3.Pay with credit card if possible instead of PayPal.
4.Follow the instructions Ecamm provides for purchasing, accessing, and downloading the software.
5.Once you can start Ecamm on your computer, watch this video: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B552kT0gTG8nY3ZMZEFqRWx4VVE.
6.If you run into any kind of trouble, let me know!
INGREDIENT #3: PC
If you are using a PC, you’ll need to download and install a different call recorder. The software is called Pamela, and you can find it here: https://www.pamela.biz/.
We divided the installation process into three sections and created a tutorial video for each. You can find them here: PredictiveROI.com/Resources/Stage-4.
1.Downloading Pamela
2.Installing Pamela
3.Settings for Pamela
Recipe #3: Prepare Your Guest Invitation
For some business owners, the prospect of sending out invitations to their Dream 50 list of prospects can feel daunting. Plus, you are using new technology, new questions, and a new platform. Rest assured, this recipe will help reduce any potential anxiety you may be feeling by giving you a proven framework you can copy and begin using right away. These assets, along with confidence, are really all you need in order to book great guests on your show.
So how will you send out the guest invitation email?
1.Make sure you have your list of prospective interviewees handy.
2.Select those whom you feel you’ll be comfortable interviewing and will provide good content. One or the other isn’t a great choice. For instance, you may be very comfortable with your aunt Marge, but she probably lacks the subject matter expertise you want to share with your audience. Similarly, picking a subject-matter master whom you are afraid to interview will lead to an unsuccessful show.
3.Modify the email template to include something personal about each of the individuals you are emailing and why you think that person will do a good job.
4.Double-check that all the links within your email template are working.
5.Click “Send.”
6.Don’t expect an immediate response. This can be hard at first, but you are asking busy people to make time for you. You need to adopt the mindset of a salesperson. You are now in a sales process. You want these individuals to spend time on your show. Do follow-ups, keep asking, and be persistent.
7.As your list of aired interviews grows, you will begin receiving requests from prospective guests who want to be on your show. That is a very good feeling. Be sure to post your archive link someplace prominently within your invitation as well as on your website. Here’s what Onward Nation’s looks like: http://onwardnation.com/podcast-archives/.
8.Figure 11-6 is a screenshot of what your invitation will look like as your guest opens it.
FIGURE 11-6
Chris . . . thank you for accepting my invitation to be on Onward Nation . . . am looking forward to our time together.
Here are some additional details . . .
Our interviews are conducted via Skype and are audio-only.
Attached are the questions I ask each guest—however—I will create a custom set of questions for you so we can be finished in twenty minutes.
We will promote your episode via:
1. Episode-specific email campaigns to our Predictive ROI list
2. Distribution across our three Facebook profiles
3. Posts to my LNKD connections
4. Posts to my Twitter followers
5. Targeted ads on Facebook to drive traffic to your “Show Notes” page at OnwardNation.com
6. Your “Show Notes” page will include highlights from your interview as well as include links to resources, etc., that you suggest/recommend during our discussion.
You can learn more about my background from the video interview that Darren Hardy and I did at: https://youtu.be/Mg5J_ZGJazY.
You can schedule your interview at: http://www.meetme.so/OnwardNation.
I am thrilled to have you on the show, Chris!
Sincerely Yours,
Stephen Woessner
Host of The Onward Nation Podcast
CEO of Predictive ROI
M: 608-498-5165
Template: Guest Invitation
The invitation template includes several critical ingredients to help establish credibility and “social proof” in the hearts and minds of your prospective guests—and to assure them that being a guest on your show will expand their own platforms. Let’s dive deeper into both.
The first three sentences following “Here are the details to consider” are all designed as credibility indicators. Including the number of countries where your podcast is listened to (even if the number is 10) let your guest know you are building an international reach. My team and I tested this message on Facebook when Onward Nation reached 83 countries, and we received some wonderful comments. As soon as we reached 100 countries we made it an even bigger deal. I now include “200 countries” in all of our invitations.
Include a link to the names of all your past guests and their interviews. Guests may recognize some names and may even listen to a few snippets of some of your interviews. This is another excellent credibility indicator.
And speaking of credibility indicators, if you have a video of you being interviewed by someone else, the invitation is a perfect place to add it. When I sent out my first several invitations for Onward Nation, we had zero international exposure and we did not have an archive of interviews with past guests. But what I did have—and what I included a link to—was a rockin’ awesome video of Darren Hardy (who at the time was the publisher of SUCCESS Magazine), interviewing me about money-draining mistakes most business owners make. Have you ever been interviewed regarding your areas of expertise? If so, include the link within the invitation.
