Episode 54: Benefits and Impact of Being a Guest On Podcasts

This week on the podcast, we discuss the benefits of being a guest on podcasts.

During our discussion, we touch upon the following:

• practicing showing up for yourself
• refining your message
• creating community
• reaching a broader audience of potential readers

There's a lot of value in setting your sights on being a podcast guest, especially as an author.

You'll gain self-confidence and propel your author journey forward by being a guest on podcasts.

You can begin before your book is even ready for publication.

Elizabeth mentions a resource shared by another podcaster called Matchmaker.fm to help you find connections.

There's also the Podcast Collaborative that's been a great resource for connecting us with guests and opportunities.

So, get ready for finding inspiration to take action for yourself this year!

We invite you to subscribe to our email list to be the first to know about our weekly podcast episodes, get insights into our writing lives, and learn about upcoming programs for writers!

If you prefer video versions of the podcast or want to leave a comment on this specific episode, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel.

We hope you've found guidance and inspiration for your own writing.

Here are two resources for you:

Get your list of 4 Essential Reads for Memoir Writers

Get your Character Coffee Chat Guide for Character Development

Transcript

Stephanie: 0:01

Hello, listener. Welcome back to another episode of the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. We're so excited have you joining us wherever you are in the world. today I'm here with my co host, Elizabeth, and we are going to be talking about the benefits of podcasts for authors. And we're not talking about that you have to create your own podcast. We're talking about the benefits Being a guest on podcasts and the value of that, we're going to touch upon the practice of showing up, refining your message, community, reaching a broader audience, getting exposure other, uh, connections with people in the industry. And also having readers find you in those ways when you're showing up on a podcast. So we're really excited for this topic because certainly as podcasters ourselves, we love hosting this podcast. Uh, but one of our Sort of goals, shall I say, for this new year is, authors ourselves, is being on more podcasts to help promote our messages and our work. So, Elizabeth, why don't you kick us off with talking about, uh, the value of, practice of showing up. Why is that so important on podcasts for authors?

Elizabeth: 1:26

You know what? I think so many people I talk to so many fellow authors and writers, they're really shy. We're kind of a shy group and I feel like podcasting is a really like entry level way to step up and I think would be great practice to do before you have to kind of hawk your wares to a, you know, a stranger to be able to sit in a virtual room with someone and have just a conversation about a topic that you are invested in and that you have knowledge of, I think can really just help you gain some more self confidence in how you show up. That's certainly been the case for me. And I know that you can speak to that too, because when we first started this podcast, you were really nervous about

Stephanie: 2:11

Mm

Elizabeth: 2:12

up or what to say. And it only took a couple of episodes before you began to reflect on the fact that you were feeling more comfortable and that you recognize that you did have something to say. And So I think it's really helpful just in how you show up, how you have that confidence in yourself and even how you would describe your work, your process. There's so much that you can talk about that's going to add value to the people who find you, um, and just honestly to see that you're, you're the real person behind the work. I'm a big fan of, like, always knowing someone's, like, story.

Stephanie: 2:52

Um,

Elizabeth: 2:58

the, like, Netflix documentaries about the different players, and I'm like, Oh, and this one's personal life, and this one, and that. Like, I just want to know the story behind the story. And that's what makes me interested. Um, and so that's one of those pieces that I think really comes with being a podcast guest, being asked some of those questions, thinking through what your writing process was like, what your challenges were sharing about those openly, recognizing your own growth and how far you've come. Cause let's be honest, when we talk to other writers, our work does not feel super impressive all the time. Um, But you talk to someone who's not a writer and you tell them what you've done and what these characters you created or this work that you've put into it, they are amazed. And they are. And so you get that little bit of like sense of, Oh yeah, I have done something really incredible. And this is hard work that not everyone's going to want to do. And sometimes that reframing can just be really helpful for, for having some perspective and being reminded that, You've really put a lot of your heart and soul into this work, and you are the best, um, best person to sell it.

