The Social Media Takeaway - Louise McDonnell

Get SALES from Podcast Guesting with Lyndsay Phillips

• Louise McDonnell • Season 1 • Episode 67

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In this episode of The Social Media Takeaway, I chatted with Lyndsay Phillips, content marketing strategist and podcast guesting expert.

Lyndsay shares exactly why most podcast guest spots don’t convert and what to do instead. From “billboard-ready” topics to strategic one-sheets and content repurposing, she shared a smarter way to use guest interviews to build authority and generate leads.

You’ll learn:
 ✅ Why most podcast guesting fails to generate leads
 ✅ How to choose strategic topics that match your offers
 ✅ What to send a host instead of a traditional one-sheet 
 ✅ Why repeating your message is powerful, not boring
 ✅ How to turn every guest spot into a content goldmine

SHOW CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:08 Lyndsay’s journey into podcast guesting
01:58 The “bridge to profits” mindset
03:26 Why visibility alone doesn’t get you leads
04:31 What makes a podcast topic “billboard-ready”
07:07 Mistake #1: Not looking at Podcast Guesting as a way to bridge pain to your offers
08:49 Mistake #2: Choosing the wrong topic
08:56 Mistake #3: Letting interviews go off-track
11:26 Mistake #4: Relying on generic one-sheets and being too expert and technical
14:23 "Message Papers" - Little stepping stones that are bringing that audience closer to your offers
15:39 Why repeating your message is smart, not stale
17:50 Repurposing guest content like a pro
19:09 Tools Lyndsay loves for podcast content
19:49 Free resource from Lyndsay

Connect with Lyndsay:
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🎁 Grab Lyndsay’s free gift: “Leverage Your Podcast to Get More Clients”, a free guide that goes even deeper into all of this.

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to my podcast because more like this is on the way!

If you'd like to book a call to see how I can support you head over to my website here. www.sellonsocialmedia.academy/hello

My 2025 Social Media Content Planner & Guide is now available! Packed with 400 content prompts, expert tips, and $377 worth of free resources to help you save time and get results in 2025.

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Louise McDonell:

Welcome, Lindsay.

Lyndsay Phillips:

