trueblood

On the night of November 25th, 1996, Rick Wendorf, 49, and his partner Ruth Queen, 54, were beaten to death with a crowbar inside their home in Eustis, Florida, by a vampire over 500 years old known as Vesago. At least that's what their killer believed. "Vesago" was really Rod Ferrell, a sixteen year-old from Murray, Kentucky, who lost himself in a vampiric role playing game, and truly thought he'd become an immortal bloodsucker. 

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I believe that pitching is about sharing ideas, asking for what you want, and making your voice heard. Today's episode is a personal one, where I share a recent experience that taught me the importance of advocacy in all areas of life, not just in business.

In December, my daughter, an avid horseback rider, had a riding accident that resulted in a broken collarbone and a facial laceration. This incident put me in a position where I had to advocate for her medical care, ensuring she received the best treatment possible, including a transfer to a children's hospital and attention from a pediatric plastic surgeon.

Throughout this ordeal, I realized that the skills we use in business, such as pitching and following up, are just as applicable in our personal lives. Advocating for my daughter's care required the same determination and persistence as following up on a business lead or pitching a podcast.

As we step into the new year, I encourage you to commit to advocating for yourself and your ideas, both in business and in life. Don't be afraid to follow up until you get an answer, and remember that advocating for what you want is always worth it.

Topics covered include:

• Why I believe that pitching is not just about selling or convincing, but also about sharing ideas, asking for what you want, and advocating for your voice to be heard
• My personal experience of seeking medical care for my daughter after her accident
• What I needed to do in order to advocate and pitch in this real-life situation - including the importance of following up
• Why advocating for your ideas extends beyond business and into all areas of life
• Why I'm excited about how the podcast is going to develop in 2024!

Full show notes and resources: https://thepodwizegroup.com/pitching-beyond-business

When talking about podcast guesting, the initial impact is obviously from listeners hearing you. But suppose you really focus on leveraging the relationship that you create with the host. In that case, you're able to expand that interview's impact beyond what you might have originally intended. Similarly, my guest today was able to build a relationship with a corporate client, and then expand a $35k project into $250k. And she was able to do this by identifying the correct way to pitch what she could offer - and getting her client so on board that they effectively pitched her services for her! 
Laura Khalil has consulted for some of the world's largest brands, such as GE, Intel, and Twitter. Nowadays, she works with other consultants to help them find, attract, and sign bigger B2B clients. One of her trademark strategies is Land and Expand, a way to grow your consulting business by starting with a smaller contract and then expanding into larger deals. In this conversation Laura talks about how she used it to gain a corporate contract and then leveraged it to grow her business within that company.
I want you to pay special attention to when Laura talks about identifying and coaching champions at the organizations that you are pitching, and how to support them as they push for your deal to get approved and fast-tracked. 
Topics covered include:

• How Laura got the initial opportunity through a referral from a previous client
• The importance that Laura placed on building trust and rapport with her contact in order for them to become her champion and advocate for her proposal internally
• How Laura recognized the opportunity to expand her proposal, and how she was able to progress it successfully
• Why pricing is rarely the real objection when working with the right target market - focus on solving problems and providing value
• The reason Laura decided to dedicate her career to helping other consultants Land and Expand their own proposals

Full show notes and resources: https://thepodwizegroup.com/250k-corporate-contract

Where you focus your visibility goals depends on the stage your business is at, what your priorities are, and where your target audience happens to be. Although our focus, both on the podcast and at the Podwize Group, is on pitching clients for visibility through podcast guest appearances, I've always been clear that the basics of pitching are the same, no matter the opportunity.

Today’s conversation with Shawn Fink touches on an opportunity I know many of us would LOVE to have: a paid keynote speaking opportunity. Shawn is a business design strategist who helps female entrepreneurs and creators cultivate brand demand. Tune in to hear how Shawn was able to connect with a warm contact at her target organization and provide clarity around her topic and its potential impact.

I hope you'll be able to use some of that advice in your own pitches!