Stephanie: 4:09

And I think the other key for showing up and it goes into our next point is refining your message that the more times you show up and talk about your writing, talk about your stories, talk about your purpose, it just helps you clarify What you want to say. And that just, again, boosts that boosts your confidence into showing up time and time again and saying like, yeah, like I've got this. And like you said, Elizabeth, like I was like, I don't know if I want to do this podcast thing, but I'm going to jump in. And especially because we also video record these. So we're on YouTube and I was like, I don't know, but really now it's like, I don't care because. Like we hit record, we go, yeah, we may fumble over some words here and there, but that's also showing our humanity

Elizabeth: 5:05

Mm

Stephanie: 5:05

who we are as people. And I think you make a great point that, know, both of us have talked about how we've connected with new authors that we've discovered because we've heard something on a podcast, or we've seen a clip on Instagram reels where so many, you know, little clips about authors are popping up more and more. When you hear the voice and you hear the story and you hear all the pieces, you go, Hey, like that person's really interesting. And I want to know more. And then you pick up their books. And even if the books don't relate to their story, feel a connection. Cause you're like, Oh, I know something about this author or I know something about this story. it really, Brings that deeper connection. And I think that that's one of the pieces that's valuable because I think one of the scary points as writers, because you know, when you think like, Oh my goodness, I have to write a book blurb for the back of my

Elizabeth: 6:01

hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah.

Stephanie: 6:03

example of how you're going to refine your message. It's like, what is that going to say? Or what is the jacket cover going to say? Or what is your author bio going to say?

Elizabeth: 6:11

Mm

Stephanie: 6:12

all those pieces come together on a podcast and you can start before your book. It's even done. That's the

Elizabeth: 6:19

For sure.

Stephanie: 6:20

think, I think so often people think like, Oh, I have to start, I can't start until the manuscript's done. No, like start planning, set the runway for yourself.

Elizabeth: 6:30

Yeah, a couple of things. One, I know that you and I having met Shelly Reed made us even more interested in reading her book because we heard about her writing process. We heard about her experience and when I saw, when I actually read the certain stories in her novel, in her fictional work that were reflective of her real life. Like I was even more deeply involved in it. Plus the other piece too is that it's so much easier to talk about yourself, at least for me, when other people are asking the questions, because then it feels less egotistical because you're just answering their question versus having to come up with say social media content where you're having to just promote yourself, talk about yourself versus having someone else on a podcast, say, Oh, that's really cool that you do this as a writer and you, this is such great insight and thank you for sharing that. And they are emphasizing your in highlighting your skills and your attributes without you having to do that yourself. And for me, that makes me feel so much more comfortable. I, will very willingly talk about my book when someone is asking me questions and really interested about it. But if I were to just like hit record and try to talk about, okay, so I'm writing a memoir and it's about this. And like, I just, it's, it's so much easier for me when I feel like I'm, I'm answering what someone else is interested in. So having that sort of conversation piece and that back and forth and the question answers is really helpful for me and being able to. Be comfortable promoting myself.

Stephanie: 8:04

No, I absolutely agree with that because I think that that's one of the pieces I struggle with is that self promotion piece

Elizabeth: 8:10

Mm

Stephanie: 8:10

and I think it's that sort of introverted nature of like, well, I don't really want to put myself out there in the spotlight, but what you're saying is, Hey, put yourself in the spotlight where somebody else is shining it on you and, you know, wanting to highlight because they're interested in who you are with their audience. And then, know, you're connecting yourself to a whole community. And just before this, we hit record, we were talking about all the different topics when you think about what you're. Novel is, or your memoir or whatever you're writing is touching upon, like, what are the different things that you could talk about? You know, for me, it's, I could talk about the ski industry. I can talk about relationships. I can talk about young adults. Like there's so many components

Elizabeth: 8:56

hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm.

Stephanie: 8:58

podcasts and it actually has, you know, the wheels spinning in my head of like, Oh, this could actually be exciting because am not one who likes to just play around. Put myself out there. But if somebody is, you know, inviting me, or, you know, I put myself out there and they're like, Hey, yeah, you'd be a great fit, then that there's more motivation. And then

Elizabeth: 9:20

Yeah.

Stephanie: 9:21

just gain that experience over time of talking about your work and

Elizabeth: 9:25

Mm hmm. Mm

Stephanie: 9:27

I'm a writer and this is valid what I'm

Elizabeth: 9:30

hmm.

Stephanie: 9:30

And I have something awesome to share.

