Do Podcast Interviews Sell Books?

There is literally a podcast for everything out there. That's your cue. Yeah, there is literally a podcast for every niche these days. So that means there's going to be a podcast or 100 that covers the topic of your book. The good news is that a smartly crafted pitch could land you a handful of podcast interviews. But can you expect book sales as a result of these interviews? What do you think, Jackson? I like it. If you're wondering whether podcasts sell books, this video is for you. Hey there. I'm Julie, the book broad from Book Launchers. We're your professional self publishing team helping you write, publish, and promote a nonfiction book that will impact your reader, grow your business, and make you money. Our superpower is caring more about you and your book. And what we do differently is we work incredibly hard to get your book into readers hands when it's done. And the best part, you keep all rights and royalties and have full control over your book. So as part of our service to get books into readers hands, we do a lot of things like pitch book reviewers, pitch media, pursue bookstore and library distribution, organize in person events, pitch authors for speaking engagements, and secure podcast interviews for our authors. Do you like podcasts? Yeah. Yeah. So when Derek Silksky, one of my YouTube besties, asked whether book sales grow after interview spots on podcasts, I had a lot to say and I thought this would be a great subject for a video. So thank you so much, Derek. So do podcasts sell books? Well, some do. Some can help you move a lot of books. I've definitely bought books after hearing about them. I've done mine. Okay, good. You're done your shoot. All right, Good stuff, Jackson. All right. So do podcasts sell books? Well, some do. Some can help you move a lot of books. I've definitely bought books after hearing about them on a podcast. I've actually hired my Internet lawyer after hearing him on an interview with Pat Flynn. We've had people sign on to work with us at Book Launchers after podcast interviews. Will you see results from podcasts? Well, the problem is that many, many, many podcasts don't move the needle on book sales at all. And it's not always related to audience size. It's often more related to audience engagement and passion for the topics covered. Rarely will a podcast move big volumes of your book, but if you have some time to do this, I still think podcast interviews are well worth doing. Here's why. First, it's marketing for your book, your brand, and your business that you can do at home in your pajamas. Without hair or makeup. Okay, some podcasters do zoom videos, but generally you can be au naturel. Number two, you get a great opportunity to reach people that you would have otherwise never reached. Whether they buy your book or not, it's an opportunity to give back what you've learned, share your story, and help others. I truly believe it's an honor and a privilege to share the lessons that we've learned in our lives. Number three, Podcasts have a long shelf life. Often people discover a podcast, love it, and then listen to the entire backlist. I recently had someone reach out to me on Facebook and they'd heard me on a real estate podcast interview I'd done more than three years ago and they just bought my book and read it and wanted to reach out and say how much they appreciated the book. I got a book sale from that podcast, but I would have never known where it came from without that person reaching out. Number four, there are one off podcasts where the audience is crazy engaged and they'll buy anything the host recommends. So if the host genuinely loves your book and their audience trusts them, you will see a sales lift. I personally purchased many books after I've heard the author on certain podcasts, especially James Altatur's podcast, I find his interviews make me have to have the book. The point is, the right interview can make you money. The challenge is you won't know which podcast is going to have that kind of results in advance, so you can't be that picky. I have a few pointers below on choosing podcasts to help you with your book marketing though. Number five, this is more important for some authors than others, but it gives you an opportunity to practice talking about your book in a way that delivers value and at the same time markets your book. If you ask for feedback after the show or ask what the best tip was that you shared, you can now start to learn what people in the media and people with audiences like. The amazing thing about podcast interviews is that you will uncover other opportunities and you'll find speaking opportunities, consulting gigs, new clients, new friends, and more leads. If you can be a great guest, create cool and memorable talking points, and get a clear call to action for listeners to connect with you, then you will have the opportunity to sell books and potentially build a valuable and profitable relationship over time. Unfortunately, there's not a single way to determine what podcasts will be good for you or when they'll be worth doing. Without a doubt, what I have learned is that it's less about the size of the audience than it is about the fit of the audience with you and and the quality of the interviewer. So my advice is to listen to a few podcasts first and get a sense of whether the interviewer showcases the person they're interviewing in a great way. There are some terrible interviewers out there. I did about 65 podcast interviews in a 12 to 18 month period for my second book launch. And I would say 20% of those interviewers were bad. They were literally just reading off a list of questions. There was no engagement. But many interviewers are so passionate and they made you feel at ease and really did a great job of promoting you. And you can even feel their connection to the audience. Those are the kind of interviews I would look for. So listen to the podcast first. If you like the interviews. Then ask yourself if your ideal reader is likely to be a fan of this podcast. To me, that's the winning combo. You can research podcast numbers a little, but honestly the stats aren't great. And small podcasts with super engaged audiences that are perfect for your book niche can do as much for you as a huge podcast with a diverse listener base. So over. Oh my goodness gracious Jackson, do you want to come over and finish the video with me? Well, I already had a video shoot. You did already have a video shoot, but we got to finish the video. So overall, yes. Can you say yes? So overall, yes. Podcast interviews are worth it as an author and they will sell some books. As the solo promotional strategy for your book though, I think you're going to struggle to move a lot of copies. But good book marketing is really about creating that feeling that you're everywhere and having compelling hook that makes the right people go OMG I must get that book. All that said, I would expect James Altucher's podcast and Tim Ferriss podcast probably sell a ton of books. But I am curious, have you been interviewed on a podcast that sold a lot of books for you? What did you do to make that happen? Let's chat about it in the comments below. And when you comment on the day a video is released, you'll be entered to win some sweet noboring book swag like our mug or our beautiful journal. This video is brought to you by the coronavirus. They thought it would be a good idea to have all kids stay out of school. And sometimes when you comment, I create a video to answer your question in more detail like I did for Derek with this video. So thank you so much bestie. If you want to be a bestie, subscribe to the channel and turn the notifications on so we can hang out when videos come out every Tuesday and Friday, except in the summer when we take a break to spend more time with our children. I've really enjoyed our time together, so should we keep hanging out? Do you want to babysit? This video on Leveraging Media Appearances is a great way to leverage your podcast interviews, so it's the perfect video to watch. After watching this one. Or if you want to do something that does sell books, you can pitch your book to airport bookstores like Robert Workman has. You can watch that right here. I'll wait for you over at one of these two videos, so go ahead and click one of them. Please don't keep me waiting any longer. Okay.