Thanks for having me. I always love talking to you and I've watched you on some of your trainings and of course, listen to your podcast and everything you do is wonderful and you give such great advice. Thank you so much. That's so nice of you. So this is a really interesting area. Tell me how did you get into it? I know everyone's path is a little bit weird, right? I've been a VA and have been in the content marketing space forever. And then I niched down to podcasting. I obviously had podcasts, I guessed on podcasts and I had some clients saying, Hey, can you launch podcast for me? I'm like, sure. And I figured everything out by myself. And then, I just got out of launching. I still work with some hosts, but my love is working with podcast guests and really helping them leverage that for authority leads and clients and I love creating content and repurposing it so that they can, reach their clients and get more leads, and I just love the creativity of it and pulling up people's brilliance. It's so much fun. Brilliant. So how do so many podcasts guests struggle to turn their interviews into actual, leads and sales? What happens? What's the problem? I know, and I've been there. Some of mine were massive flops, but. It's that they're not thinking of the episode as a bridge between the audience and their offers. It's almost like they pick topics like, Ooh, this sounds sexy, or, I know about this, but it's not as strategic, and I call this like the bridge to profits. So really understanding your avatar, your perfect ideal. Client understanding their pains and, all you teach this as well is really understanding what they're struggling with, talking their language. But then on the flip side, what are your main offers that are the bread and butter of your business so that you wanna grow so that you can scale and have the revenue? And how was your talk? That you have on the podcasts going to capture that audience, pull them in, and take this on this journey without being salesy, right? That is going to lead them to your offers. And so it's just thinking about your podcast, your topic, your talk, whatever you wanna call it in a more intentional way. I was actually, I had another podcast interview just earlier on and it was Ali Machete. And she was saying exactly what you're saying, but she was talking about it for books. And I said, actually, this reminds me of what I say to people about lead magnets. If you want to get somebody's attention and then bring them somewhere to get their attention, you need to speak their language. And then to bring you, you need to think about where you're leading them and if you get their attention, but it doesn't lead them towards your offer. That's exactly what you were talking about there as well. People think that like 85% of people, even so many people that I've had on the podcast they don't have lead magnet, they don't bring anyone anywhere afterwards. Somebody liked what you were saying, somebody's interested in the topic, where are you going to bring them? It is so true. People sometimes, failed to make the connection between their interview and what they want. They look at it as exposure and visibility. And that is enough and that people will just hear about them and naturally go to their website and look them up where it, that is just not how it works, unfortunately. No, it doesn't work at all. Okay, so when guests craft podcast topics, somebody that's sitting here listening to this episode and they think, okay, that's me. What do they need to do? That's a great question. And of course every conversation, every talk that you have on your different podcasts, it all starts with a topic, right? And it's one thing to go to AI and find a cute, catchy title, but it's another thing to have a title that really. Attracts the audience and attracts the host. So I call these billboard ready topics. And so how I explain them is think about the host, right? They're being pitched all the time of different, guests and what have you, but they're looking at it from the perspective of, is this right for my audience? they're trying to imagine in their head, what kind of value is this person going to share on the show? And then from an audience perspective, they're scrolling on Spotify or Apple or wherever. And if they're not necessarily a loyal listener to that one show, they're scrolling and they're looking for shows that will solve a problem for them. So your billboard ready topic has to. Yes, be sexy, but not so sexy that it's confusing. It has to really speak to the problem and also the result that they're gonna get. And I'll give you an example where I went horribly wrong. I actually hired a podcast booking agency. One of my topics was I can't remember the exact, but it was like something super boring, like the 4 1 1 of content marketing or how content marketing will grow your business. It's like talk about generic and boring. And then once I changed it again, I can't remember the exact, but it was like, I don't know, the three part framework that will. Help content marketing bring you more leads. So it's like the host automatically thinks, oh, they're going to share like a specific framework. This is gonna be easy for me to deliver. Ask questions. I know they're going to provide value. And then the audience is oh, they're gonna give me four quick ways to take content marketing and get clients out of it. Yes, please. And again, I'm sure my title was a little sexier than that, but you get the drift. Yeah very true because I think actually a few things happen as experts, right? As, as experts in our field. We tend to know at a much deeper level what our potential customers need, right? And they may not recognize, or even, agree that's what they need. They know what they want, and I suppose it's not to get caught up in talking about. Being too technical and talking about stuff that your audience isn't yet interested in.'cause they don't yet know it, it's to really get down to their level, isn't it? Yeah. And