Elizabeth: 9:34

Plus, it's so nice to be able to promote yourself in a way where you're not answering the same question every time, right? Like if you think about the classic sort of press junket, you know, circuit, whatever, where they ask writers the same questions, cause it's just about the book. It's just about this one particular piece. But like you said, if you go on different podcasts and they bring out different elements of your story. So I've been on a sober living stories podcast. I've been on a podcast where I got to talk about. My past work in forensic science and why I left that career field I could talk about divorce and what that was like and how I was writing as a way to heal myself I can talk about the impact of journaling and self healing or therapy And all of that relates back to my memoir all that relates back to my journey as a writer and all of it illuminates different facets of who I am and so then The audiences who find me or even my own audience who I share all these diverse stories to because not everything is going to come out even on this podcast where you and I are hosting, you know, we add snippets of our own stories and and stuff. But then when I can share, say, a guest episode where I was on a different podcast and I talked about, you know, the impact of journaling or I talk about the forensic science, which I don't often talk about here, you know, then that gives my audience deeper insight into I You know where I was coming from and what that was like for me and just this totally different history that they may not be aware of because now I'm a writer. Same with your teaching like you could talk about why YA is so important to you and talk and reflect on your role as a teacher and the kind of resources that you wish you had had or the access to

Stephanie: 11:16

Okay.

Elizabeth: 11:16

you know, depictions of very wholesome love stories or light romance that you're trying to put into your book where it's, that's not the focus. And it's not, you know, over the top about it, but

Stephanie: 11:29

Silence.

Elizabeth: 11:29

even promoting like the strong voices of young girls, which is a big theme within your fictional work.

Stephanie: 11:36

Silence.

Elizabeth: 11:37

I mean, there's so many different avenues that you could take and all of it just goes to build. Um, a more complex picture of you as a writer, a more complex picture of your work that you're trying to promote, and you're putting yourself in front of so such a bigger audience, you know, so that someone who, say, is struggling with their own sobriety may turn to my story because, you know, They want to see my example of how I've come through that. Or maybe someone who's wrestling with their queer identity because I used to be married to a woman and now I'm dating a man may come to my story and want to see that. Or maybe someone who left a career and became a stay at home mom and struggled with their identity as a mother would see that reflected in my story or in my conversation on a particular podcast. And therefore want to pick up my book. There's so many different avenues regardless of whether you're writing non fiction or fiction. And I think it really encourages you to kind of peel back the layers and pick at your different, you know, topics that you approach. And, I mean, you've got some topics around like boundaries and setting boundaries with family that come up in your book. I mean, there's just so many different things. And so you can already sense that you don't have to have the same conversation over and over. You can build a more complex view of your work and of yourself.

Stephanie: 13:02

Well, and I think the other piece to understand, and I see this certainly as many of you listeners know, if you've been listening for a while, that, you know, Abby Jimenez is one of my favorite authors, and she is, um, amazing at how she connects with her audience beyond just her books. And I think that that's the piece is inspiring to me is thinking about, you know, who am I as a person beyond the book that I'm writing? You know, what can I share? Because ultimately, you know, writer to writer, there are opinions about books, but really as a writer, your readers are your most important. People and those are the people who are going to rally around you. Those are the people who are going to support you. And those are the people who are going to want to hear from you. And that's one of the pieces with podcasts is that can reach those readers that you might not expect to reach by allowing yourself to explore all the topics of interest that you are exploring as a reader. a writer and also that make up who you are and to really own all of those aspects of your identity to say, okay, this is who I am. You know, I write in, you know, whatever genre you pick that you write in, but you don't have to be like every other writer in that genre. And I think that that can sometimes be the hardest part because, you know, you feel like, oh, well if I'm writing in this genre, I have to write this way with this message. And, and it's interesting, like you were saying, Elizabeth, you know, I want to write more of the wholesome YA romance stories because as a teacher, as a former teacher, I mean, I still follow a lot of language arts teachers and I'm in still in groups on Facebook, just cause I haven't left them. Cause I'm just curious about what the, you know, is still going on in those realms. And they're always talking about how they can't find books put in the hands of their, you know, junior high and high school readers they're gravitating towards the adult romance section because that's what Because that's all that they see that's available for them, or they think that's available. And they've exhausted what's already in the YA section, because quite honestly, like I said on the previous episode, there are not that many stories that are available. You know, romance and relationships is a huge part of the growing up experience.

