Podcasts have emerged as a leading medium of media, it has carved out their space for themselves and provided an exclusive way to tell stories, instruct others, or simply entertain the audience. The medium has gone from a niche interest to a mainstream phenomenon, with millions of podcasts on every topic under the sun. Podcasting is a passion, not just for the listeners but especially those who pour themselves into creating that content and are constantly looking for ways to make it fresh, engaging, and relevant. Connecting with founders is one of the most impactful ways to achieve this. So why and how you can do it?
Why Connect with Founders?
Unique Perspectives
Founders have a ton of first principles thinking and context. More often than not, they are the visionaries who have highlighted market business opportunities and provided a bulletproof solution. Interviewing Founders — By interviewing founders you can offer your audience curated insights that they cannot get anywhere else.
Inspiring Stories
Building a company is a journey of everything from challenges to triumphs, and most importantly lessons. founders have stories that can inspire and drive their listeners. Whether it be what they had to overcome, the breakthroughs that led them there, or just pure highs and lows of straight-up entrepreneurship. Those stories can hit home with your audience.
Expertise and Credibility
Founders As Experts in Their Own Area Save these insights for your podcast – they will make a statement and elevate the production to give it more distinction so that when people listen, you are seen as an established voice in their industry. From a tech startup to a sustainable fashion or health app, founders are experts who bring beneficial opinions and advice to your audience.
Networking Opportunities
Being introduced to founders is another big opportunity for a podcast host. Developing relationships with key figures across different sectors could bring new opportunities, partnerships, or even sponsorships to your podcast.
How to Connect with Founders
Identify Your Niche
The first thing you can do is choose your podcast niche. This way you can find founders that resonate with your content and demographic. If you run a technology podcast, for example, try and engage more tech startup founders. If you report on wellness, find founders in health and wellness.
Leverage LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a great way to show that you are serious about connecting with founders. Simply search for the founders in your niche using this platform and send a customized connection request without shame. Mention that you are in the podcasting space, state why you think they would be a good fit, and give them context on what your show is all about.
Attend Industry Events
Attend industry events, conferences, and webinars to meet founders These are great opportunities to network, swap business cards, and tell everyone about your podcast. Have a successful and engaging elevator pitch to tell them what your podcast is about, and why they should come on it.
Utilize Social Media
It has been found very efficient to get the founders through social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. No do simply that by following them and responding to their reactions building a rapport over time. Once you feel like your invite has come, and the time is right then extend an invitation to be a guest on their podcast.
Email Outreach
Outbound Emailing One of the most popular means to stay in touch with your possible guests is e-mail. Pepper in a well-written and personalized email about your podcast, who listens to it, and why you believe that one of the cofounders would make a good guest. Respect their time and provide an easy way for them to contact you.
Podcast Guest Matching Services
Numerous services connect podcast hosts with guests. Podchaser, MatchMaker platform, etc. However, you can use MyPodguest. fm and the Podguest software to locate founders who want their podcast storytelling/expert features!
Preparing for the Interview
Research Your Guest
You got a founder as your guest, do not screw up by miss understanding or cheating with the records. Look at their history, look into that company and industry. Get to know how they started, their highs, and some mentions in the news (things that have happened with them until recently. Which will mean you can start asking smarter questions and more interesting conversations.
Craft Thoughtful Questions
Create a stream of open-ended, pointed questions. Ask fewer generic questions and more in-depth, thought-provoking ones. You can always begin by asking them about the journey, challenges faced along the way, moments of joy, and what they see for their future.
Create a Comfortable Environment
Make your guest feel at home. Inform them about the interview format, what you are going to talk and any technicalities if they need to be passed. A relaxed guest is a happy little speaker making connections and giving away nuggets of value.
Promote the Episode
Promote The Episode Everywhere After recording the interview, promote that episode to all places you can. Tag the founder and their company on your social media posts asking them to share, as well. This will enable you to target a larger audience and attract more listeners.
Case Studies: Success Stories
How One Podcast Landed a Major Founder Interview
The Startup Story PodcastJames McKinney, host of the appropriately named “The Startup Story” podcast. He linked up with makers of different sorts, so his audience has been uniquely positioned in the minds and hearts of those who would otherwise ultimately be founders. His episode with Christina Stembel, on the other hand, not only got him more listeners but many from the startup world as well.
A Health and Wellness Podcast That Inspires
“The Ultimate Health Podcast,” hosted by Dr. Jesse Chappus and Marni Wasserman, focuses on health and wellness. By featuring founders of health-related startups, such as Dr. Josh Axe of Ancient Nutrition and Tero Isokauppila of Four Sigmatic, the podcast has become a go-to resource for wellness enthusiasts. These interviews provide listeners with valuable insights into health trends and innovative products.
Tech Talk: Engaging with Industry Leaders
The “Techmeme Ride Home,” hosted by Brian McCullough covers all the day’s tech news. McCullough reaches a broader audience of tech enthusiasts and industry professionals by showcasing the experiences, successes, and failures of fellow founders & leaders in Tech. For example, his interview with Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of Box not only gave listeners a masterclass on cloud storage and enterprise software.
Conclusion
Podcasts that connect with founders make all the difference; your audience will get an ecosystem insider’s insight, hear exciting stories, and gain firsthand knowledge. Use LinkedIn, social media, and industry events to connect with founders to invite them to your show. If done right with some proper research and promotion, these interviews can improve the standing of your podcast, grow your circle of influence as a podcaster, and bring together good subscribers. Reach out to founders today and skyrocket your podcast.
