Podcast Guests: Prevent Embarrassing Booking Outreach Emails - Magai AI Prompt Tip

This is one of the most common and avoidable mistakes when trying to get booked as podcast guest. (Watch YouTube Short). So you hired a podcast booking service…

It's wild that even with AI, professionals still hire podcast booking services who send cold emails hoping they find me well and pitching to have their client on my podcast.

I don't have guests on my podcast (Voice Marketing with Emily Binder).

If you listen to an episode for 30 seconds or scan the show notes, that's obvious. My previous, longer podcast (Beetle Moment Marketing Podcast) had guests. But I haven't done that show in three years. And I still get guest inquiries for it.

If my own assistant pitched me as a podcast guest in this sloppy a manner, they wouldn't be my assistant anymore.

Spray-and-pray podcast guest outreach

One small problem: This podcast doesn’t have guests.

Takeaway:

When you have someone dialing for dollars on your behalf without doing table stakes vetting targets, you look lazy and desperate and just... outdated at this point. It looks like you have no budget or discernment and would be happy to guest on any old podcast. It’s Thirsty Marketing (video).

Your salesforce is a reflection of your brand. Any comms that go out on your behalf reflect on you: that is the essence of marketing.

Good news: the tools exist to do better, easily, and they're free. Sure the VA is just $20/hr blasting emails to every podcast out there (even podfaded ones, or single-host ones), but this 'cheap' tactic actually costs you reputationally and wastes time. So it’s expensive in the end because brand value is arguably a business’s greatest asset.

podcast guest target list & email Solution using AI:

If I were in a want-to-be guest’s shoes I'd do this instead.

It will take about ten minutes upfront to generate a strong and detailed output. Save it and re-use.

This prompt works in any generative AI tool but I’m especially loving Magai lately. (It’s another tech rec from my friend Mitch Joel, Founder of ThinkersOne who got me into other must-have tools I use daily like Descript, Hand Mirror, and TextExpander.)

Magai AI

Magai aggregates ALL the top AI tools (LLMs for text and gen AI for images and video). It’s all in a single browser based dashboard and you can save chats. About $15/mo which is a steal. Consider that ChatGPT Plus costs $20/mo as a standalone service. It’s one of many tools included in Magai, for much less. Try Magai

Magai Premium AI Models: ChatGPT, Claude AI, Google Gemini Advanced, Meta Llama, and more! Image Generation: Dall-e 3, Stable Diffusion, Leonardo.ai, Flux, Stable Video…

Steps:

  1. Paste the prompt below.

  2. Fill in your own info in the brackets:

------ begin prompt ------

Lead gen list and email for podcast guest bookings:

"My client [name] is a [industry] expert. [Paste client bio and accolades plus link to their website and link to a strong recent episode on Spotify and if available, YouTube link. Paste a list of five strong or popular episodes they've been a guest on and a short description of each.]

1) Create a list of 20 popular [industry] podcasts that have guests (not solo host shows). Put the podcast name and host name clearly at the top and then link to the podcast home page. Write 1 sentence describing the podcast. Write 1 sentence about why it would benefit my client to be a guest.

2) For each podcast, personalize a short, visibly digestible email about why my client would add value. Do not use platitudes or cliches or "hope you're doing well" type language. Get to the point in the first sentence. Don't sound desperate, sound confident and friendly. Personalize the email by mentioning a recent episode on that podcast which is related to my client's bio (not a random episode). Put 3 bullet points of why my client would be a useful or compelling guest, especially citing stats about their career, business, similar guest appearances, followers, impressions, or dollar amounts of exits / success stats. Offer a 10-minute phone call with my client [insert Calendly link]."

