How I Reach Out
Up to this point, the main way I have been reaching out to individuals is through LinkedIn messaging. I have found that this in some way helps keep my communication streamlined and professional. However, one thing that I have encountered multiple times is people responding letting me know that they rarely check LinkedIn. Some have then given me their email instead.
Email is another way I have initially reached out, as well as text messaging for those I know better. I have found that those I know personally may find it strange that I reach out via an avenue like LinkedIn when in reality I could have just texted them.
I host my podcast on Anchor, and recently joined the Anchor podcasters Facebook group. In my first post I asked how other interview podcasts reach out to potential guests. The first few responses mentioned Instagram DMs as a good way to reach out. I’ve thought about it and am definitely willing to try it out.
I don’t want to be closed minded. One thing I’ve learned working in sales is that persistence can pay off but not every person is reached in the same way. So I need to be willing to be creative and learn from others. Another key is to not be afraid to ask. The worst thing that a target can say is no. Not a big deal. Life does go on!
Using A CRM to Track Guest Interactions
To keep track of my communication with potential guests I have decided to use a web based CRM system (customer relationship management), just as I would in a sales job. By using a simple CRM (Zoho is what I use specifically), I am able to enter contact details and log any activity that I have conducted in trying to schedule a guest. It helps keep things organized and shows historical data on the efforts I have put forth in contacting various guest targets.
Keeping a Calendar
Lastly, to keep a coherent schedule of people that have agreed to be on the show I use Calendly. Calendly has you create an event type and duration (such as a 60 minute podcast interview), manually enter your available dates and times, and then allows invitees to pick and choose what time slots work for them. You can simply send them a link to your Calendly page, and once they click the link they will be brought to a page showing them a calendar of your availability. A time slot cannot be double booked, so it helps keep things clean and organized. It’s simple to use and I’d definitely recommend it.
Career Yak 