Topics covered include:

• A little about Shawn's background and the concept of the Brave Yes Mindset
• Shawn's first attempt at pitching to the organizers of this particular group
• How a little research helped her to make a second pitch
• How the presentation went, the feedback Shawn received, and the unexpected opportunities that came from it
• Why taking risks can level up your business

Full show notes and resources: https://thepodwizegroup.com/paid-keynote-presentation

Have you hesitated to share an offer that you believe would be a definite "yes" for your ideal audience, despite its incredible value? My guest today, Nikki Rausch, faced a different scenario. In 2020, she pitched an offer that not only brought in $49,000 within the initial seven days but continues to significantly impact her business even after three years.

In this episode of Pitched, Nikki, the Founder and CEO of Sales Maven, recounts her experience pitching a new offer to her audience in 2020 and the profound effect it had on her business. Her approach to sales centers around authenticity and fostering genuine connections, making her story particularly inspiring for our listeners.

What resonates with me most from my conversation with Nikki is her ability to craft an offer that meets multiple needs of her audience, implement it swiftly, and benefit from it over the long-term. In fact, the $49,000 generated in this offer's first seven days has grown into hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue over the past three years.

If you've been holding onto an idea or offer for an extended period, I hope Nikki's story jumpstarts you to pitch it! Sometimes, taking the leap is the hardest part, as overthinking often leads to talking ourselves out of pitching entirely.

Topics covered include:

• The offer from Nikki's coach that made her spend $5,000 in a day
• What was contained in the package she came up with, what she priced it at, and how she pitched it to her audience
• The immediate response that Nikki received
• Nikki's thoughts about discounted offers - "What you should charge is what will people pay"
• The effect that appearing on podcasts has had on Nikki's business
  Details of the free training that Nikki is offering for Pitched listeners

Full show notes and resources: https://thepodwizegroup.com/game-changing-offer

In 2015, Ken Schmitt,  founder and CEO of boutique recruiting firm TurningPoint Executive Search, pitched two similarly awful options to his small team: either laying off staff or working with an organization that wasn't aligned with their company's values. However, by being open and vulnerable in his pitch to the team, Ken was offered a third option that he hadn't considered.

Pay close attention to the impossible situation that Ken was in, with regard to his business and his team, and how the work culture he has fostered helped to create a solution. I also love the value that Ken and his team place on preserving their brand's reputation. How you can apply this thinking to your future pitching opportunities?

Topics covered include:

• An introduction to Ken and the work he does at TurningPoint
• How Ken's established leadership style, centered on openness and vulnerability, led him to pitch two lousy options to his team
• The unexpected solution that Ken's team presented to him, and the positive outcomes that followed their intervention
• Ken's takeaways from the experience

Full show notes and resources: https://thepodwizegroup.com/pitched-layoff-team

For the first episode of Pitched, I'm sharing a conversation I had with my friend Kristen Carbone of the tech company Brilliantly. In it, Kristen shares a very particular experience she had of pitching her wearable femtech product to a room full of potential investors - who were all men.

Pay close attention during our conversation to learn what Kristen gained from this encounter. It's something that is relevant to many pitching scenarios - whether you're seeking funding, establishing partnerships, or securing podcast interviews. It was great to hear Kristen reaffirm my long-held belief in this essential practice!

Topics covered include:

• What is femtech?
• Kristen's story and why she developed the Brilliantly Warm wearable tech solution
• Why Kristen wanted to approach external funders to develop her product
• What she learned from the experience of pitching a femtech product to a room full of men, and why she won't be discouraged from doing it again
• The preparatory work that Kristen now does before pitching herself

Full show notes and resources: https://thepodwizegroup.com/pitching-femtech-investors/

In the last episode, I talked about how podcast guesting has evolved since I began working in the podcasting space. In this episode, I'm talking about another evolution - the evolution of the Go Pitch Yourself podcast.

When we launched the show in September 2019, we focused on giving you the tools to pitch yourself (the clue's in the title!) for podcast guesting opportunities. However, during the summer hiatus, I realized that Go Pitch Yourself no longer aligns with our company's direction. And as our focus at the Podwize Group has shifted, the time has come to widen the topics we cover here. 

