Boosting Your Podcast's Reach Through Effective Guesting, with special guest Alex Sanfilippo

If you've ever wondered the secret to growing your podcast and extending its reach, you're in the right place. Join us for a lively and informative session with Alex Sanfilippo, a podcasting pro, the man behind the highly popular Podcasting Made Simple, and founder of Pod Pros. Alex shares his insights on how guesting can be a game-changing strategy to boost your podcast's reach and appeal.

Keeping your listeners hooked is no easy feat, but we've got you covered. We delve into the art of being ahead in the podcasting game with Alex. We touch upon the significance of staying a few episodes ahead, and the benefits it brings to serving your clients better. Tune in as we shed light on the common fears guests may have, and how to effectively address them.

But there's more! We plunge into the world of pitching and the art of selecting the right podcast for your message. Listen in as we unpack the importance of aligning with the right podcast, and the potential pitfalls of a mismatch. Alex shares invaluable strategies to make your mark on the top 12 podcasts that resonate with your message. It's all about revolutionizing your podcasting journey, and we're here to do it together!

Alex Sanfilippo is an entrepreneur and the founder of PodPros, a software company specifically focused on independent podcast hosts and their guests to elevate their voices through podcasting and be heard. Alex and the team at PodPros have developed popular podcasting software services such as PodMatch, PodcastSOP and PodLottery. In addition, Alex is also the host of the top-rated podcast, Podcasting Made Simple, and is one of the most sought-after educators and public speakers in the podcasting industry.

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Got a question about something you heard today? Have a great suggestion for a topic or know someone who should be a guest? Reach out to us:
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Transcript

SPEAKERS

Carl Richards, Alex Sanfilippo

 Carl Richards  00:04

Welcome to Podcast Solutions Made Simple. It's the podcast that's all about podcasting. I'm your host, Carl Richards. You know, in my 25 plus years in the broadcast and speaking world, I've noticed a lot of overwhelm when it comes to podcasting. And I'm here to tell you, it doesn't have to be that way. If you're a coach, consultant, or other subject matter expert, and the thought of starting a podcast seems too technical, too confusing, too time consuming, or just way out of your reach, then this is the podcast for you. On this show, we give you the tools, tips and techniques to run a kick ass show and share stories from people who have been there, done that and are enjoying massive success with their own shows. Oh, and if you're an existing podcaster this show is also for you. The mics are up. So let's dive into today's episode.

 And on the podcast today, what I want to do is talk about guesting because guessing is a very integral part of a lot of podcasts. And if you're not guesting on other people's podcasts or you don't have guests on your podcasts yet, that's okay. There may come a time where you will do that. But you want to make sure that there's a strategy when you step into that, and I can't think of a better person to help navigate through this than a guy who speaks the language of podcasting pretty similarly to how I speak it. 

Alex Sanfilippo is an entrepreneur who is the CEO and founder of Pod Pros, a software company focused specifically on the podcasting industry. He's also a podcast host of the top rated podcast called Podcasting Made Simple, and no, they're not related. It's- they're not brother and sister podcasts. Now just happened to come up with a similar name. And it's all good. He's also a lead educator in podcasting to and we're so thrilled he's here today. Alex, welcome to the podcast.

 Alex Sanfilippo  01:52

Carl, thank you for having me. And you know, they say great minds think alike. We didn't know each other anything like that. And we both came up with our own very similar, yet very impactful name. So I'm excited to be here with a like minded individual.

Carl Richards  02:03

I am so thrilled you're here as well. And we do we do definitely speak a similar language. I think we were cut from a similar piece of cloth just about 16 years apart. I think- I pretty sure we figure that out that we're- We walk a very similar language, or talk a very similar language and walk a similar walk when it comes to the podcasting world. And one of the things that a lot of people hesitate on is I don't know what to do with my podcast. 

And and I don't know if it's for me, and I've been on some of your workshops, and I know you've seen some of the stuff that I've done, but you just have to do it right, you just have to take that first step and do it. And I think with guesting that's a similar, that's a similar thing to there are people who are thinking about being guests on podcasts who just don't know, or realize that if you take that first step and just say, "I'm in!" The how, or the methodology to get there, it will show up or there are people like you and I, for example that can help people on that journey.

Alex Sanfilippo  02:16

 Yeah. Oh, yeah, I mean, getting just, you're really the expert in the space as far as like the education helping people get all that set up. Like you're one of the names in our industry that does that. And sitting with you even for an hour. I'm not saying you have to hire Carl for the rest of your life or anything like that. Although you can do that. I'm sure he would be okay with it. But if you just sit with an hour to kind of get the baseline, but the end of day the rest is on you. And I'll give you example, this wasn't guesting specifically. 