that is a great point, Louise, because I have a client and she talks about energy work, but when people are experiencing overwhelm, burnout, or they're not getting results from their client attraction methods. They don't know that energy is part of the problem, so you can't lead with a title or a topic that talks about how energy will blah, blah, blah, because they don't talk that language. They're like, oh my God, I'm overwhelmed and my client attraction methods aren't working. I'm spinning my wheels, and so you really have to speak to the problem. And then as the conversation goes, then you bring up, hey, here's the real problem. Very true. So you talk about four common mistakes and how to fix them. What are these common mistakes and what should people do? For sure. So the first mistake was looking at podcast guesting, not just as a visibility or exposure. It's really thinking of it as that bridge between the pain and the offers. The second was the topics. So looking at the topics a little bit more strategically. Now, the third one is a little meatier. And it is where they think, oh, I just want the conversation to be organic. It is good to have back and forth in a normal conversation. But it's not to say that you can't have it be strategic, and I'll give an example. So one sheet can actually set you up for failure. Because if you look at a typical one sheet, there normally are three topics and say seven questions. But those seven questions are like two questions are from this topic. Two questions are from another topic, and two questions are like about your journey or about your industry in general. And so what happens is the host by default will take that one sheet and ask all of those questions. And then the conversation is like all over the place. And you end up not being positioned as an expert. The audience is super confused and of course nothing's being led to your offer. So it's, again, it's not strategic. So I use what I call an interview GPS, so it's a compass. So I craft interview questions. For my clients. Just like you, Louise, you probably noticed I gave you very specific interview questions for our chat today. And it's not to say that the host will necessarily read them all perfectly and that's okay. It's even like the host just sees those questions and they know, okay, this is where the conversation is gonna go I don't want my audience to miss out on X, Y, Z, so I'm gonna make sure I at least pick up on these things. And really, as a guest, you can say, actually, Louise, before we get to this. I wanna make sure that the audience understands this first. So is it okay if I talk about this before we get into that so you can transition and help again, guide that conversation? And this way you have the ability of talking to the audience's pain. You have the ability of, again, guiding that conversation to your offers and showcasing your authority in a really impactful way. Brilliant. So I'm just gonna go back one or two steps there for you for a second. You spoke about a one pager, so I know there's gonna be lots of people listening in who won't even know what that is. So maybe tell us through what that is. Yes, that's a great point. So a one sheet is. Usually a PDF, sometimes it's a Google Drive document. Sometimes it's on your press page, but it's that one page that you tend to give people when you are pitching to be on the show. So it has your bio, your credibility. Let's say you're an author. It'll showcase your topics and in some cases, some interview questions that they can ask. Obviously how to connect with you and all that good stuff. Your website. I don't have a one sheet. I have a two sheet. Mine is four. I'm like, it doesn't have to be one page. Darn it. Or you can give the one sheet, but when you do book to be on the show, you can figure out which topic they're gonna be wanting you to talk about on the show and say, Hey, these are the interview questions that I think will really help you guide the conversation to make sure that I deliver the most content and the most value for your audience. And as long as the host has those interview questions, you're golden. So like I suppose you're just really giving them a really good brief, when you're a host, you might look up at them on LinkedIn, you might check out their website, you might check out other interviews. But I think if you can give somebody a really nice, concise brief, which includes those questions, at least as you said, you're letting them know where you want the conversation to go. So I think that's really excellent and just another point to make.'cause people, experts, humans, everybody, sometimes we're so long and so expert in what we do that we can't see the wood from the trees. So that's why it's really good to get somebody like you on board because you can ask the questions and you're understanding the topic because you're starting from scratch with it. And so you can pull that apart. So I think that's important point to make, is that sometimes when you're trying to really get to the source or to the, key of what it is you need to speak about. You're too close to it, you're too close to the topic. You can't see the wood from the trees. And you'll be talking about it and you understand it because you made it up and it's in your head. But the audience may not understand it. And so this is, again, that fourth mistake that you were talking about, and that is your talking points. Like you said, oh, I'll just show up. They'll ask me questions and I'll just answer them. I know my stuff. It's all good, you want your talking points to be intentional, but also be super clear and concise so that the audience understands it and it's easy to follow. You want them to nod their head going, Ooh, I didn't know that. Like you want them leaning in, right? And really listening and engaging with what you say. So I call these message pavers. It's almost like little stepping stones that are bringing that audience closer to your offers. And again, really being