Introducing... "Pitched: Real Stories of Pitching Bold Ideas." 

It's all about behind-the-scenes conversations, getting into the details of life and business with fascinating people. We're stepping away from generic business owner interviews and diving deep into specific, juicy topics.

All of our past episodes will remain in this feed, but starting October 10th, you'll see new artwork, and be the first to experience our fresh format and focus. We'll continue offering podcast guesting insights through segmented Spotify playlists of past episodes, as well as updates on developments in the podcast guesting space specifically.

Stay tuned wherever you're listening right now, and we'll see you next time for the first episode of Pitched! I can't wait for you to hear where we're going next.

Topics covered include:

• How the summer hiatus led me to re-examine what I want to achieve with my business and the podcast
• The exciting topics we'll be covering in our new show, Pitched: Real Stories of Pitching Bold Ideas
• What is new and what is staying the same
• My plans for organizing past and future episodes into playlists
• How to follow and listen to Pitched

Full show notes and resources: https://thepodwizegroup.com/pitched-pitching-bold-ideas

Having worked in the podcasting space since late 2017, in this episode I take a quick journey through all the ways that podcast guesting has evolved since then.

Back in the day, there weren't too many people using podcast guesting as a way to grow their authority. Because of this, when I started I was pitching for a variety of things - TV appearances, online publications, as well as podcast interviews.

All the positive changes I've seen in podcast guesting have transformed it from a tactic to a long-term, intentional marketing strategy.

Listen in to hear, not only how the podcast space has grown, but how my business and the way that we work with clients has evolved to keep up with this changing landscape.

Topics covered include:

• The things I did - and didn't do! - for clients when I began my freelance career
• The different metrics used to measure the value of a podcast guest appearance
• Podcasts now - more competition and the growth of 'pay-to-play' transactional relationships
• Changes in marketing and promotion efforts - from growing an email list to Facebook to LinkedIn and beyond
• What I call the long game of podcast guesting - growing networks and referral partners, and getting in front of new audiences
• How the way we work with and pitch our clients has changed

Full show notes and resources: https://thepodwizegroup.com/evolution-podcast-guesting

Whether or not podcast guests share their interviews is a common topic of conversation in the podcast community, with hosts frequently expressing frustration and seeking solutions. In this episode of "Go Pitch Yourself," I share the reasons some guests may be less likely to share their interviews and offer up strategies hosts can take to better support them in sharing their episodes.

In addition to sharing what hosts can do to encourage sharing, I also share several actions that podcast guests can take to help ease the perceived 'pain' of helping promote the host's podcast.

Topics covered include:

• The common practice of podcast hosts using guest interviews as a growth strategy rather than a content strategy
• The importance of and how to make it easier for guests to share their interviews
• Why guests not sharing their interviews may be an indicator that you and your guest aren't 'connecting' in a way that maximizes collaboration
• The impact that exploring unique topics with your guests can have on their willingness to share your podcast with their audience
• How guests can be proactive in knowing when episodes go live
• The role that a template can play in repurposing your guest interviews 

Full show notes and resources: https://thepodwizegroup.com/guests-sharing-interviews

…or How I Spent My Summer Vacation.

For the last five episodes of the podcast, we've been sharing new versions of some of our most-downloaded episodes from the past four years. As we come to the end of our Summer Lovin' series, I am reflecting on what I've learned over the past few months.

This summer, I took some time to think about the future direction of the Go Pitch Yourself podcast, so I also share my thoughts around that, alongside some of the trends I've been noticing in the podcasting space.

However, if you have a topic around podcast guesting or hosting (or both) that you would like me to cover, reach out to me on LinkedIn @angietrueblood.  