The credibility indicators will have done their job if your prospective guest reads on. So now I would like to direct your attention to the five bullet points toward the middle of the invitation. These are the “platform-building” bullets that tell your prospective guests how you will promote their episodes and drive more traffic your way. Yes, you want their help in promoting the episode—and most of your guests will go out of their way to help you. But being a guest on your show will begin to feel like a lot of work on their part if you don’t articulate how you will bring an audience to them.
It has been our experience that the size of the email list behind a show provides guests with assurance that the host has some marketing horsepower behind him or her. The email list doesn’t need to have 100,000 names. Even several thousand highly targeted email subscribers will be impressive to most guests. And be sure to revise the number in your invitation upward as your email list grows.
The bullet points should also include your plan for social media distribution.
The following template is the core of what we have used at Onward Nation to book interviews with hundreds of today’s top business owners. In addition, all of our podcasting clients at Predictive ROI are using modified variations of this same invitation. It works extremely well.
Please note: Any content bolded in the template should be revised to fit your show.
Subject: [Podcast Name] Invitation
Good Morning [Guest], I hope you are doing well. [I really enjoyed our conversation several years ago—wow—time flies by].
I would be honored, [Guest], if you joined me as my guest on our top-ranked daily podcast for business owners called [Podcast Name].
Here are the details to consider . . .
[Podcast Name] is listened to in [XXX] countries.
You can find our full guest list here: [Link to archive page on your podcast website.]
You can learn more about my background from the video interview that Darren Hardy (former publisher of SUCCESS Magazine) and I did at: https://youtube/Mg5J_ZGJazY.
The interviews are conducted via [Connection platform being used (e.g., Skype, Zoom, GTM, etc.)] and are audio-only.
Attached are the questions I ask each guest. [Link to questions list]
Each interview lasts approximately [Time in minutes].
We will promote your episode via:
• Episode-specific email campaigns to our [Specific number of people on your email list] email list
• Distribution on our Facebook profile
• Posts to my LNKD connections
• Posts to my Twitter followers
• Targeted ads on Facebook to drive traffic to your “Show Notes” page at [Podcast Name]
Your Show Notes page will include highlights from your interview as well as include links to resources, etc., that you suggest/recommend during our discussion.
If you are interested, you can schedule your interview at: [Link to ScheduleOnce booking page].
I would be thrilled to have you on the show!
Your thoughts, [Guest First Name]?
Show Them You’re Serious
An excellent confidence-building strategy is to record your initial set of ten interviews, launch your show, and then begin reaching out to invite members of your Dream 50 list to join you as a guest on your show. Social proof is critically important: Your show being live, receiving reviews in iTunes, social media posts being distributed, and your archive of interviews beginning to fill up are all excellent credibility indicators that you are serious about your show. Then, accepting your invitation is an easy “yes” for your Dream 50.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND RECORDING CHECKLIST
Identify two to three pieces of social proof you can include within your invitation to a prospective guest.
Customize the invitation template provided in this chapter to save you some time.
Review the posting/airing schedule for social media and episodes with your team to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Set up and test your recording software by conducting a mock interview with a member of your team via Skype.
Record your first round of ten interviews so you have ample inventory when you launch your podcast.
CHAPTER 12
STAGE 5:
FINAL WEBSITE CONTENT AND SHOW NOTES
The pre-launch production of your podcast is quickly coming to an end. Soon your vital priorities will switch to romancing your Dream 50, promoting your show with excellence and tenacity, and selling! But before we tackle new priorities, you need to select a Show Notes template for your podcast website, consider several guest-friendly content pages for your website, and set up your Libsyn account along with your distribution linkages into iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play.
We have included easy-to-download templates for the Show Notes, FAQs, and About Host content pages at PredictiveROI.com/Resources/Stage-5.
Figure 12-1 illustrates the highlights of the production process in Stage 5.
Bonus Training: Being an Infusionsoft subscriber is not a requirement for creating a successful podcast. However, if you are looking to take your guest advocacy system to the highest level of automation, then you will want to visit PredictiveROI.com/Resources/Stage-5 for our comprehensive (free) tutorial on best practices. The tutorials include Infusionsoft campaigns to help ensure that revenue-generating opportunities with your guests are captured. Our online Resources library is continually updated in order to keep pace with the new features at Infusionsoft and ScheduleOnce. Our tutorials cover topics such as:
How to integrate Infusionsoft with ScheduleOnce
How to create guest advocacy campaigns in Infusionsoft
How to tag guests in Infusionsoft upon registration
How to create and distribute marketing automation campaigns to your guests
How to build and edit lists
How to build and embed Infusionsoft forms into your podcast website forms
And much more
FIGURE 12-1
The Stage 5 Project Sheet template (Figure 12-2, p.146–147) is available for your free download at PredictiveROI.com/resources/Stage-5. As with the earlier Project Sheets, it is a Google Sheet template so you can copy it into your Google Docs account and share it with all of the members of your team.