But when I started my podcast I did. This was way too long. I'm embarrassed he would say I did nine months of like, prep, education, all that. And everything I learned was out the window the day I started, not that it wasn't right or good information, but it's just like you don't really know until you get started. And if I can give you a comparison, like when you get into real estate, like flipping homes is very popular here in Florida. Like people always try to do it. You can read books and go to webinars, go to seminars until you're blue in the face. But every professional tell you you're not really going to get it until you go ahead and get your hands dirty. And I podcast guesting is no different than that. It's just a matter of just saying, You know what, I'm going to go ahead and jump in and do it. 

Carl Richards  02:58

And when you do that, and I think you hit the nail right on the head. But when you actually do make that decision, magic happens. And thank you, by the way for for for driving people to my website. I appreciate that. But but as far as guesting goes, and this is why I wanted to bring you on because this is where you've dedicated a lot of your time and your branding and all that stuff. Is is the guesting and the connection. And we'll talk about that in a little bit more detail as we go on today. 

But I want to talk about how to how do you take your next calendar year and it doesn't matter, by the way when you're hearing this podcast, if you take the next year and say okay, "well how am I going to line up my guests in the next for the next 12 months? What's it going to look like?" And by the way, some of the principles that Alex will be sharing are applicable whether you're a guest or host let's start as the host first because I think there are hosts that think they have it down when it comes to getting guests but maybe there are some strategies they could adopt that might get them in front of more of their ideal guests. 

Alex Sanfilippo  04:51

Yeah, this is a good topic to bring up so excited. We're talking about it because hearing either side of the mic and how we should think is helpful. On the other side, if that makes sense, right? So like when you hear no from a host, it makes sense when you think about how we're gonna talk about this, but planning out the next 12 months as the host. First off, it's intimidating. Like when I first got started, one of the reasons I didn't launch is because like, I think I know what I'm gonna do for six weeks, and then I'm done. Like, I'm not sure what to do past that. 

And so for, for a lot of us, we just were unsure of like, what that next guest is gonna be. So we take whatever comes our way initially, and I was guilty of that as well. But what really helped me out that it's kind of like a few steps here. So the first thing I always tell podcast hosts or guests, it is the use of the mic. Start with Why. And I'm not talking about buying is it Simon Sinek? I'm not talking about buying Simon Sinek's book, I mean, actually just sitting down and saying, Why am I doing this in the first place? And then right along with that, think about think about that from the perspective of who you serve, not just like, why am I in this? Oh, I want financial freedom, or I want the the exposure of it. 

That's great and all, but who is it going to serve? Like how is your "why" going to serve somebody else? And then you build out an avatar. So you go from why to who you serve to the avatar, which is an ideal listener, usually a fictitious character. Mine name happens to be Adam. Adams fake, but I can tell you anything about Adam. And I always base everything through the filter of would this add value to Adam? 

So what I recommend doing as a host is sitting down and saying, Okay, the next 12 months me and Adam or whatever your avatar or ideal, listeners name is going to be, me and Adam are going on this journey together. What do I want Adam to have learned within the next 12 months of spending time with me? What is it that I want him to have accomplished? And I find the more specific more narrow you get on this the better if you just say I want to have a better life, it's like that could just being buying a new mattress, right? Like you have a better life if you just have a new mattress like-

Carl Richards  06:33

Better shoes, right? 

Alex Sanfilippo  06:34

Right. new pair of shoes, that's great. No, but it's got to be somewhat specific. Okay, like what do you want to have change? And so, again, me being in Jacksonville, Florida, I live in like a beach town with a lot of surfers, right? If your podcast-

Carl Richards  06:46

Stop bragging, stop bragging you live in Florida, and I live in Canada. Stop bragging!

Alex Sanfilippo  06:50

Okay, I could have gone with like, I don't know, like some sort of-

Carl Richards  06:54

Maple machine? 

Alex Sanfilippo  06:55

Snow machine. It's not the anyway, it's about surfing, let's say, yeah. And Adam is your avatar and come up with your own name and own backstory for them and stuff. But if you say I want Adam to go from having no time to surf, because Adams also an entrepreneur, to being a pretty good amateur surfer that can have really good balance with his personal life, his professional career as an entrepreneur, and be able to get out there and surf on a regular basis. That's great. And now your job is just to fill in the gaps. And there's a lot of variables in there. 

So I'm not telling you, you need to do every guest for the next year actually think that would be a bad idea. Because you might learn you need to pivot a little bit, because you might get listed is gonna be like, "Hey, listen, okay, I get you saying I need a new surfboard. But what kind of surfboard do I need?" And maybe you need some episodes about that. Anyway, so that's kind of how I picture this whole thing, starting with why, figure out who that serves, building out the avatar, and then saying, "Where do I want this person to go on a journey with me over the next 12 months?" And then filling in the gaps along the way.