Topics covered include:

• How I tend to overcomplicate things - can you relate?!
• What I noticed about podcast listening and production over the summer months
• Should it be the podcast guest's job to grow the host's show?
• A personal example about the power and value of connections made through guesting on podcasts
• Hints of some of our upcoming topics, and how you can get involved 

Full show notes and resources: https://www.thepodwizegroup.com/summer-recap

Are you wondering about effective ways to connect with the podcast hosts you want to pitch to? Or maybe you're a podcast host who wants to engage with your listeners outside of your recording sessions. If that resonates with you, then this episode is a must-listen, as we delve into strategies for enhancing podcast engagement.

For the final part of our Summer Lovin' series featuring our all-time most-downloaded episodes, we present my chat with Kevin Chemidlin from May 2022. Kevin is the mastermind behind a unique method for expanding podcast audiences that gets impressive results. With his inaugural podcast, Philly Who?, Kevin achieved over 100,000 downloads and generated more than $140,000 in revenue within just 18 months.

Drawing from his experiences, Kevin shared his expertise with fellow podcasters, leading him to launch the "Grow the Show" podcast and brand. 

Although Kevin's primary focus is on podcast hosts, the engagement strategies he outlines here are relevant for podcast guests seeking to develop meaningful connections within their specific niches. And even if you hate social media, when you hear the amazing results that Kevin's Targeted Daily Engagement technique has achieved, I'm sure you'll be able to find 15 minutes a day to grow your show. 

Topics covered include:

• Why Kevin became a full-time podcaster
• What he learned from growing the audience for his local-interest podcast and how this applies to podcasts more generally
• Why having a really focused idea of the potential audience demographic for your podcast can actually lead to growth
• Details of Targeted Daily Engagement, Kevin's signature approach to growth, how it works, and some incredible results
• Coming from the other side, how TDE can be an engagement strategy for podcasts, helping guests connect with hosts - with suggestions on how to approach hosts

Full show notes and resources: https://www.thepodwizegroup.com/engagement-strategies-for-podcasts-updated

Along with developing and nurturing business relationships, lead generation is the root of why we want to guest on podcasts. So you will have an idea of where you want the conversation to go, and the action you want listeners to take. But forcing the issue might be so far out of your comfort zone, and you really don't want to appear too salesy.

Have no fear! In one of our all-time most-downloaded episodes, Nikki Rausch shares some great ideas about how you can turn up for podcast guest appearances, connect with the host, deliver great content to the audience, AND generate sales leads - all without coming across as sleazy!

Listen again as part of our Summer Lovin' series, and notice how Nikki clearly has a plan of where she wants to lead the audience and plants seeds in a natural way throughout the interview. It's a masterclass of being intentional about how you show up as a podcast guest!

Topics covered include:

• How Nikki is able to gauge the power of podcast appearances
• The ways that Nikki takes podcast interviews and turns them into lead-generating opportunities without being salesy and spammy
• Ways to reinforce your authority by offering bite-sized, actionable steps that listeners can implement to get a 'quick win'
• How much free content should you offer up in a podcast interview?
• The impact that being featured on podcasts has had on Nikki's business

Full show notes and resources: https://www.thepodwizegroup.com/generating-leads-podcast-interviews-update

If pitching yourself for podcast visibility opportunities makes you worry that you don't have your opt-in / landing page / social profiles etc. finalized, then pitching a podcast quickly (aka messily!) might be just what you need.

Continuing our Summer Lovin' series, where we're re-sharing the content from five of our most downloaded episodes, today I lay out the minimum steps needed to get a targeted pitch out to your ideal podcast.

I think this one has been so popular because it shows that your pitch doesn't need to be perfect to be successful, as well as containing actionable steps to take.

Don't get me wrong, the parts of a 'messy' pitch are similar to those of a more finessed one. But trying to send out the perfect pitch can stop you from taking any action at all.

So if you've ever delayed sending a pitch because you think that you need to have everything all tied up in a bow, this episode will help you to feel more energized in your marketing. 

