Ready to attract some fantastic guests to your show? Well you’ve come to the right place.
We all know that in the podcast and radio worlds, you can only go so far without featuring guests. Guests are an essential part of bringing something different to your show by offering your audience a variety of views, voices, and perspectives.
But to attract the perfect guests, you need to highlight why your show is worth their time. There are thousands of shows out there, so here are our tips to help your profile stand out from the crowd.
5 Elements That Make a Good Show Profile
Below are 5 great qualities that make for a good show profile. You should aim to apply each one to your own.
1. Effective Show Artwork
When guests are searching for the perfect show to pitch to, your artwork will be one of the first things they see. And the quality of it will absolutely aid their decision on whether they click through to your profile or not. It will be judged, so it needs to be good.
With artwork, the key is to deliver an impression that suggests a professional, high-quality show. Your artwork should be able to rival those produced by top-tier production houses and stations, like NPR and Heart. If it looks like it was created 10 years ago on Microsoft Paint, you’ll seriously struggle to attract high-calibre guests.
Be as honest as you can in your appraisal of your current artwork. Does it look professional? Is the text and font easy to read? Does it convey the central theme or message of your show? Is it appealing to the type of guest you want to attract? Is it unique and visually engaging? If not, we strongly recommend going back to the drawing board and coming up with a new design.
We get it - not everyone’s a graphic designer. But when it comes to actually creating your artwork, you need it to be professional. Poorly-designed artwork will reflect badly on your show. So if this isn’t your area of expertise and you’ve got a small budget to work with, don’t be afraid to outsource it. We’d recommend using a site like Fivver or Upwork to find a freelancer.
If you don’t have a budget to work with, you can still do a good job with the help of free online tools like Canva. It’s incredibly easy and intuitive to use and has hundreds of free templates, icons, and fonts to choose from.
2. A Punchy & Memorable Headline
Let’s think like a guest for a moment - what would you look for when considering a show to pitch to?
No one’s going to pitch to a show that sounds boring. And when guests search for shows, they look for ones that are relevant to the message they want to share. So, when considering a punchy headline for your profile, it should be a compelling sentence that instantly conveys what your show’s about. If it’s vague or comes across as a bit dull, it reduces the chances of people clicking through to check out your profile.
Your headline matters, and it can often be the deciding factor determining whether a guest chooses to pitch to you or not. So take time to craft it properly. Don’t rush it, and don’t run with the first thing that comes into your head. Brainstorm a list of different variations and choose the one you think represents your show the best.
3. A Well-Written Show Description
When creating the perfect show profile, the body of your bio must provide a clear picture of what your show stands for. It should also expand on your headline and go into detail regarding your story. So, what’s your show about? What topics does it discuss? Is it fun or serious? What type of guest are you looking for? What will they gain from appearing on your show?
You have enough real estate in your profile to be descriptive and enticing. This doesn’t mean you should fluff your description up with needless information. As a rule of thumb, always give the most important information first. At best, readers will read the first few sentences and then skim the rest.
Giving as much detail as possible in your show description will help you stand out from other shows. So use the opportunity to describe the sound and feel of your episodes. You can also include what kind of guests are best suited, and what topics you’re open to. Don’t fear specificity - be open about who you’re trying to attract.
4. Episodes of Your Show
You know what they say - actions speak louder than words. So why stick to just telling a potential guest about your show when you can actually show them?
Embedding episodes of your show on your profile is a great way to let guests get a feel for it. It also lets you showcase the general standard of your show, your personality as a host, and what kind of topics you’ve previously covered. If the potential guest likes what they hear and they resonate with your content, they’ll be more likely to reach out to you.
You can do this by entering your show’s RSS or stream URL on the setup page. Doing so allows us to display recent episodes of your show on your profile - it's shown that this helps to increase engagement by up to 67%.
5. Links to Your Website & Social Media Channels
If you’ve got a dedicated online space that showcases your show, like a website, include it on your profile. Doing so gives people the option to find out more about it. Not to mention it’ll likely boost your organic traffic and online visibility - a win-win.
Social media is an exceptionally important part of the world today, and your show’s social presence will be looked into by potential guests before they decide to pitch to you or not. So the advice here is to be socially present and include all the links to your active social media channels on your show profile.
Don’t include links to inactive profiles just to appear like you’ve got a bigger presence than you do. It doesn’t look good, and it may put guests off. If you only regularly use Instagram and Facebook, these are the only ones you need to reference.
An Example of a Great Show Profile
To help you get a better idea of what a good show profile looks like, we’ve searched the MatchMaker database for an example that ticks all the right boxes. Have a look below and think about how you could apply some of these elements to your own profile.
Show Artwork & Headline:
Key Takeaways:
- Artwork looks professional & reflects the tone of the show
- Headline is well-written, to the point, & states previous guests
Show Description:
Key Takeaways:
- The information provided expands on the headline to give the reader a more in-depth image of the show & host
- It states the topics & themes typically covered in the episodes
- Clearly states availability, format, location, etc
Show Preview:
Key Takeaways:
- The show is embedded within the profile to showcase episodes
- It’s easy for the potential guest to listen to the show & check they resonate with it before pitching
Links to Social Channels:
Key Takeaways:
- Links to active social channels have been provided
Ready to Create Your Show Profile?
Now you know what makes a great show profile on MatchMaker.fm, it’s time to start putting it into practice.
Log into your MatchMaker account to start updating yours today.
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