Carl Richards  07:48

That's a phenomenal strategy. I love it. And I think what we'll do is we'll put an Amazon link to Simon- Simon Sinek's book, because there's a lot of value-

Alex Sanfilippo  07:55

Oh, it's a great book!

Carl Richards  07:56

-in that book? And Jen, anytime we mentioned something like that on the podcasts that you don't want should drop that in the show notes, just in case anybody wants to read it, because there is value there too. 

Alex Sanfilippo  08:06

Oh, yeah. I read it. It's a great book.

Carl Richards  08:07

And I think you hit the nail on the head when you said, Yeah, okay, you should probably shouldn't map out your full year of guests. And I know people that will do that. They'll, they'll get so many guests requests that they'll just slot them all in. And I don't want to say there's anything wrong with that. But what happens if there what happens if there's a shift in your strategy, whether it be in your business, or whether it be in how you're rolling up your podcast, maybe your podcast, starts out with some you know, a solo show with some guest interviews mixed in but then maybe there's a strategy change. Maybe you're doing some hotseat coaching, maybe you're looking for a specific kind of guests. And all of a sudden that guest you booked three months ago isn't a fit.

Alex Sanfilippo  08:45

Yeah, I agree with that. Actually, I'd love your- I'll share something, I'd love your opinion on it as well, Carl, because again, you know, this space really well. But like to me, I don't know the exact time but I always felt like I don't think you should be recording today for an episode or releasing tomorrow, personally. Because, again, if I'm that guest, and I had this happen just last week, and like, "oh, yeah, this episode will air tomorrow." And I'm like, "what if I'm sick?" Like, what if I like couldn't make it which that's just life happens. Right? Like, was there no episode for tomorrow then? Right. So I think there is a certain timeline, I'm curious to know, like, where do you think we should cap that as far as like, having some of our guests build out but leave enough buffer afterwards for in case there's a strategy change? Do you have an idea on that?

Carl Richards  09:22

Or how far ahead you mean?

Alex Sanfilippo  09:23

Yeah!

Carl Richards  09:24

That kind of thing? Yeah, that's a very good, it's a very good question. I like to be, I like to be ahead for a couple of reasons. Number one, from an agency standpoint, I like to be ahead because I want my- I want my clients to be ahead so we can stay ahead. So if we're four or five, six episodes ahead, we're good. Okay. But I also like to be ahead so I can focus on serving my clients better focusing on sales and marketing, speaking engagements, things like that. 

And when I've- scheduling interviews, or podcast recording sessions that I can dedicate the time to that and not feel under the gun. So again, I'm still working, in some cases, two to three months out. I just launched this podcast back at the recording of this episode, this podcast has only been around a couple of months, and I launched with 10, 12 episodes. So I was already 12 weeks ahead, right and booking guests into the show. Right. So in that sense, I think that if you're any more than three months ahead, I think you're maybe too far ahead. I don't know what your thoughts are on that.

Alex Sanfilippo  10:29

Yeah, no, I agree that timeline, I think it makes sense. Because, again, like they're all you know, you could have like, what have you build out a community, and then all of your listeners are like, co-, like, they're all for some reason agreeing. Like, we'd really love more of this. And like, cool. I got eight months before I can do that like that. That- that's-

Carl Richards  10:43

Yeah.

Alex Sanfilippo  10:43

That sucks, right? Like as the listener like, I'm hearing stuff that I'm not quite ready for or any of that. Right? So yeah, I-

Carl Richards  10:50

And the other. The other strategy is to that, and I didn't mean to cut you off there. But the other strategy is that if you have that if you're booking that many guests, if you have that much of a following, or you're you know, that's ambitious to get that many guests on, don't do a weekly show, do a show that drops twice a week. Heck, I know, an entrepreneur, his name is Marc Mawhinney he was one of our early guests on this show. And he did a daily podcast, for the first year, he did a podcast. So if you're that ambitious, that's fine, too. 

But again, if you're too far ahead, with your guests or your episodes, you should always be a few ahead, especially if you are working with an agency like myself, or you're doing anything. You know, even if you're working with PodMatch, well we'll talk about some of the things that you do at at Pod Pros, PodMatch being one of them. But if you're working with PodMatch, you might need to book you can't just book it tomorrow and hope the episode airs in a week, it might take some time, a week, six weeks, sorry, not a week, a month or six weeks might be might be booking out I don't know. If you really have a lot of prospects for guests, then don't think you have to just I have to do the show every week, because Carl says that's the schedule. No! 

There- this is the nice thing about podcasting. And I've said this many times, there really is no hard and fast rule yet. It's not like radio and television where there are yes, okay. There are some rules with if you have explicit content, you have to click that button, that content doesn't just go out freely. But really as far as how you're delivering your content, when the podcast posts at when the episodes posts, how you're promoting them. There's no hard and fast rule we there might be down the line, but there isn't a hard and fast rule with that yet.