Topics covered include:

• What are the minimum steps needed to send a targeted pitch?
• The different parts that go into making a 'messy' pitch, including clarifying what you want to achieve, and how to craft a one-topic pitch template
• How to identify your ideal listener and the shows they are listening to
• How 'Pitching Messy' can help motivate you to keep going for the long haul

Full show notes and resources: https://www.thepodwizegroup.com/pitch-a-podcast-quickly-update

If you listened to our previous episode, you should have an idea of the type of podcasts that you want to pitch yourself to as a guest. But how do you go about finding these shows? Luckily, there are a number of podcast databases and networks that allow you to search for shows, and pitch podcast hosts (or guests).

For the second part of Summer Lovin' series, I'm bringing you an update of a previous episode where I reviewed four podcast databases - Podcast Hawk, Podcast Guests, PodMatch, and The Podcast Collaborative - with my friend and former colleague Kim Stewart. We describe how each service works, the different price points, what the user experience is like, and who we think will benefit from using them.

This episode was really popular when we first released it in 2022, so I'm excited to revisit this topic and note any changes that I've noticed.

Please note: I would always recommend that you prioritize building relationships with hosts and guests, as opposed to viewing a podcast appearance in purely transactional terms. But if you're just getting started guesting on podcasts, these services can give you a real jump-start.

Topics covered include:

• An update on podcast matching services and things that I've noticed within the podcasting space
• The importance of finding community and building meaningful relationships with hosts, rather than seeing podcast opportunities as transactional
• Why using a Podcast Database can be good for Podcast Guests who don't have the time to research new shows - and how they can help Podcast Hosts to find guests
• Our reviews of four Podcast Databases - with pros and cons for Podcast Hawk, Podcast Guests, PodMatch, and The Podcast Collaborative    
• A reminder of the benefits of appearing on so-called "small" shows

Full show notes and resources: https://www.thepodwizegroup.com/podcast-databases-networking-sites-update

If you are interested in knowing where to pitch yourself as a podcast guest, today I'm spilling the beans on the strategy we use to identify the types of shows we pitch our clients to.

Today's episode is the first in our Summer Lovin' series, where we're digging into and re-sharing some of the content from five of our most downloaded episodes. So, long-time listeners might remember that we covered the topic of the One-Liner for Pitchable Podcasts (or OPP) in May 2022.

An OPP is a simple one-line statement - "I pitch to podcasts that speak to *blank* about *blank*". And it's the basis of whether your interviews will have any impact on your business - because if you don't know the shows to look for, you'll be searching podcast directories without direction.

However, even if you have heard some of this material before, this is not just a repost. As you'll hear, we've refined and developed the OPP process, which is still key to the work we do at the Podwize Group. And interestingly, we've had a shift in the types of shows that we pitch our clients to, that you might want to use in your own pitching process!

Topics covered include:

• What has changed in the way that we pitch clients to shows, and why we now sometimes pitch to podcast hosts who could be viewed as competitors
• The ways that some podcast hosts are looking for guests who will be of interest to their audience because of their values, rather than the service they provide
• A description of how you can come up with your own OPP
• How using several OPP statements can help to define what you talk about on different shows
• Examples of how I use a number of different OPPs in my own podcast pitching

Full show notes and resources: https://www.thepodwizegroup.com/where-to-pitch-yourself-2

It's the 100th episode of the Go Pitch Yourself podcast! 

In this special episode, I reflect on where the show has been since we launched in September 2019, look forward to where it's going, and thank YOU for riding this podcasting wave with me. I also share some personal highlights and memories, along with some questions and comments from you, my listeners.

In addition to that, I share how you can help to shape the future of the Go Pitch Yourself podcast. Visit our short listener survey at thepodwizegroup.com/listener23 to get involved. 

Topics covered include:

• An extended Podcast Loves of the Week segment!
• The numbers - stats from where we started to where we are now
• Comments and questions from you, my listeners
• What I would do differently and the things that I'm most proud of
• Plans for the summer and how you can help to shape the future direction of Go Pitch Yourself

Full show notes and resources: https://www.thepodwizegroup.com/go-pitch-yourself-100

Can podcasting and social media play nicely together? How does social media strategy for podcasters differ from other industries? Is there a best social media platform for podcast promotion?

