Is being a podcast interview guest of any benefit to your marketing plan? That depends. Is professional legitimacy important in your market? Are you an expert in your field? Do you have a distinctive viewpoint that gives you a competitive edge?
You don’t have to answer all those right now. But, we need to talk more about professional legitimacy, because it’s kind of important, and kind of complex.
Most of us were raised with the idea that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But we did it anyway, and we felt bad about it. Then Malcolm Gladwell came along with Blink, and basically told us to stop feeling bad for judging that way, because the outcome is sometimes better - as long as we stay in touch with our subconscious biases so we don’t make unwitting jerks out of ourselves.
“There can be as much value in the blink of an eye as in months of rational analysis.”
― Malcolm Gladwell
So let’s look at this practically, in a hypothetical version of a most basic business transaction...business cards. Let’s say you’re offering a service, and you hand me your business card. There are four equally possible, very likely outcome options here:
- Your business card is low quality/homemade. I assume you just came up with the idea for the business last night.
- Your business card is low quality/homemade. I assume you’re a fiscally responsible and pragmatic person who believes the card conveys the pertinent information regardless of its sheen.
- Your business card is awesome. I assume you’re really awesome at what you do.
- Your business card is awesome. I assume the slickness of the card serves to distract people from the fact that you’re a complete moron (or worse, a complete Decepticon.)
What if we don't restrict our view to one component? The sum total of your marketing efforts can build legitimacy. If your brand is consistent and well put-together, your business card isn’t homemade, and your website is informational and easy to navigate, you won’t look like a fly-by-nite - but your customers could still draw a #4 conclusion about you in a snap judgment. So where’s the proof? How can you convey your professional legitimacy?
Answer: Content.
Physicist Richard Feynman, in a roundabout way, addressed a similar issue -
“I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.”
-Richard Feynman
Feynman was brilliant, of course. In addition to his work in the field of quantum electrodynamics, and bongo playing*, he left behind the legacy of a technique for learning, called the Feynman Technique. In its simplest form, the Feynman technique relies on the concept that the ability to coherently explain a subject to someone (preferably someone who doesn’t already know everything about it) is synonymous with the actual understanding of the subject.
Let’s return to those first questions. If professional legitimacy is important in your market, and you are an expert or have a distinctive viewpoint, then you should be producing content to express this. This is the concept on which content marketing was built.
The more channels you use to distribute this content, the better. Blogs and books are wonderful examples of content, but they’re both one-sided. Feynman’s method specifically centers around explaining your area of expertise to a person who will ask questions. This way, you have the ability to overcome your own blind spots. Because you know what you’re doing, and are accustomed to talking about it, there is a tendency to assume that everyone is starting at a certain base level of understanding. They’re not.
Frankly, to explain quantum electrodynamics to a toddler in a purely scientific terminology wouldn’t be much better than speaking gibberish to them. To be interviewed is to broaden your dialogue with a prospective audience - and one that’s already familiar with the host.
It can be of extreme benefit toward the exposure of your content, and can immensely build your professional legitimacy.
We’ve talked a lot about podcasts through the years, and starting your own is still absolutely worth considering. 2017 figures show a continued increase in monthly podcast listeners - estimated 67 million! And honestly, if you already have your own podcast, you’re even better suited to be a guest on the podcasts of others. A good host will provide your contact information in the show notes and link back to your site, or your podcast. Your presence as a guest on a podcast should be beneficial for you and for the podcast on which you are interviewed. That's part of what makes it work.
So, do you want to be interviewed on podcasts? It's one of the many services we offer at Little Bird Marketing. You may not be in the right field for our Ponderings from the Perch podcast - but we can do the leg-work to find you the right venue. You get interviewed and reap the benefits of sharing your viewpoint and increasing the exposure of your content.
Give us a shout if you're interested.
* "On the infrequent occasions when I have been called upon in a formal place to play the bongo drums, the introducer never seems to find it necessary to mention that I also do theoretical physics."
-Richard Feynman
Ready to take your marketing to the next level? Maybe it's time you talked with a professional.
Priscilla McKinney
Priscilla McKinney, CEO of Little Bird Marketing, is a popular keynote speaker, prolific blogger, podcast host, industry innovator and diversity champion. Her two podcasts are Ponderings from the Perch and Digital Transformation Success. Best known for making waves in the digital marketing industry, Priscilla has been featured on numerous podcasts, is the President of American Advertising Federation Heartland and has received numerous design, entrepreneurship and industry awards. Along with her expert team, she developed the SOAR System – a proprietary process designed to create sustainable lead generation for busy leaders so they can have confidence in the growth of their company without losing focus on their other responsibilities. Priscilla personifies creativity, entrepreneurship and authentic leadership – inspiring others to truly carve out their own path of success in her uniquely funny, no-nonsense and slightly irreverent way. Oh, and don’t give her caffeine. She doesn’t need it.
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