Completing Stage 5 should take you and your team one or two days.
Recipe #1: Documents for Review
INGREDIENT #1: SHOW NOTES TEMPLATES
You or your team should write a “Show Notes” summary highlighting each episode’s key lessons or discussion points. Think of your Show Notes as an individual blog post created to house each of your episodes on your podcast website. A Show Notes page is not a full transcript of the episode; it is just enough information to pique the reader’s interest in listening to the full episode.
We typically produce Show Notes for clients using one of two templates: Style A (Bullets) or Style B (Q&A). Using an A/B template will save a lot of time. Your clients will be able to listen to the recording, take notes, jump from question to question, select a highlight, and then move on to the next section in the Show Notes.
FIGURE 12-2
Productivity Tip: Encourage your team to create hidden placeholder pages in the podcast website for each upcoming episode once you decide on the template/style of Show Notes. For example, your team could have twenty fully completed episodes “in the can.” They would include audio edited and uploaded to Libsyn and scheduled for distribution, Show Notes created for each episode and scheduled in WordPress to match up with the Libsyn air dates, and social media posts preloaded/scheduled into Hootsuite and SocialOomph. When your team can put this predictable and repeatable system into place, it will begin to feel as though your podcast were running on autopilot. Working ahead like this helps you, as the host and business owner, shift your attention toward developing relationships with your Dream 50.
Style A Show Notes: Bullets
Episode Title, with Guest’s Full Name
You can find an example here: http://buildabetteragency.com/scott-monty/.
The first paragraph in your Show Notes introduces the guest, regardless of Show Notes format. Typically, three to seven sentences long, this is most often the bio that the guest provides, either via ScheduleOnce or through email. If this episode is a solocast, then we’re talking about your bio.
What you’ll learn about in this episode:
Topic 1
Topic 2
Topic 3
Etc.—through every topic discussed in the episode
Ways to Contact [Guest’s First Name]:
Website
Email
Twitter
Etc.—Whatever your guest provides
Predictive ROI Note: The biggest advantage to Style A is that it is the shortest template. It showcases what each episode offers rather than giving it away in text. This urges anyone reading your Show Notes page to take the next step and listen to the episode. This is our recommended format for most podcasts.
Style B Show Notes: Q&A
Episode Title, with Guest’s Full Name
You can find an example here: http://onwardnation.com/jay-baer/.
As with Style A, the first paragraph in your Show Notes introduces the guest in a three-to-seven-sentence bio.
Following the first paragraph, this style of Show Notes will feature every question from your official question list and the answers your guest provides.
Example:
A question could be:
Is there a secret, time-saving technique that helps you focus and tackle your most vital priorities each day?
We could put that exact question into the Show Notes or abbreviate it as:
Secret time-saving technique
And then the answer would follow. This style would repeat for every question in your question list.
Ways to Contact [Guest’s First Name]:
Website
Email
Twitter
Etc.—Whatever your guest provides
Predictive ROI Note: Style B is intended for podcasts that will use the same questions week-to-week.
INGREDIENT #2: PODCAST WEB
SITE CONTENT PAGE FAQS
You can find an example here: http://focusisyourfriend.com/faq/.
Thank you so much for agreeing to be a guest on [Podcast Name]. I absolutely cannot wait to speak with you. But first, here’s everything you need to know to make sure our conversation can happen without any mishaps—technological or otherwise.
[Podcast Name] is focused on [Description of podcast].
Schedule Your Interview
Please click the link below to schedule your interview. I normally record interviews at specific times, but I can be flexible if need be. If none of the times on the schedule work for you, shoot me an email at [Email Address], and we’ll work something out.
[Schedule your interview button]
What I Need from You
When you schedule your interview through the above link, I’m going to need the following information from you:
1.Name
2.Email
3.Company Name
4.Role in Company
5.Website
6.Twitter Handle (makes sure we connect with the right person/account via social media)
7.Skype Handle (helps you connect on Skype)
8.Phone Number
9.Mailing Address (for mailing thank yous, future communications, or gifts)
10.Links to whatever you would like us to promote in your Show Notes page
11.Guest bio (for the website and use as an intro)
12.Headshot (for website and social media)
The Interview
We will record our interview on Skype, and it’ll take about forty-five to sixty minutes of your time, depending on how in-depth we get with our conversation. We’ll talk for a few minutes before we start the recording so that we can get to know each other a little bit and check the sound. I’ll also answer any questions you might have, and I’ll have you pronounce your name for me. After that, we’ll begin the recording.
Profitable Podcasting Page 11