Alex Sanfilippo  12:41

Yeah, I think you and I both agree on this. I think it's really it's the right strategy for people to take. So just consider that when you think in the next 12 months, don't think I need all those guests slots filled up. Because you might even do yourself a disservice. Just the one thing I do recommend is if there's like certain air quotes here, more celebrity style guests that you have to book six months out, go ahead and get them booked now. 

And you just fill in the gaps along the way, right? Like as they say, I'm unavailable til summer, which happens. Some of these people are like, that's when my book comes out. That's when I'll be on a podcast. Fine, go ahead and fill in those gaps but end of the day, you want to just think of the whole thing as a journey. So I think that you and I again, both being in this space and agreeing on that should tell listeners "Hey, this is- this is the right direction to take. So and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on that as well.

Carl Richards  13:21

It's almost like we're sharing your brain. By the way, I need it next tuesday if you if I can reserve the brain for that. And I'm just kidding. 

Alex Sanfilippo  13:30

Yeah. Right. 

Carl Richards  13:31

Let's let's talk about guests then. Because from the guest perspective, I know you touched on the fact that, you know, things you just mentioned would work for guests as well, in your experience with the work that you've done. What are what are some of the trepidations when when people first come to you, they say, oh, you know, I'd love to be a guest, but. What are some of the hang ups that you find guests are having?

Alex Sanfilippo  13:54

There's a lot. First off, but yeah, well, we did share work. So aside from having a 12 month journey, like you're not going to take your listeners like they're not they're not your listeners, you're borrowing an audience more or less, right as a guest. So like, you're not necessarily all the steps I shared. Aside from that. Like, again, knowing your why, knowing the value add and making even an avatar of like, what shows have that matching avatar, it's all great. Doing that is the beginning steps past that is where I actually find people start to have problems, because I tell people that as guests. 

And yeah, but if you're like, Oh, yeah. And a lot of people do. They know who they can serve. And if they really think about it, they can get that right now, then they're stuck. Right now they're like, "Okay, what next?" And one of the first problems I see people make is assuming that all podcasts are created equal. Because they although they made that avatar, they're like, "Man, I couldn't get on this podcast, and I couldn't get on that podcast." I'm like, "Well, that podcast is about you told me talking about surfing and that podcast is about snow blowing." Right? Like it-

Carl Richards  14:43

 Cooking.

Alex Sanfilippo  14:43

Wait a minute, like, what is that? Right? Like, how does that work? Like there's so opposite. And so many people are just thinking that it's a transaction, meaning I'm just gonna get on as many pods as I can, and then I'm done. But really, it's relational. And it's got to align really well. So for me I used to try to get on a ton of podcasts. And now I don't. I would like to get on the 12 best podcasts for Alex Sanfilippo. That's what I'd like. I don't want to get on the 50 podcasts that'll accept me. No, I want to be on the 12 that are absolutely right. Where again, the avatar for that show is the avatar that I serve as well. So the first problem I see is just going too broad and trying to reach out to everyone getting rejected a lot.

Carl Richards  15:18

Well, I think there is a there's a strategy, if you're going to if you're going to go broad, I think there needs to be a strategy, I think there needs to be almost like you have a reason to be wanting to get on 52 shows this year. And maybe that's because you're on a book tour. But you still need to position yourself on the right podcasts. It doesn't make sense. If you are, as you said, if you're if you're a surfer to get on every cooking podcast out there. And yes, by the way, there are podcasts dedicated to cooking, it probably doesn't benefit you to get on True Crime podcasts, either. 

It just just thinking out loud here. But you know, podcasts that are related to sport, fitness, wellness, and several other things that is in alignment. And that's one of the things that I've noticed in recent months is I'll get requests from people saying, Yeah, I'd love to be on your show. Or it's usually an- an agency saying we have the perfect guest for your show. And it's Bill Smith, who knows all about financing. And I have two podcasts, neither one of them talks about financing, if they say the language that I'm using in relation to financing, or if it talks about how Bill Smith, who is a financial expert, also speaks all over the world on the subject and has some tips and tricks for how to speak to a financial audience. That's different. But speaking to on a on a podcast just for the sake of being on a podcast, as you said, is you may as well just not speak on the podcast.