------ end prompt ------

I hope this post finds you well. ;)

Watch more mini-pod clips on YouTube:

Market to One Person, Not a Crowd

Are you marketing to a blur of indistinguishable faces, or to 47-year-old Charlie in Seattle, who’s concerned about finding the right options strategy for his 4000% $NVDA windfall? When you view your audience as a fuzzy crowd, you risk wasting both time and money trying to reach them. Podcast clip:

Get a rifle and narrow your sight. (As you know we write for people who sell considered purchases or services to a discerning audience; not mass market products. If you’re selling Doritos or sedans or iPhone chargers then the shotgun approach may be effective.) More on that:

Rifle vs Shotgun Approach in Marketing (the classic metaphor):

The shotgun approach in marketing aims to reach a broad audience through mass media, generating many leads at a lower cost but often with less precision in targeting. The rifle approach is more strategic, aiming precise content at a narrowly defined group to drive higher-quality engagement and conversions.

mini-podcast: Market to One Person, Not a Crowd

Play on Apple // play on Spotify // or play everywhere else via Podlink.

Content marketing landscape:

Consider the vast amounts of content online along with how much people actually retain:

  1. 402.74 million terabytes of data are created each day. (A staggering amount we can't really comprehend.) Source: Exploding Topics, June 2024

  2. The Forgetting Curve: “Some studies suggest that people forget about 50% of new information within an hour of learning it. That goes up to an average of 70% that's forgotten within 24 hours.” Source: Indigene, Understanding the Science Behind Learning Retention​

The smart, targeted content creation approach:

If you're creating content in hopes of achieving a business outcome, be thoughtful and specific (use the rifle, not the shotgun):

Because it's truly a sea at this point. Have a clear picture of exactly who you're marketing to (avatar), whether you’re advertising or doing organic content. You may have two or three avatars; write to one at at time. Make separate content for separate avatars. (Btw, Hubspot is a good tool for segmenting content.) Otherwise you're like the Land Rover Defender and diabetes medication commercials played back to back 242 times in a row over months of re-watching The Sopranos on MAX. (Anecdote explained more on the podcast. Both were a waste of CPM.)

In 2024 we don't need to do the spaghetti at the wall / shotgun thing in marketing, especially not for considered purchases.

More marketing tips / subscribe free:

Podcast home: Voice Marketing with Emily Binder

Follow on Instagram: @beetlemoment

Get email updates (new blogs, one per month max)

Watch more of Emily’s marketing videos and Shorts - YouTube playlist

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How To Add Spotify Podcast Chapters (Clickable Timestamps) - SEO

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Adding Spotify Chapters (clickable timestamps) to your podcast show notes is easy and you should do it on every episode. Watch Emily’s tutorial video here.

Read more about the SEO and UX benefits of clickable Spotify timestamps for podcasts here.

Here’s what the clickable kind look like (what you want):

Example Spotify podcast chapters (clickable timestamps) which are great for SEO and UX (user experience). This is “The Game w/Alex Hormozi”, a podcast that figured out the Spotify Chapters trick earlier than most.

It’s Like Google Featured Snippets

On Google, Featured Snippets get 35.1% of all clicks. (The boxes featured at the top of search results which answer a specific question.)

Clickable timestamps are like the Featured Snippets of your podcast. They tell listeners and search engines how specific parts of your episode essentially answer a specific question.

Steps: How to add Spotify podcast chapters (linked timestamps):

  1. Using AI or a manual method, generate 8-10 timestamps for every 60 minutes of content.

  2. In your RSS feed host such as Acast, Libsyn, Podbean etc., click to edit the “episode description” (show notes).

  3. Put the timestamps on separate lines beginning with the minutes and seconds, either one or two digits for minutes and two digits for seconds, with a colon in the middle such as 4:34. BUT:

  4. Instead of just writing the time plainly like 4:34, you need to put the time in parentheses to make it clickable in Spotify (a Chapter). Like this: (4:34).

    1. Example of a clickable timestamp / chapter when written in the RSS feed episode description (back-end): (4:34) Investors who lost their password made more money

That’s it. Watch Emily’s tutorial for more details: How To Add Spotify Podcast Chapters / CLICKABLE Timestamps

Related Podcast Tip videos:

Playlist: Podcasting Tips and Gear

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This Image Mistake = 267% Less Social Media Engagement. (Marketing Tip Mini-Pod)

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Rich media banners are 267% more effective than static banners but this ad stat also applies to engagement on organic social posts (e.g. LinkedIn, X , and Facebook). This mini-pod and blog post is about something small and tactical that has a big impact on your social media efficacy.

