DIY Podcast PR 🙋♀️
Tips from superstar publicist Jen Gottlieb
Hi Besties!
This past week, I took a quick trip to Austin, Texas, to recharge with my fiancé and visit his family. It was a much-needed week off—I came back ready to hit the ground running; funny how sometimes a vacation is the best way to stoke your productivity. Gotta love a life hack like that!
Anyway, one of the buckets I’ve been thinking a lot about lately when it comes to podcasting is PR. I don’t have the budget to hire a professional, but I think some well-placed coverage would be a game-changer for Podcast Bestie and my two podcasts.
Enter: Jenna Kutcher & Jen Gottlieb
Fellow Minnesota native Jenna Kutcher’s Goal Digger Podcast has been one of my favorite business podcasts I have returned to periodically for years. I’ve been on a bit of a bender lately as I work on up-leveling my marketing skills. She’s got some great episodes about SEO that I’ll include in a future newsletter. But today, we’re going to cover her mind-blowingly good episode about how to be your own PR agent with the brilliant Jen Gottlieb, co-founder and Chief Mindset Officer for Super Connector Media.
Jen’s PR savvy is so on point that I brushed my other editorial plans aside as soon as I heard it, and wanted to pass this on to you asap. Jen shared some super actionable advice—even more than I can pack into this post, so I encourage you to listen to the full episode.
P.S. Notice how top-tier service content does its own PR? Here I am writing about Jen’s Goal Digger episode because she offered a lot of value as a guest. And I found it in the first place because Jenna’s podcast consistently delivers content that serves her entrepreneurial listeners.
Jen says her superpower is her ability to be uncomfortable and to do things she doesn't feel like doing or she's scared to do. Being your own publicist probably feels wildly uncomfortable for a lot of people—but rest assured, Jen says anyone can be their own publicist.
The most important key to PR is relationships. The good news? You already have all the relationships you need in your network right now. You just need to figure out how to leverage your network to unlock that PR coverage.
Your “Top 20” Assignment (Should you choose to accept it)
Take out a piece of paper. Make four columns. You’re going to write a dump list of your current relationships.
Column #1 - List the names of 20 people you know who have a connection to the media. [Editor’s note: It doesn’t have to be mainstream media. There are a growing number of independent outlets with a lot of sway these days. For our purposes as podcasters, you could even include peers who have their own shows.]
Column #2 - Rank them 1-10 on their scale of influence, 10 being highly influential.
Column #3 - Rank them from 1-10 on the scale of how likely they are to help you, 10 being very likely.
Column #4 - Add up columns 2 and 3 for each person and give them a score. You will target those with the highest scores first (with a well-crafted pitch, more on that below).
As for the people on your list with lower scores? You're going to help them. Do not ask them how you can help them, but observe and figure it out on your own. And you're not going to do it with a quid pro quo in mind where you're immediately expecting something in return. Instead, you're going to continue to help them over time and develop a real relationship... a win-win relationship. And in the long term, nothing will serve you better. Serve and show up for other people, and they will serve and show up for you.
How to Pitch: 5 Elements of a Kick-Ass Pitch
Timely news hook relevant to the outlet.
Sell the topic—and the value you can bring to the audience—first. Pitch yourself second. A lot of people make the mistake of pitching themselves first.
Include statistics, and back up your claims with facts. Doing a little research will add legitimacy.
Provide talking points. List 4-5 bullet points. You want to make it quick and easy for busy journalists, producers, podcast hosts, etc., to understand what you're able to speak or write on and what you could offer their audience.
You want to make sure that you stand for something. You might feel inclined to equivocate and try to please everyone, especially in today's highly polarized times, but to stand out, you have to actually stand for something.
When pitching, remember: Don't try to be perfect; that's not relatable; just try to be yourself. Being authentic, messy, and YOU is what others will find magnetic!
Three things you can do to amp up your PR game THIS WEEK:
Gain clarity on your goals. Figure out where you want to be. List out just three places you want coverage from. If you don't know, use any envy you have for a colleague's success and let that guide you. Google them and find out where they've been featured.
Get clear on what your lean-in story is for your pitch. Which of your stories makes other people lean in (versus their eyes glazing over bored)? Zhoosh up your messaging by figuring out what's most interesting to others.
Go through that “Top 20” list you made and start to approach the people with the highest scores.
That’s how you can start to get PR coverage ASAP without a publicist. Thank you, Jen (and Jenna)!
A few additional thoughts on PR from yours truly:
On the receiving end, I get so many PR emails—I would estimate at least 50 a week, oftentimes more like 100. I get them for both my podcasts, many for this very newsletter, plus my work as an independent journalist. The vast majority are bad and untargeted, so it mostly just makes my inbox a nightmare avalanche on a daily basis. It's also taught me a lot about what makes for an effective PR pitch (and validates Jen's advice).
The pitches I get for Private Parts Unknown have the best success rate. I'm able to use maybe five-ish percent of those pitches. Perhaps because that show has been around for a while, so there are lots of examples of what I'm willing to cover? Or because it has an easy-to-understand niche? When someone pitches me a genuinely interesting sex or relationship-related topic, even if they have zero social media followers, but their story and/or expertise is good, I'll seriously consider it. (Though, of course, bonus points if the guest has their own platform to help promote the episode.)