Alex Sanfilippo  16:46

Yeah, you mentioned something really important there, which is the next thing I run into, it's the pitch. So even if you are the right fit, if you can't articulate why you're the right fit. And I have actually five steps that I go through every time I'm going to be a guest on a podcast, like five ways I like steps I follow in every pitch I do, because I want to make sure it's very clear. And some people that like you've seen this, and a lot of them are booking agents. So it's not always directly the person but sometimes the person, you've gotten the pitch as well Carl so I'm not telling you anything you don't know, where it comes in and you don't even know what they want. Right? It's like 10 paragraphs. First off too long. podcasters don't like to read by the way. It's ten paragraphs-

Carl Richards  17:21

Love to talk, but we hate to read. 

Alex Sanfilippo  17:22

And there's no clear ask in it. So you're reading through it, like skimming, and you're like, "I don't know, if they want me to say congratulations, if they want me to do something for them. Like what? What is it?" I mean, and I think that's one of the big problems. People don't have any clue how to properly pitch, which simply means I'm a podcast guest. I want to be on your podcast, and you're making the, I guess, suggestion for yourself more or less, right. And I find a lot of people just don't know how to do that well, so they're like, "hey, one, I can't get on podcasts because I'm pitching the wrong ones and two no one will have me anyway. What's- what's the deal?" And the problem is we're not asking for it properly.

Carl Richards  17:56

Yeah, yeah, I think that I think that's a very good, good point there too. And if it is the wrong podcast, I'll be honest, when I get requests from people who aren't a fit, maybe it's a Canadian thing. But I feel so guilty. And I have to apologize. I'm sorry, you're not a fit for my show. 

Alex Sanfilippo  18:11

Maybe a little bit Canadian, but I feel the same way. So it's also a Florida thing. 

Carl Richards  18:15

Okay, so Canadians and Floridians, I guess, feel similarly when it comes to that. But it's it's, it's, I mean, you and I have been there, where we've tried to get on shows and gone, "Oh. I really wanted to be on that show. So we know what the rejection is like. And I spent 25 years in radio broadcasting, also known as the rejection industry, where you know, your town to town up and down the dial. There's a reason for that, because, well, you know what, sometimes that one dial gets sick of you, you go to another one. But if you're not a fit, understand that you're not a fit.

And quite often I will share that with people and let the agency know, especially if it's an agency, I'll say, "hey, you know what, here's my podcast is about. So if you have anybody in your Rolodex, who's a speaker, a podcaster, coach, a trainer, so anybody who's using speaking, or podcasting, as a way to promote, build, nurture their business and their clients, I'd love to have a conversation with them. But if you're talking to me about, you know, knitting, you're talking to me about, you know, surfing, it's not a fit." Right?

Alex Sanfilippo  19:17

I think if I'll- if you're okay, with I'll quickly share, like the steps I take that might be good. 

Carl Richards  19:22

Go ahead. Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. 

Alex Sanfilippo  19:23

So for me, it's- it's five steps. And I'll go through this real quick. Number one, it's funny, I'm wearing a shirt that says the same words right now. But lead with value is the very first thing I suggest. Which means it's, it's two things, it's you actually leading with value to serve somebody but also it gets a host attention. And here's what that means. Go listen to the host podcast. I know it sounds crazy. Go listen to podcasts because you may actually hate it and you may not even want to send them something or you may really like it. 

You want to start off saying "Hey Carl, I really enjoyed Podcast Solutions Made Simple. And I was listening your recent episode this and it just really stood out to me as a great episode. Thank you so much for that. I also left the podcast a five star rating and review and I attach that here in this in this in this email." Here's the thing, you now have that podcast host's full attention, even if they're gonna say no, they're going to at least read the rest of the email. So step one, lead with value. 

Step two, make a meaningful request, which simply means make your request known. And like I said a minute ago, sometimes people aren't even really having a true ask. So you don't know what it is simply say, I want to be on the podcast. But take it a step further. A meaningful request means talk about that subject that you want to that you want to actually talk on. Right? The way I do this as I look at the recent released episodes of a podcast to see if my topics have been covered. And recently, I was on a show I scrolled back seven years on the show, Carl, that which I thought was funny. And I said, "Hey, this sounds crazy by scroll through seven years and not once have you talked about it for an example, being a guest on podcast, I would love to show up and add that value." 

And so now again, the host is like, "Wow, am I not talked about that in seven years or longer? Right, you have their attention. And obviously, you did your research to make sure it fits. The third thing is offer credibility, which I think a lot of us get wrong, because we just start saying, "Well, I've done 20 years of this 10 years this I was on this podcast that podcast." The best way to offer credibility is go to that podcast host website or look at their past guests. And find somebody that you know, in common and simply mention that person. Offer credibility means, "hey uh, hey, Carl, you and I both know, Lindsey, we've both connected and met her. She's a dear friend of mine, you can ask her about me." 