Define what we’re talking about:

First, “rich media preview” or metadata just means that the social post’s featured image / thumbnail is grabbing information from your target link (such as a YouTube title and thumbnail, or blog post title and featured image). See the screenshots below with green check marks.

  • It happens automatically if your linked post or media asset has the metadata (title, thumbnail, description) and you share natively. YouTube always does. Blog posts usually do (up to you in settings).

  • It happens sometimes when using a scheduling tool like Buffer or Sendible.

  • It happens sometimes if the person posting chooses to attach a photo instead of letting the URL scrape metadata (native info like image and title). (Don’t attach a plain image when you could let the linked asset’s data scrape in and be rich.)

Benefits of rich media / metadata previews for outbound links on social posts:

  1. Give your audience a more reassuring and visually pleasing UX

  2. Display more information (where they’re clicking to - no surprises)

  3. Use Fitt’s Law: You’ll have a much larger target area (featured visual and clickable description vs one small text URL)

Fitt's Law is a rule that says it's easier to touch or click on bigger things that are closer to you, and harder to touch or click on smaller things that are farther away.

Results: more clicks to your target media. Example below (X post, good):

When it comes to sharing a blog post or YouTube video or article on social, you want the featured / thumbnail image to be rich media, not an attached plain image which forces the user to find the shortlink in the text of the post. That plain image style lowers the engagement rate and likelihood they will click out to your content. Here’s a clip from the podcast explaining more:

Note: this doesn't apply to zero click content, e.g. photo posts where you intend to simply upload pics and not drive traffic to a link - which is fine and intentional.

Example posts: Do This vs. Don't Do This:

A) Do this- Optimal examples:

A rich media experience, clickable featured image with metadata (title, description, target website shown)

Good LinkedIn post style for promoting a YouTube video podcast. First give the audio link (Spotify, Apple, or Podlink / Plink universal podcast menu link. THEN give the YouTube link as the final link because LinkedIn will scrape / feature metadata from the last URL.)

-Twitter example 1 (YouTube clickable preview)

-LinkedIn example 1 (YouTube clickable preview)

-LinkedIn example 2 (Two links for podcast audio and video) - Advanced tip: for a post with two links: LinkedIn favors the last URL as the clickable media so if you have a podcast, first put the audio link THEN the YouTube link so people see the more engaging clickable video thumbnail with details. Another good example (do this):

Good post style - LinkedIn: this is a caveat. Zero-click content is meant to let the user get the full scoop without clicking away. Great for photos or videos natively uploaded. Popular lately also: swipe through carousel photo style posts (like mini webinar slides).

B) Don't do this: Not optimal examples:

A jpg or png is attached and that preview image that isn't clickable to open the media. User has to find the link to click inside the post text. Less engaging when seen in a feed.

-LinkedIn example 1 (way too many tags which hurts the post algo if tagged people or companies don't engage, and difficult to visually find the actual target URL)

-LinkedIn example 2 (nice post but image is static and not rich media/clickable to the target URL)

Follow on Instagram: @beetlemoment

🌟 Thrilled that the podcast we launched and produced, "NEXT with TIGER 21," has been ranked #7 in the Top 12 Podcasts for CEOs featured on Entrepreneur.com, right after "Diary of a CEO." Hosted by Michael Sonnenfeldt, "NEXT

Rate / review / subscribe to Voice Marketing with Emily Binder (mini-pod)

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Podcast Mic Review: Shure SM7B vs Shure MV7. Plus Riverside + Descript Promo Links

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Which podcast microphone should you buy? Watch Emily’s review below of two of the most popular and beloved podcast mics: Shure SM7B vs Shure MV7.