Elizabeth: 15:41

Yeah.

Stephanie: 15:41

yeah, I mean, you just think about the ways that you can get your message out there, the ways you can connect with people, build community, build connections with podcasters who could then be like, Oh, hey, I had this writer on my podcast. be great for yours. And the domino effect starts. And

Elizabeth: 16:00

That's how we found some of our guests is I've podcasts. We're doing podcast swaps, which you'll see throughout this season. And some of those were, People who told me, oh, hey, I've interviewed this writer and I've interviewed that writer, they would be great for your podcast, you know, and so we, we do that, like, this is actually what happens. Um, the other piece too is like, heaven forbid your book does well, and then you're asked to speak in front of an audience. Of real live people in front of you whether it's a book signing whether it's um, you know, you're reading a segment of your book or you go on a book tour or Heck if you even get some kind of like media like actual traditional media presence Are you going to be ready? Are you going to be panicked because you're not going to know how to articulate your story? You're not going to know how to articulate what your book is about or why it's important to you? I mean these, whether you're having a conversation one on one with someone that you're trying to get to buy your book, or you're having a conversation with a room full of people, there's no way in which going on podcast does not serve that bottom line and helping you get more comfortable with promoting yourself, talking about yourself and talking about your book.

Stephanie: 17:16

Well, and I will say that, yes, it is going to be scary the first time it's probably going to be scary the second time, but ultimately you're going to be your harshest critic about the way you sound or the things that you say, because I even find when I've listened back to our podcast, since I do a lot of the behind the scenes. Editing and so forth that I listen to myself and I'm like, Oh, Oh, Oh, I don't know. But then the feedback we get is always like, Oh, I love it. I feel like I'm inviting my friends into my living room. You know, I don't have to leave my house to have a conversation about writing. And, and so those little pieces, just those tiny little comments are like, Oh, Hey, like I am sharing something. And, and really the other thing to remember is. You're not for everybody.

Elizabeth: 18:06

Yeah.

Stephanie: 18:07

to be for everybody, then you're not going to get where you want to be. That's ultimately the piece. It's, you know, and so I think that that's really important to remember is that the people who are, you're meant to connect with are going to find you, your readers will find you. It may not feel like it when you're sitting wherever you write or wherever you're going through your process, but they will. And that's what, you know, performing writers talk about and even writers who are writing for fun and love to just, you know, send their stories out is that your readers will find you.

Elizabeth: 18:42

Well, and if you're going to go to the traditional route where you have to pitch to an agent, You better have done some of this beforehand. I was so nervous when I was pitching to an agent last March, but at least I had several months worth of podcasting under my belt at that point, where I had been talking about my memoir and the message, and I was still super nervous, and I was still really uncertain about what to say, and I'm sure I would do a better job of it now that I have had You know another nine months worth of experience. Um, I read recently, I'm reading Catherine Damonte's book and she was a previous guest of ours last year and the part I just read last night was that the end of a word, the word attraction is action. So if you're trying to attract something, if you, you know, follow the whole ideas of manifesting and attracting, Your life, you have to take some action and this is a great, I promise low stakes, you know, way to get to put out some action. I mean, some podcasts are fairly small like ours. I mean, we have about, What would you say like 50 regular listeners to our episodes between our different platforms, you know, and so it you don't have to expose yourself to any, you know, major way you can choose based off of the size of the podcast or the following that they have or the topic, um, and really just ease into it. But, but it is important to take some kind of action. Now we do have a way for podcasts for guests to become guests on our podcast. On our website you can find our podcast guest interest meeting. That's where you'll sit down with me usually and we'll talk about various topics of where we could take the conversation. I'm usually looking for, you know, kind of a different take than what we've already covered. I love talking to people. in different, that write for different genres, um, or have incorporated their personal stories into whatever fictional or non fictional work, or people that have a particular expertise in something that we can relate to writing. And honestly for the most part we've accepted almost every guest that has gone through that process. There have been a few that I had to weed out because the logistics where the timing just didn't work as far as like being able to coordinate a schedule for recording or some where they there just wasn't a great fit as far as like style or topic. Um, but for the most part like we are here to serve other writers. This is a big part of our mission in this podcast is providing that voice, providing that space for a very diverse group of voices. Um, we want to help you share your stories and we want to help you find your audience. And so if you're ready to take that step, if you would, you know, like to try, I mean, the way we edit these podcasts, Stephanie can speak to this, we can take out whatever you want us to take out. These are recorded.