And sometimes I'll even add, because it's just my humor, I'll say, "and I pay her to say nice things about me. So let me know if she says something contrary" Right? Just add the humor, but that's enough credibility for me. If I know someone that you know, you automatically have it in, I don't. I'll look at the rest of it. You can link out to your credentials, if you will. Number four. The fourth point is to mention sharing the episode. Don't lie. If you're not going to share it. Don't say this. But if you're really willing to share the episode, hosts love that as a guest, if you want to stand out as a guest. Just even hit reshare, repost. Right? That goes a long way. 

So mention if you're willing to do that, and the last thing I would say is, make it willing- make it easy to say no. Which a lot of salespeople are like, "What? would- you don't give people an out, right? No give them an out so at the very least they'll respond because at this point, you've been so nice, they'll feel like they're breaking your hearts cause sometimes they'll just ignore it. But if you say "hey, no worries, either way, I only want to show up if I can truly add value. And if I can't, I just love to hear back from you." 

Now you have that open dialogue and sometimes no doesn't mean no, it means not right now. In six months from now, you might be that right guest but you've opened the relationship. So again, lead with value, make a meaningful request, offer credibility, mention sharing the episode and make it easy to say no. That's what I do every single time I pitch.

Carl Richards  22:23

Those are phenomenal, phenomenal takeaways. So thank you for sharing those. And you, you mentioned Lindsey, and she actually has right on her form. She- she gets all your, what do you call it? Social handles and email adresses- all of those things right up front, right in your in the Calendly booking link, and then on top of that. She has a line that says and I'm paraphrasing, because I don't know exactly what the line says. But something like I will promote this episode when it goes out. And you click the box. And that's your commitment piece right there that yes, I will promote the episode. Because to your point if you're not going to promote it. 

Number one, why are you on the show? I mean- If you're on the show, just to ride on the hosts coattails. Well, okay, there's a certain amount of fun in doing that, I guess you could say. But the host expects that you're going to get excited that you're on their show. You might even go so far as to if you're really having a great time on the show. Post the the link with the artwork, the embed code posted on your website. I know people that do that they have a litany of all the shows they've been on, which is a great way to say "yeah, I'm on podcasts. Here they are. Here's, here's all the ones I've been on." 

Alex Sanfilippo  22:57

I agree. Yeah.

 Carl Richards  23:28

 So but, and I think that your- those- those five things are phenomenal. We'll make sure we share those.

Alex Sanfilippo  23:35

Yeah, I appreciate it. Yeah, sure. And I think again, those are kind of the early stage problems I see with people on podcast I don't, like as a guest, I don't know if you've seen other things I didn't mention there, but I'm sure listeners will be very curious. What- what else have you seen, do you think?

Carl Richards  23:47

I think those are some of the big ones I've seen, I think in some cases, almost too much of an urgency to get on a show. And again, if I'm booked three months out, plus, if it's coming in email form, I might not see an email right away. But if you keep hounding me I will eventually get get back to you. But if the email and I think this goes back to the messaging goes back to the value if it sounds like you're just looking to get on my show, because I don't know you like a guy that doesn't have any hair. I don't know you're looking to get on my show because I look good. I don't know. We both look good, Alex.

Alex Sanfilippo  24:19

Thank you. I appreciate it. I agree with that, wholeheartedly.

 Carl Richards  24:22

Or shall I say Adam? No, Adam's the avatar Alex is the real you.

Alex Sanfilippo  24:25

Correct! 

Carl Richards  24:25

This actually got under my skin a little bit. I had someone reach out to me I have to share this story. Had somebody reached out to me and say "yeah, I heard your podcast, listened to some of the episodes. I install car stereos this is what I do and I can talk about installing college car stereos. How do you go out and buy a car stereo?" Firstly, most cars now come with really good sound systems. You don't need to go and buy one anyways if you do, that's fine.

But the other thing that was interesting was I said I'm sorry I- I don't really think it's a fit. It just- with what you do and what I do. It's not a fit. And the response back was, and I was very apologeetic and said, "here are the kinds of things I look for to talk about on the show." And the response back was something like "Oh, wonderful. Well, I can talk in whatever context you want to talk in." And I'm like, no, no, it's not a free for all on my show, just like Alex on- on Podcasting Makes Simple, Made Simple. It's not a- it's not a free for all. It's you have a specific need a specific type of guest you want to have on your show. 

And again, you're not probably- you're probably not going to have the surfer. You're not going to have the cooking channel person, you're- and you're not going to have somebody who instars- installs car radios on your show. Likely.

Alex Sanfilippo  25:32

No, I'm not not. And confession, by the way, I feel like it's a little late for this confession, I don't even surf. So I don't know, it's too late for this whole confession. But actually, the most common people I get outside of the proper niche are fitness people. And they're like, "I can spin fitness in any direction." I'm like, "but that doesn't matter." But I wanted to go back to something you just said, Carl, I found really interesting. You talked about maybe the sense of urgency that we have to get on it. 