Shure SM7B vs Shure MV7 Full Review, Sound Comparison, and Gear Setup Tips

Part 1: The Two Best Podcast Mics

Mic 1: Shure SM7B (the gold standard, the Thriller mic)

  • Price point: $399

  • XLR microphone

  • Additional gear required:

    • Add gain with Cloudlfiter

    • Audio interface / pre-amp: Scarlet Focusrite (the Solo is fine for a single person recording, get the duo for two people)

    • Boom arm

    • Two XLR cables

    • Get an Anker dongle, trust me

Shop it: Full SM7B gear list on Amazon here

Everything you need to sound great on the Shure SM7B - shop our gear list

Mic 2: Shure MV7: The SM7B’s little brother

  • Price point: $249

  • USB or XLR microphone

  • Design is less sexy but still fine

  • Portable and simple: plug-and-play single USB (or XLR option) with no extra gear needed

  • Sounds good (not great like SM7B) but many podcasters like Bethenny Frankel use it

  • Great for travel e.g. bring to your hotel room and record on the go

  • Buy the one that comes with a tripod or we prefer the look of a boom arm (here’s the only bundle you need). Note: Any regular boom arm you buy will be standard size and fit standard mics like either of these so don’t worry about compatibility

Shop it: Full MV7 gear list on Amazon here (either get the option with tripod OR the boom arm; buy the plain mic if you already have a stand):

Mic chosen. Now let's record and edit with the BEST user-friendly podcast tools for beginners or advanced!

Part 2: The Two Best Tools/Apps for Podcast Recording & Editing

Riverside lets you easily record quality audio or video remotely. Share and edit clips. AI tools included.

Tool 1: Video / audio podcast recording with Riverside.fm

Riverside is your online studio for high-quality podcast and video recording and editing. Powered by AI, built for human conversations.

Invite your guest to meet in your virtual studio. Screenshare, present slides or charts, have multiple guests. Recordings are stored in the cloud and can be exported for fine editing, or use the built-in AI to create Magic Clips quickly sized for social media (vertical, horizontal, square, and YouTube size).

Hear how it sounds:

This is a podcast episode that we produced for Satovsky Asset Management (see case study for Wisdom, Wealth, and Wellness podcast). Jon interviewed the legendary investor Joel Greenblatt in a remote Riverside video recording (2 guests and 1 silent producer on the call).

Hear it: Play on Apple or Spotify.

See it: YouTube video below or watch a Short here

Sign up with this Riverside promo link for a discount.

Tool 2: Easy audio / video editing with Descript

Edit audio or video like a Word doc. Get a professional output without the learning curve. Try Descript with our promo link.

Descript lets you edit audio or video like a Word doc. People who use it are typically huge fans. It is not quite as granular as FinalCut or more complex tools but is much easier to learn and use. If you are using iMovie, stop and go to Descript - promise. It’s so easy it feels illegal. HT Mitch Joel for the original Descript tip a couple years back.

Copy, cut and paste text from the transcript and the output follows. This is so. much. better. than. iMovie. This is the fastest magic-feeling editing you'll ever do.

Create vertical video clips, Reels, Shorts, and YouTube videos or audiograms using templates. You can also record directly into Descript which is great for “talking head” videos or vlogs, or solo podcasts.

The voice dub AI feature lets you magically fix mistakes in recorded speech by dubbing over a speaker.

Try the best, easiest editing software with this Descript promo link.

Hear Emily’s latest mini-pod:

Instagram @beetlemoment

🌟 Thrilled that the podcast we launched and produced, "NEXT with TIGER 21," has been ranked #7 in the Top 12 Podcasts for CEOs featured on Entrepreneur.com, right after "Diary of a CEO." Hosted by Michael Sonnenfeldt, "NEXT

This post was first published on September 28, 2023. Updated March 11, 2024.

Don't Do Marketing; Be Marketable (5-Minute Video Podcast)

Maybe you’re overcomplicating all of this. So many tactics. So many channels to keep up with.

None of it matters if you’re not marketable. Watch 5-minute video podcast:

Emily Binder’s mini-podcast episode: “Don’t Do Marketing, Be Marketable (Threads dead, baby?)” aired 8/25/2023.

—> 1-click play the audio in your favorite podcast app

Show notes:

Threads burned bright for two weeks then DAU were down over 80%.

Twitter's rebrand to X wiped out ~$4 billion in brand equity. RIP the bird.

Point: All marketing is one of three things:

  1. Branding

  2. PR

  3. Direct response

Everything else is just tactics. This concept from Bob Knorpp is so key.

I go over the #1 marketing mistake I see brands make (this is the "marketable" concept via Samantha Russell).