Yesterday I did three interviews for Private Parts Unknown that I found through inbound pitches. Who were the yeses?
A couple, both 81, who edited an anthology about dating and new relationships after 60. (They were so charming!)
A sex and dating coach who wrote an upcoming book with an actionable workbook component you can apply to your love life.
A Midwestern doctor (and telehealth founder) trying to destigmatize sexual health and democratize access to STI testing, treatment, and prevention.
These pitches caught my eye because they were very focused pitches on topics I was already interested in covering, and I thought these guest perspectives could benefit my audience—and that's out of 100s of other pitches that went unanswered.
Since we’re on the topic…
How to Pitch Me for Podcast Bestie
Most of the pitches for Podcast Bestie are about podcasting broadly, new Big Podcast shows, or corporate industry news—things I'm unlikely to cover.
Option A: A thoughtful pitch with an indie angle, especially if it teaches my audience (that’s you) a valuable podcasting skill
I would be stoked if a successful indie podcaster wanted to teach the Besties a valuable skill, but almost no one pitches me anything related to independent podcasters, which is (in case you haven't noticed) my whole angle. If that's you, send me the topic and 4-5 bullet points about your area of expertise, plus a little blurb about your experience, so I'm not starting at square one with the Q&A. That makes for a much easier yes.
Option B: Something mutually beneficial
The best way to approach me with a general podcasting pitch is a co-marketing strategy, and almost no one does that either. A major platform wants me to write about their new show? Cool, I want to be featured on that platform. We could promo swap, but I’m not going to cover the show just because. A podcasting company or even an indie podcaster wants me to write about something without any apparent reason why that would be helpful to my audience? Think about it for an extra five minutes, and pitch me a mutually beneficial collaboration instead. From my experience, it’s clear when I’m being subjected to a spray-and-pray approach. Putting a little thought into each person you pitch and their audience will greatly improve your success rate.
If you don't want to do option A or B, that's fine. There’s always good old-fashioned advertising. You can buy ads on a variety of platforms, ranging from budget to bespoke. By the way, did you know I offer some at an excellent value? 😉
Binge Alpaca My Bags season 6 now—the podcast that examines the travel industry with a critical eye! Join travel writer, Erin Hynes, as she explores Everest, Overtourism, Digital Nomadism, and more! Listen now!
From Jeremy Enns: Understand what's keeping your show from growth with this free, 2-min podcast marketing audit. Get a personalized roadmap showing you where to focus your marketing efforts & improve your results.
Soothe your promotional aches and pains with a FREE subscription to the Podcast Clinic from Podspike. Get monthly tips, tricks & articles to help your podcast marketing become that little bit easier.
Attention LA-based writers! The Bleeders podcast is hosting a meetup for writers on Monday, January 30th. RSVP if you’re in town, it’s a great way to meet new creatives.
These ads provide vital support for this newsletter!
Click here for info and rates.
Executive Producer, Today Explained (full-time) at Vox Media | U.S. Remote
Managing Producer, Podcast, WBUR Program & Production (full-time) at Boston University | Boston, MA
Audio Reporter/Producer (full-time) at Los Angeles Public Press | Los Angeles, CA
Podcast Host (part-time) at Los Angeles Public Press | Los Angeles, CA
Submit to IFC AudioDocs 2023 - Have you recently produced factual audio storytelling such as a radio feature, audio documentary, podcast, radio stories or series? Submit your work to the IFC AudioDocs 2023. The event will take place in Reykjavik in May, bringing together documentary makers from across the globe. The deadline is February 17th, all details here.
An Informative Playlist from Pocket Casts - I was honored to have my podcast, The Bleeders, included in the new “Learn on the Go” playlist from Pocket Casts. Thank you to Emmeline Berry and team! I recommend signing up for their monthly partner newsletter so you’re the first to hear about upcoming curation opportunities.
2023 Podcast Marketing Insights - Over on Podcast Marketing Magic, Lauren Passell asked a bunch of smart podcasting people their marketing predictions for this year (including moi). Really interesting read. (Also, Devin started a newsletter called Podstack for listening recs—sign up and keep her on your pitching radar!)
You But Better: Courtney Kocak: Comedy Writer and Sex Podcaster Gone Wild - Hosted by comedy brosefs Alex Baia and Joseph Dailey, playing self-improvement gurus Lex and Seph, this new show is ridiculous and ridiculously funny. Listen to me give a half-serious interview with some genuinely good podcasting advice.
ISA Game: Get Where You Want To Be (ft. Actress Christine Evangelista) - Host Isabella Di Stefano welcomes actress and emerging intimates designer Christine Evangelista, whom you may recognize from projects like The Walking Dead, The Arrangement, and currently Fear of the Walking Dead, but they’ve actually been friends for a long time… they actually met as teens modeling for Seventeen Magazine! Lots of good life and perspective advice in this one. Plus, tips for aspiring actors.
So… ROLL CALL! 🗣
What’s your biggest self-made PR win? Share it in the comments below.
Follow me @courtneykocak on Twitter and Instagram. For more, check out my website courtneykocak.com.
👏👏👏 great insights