And the quote, I want to share them thinking is "Dig your well before you're thirsty." And what I mean by that is podcast guests who say I got a book coming out this week, I need to go on some podcast, you're too late. You needed to start doing that six months ago, because most of us in podcasting, as we've been sharing, we've got our production done, especially if you're work with someone like Carl, and thank God for people who do this, right, they've got their next three months done. So even if you come on today, your episodes not coming out till three months in one week, right? If you're doing a weekly show, and some hosts be willing to work with you. 

But in general, if you've already released your book or comes out this week, you're too late. You need to start that months in advance and tell people "hey, when is this gonna come out? Anyway, you can move that a little bit?" And then again, especially someone's working with a team like Carl's, they're gonna be able to to say, "okay, yeah, that your book comes out this day. Let's try to get it out that same week, and then we'll fill in these gaps, right?" That's the benefit of working with somebody like that. But dig your well before you're thirsty. If you're thinking, "hey, in six months, I need you on some shows." You better get started today, because you're almost too late.

Carl Richards  26:51

It's funny, you mentioned that because I was chatting with a fellow podcaster I guess it was, I don't know, few weeks back. And he actually revealed because I said, "Okay, what's your timeline, generally? Because everyone has a different timeline. We can turn things around reasonably quickly. But usually turning things around quickly things- other things have to get bumped, I might have to go to a guest and say, "oh, yeah, we're bumping your episode a week." 

And someone might say, "why?" And it's like "well..." So anyways, it's just easier to stay with the flow, but be a little bit flexible with it. This individual reveal that he has a 22 day out. So in other words, if we record the episode today, like you and I are doing, Alex, that if his podcast was podcasting Made Simple his out for that would be 22 days. Before he would be able to make sure that all of the pieces for that show, not just the production, not just the audio grams, but everything, the blog posts, the email posts, everything was ready. Because there's a number of people in the chain, that's- that's something a lot of people don't understand is if you're working with a number of different people, sorry, if you're working with one person who's a host, you don't understand how many other people might be part of the production piece, or what other elements go into that transcription. 

I mean, typically it can be done fairly quickly. But if it doesn't happen until the show is fully produced, and the transcriber needs three or four days to fit it into their schedule, right? That's- which is probably already slammed already. So it might take a few weeks to get- to have your episode go live under normal circumstances.

Alex Sanfilippo  28:23

Yeah, you're absolutely right. And I've seen it time and time again. And for me, because I work in podcasting where nothing is urgent, right? They always put it internally, people are like "do you ever have like deadlines? And I'm like, not too bad? Because no one's ever died because something didn't happen in podcasting, right? So I'm like, so thankfully, I have that. So when someone's like, hey, it'll be four months before it's down. I'm like, "Great. Just keep me posted, like, please remember to let me know." 

And, and that's it. So I think that again, as a guest, you have to understand that. Really, it's better if you're on podcasts, where they have some pipeline, right? Where it's already going to be out. It shows that they're a true expert in what they're doing. And take it very seriously when they say we'll be out tomorrow. Might sound cool initially, but you're like, great. Is this podcast gonna last? Because what if their next chunks of guests stop? Is the show just gonna be done forever? So we should be thankful for that even as a guest.

Carl Richards  29:08

Yeah, well, absolutely. And you know what, we could work fairly quickly. But at the end of the day, I don't think you want the work to be done quickly. Because when the work is done quickly, and this is this is an industry that I worked in for years, where every now and again, a client would come by and say, "Oh, yeah, I need my commercial copy changed." So they would quickly changed it, it could be turned around fairly quickly. But if it was a brand new client, for example, that was looking to test the waters, and do I want to invest my 50 or $75,000 into this broadcasting entity here. It usually couldn't be done in a day. 

It took some time to do that and not even forgetting there's a whole sales process. In that example. It's maybe a little different in podcasting, but- but there's still different processes and things that you you need to go through and understanding that it's not just okay, we've recorded the episode. And in about 45 minutes, it'll be ready to go. It doesn't happen quite quickly. 

Alex Sanfilippo  30:05

Right.

Carl Richards  30:06

Yeah. You know, Alex, I could talk to you forever. Unfortunately, uh, I can't. So we'll just have to have you come back time and time again for-

Alex Sanfilippo  30:15

I love it.

Carl Richards  30:16

But before I let you go, is there anything that you that you want to pass along to the audience any any takeaways anything that you can help them with?

Alex Sanfilippo  30:24

Yeah, you know, I think that the the first thing that I'll, you know, I'll just share one thing like, if you're interested in getting any help on this, or you're wondering first off, Carl is a great place to go. So use Carl as a resource, please, if you're just interested in like some more of like the smaller tips we talked about, I have a page I set up and it's Podpros.com/win, it as five quick wins, you can read in less than five minutes. As a guest host, aspiring guest or aspiring host. It's got all those things on there. 