Success has less to do with tactics like social media or advertising; it's about whether you know why your business exists. Call it a north star, a reason for being. The rest will follow.

Links mentioned:

Follow Samantha Russell on LinkedIn

Bob Knorpp's podcast: The Beancast

Mini-pod YouTube playlist: youtube.com/emilybinder

My favorite podcast tools:

  • Riverside is the best way to record an audio or video podcast.

  • Descript is the BEST tool to easily edit audio or video like a Word doc. You will never go back.

Watch a clip on Instagram | follow @beetlemoment for more

“Voice Marketing with Emily Binder” podcast home page and most popular episodes playlist: emilybinder.com/podcast

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Emily Binder's Top Three Podcast Tips (Videos)

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Get your podcast or Flash Briefing / WealthVoice Alexa skill up and running with these three must-know starter tips. Voice marketing expert Emily Binder covers the best microphone options for beginners to advanced, the top marketing mistake many podcasters make, and the number one podcast SEO tip.

1) Podcast Microphone: 3 Best Mics (Review)

Get the perfect microphone for your podcast whether you're a beginner or advanced. Emily reviews three great choices (one is free: your phone!). This 7-minute video includes the famous Shure SM7B. Whether you choose Blue Yeti or Shure, ALL the equipment you'll need is linked in the YouTube description or here:

A) Blue Yeti, the top USB mic in the world. The Blue Yeti Amazon Idea List includes:

  1. Blue Yeti USB mic

  2. Boom arm / desk clamp with pop filter

  3. Extra USB cable (have 1 as a backup)

B) Shure SM7B podcast microphone bundle (everything you need).

2) Avoid the #1 Mistake: A Better Way to Share Your Podcast on Social Media

“Don’t make this common mistake when sharing your podcast on social media! Here's a free solution that I use for my podcasts and suggest to all my clients. A universal podcast link. Get your show's 1-click Plink link: https://beetlemoment.com/plink

It’s a single podcast smart link and it will cover your bases for all the major podcast apps. This way you don’t alienate any audience and get the benefit of one simple CTA in your social posts. Sharing your podcast on social media is a key way to grow your audience, so don't make the mistake of sharing only the Apple Podcasts or Spotify or show notes page link!” -Emily

Get your podcast Plink link.

 

3) Top Podcast SEO Tip: Your Episode Descriptions

“This is my number one tip to get SEO value out of every podcast episode. It's so simple and effective. Google search will scrape keywords but especially outbound links (hyperlinks) that have rich anchor text (keywords that make up the hyperlink).

This means your podcast episodes can outrank blog posts, especially for unique search terms relevant to your brand or business. I show you an example of how my search for ‘onramp invest alexa quick link’ turned up a four-month old Spotify podcast episode I had done where I used similar text in a hyperlink in that episode's description.” - Emily

Subscribe Free to the Mini Podcast: Voice Marketing with Emily Binder

Best Easy Podcast SEO Tip: Descriptions

This is our number one tip to get SEO value out of every podcast episode. It's so simple and effective. Google search will scrape keywords but especially outbound links (hyperlinks) that have rich anchor text (keywords that make up the hyperlink). This means your podcast episodes can outrank blog posts, especially for unique search terms relevant to your brand or business.

In this video, Emily shows you an example of how a search for "onramp invest alexa quick link" turned up a four-month old Spotify podcast episode where she used similar text in a hyperlink in that episode's description.

The Description for your podcast episodes has big SEO potential for getting your content ranked in Google search.

The Description for your podcast episodes has big SEO potential for getting your content ranked in Google search.

Wondering what microphone is best for your podcast?

Check out Emily Binder’s podcast microphone review and setup video covering three great podcast mics:

  1. Your smartphone (yes really) - perfect for a mini podcast or quick WealthVoice broadcast on Alexa

  2. Blue Yeti USB Mic

  3. Shure SM7B

Want help with your podcast marketing?

Are you subscribed to Voice Marketing with Emily Binder? What are you waiting for?! Get marketing and business insights and tips twice a week in under 3 minutes.

Also available as an Alexa Flash Briefing (enable Voice Marketing here).