Podcasts

Getting Results from Podcasts

By Julie Tollefson

Gail Lukasik, author of five mystery novels and two nonfiction books, knows from experience what it takes to successfully promote your work through podcasts. Here, the veteran of 30 guest spots and counting offers five tips for identifying, booking, preparing for, and getting results from this promotional avenue.

1) Enlist a matchmaker, or be your own — For Gail, success in lining up podcast appearances has come through a combination of hosts reaching out to her, the efforts of a publicist, and a dash of DIY.

When podcasters put out calls for guests through professional organizations such as Sisters in Crime, Gail volunteers. When they contact her directly, she accepts, as long as the podcast is a match for her own goals. She also reaches out to contacts she made in publicizing her nonfiction book, White Like Her: My Family’s Story of Race and Racial Passing, and her latest mystery, The Darkness Surrounds Us.

But when it makes sense, she turns to professionals for help.

“I hired a publicist for my latest nonfiction book, What They Never Told Us: True Stories of Family Secrets and Hidden Identities Revealed,” Gail says. “She contacted the podcasters and was the conduit between the podcaster and me.”

2) Do your research — Before appearing on a podcast, Gail checks it out to get a sense of the host’s style and content of the show.

“After doing a number of podcasts arranged by my publicist, I realized that some of them didn’t match my book’s topic,” Gail says. “In hindsight, I relied on her too much.”

Gail points to one early (and unnamed) podcast appearance booked by her publicist for What They Never Told Us, which explores the psychological trauma associated with uncovering the truth that families want to keep secret. The book examines attitudes toward, among other topics, infertility, adoption, race, and racial passing.

“It was obvious that they hadn’t read my book and were trying to keep things light,” she says of the podcast’s three hosts. “One asked me if there was a murder in the book. I played along, but we were mismatched.”

A simple search before committing can help you avoid similar discord.

3) Be flexible and professional — Be prepared to encounter variety in approach and interview style when you sign on to appear on podcasts. Some hosts sent Gail their questions in advance or used questions from her press pack, making it easy for Gail to prepare answers. Others prefer more spontaneity.

“Sometimes the interview went off topic,” Gail says. “When that happened, I tried to find a way to connect whatever they were asking with something from my book.”

Gail strives for a conversational, but not overly casual, style. “I try to strike a balance between long and short answers. But again, that depends on the question. If an anecdote is appropriate, I use it,” she says.

And if the podcast is on video, remember to dress professionally.

4) Keep in mind the basics of public speaking — As a college professor and a veteran of public presentations as an author, Gail is comfortable speaking in front of audiences. A piece of advice she received before her doctoral oral exams applies equally to podcast prep: If asked a question you don’t know how to answer, find a way to turn the question to your advantage.

“I used that technique when I was asked questions that I felt were not pertinent to my book or that I wasn’t sure how to answer,” she says. “Another good piece of advice I learned was to take my time answering. Don’t just jump in with the first thing that pops into my head. Take a beat.”

Other tricks Gail has learned over the years: “I overprepare. I keep my notes close at hand. If I’m speaking before an audience live, I make sure there’s a lectern I can rest my notes on.”

Deep breathing — four deep breaths in and four slow breaths out — can help you relax.

“Remember, the podcaster wants the interview to go as well as you do,” Gail says. “If you’re presenting in front of a live audience, they came because they were interested in your book and what you have to say.”

5) Approach a podcast as you would a job interview — Every podcast you appear on is not only an opportunity to promote your book but also to promote yourself.

“You’re creating a public persona that people will find compelling and interesting,” Gail says.

Make sure you’re ready to meet these twin goals.

“Prepare, prepare, prepare,” she says. “But realize that as in life you can’t prepare for everything.”

And if all this doesn’t come easily, she says, take heart: “The more you do it, the better you get at it.”