How to build long-term relationships with one-off podcast guests

Guest for an hour, friends forever? It's like catching an endless wave

In the B2B space, there’s a well-known playbook for business development: let’s call it “content-based networking”, there’s even a book about it.

In case you’re not familiar with it here is the idea, oversimplified: you invite your clients and prospects as guests on your podcast. The positive effects of creating an episode with them are multiple:

• You had an hour-long chat, so you have improved or ignited a personal relationship

• They have learned a bit about your business, they’re at least aware of it

• You have a better understanding of their business

• You’re already collaborating: sharing, promoting the content

Your business is in a better place to transact with their business.

It works. Many of our clients use podcasts with this goal in mind. I’ve experienced it first-hand. My podcast opened up a few business opportunities even if it was not my goal when I booked the guest.

It’s not just for B2B, the relationship-building element of podcasting, can open all sorts of doors: I think it’s a great way to find a job or shift careers for example.

NB: I also think the approach is a bit limiting, as you may lose focus on creating the best possible show which could bring even more benefits - but I’ll leave that for another newsletter.

Nurturing the relationship past the initial episode stage

So you’ve reached out to your ideal buyer. She’s accepted the invitation. You’ve recorded a great episode. You followed up as it went live. Collaborated on social posts. You’ve subtly mentioned that you’re open for business (she had already got the hint anyway, she’s been invited to a few other podcasts lately). It’s all going well, on the content-networking side.

Let’s say that there’s clear potential for a commercial relationship.

But that doesn’t mean that they’re ready to buy. Maybe there are other priorities. They’re on a contract for another x months. Etc.

And you’ve just posted everything about the podcast so there’s no reason to communicate about the episode any more.

Also, you don’t want to break this nice relationship by switching to sales mode.

The solution is twofold: a) initial impact and b) longevity and for both creativity helps.

First, a surf metaphor

I’ve been trying (mostly failing) to surf off the Brighton coast in the UK. I wish I had a “surf ranch” like 11x World Surf League Champion Kelly Slater’s (pictured below).

The “ranch” is a machine and a pool, engineered to create long, perfectly shaped waves. With the right skills you can catch a lot of waves and ride

Hear me out. Your podcast is a surf ranch. Catching a wave means scoring a business goal.

Amazing! You can create your own wave!

But it’s not the perfect world, it’s the business world. You create “waves”, probably not perfectly surfable waves and you can’t catch all of them.

To improve the odds of transforming guests into customers, you need to work on i) a greater initial impact and ii) sustain it for longer.

You go back under the hood of your wave machine to re-engineer it to create a bigger, longer wave.

Have I lost you? Surfing is not your thing? Anyway read on as I am back to podcasting.

Maximize the initial impact

Here are a few elements to consider as you prepare the podcast or just after you release it.

Execution matters

That’s an obvious one, but let’s not skip it. This involves preparation, thoughtful questions, and a well-edited episode. Demonstrating professionalism and a genuine interest in your guests’ insights will make them more inclined to maintain a connection with you.

Opportunistic hints

It’s a good time to add them on Linkedin or sign them up to your newsletter. I typically mention to my guests that the episode will be featured in my newsletter and they often sign up.

You don’t need to be too subtle. This is probably a good time to use your top-of-the-funnel tools. “By the way we provide a free [something]”

Boost their egos socials

Your guests are stars in their field, even if it’s a narrow one. Their insights are valuable. Their expertise is unique.

How can you deliver the red carpet treatment that matches their star status?

Creating more clips and ‘hyping” their episode is one way of doing that (see previous post on repurposing). They participated in your podcast to promote their business. They will be grateful if you can offer more

TIP: I found that providing bullet points and highlights to guests makes it easier for them to share than ready-made posts.

Longevity

It’s not too hard to stay in touch if your interests are aligned. That’s where the authenticity and the premise of the podcast matter deeply and pay infinite dividends. It also helps have a streamlined workflow, that leaves breathing space for reflection and personal interaction with guests.

Don’t forget you can also re-book the same guests (or ask them to contribute to a new content piece). Doing it sensibly and not too often demonstrates your appreciation for their insights. It’s also a chance to highlight the newest pieces they publish.

Creativity in re-purposing the podcast also helps. Every time you publish a new piece of content or re-publish an old one in a new context there’s an opportunity to get in touch and keep the relationship alive.

The details are in my previous post, for example, you can:

• remix episodes

• repost an episode with a commentary

• integrate a quote into a new piece of content

By creating a solid process for repurposing, you make this happen seamlessly. Then “content-based networking” becomes “content-based nurturing”.

TIP: You can do this opportunistically (something in the news about the topic of the conversation), but you can also do it more strategically (let’s put a reminder to create a new piece of content from the podcast 1-month before their contract expires)

---

Hope you got some useful tips here. Even if you’re not into podcasting for “content-based networking”, those relationships are worth nurturing. And if you’re in it for commercial opportunities, keep in mind that creativity will separate you from others who may use the same tactic.

PS: To go back to my surf metaphor. The hydrofoil in Kelly Slater’s ranch creates the wave, but there’s more to it. The jet ski is also important. OK, I'll stop here.