And again, I don't want your email address or anything like that. You can read it in less than five minutes. It's five quick wins. And that's Podpros.com/win. And that's, that's kind of the contribution I'll make to today's episode. But again, I think Carl is a true expert in the space I have a lot of respect for. So hanging out with this guy is my number one suggestion for today. 

Carl Richards  31:07

Alex, I need to take you everywhere I go. If you're gonna talk like that-

Alex Sanfilippo  31:11

I'm waiting to get the t-shirt you promised me which is just your face with a big, big thumbs up in it. You know, that's what I'm waiting for.

Carl Richards  31:17

I was gonna send you a sandwich board. But I guess a t shirt is probably lighter than-

Alex Sanfilippo  31:20

I like it.

Carl Richards  31:22

-Sandwich board. I did want to mention, though, very briefly tell you about Pod Match. 

Alex Sanfilippo  31:28

Yeah, yeah. 

Carl Richards  31:28

That's that's a huge piece too that I think that based on the discussion that we've had today, and maybe we can have a follow up episode more specifically about this, but tell me about Pod Match? Because we'll make sure the links are in the show notes for that too.

Alex Sanfilippo  31:39

Yeah, sure. Thank you. I appreciate it. Yep, Pod Match is for lack of better term. It's a software that connects podcast guests and hosts together for interviews. And it does it through AI does it automatically, literally works just like a dating app. But instead of connecting you for dates it connects you for podcast interviews. So, if I'm somebody who wants to talk about being a podcast guest, and Carl is on there with Podcast Solutions Made Simple, says that I need someone to talk about guesting, this software will automatically match us together. 

And from there, we can message and we can schedule right in the platform. You never have to exchange email if you don't want to. We wanted to build it out to simplify the whole process was the idea behind it. And that's exactly what we created so you can register as a guest or host. And uh,  it's been a blast. I love helping make those connections, Carl, because end of the day, for me as much as I love what I do, it's all about helping podcasters release episodes. Because the guests and the hosts get to get their expertise out there and serve the world in a meaningful way. And I love that that's like my favorite thing ever.

Carl Richards  32:26

I've been on the platform, checked it out. I'm actually, you have convinced me after our discussion today that I need to sign into that platform. But it's definitely phenomenal. I get so many requests. I go do I need to be on this platform? I go "Yeah, no, I probably do." But, but no, it is a phenomenal platform. I have checked it out extensively. And it is- it is definitely- now if you're looking for a date, don't go there. 

Alex Sanfilippo  32:51

It's not going to help you.

Carl Richards  32:51

Or a podcast host or if you are looking for guests, then it's certainly a good place to be. Alright! Alex Sanfilippo. It's been a pleasure chatting with you today, before I turn you loose to go do something probably related to podcasting. I'll give you the final thought.

Alex Sanfilippo  33:06

Yeah, my final thought today is we talked a lot about like both sides of the mic and stuff like that, right. At the end of the day, the best perspective I found that people have in podcasting again, either side of the mic, is that I'm here to add value and serve the one person who needs me most. And the way I always like to say it is, I'm- today I'm going to do for one what I wish I could do for all. 

All of us would like to have all the listeners or be on all the podcasts but at the end of the day, the best thing we can do is maintain the perspective that you know what my message is going to serve one person today. And by doing that, I wish it could serve the world I'm at trust that they're going to impact one person and that will continue to snowball. So again, do for one what you wish you could do for all, I think that's really the power of podcasting when you can keep that perspective of service. And that's my final thought for today.

Carl Richards  33:46

That is a phenomenal message and who knows might be a springboard to our next episode in another six months or so.

Alex Sanfilippo  33:53

Love it.

Carl Richards  33:53

 Alex Sanfilippo, thanks for being my guest today.

Alex Sanfilippo  33:55

Thanks again, Carl. Appreciate you.

Carl Richards  34:06

And thank you for joining us today special thanks to our producer Aidan Burrows, our production lead Kieran Doherty, our music guru, Nathan Simon, and the person who works the arms, all of our arms actually my trusty assistant, Stephanie Gafoor. If you like what you heard today, leave us a comment and a review. And be sure to share it with your friends. If you don't like what you heard, please share it with your enemies. 

Oh, and if you have a suggestion of someone who you think would make an amazing guest on the show, let us know about it. Drop us an email. AskCarl@Carlspeaks.ca. Don't forget to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter as well. You'll find all those links in the show notes. And if you're ready to take the plunge and join the over 3 million people who have said yes to podcasting, let's have a conversation. We'll show you the simplest way to get into the podcasting space because after all, we're Podcast Solutions Made Simple. We'll catch you next time!