Stephanie: 21:41

Silence. Silence.

Elizabeth: 21:42

if you don't like the way something sounded, you can simply rephrase it, state it again, and we'll chop the original. Like,

Stephanie: 21:48

Silence.

Elizabeth: 21:49

so much, um,

Stephanie: 21:50

Silence.

Elizabeth: 21:51

that happens behind the scenes as far as like how you represent yourself versus doing something on a like live platform Do you have anything you want to add to that Stephanie?

Stephanie: 22:02

Well, and, and the great thing too, is when you've been a guest, then you start to build up your bank of, you know, extra ways that you can share how you've showed up for yourself, You know, wanna promote your book. You can take clips from, you know, your recordings. You can link to the u you know, for on our podcast, you can link to the YouTube video, you can link to the recording. There are different ways that, that people are able to find you. Uh, we definitely have a lot of activity on YouTube and when we have people on as guests, we. Often we'll it down into YouTube shorts and have little clips that play out. And then you also will have access to those to use for your own promotion. And so there's a lot that we can offer you, uh, to promote yourself and It's not going to cost you anything other than your time, your energy, you know, showing up. You know, you may collapse afterwards and, you know, take a nap. I don't know if, you know, because I know as an introvert, you know, it's, Can be that a lot of energy to put out there or, or if you're really extroverted, that's great too. There are plenty of writers who are extroverted. Um, you know, we love, as Elizabeth said, you know, diverse voices, different stories. if you look back at our previous episodes from last year, we have some amazing writers of all different genres who appeared and, know, it's been so fun making those connections. And again, we created this space for writers, we're writers, uh, we want to encourage voices out there, uh, because as I've shared, you know, I was keeping my voice small and now having this podcast has allowed me to say like, no, I'm going to make my voice bigger. I'm owning I am as a writer. I'm going to ditch the narrative from, you know, my family lineage that I wasn't the writer of the family. And I'm going to pave my path for myself.

Elizabeth: 24:26

Yeah, I'm gonna try to find that website that's another podcaster told me It's called matchmaker and that's a website that she's used to connect with guests and Um, you and I have both been a part of a group called the Podcast Collaborative, which is either for guests or hosts, and they have a monthly mixer where I think membership is like 15 bucks a month, but you can show up to this monthly mixer where you get to network with a ton of people and see if there's any sort of commonality. Um, that's where I found initial, um, podcasts to go and be a guest on. That's where I've recruited some of our guests from. I'm Um, so there's tons of resources out there virtually where you can get to know people, um, before you ever sit down and record with them. I think, uh, with one exception, every podcast that I've been on, I've had like a, an initial meeting with someone where I got to talk to them, where I got to meet them. Before I was appeared as a guest and recorded an episode with them. And that's certainly how we structure our guest experience, where I have a casual conversation. It's not recorded, um, as much as I would love to because genius stuff comes out of those meetings. Um, But we just get an idea, a feel for each other, um, ideas of what kind of topics we might want to talk about when we record. And that's generally what I'm seeing across the industry of what most of these podcasts are doing, where you'll have a casual chat with the host,

Stephanie: 25:53

Okay.

Elizabeth: 25:53

um, ahead of time. And if it feels like a good fit, then you'll get to, you know, schedule a recording time with them. Most of the ones that I've seen are under an hour for recording. and most of the like intro meetings are somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes. So as far as the reach you get for the amount of time that you commit, um, it's, it's a great trade off of your time.

Stephanie: 26:19

Absolutely. Well, listener, we hope that you have gleaned from today's episode, some inspiration for yourself, some ways that you can put yourself out there, promote your message, refine your message, yourself. Share your story. Podcasts are a wonderful way to show up for yourself, to show, to create community. And we really hope that if you are a writer who would like to get your voice out there, that you will go to our website, inspiredwritercollective. com. Find the link for setting up a podcast. Interest interview and connect with Elizabeth and we'd love to have you as a guest on our podcast.