concise in how you're talking about your craft. And we as humans, we tend to shy back. On how we talk about our own stuff because we don't wanna be braggy and undervalue, I guess is the right phrase. Our own brilliance, like you can't see the wood for the trees, you can't see the label from inside the jar, like all of that. And so when I work with clients, I pull all that information out. Like you want to share your processes, seed your programs, your framework. You want people to really see you as an authority, but give information in a way that are like bite-size that the audience can understand. It's really helping them solve that little problem so they see you as a solution. So how you talk about it is super important. Yeah, it's so true. It is so true. And because again, you're an expert in what you do, you've forgotten what they don't know. Ah, yes. So important. So another thing that I was going to say to you is this, sometimes I think guests, people when they're speaking at events or speaking as a podcast guest or whatever it may be, that they get bored speaking about the same thing. And so again, I haven't had somebody who said to me, I don't want to talk about my past or my journey 'cause I'm fed up talking about it. But what do you think about that? If someone says, oh no, I have to be talking about something different every time because they get bored speaking about I know and some guests are like, oh, I don't wanna share that episode because I already shared two episodes like it last month, and it's the same content. I'm like. You wanna be known for one thing or two, but you wanna be known for something and you wanna be the expert in that thing that you're fabulous at. And I'm hoping that you're passionate about what it is that you do. And like for me, like talking and helping guests, it's like my favorite thing ever. I know the topics are, the same, but it's a different conversation with every host that I have. The banter that we have or the questions that you ask, it's gonna be different from somebody else. And when you're sharing the same. Content themes, like those problems, the solutions over and over. You become known for that thing and you have different people coming into your audience or your community or whatever. All the time. Some drop out, you get new, listeners and people in your email list and what have you. So for them, it's for the first time. And you know this, Luis, sometimes people have to see things five different ways, five different times to all of a sudden go I get it now. Or you just have to say it a certain way. For them to get it. So it's that repetition, that consistency is so crucial. And I know you teach that with your clients and so forth as well. But I think it's important because I think that people don't realize that, forget about how bored you are. You have to just get on and be known for your superpower and talk about what your superpower as well. So you also help people repurpose the content. Can you talk to us a little bit about that? I know like a gold mine that you can tap into and it's so underutilized. So when you're a guest on a show, sure tag them or you repost what they give you or you put out a post and that's it. I'm like, it's so hard being an entrepreneur. You're like, what the heck am I gonna post next week? What am I gonna post the week after that? It's fabulous content that is all you, and it's helping your audience. Why not repurpose it and pull out every golden nugget? Reels, shorts, carousels. Put a blog on your website so people see, holy Hannah, look how many shows she's guesting on. She must be an expert, right? It's that whole credibility thing. And a LinkedIn article, an email to your list. But make sure you share tips. Don't just say, Hey, I was on a show, go check it out. So it's so easy to use that. It's already made. And yes, you can push to your blog post. Again, you're pushing to your own website, not the hosts. Obviously you wanna give them props and showcase them, but you can use it to push it to your own lead magnets, your own offers, get people on the phone. So yeah, I'm all for leverage and repurpose, baby. Yeah. What are your favorite tools at the moment? Ooh, that's a good question. I know I love tools. I love chat, GPTI have to say, and I have the paid version. Don't use it as like gospel, but use it to generate ideas or like sexy phrases that are really good. You still need to bring that human element to it. And I know you teach that on your masterclass. And what other tools do I have? Cast magic I quite like for ai. Canva, obviously for images and stuff. Recast I like for videos, video clips. Yeah, I would say they're my top ones. Fantastic. I know you have a really nice free gift for us here today. Do you wanna talk us through about that? For sure. Thank you for asking. So if they go to leverage your podcast.com/clients, I actually have a brand new resource and this talks about those shifts and those mistakes that many podcast guests have. And if you change those mindsets and you shift, then you're gonna be able to convert and get more. ROI out of your podcast conversations. And so it touches upon a bit of the stuff that we talked about here today. But they also gained some extra insights as well. Brilliant. Great. So we will put the link to that in the show notes. But if people want to connect with you on social media, where can they find you? My favorite place is LinkedIn. I absolutely love LinkedIn. And of course, they can go to my website, smooth business podcasting.com and find lots of resources, lots of podcast episode with my leverage or podcast show. And yeah, I'm always game for chatting with anyone. I love sharing info. It's been a pleasure chatting to you. I love the topic. Very interesting. People don't think about it enough, but they're leaving money on the table. They're wasting opportunities if they're not thinking about all of this. A hundred percent. Yeah. Thanks for having me on. I always love chatting with you. Thank you.