Whether you are a podcast host or guest, in this episode I'm answering these questions and looking at how you can use social media in a way that feels natural and complements your podcasting strategy.

My guest, Andréa Jones, is a social media strategist for passion-led coaches and experts who want to make a difference in the world with their message.

She guides her clients and students from being stuck to becoming strategic, passion-led powerhouses with her straightforward approach to social media: "Take one little step each day. Build social media savvy over time." As she says in our conversation, Social comes first, Media comes later - so let your audience get to know who you are initially.

Listen in as Andréa explains how to create a robust social media strategy for your podcast that works with your personality while meeting your promotional goals. 

Topics covered include:

• Why the idea that successful social media marketers are connecting online all day every day is a misconception that can prevent business leaders and solopreneurs from developing a social media strategy
• Why time spent connecting on other people's platforms is a better measure of social media activity than the number of posts you create
• Recent social media  trends that Andréa and her team have identified
• Why you don't need to be everywhere all the time - it's ok to lean into your preferred platform
• Andréa's tips for getting people to make the jump from social media to listening to your podcast - whether you're a guest or the host
• How to share your personal brand when you don't want to be on social all the time - and how you can set boundaries 

Full show notes and resources: https://www.thepodwizegroup.com/social-media-strategy-for-podcasters

When you're pitching for a podcast guest opportunity, you might not think that you're in sales mode. But the basic building blocks of pitching are the same, no matter WHO or WHAT you are pitching. In pitches and sales, you have to know your audience, do your preparation, personalize the communication, and be authentic.

My guest today is someone who disrupts the way that Direct Sellers and MLMers (multi-level marketers) show up online. Colleen Nichols is the creator of @noshamesalesgame, one of the most popular Instagram accounts for network marketers. She is also the founder and CEO of Direct Sales Growth Community, the community and training platform for the modern-day network marketer.

Colleen has achieved her success while still being a human online - incorporating her personality into everything she does. And as you'll hear, it's the same when you're pitching for podcast guest appearances - the best way for you to stand out is by being yourself.

Topics covered include:

• Why Colleen's success in Direct Sales came about because she showed up authentically online
• The things Colleen saw in the Multi-level Marketing (MLM) industry that led to the launch of the @noshamesalesgame Instagram profile and the Direct Sales Growth Community
• The vanilla copy-and-paste reach-outs that Colleen has seen in the MLM space, and how this relates to podcast pitches
• Why being human on the internet doesn't necessarily mean that you need to have a big personality
• Colleen's belief that when you release the need to sell, the sales come faster - so pitch yourself as the human first

Full show notes and resources: https://www.thepodwizegroup.com/anti-hey-girl-colleen-nichols

We've likely heard of sales funnels, but did you know there are podcast sales funnels, too? Candidly, if you have a podcast and are using it to grow a business, it should have some elements of an effective funnel in place. Lately, though, I've seen an interesting twist on how hosts are using podcasts, which includes them hosting interviews so they can invite 'guests' on who they would love to work with. Basically, they're using the show as a way to get time with someone who would otherwise not spend 30 minutes talking to them.

I don't have any issue with using this as a strategy. In fact, I've advocated for some podcasters using it. What I DO have an issue with is using your show as a way to funnel people closer to working with you and not truly being interested in showcasing their expertise or story for your audience.

And, I have an issue with it because I was recently stuck in a podcast sales funnel. Luckily, I managed to escape and am sharing all the ins and outs of my experience with you.

In this episode, I show you how to recognize when you've stumbled into a podcast sales funnel. I also explain how to evaluate if the guest visibility opportunity is still a good use of your time.

Topics covered include:

• My recent experiences with podcast sales funnels and how I managed to escape them
• Why the audience is of little or no importance if a podcast host's primary goal is to convert guests into clients
• The red flags to be on the lookout for if you think you're in a podcast sales funnel
• How to tell if the visibility opportunity on offer is still worth your time

Full show notes and resources: https://www.thepodwizegroup.com/escape-podcast-sales-funnel