Last summer, I had “apply to podcasts” on my to-do list every week for MONTHS

Every Wednesday at 10 am, I meet with my accountability group – Marisa, Jenny, and Amanda. We review our goals for the last week, talk about what didn’t work, and set goals for the next week.

It’s immensely helpful for an inconsistent person like me. I’m great at coming up with ideas, not so great with the follow-through.

And applying to PODCASTS was one of those things.

Every week, it went onto the list. Every week, it was left unchecked. For most of 2019.

Then, I hired someone to do research for me and I thought, “Oh yes, when this research is done, I will apply to SO MANY PODCASTS!”

And then I never did.

I still haven’t, frankly, 1.5 years later.

Getting media in your business can be SO DAUNTING.

I don’t know about you, but this is what keeps me stuck:

A) Neverending research
There are 500,000 active podcasts on Apple. How do I know which ones are worth my time? How do I know which podcasts align with my brand? How do I know which podcasts would accept a guest like me?

As a (recovering) perfectionist, it’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole of research & never emerge. When do you stop researching & start applying? I never feel “ready.”

B) Imposter syndrome
Even though I’ve been doing this work for years, I still don’t FEEL like I’m qualified enough to speak on a podcast.

I probably never will! 

In working with hundreds of TED Speakers, I’ve realized that imposter syndrome is a fact of life. Some of the most qualified people I know are full of self-doubt… 

And on the flip side, some of the most UNqualified people think they’re hot shit!

C) My voice
As a speaker coach, you’d THINK that I’d have the most perfect broadcaster’s voice. Nope. I’m your typical 30-something California woman, and by that I mean: a touch of upspeak & vocal fry.

I don’t mind it, but I’ve gotten called out for it so many times before that I know I’ll be called out again. It’s exhausting and infuriating. 

Bravo, incels. You caught me – I’m a woman who speaks like a woman!

D) The Curse of Knowledge
I see this all the time in my own clients — they’ve been working for years, DECADES even, in a particular niche. They simply can’t remember how a layman thinks or speaks about their topic. 

I have the same problem when I’m applying to podcasts (or writing blogs, like this one). I always start with a topic that’s advanced and then I have to dial it way, way, way back to the basics.

Ok, so clearly I many very, very good reasons NOT to apply to podcasts.

Can you tell I’ve been procrastinating on this for 1.5 years? I’ve had 18 months to devise my excuses.

But you’ll be happy to know that I’ve been featured in TWO podcasts lately. 

Add them to your libraries, please:

In doing these podcasts, and others, I’ve realized a few things. In fact, it’s helped me devise a new strategy, a lazy-podcast strategy. 

Because lazy & half-done is always better than perfect.

How to get on more podcasts, the lazy edition:

Start with these three questions to narrow your podcast research & get results:

1. Which of your business friends have their own podcast?

This is your easiest in — people you already know. 

Diane & Mai-Kee are both in my inner circle. I met Diane at Laura Belgray’s writing workshop in Italy last year and we’ve stayed in touch ever since. Mai-Kee & I are both in Merel Kriegsman’s Clients Anytime Academy.

They know me, I know them. You can tell on the podcast that we’re pals.

2. Which podcasts are your business friends featured on?

Podcast research is so overwhelming. , I started with the Apple charts & worked my way down. I’d read that you should start in the 100s since 0-100 are the most competitive.

But it still felt overwhelming – there are SO MANY business podcasts! Where do I start?

Then I realized that instead of searching by PODCAST I could search by my FRIENDS. 

By business friends I mean adjacent entrepreneurs in your courses, masterminds, inner circles. People who aren’t direct competitors but who have a similar audience.

A) Go to https://www.listennotes.com/

B) Type in your business friends’ name

C) See which podcasts they’ve been featured on that might also be a fit for you.

This hack makes research easy & it makes pitching easier — you can mention that you’re friends with a former guest, or have them refer you!

3. Which podcasts are your competitors featured on?

Follow the same steps above the creep on your competitors. 

Maybe pour yourself a glass of wine first to keep the self-loathing at bay.

Then look at where your competitors have been featured and what they’ve spoken about.

>>> Do you disagree with their advice?

>>> Do you have a different opinion or take?

>>> What topics didn’t they cover?

If you can distinguish yourself, that’s enough reason to apply. 

I run into this problem with TEDx all the time — speakers thinking that there can only be 1 person speaking on 1 subject. That’s not true. As long as it’s different ENOUGH, the audience is happy to hear multiple perspectives.

I know it’s hard to look at your competitors’ work. I’m definitely the jealous type (ask my fiance) and I’ve struggled with “the competition” for years.

I asked my business mentor Laura Belgray about this a few months ago and said something that completely changed my mind. When she looked at the purchasing habits of her clients, she realized that it wasn’t an either / or decision. If someone bought her competitor’s course, they were likely to buy her course too!

So what can you add to the conversation that your competitor started on a particular podcast?

4. Don’t be afraid to hire someone!

Whenever I’m putting off a task over and over and over again I ask myself these two questions:

Do I *really* want to achieve this outcome?

If no, scratch it off the to-do list, guilt-free.

Can I hire someone to do it for me? 

Or give me some expert advice to get going?

Some of my clients hire me because they hate writing, they’re afraid of speaking, and they want me to hold their hand every step of the way. 

Some of my clients like speaking, like writing, and just want a second pair of eyes to make their work better.

Both are good reasons to hire out.

In my case, I hired Mai-Kee Tsang to help me develop a kickass podcast pitch. If you’ve made it all the way to the end of this article and still feel like you need help, maybe she’s your gal.

Sometimes, the LAZY solution is to throw money at the problem! No shame in that.

I’m still very new to my podcast journey…

I want to hear YOUR tips for getting featured on podcasts!

Will you leave them in the comments below?