want you to look good and they want their show to be of a certain caliber as well.

Jane Maulucci [00:13:18]:

Not being an expert, but I'd also maybe suggest that you have a copy of your book handy, in case it's on video.

Susan Friedmann [00:13:26]:

What a great idea. Honey, you should say that, Jane. Yes. It would be a really good idea to have your book handy and that the host knows the title of the book, that they're going to be putting it up on camera in some way. Again, these are things that you would discuss with the host beforehand. And it's always nice to have something to give away, some kind of they call it a lead magnet. Many of you are familiar with that terminology. But something where they can get in touch with you afterwards or it's a way where they can purchase the book.

Susan Friedmann [00:14:08]:

So supply that kind of information. This is all good stuff. And again, it's something that allows people to follow up with you. Now on Book Marketing Mentors, as many of you know, those of you who've listened to me, I allow my guests to have their own little advertisement, you know, they can promote a course, they can give their website, they can give their social media contact, they may have a gift that they have for the listeners. So all of that is part of your preparation. And know how to talk about yourself, your book, your website, the number of times that guests come on to my podcast and they stumble over their own website, or how people can get in touch with them. Have that. Know that.

Susan Friedmann [00:15:07]:

Write it down. Have it in front of you so that you remember or you can remind yourself of that. I mean, all these things are helpful, not only to make you look good, but again, help the host look good that they've had somebody professional on as their guest.

Jane Maulucci [00:15:28]:

And, you know, it also happens that sometimes the nerves take over. So having those things written down, Susan, I think is a wonderful idea. Sometimes you forget your own name just because you're nervous about that. What the heck? So, Susan, what golden nugget would you give us from all of this information? What's the most important thing we need to remember if we're gonna be a guest on a podcast?

Susan Friedmann [00:15:52]:

The time's flown, Jane. Wow. We're on the golden nugget already.

Jane Maulucci [00:15:56]:

Yeah.

Susan Friedmann [00:15:57]:

So, yes, the golden nugget, and I said it earlier, but I can't emphasize it enough, is to listen to the podcast before you actually are a guest on that show. To me, it's like courteous. It's like you've done your own homework. You know a little bit about how the host, how they are. You get a lot of my personality and how I run my show by listening to 1 or a few episodes of my show because I've got a certain formula that I use. Of course, when it's me being interviewed, it's like out the window, but it's a bit formulaic, even though, as I said, it's a conversation. I'm going off on a tangent, but that golden nugget comes back to the courtesy of doing your homework and listening to episodes beforehand. I think that's my true golden nugget, Jane.

Jane Maulucci [00:17:01]:

Well, that's super. Susan, you give us so much information every time we do one of these podcasts. I just love being here and listening to you. And of course, I listen to the other podcasts as well, but I just think this is fabulous. How do people reach out to you so that they can garner some of your wisdom?

Susan Friedmann [00:17:20]:

Well, thank you, Jane. And it's always great to have you as my host because I find it so much easier to answer questions like that and have that conversation than just talking because that I find is art. Some people enjoy it and find it much easier. For me, it's more challenging. In any event, how do people find me? You know, you can have your 20-minute brainstorm with Susan. So if you go to BrainstormWithSusan.com, you and I can have a talk about your book and how you can make that better, your own marketing of your own book, and we can talk about getting on podcasts as well. Obviously, I know quite a bit about it and I've actually got a little gift for you all. I put together a list of the top podcast directories and platforms for podcast guests.

Susan Friedmann [00:18:22]:

It tells you also different platforms where you can actually be in a directory or host like myself who is looking for guests. So Wow. That's fabulous. Yeah. It's a great resource. It's the top ones, the top platforms, the top directories. So I will put that in the show notes, everybody, so that you can download that and, that will give you a start on looking for shows for yourself. And if you already started, do more of it.

Susan Friedmann [00:19:01]:

You can't do enough of it. Get out there and shine. Talk about your expertise. Let people know because this is a great platform to do that. Thank you for all tuning in to this episode, and I hope it gave you some valuable information, and some ideas that you can use to sell more books. Until next week, is wishing you much book and author marketing success.

Grab your copy of Susan's special resource:  A guide to the top podcast directories and platforms, a key tool for authors aiming to expand their presence in the podcasting scene.