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EP629: TL Nuggets #186 - Should You Pay To Go On A Podcast?
86 Plays13 days ago
"Podcasting is a platform for collaboration and growth, not a marketplace.”
Authentic podcasting thrives on mutual benefit, not fees. This episode explores why paying to be a guest or charging hosts diminishes the authenticity and value of podcasting. The discussion focuses on building meaningful relationships with hosts, inspiring audiences, and leveraging podcasts as a platform for business growth. The episode challenges pay-to-play models, emphasizing trust and mutual respect as the foundation for podcast success. When podcasting aligns with these principles, it creates opportunities for collaboration, client acquisition, and long-term impact.
Expert Action Steps:
1. Focus on Value: Prioritize inspiring the audience and enhancing the host’s credibility by delivering actionable insights.
2. Build Relationships: Use podcast appearances to create long-term business relationships with hosts, opening doors for collaborations and client opportunities.
3. Stay Authentic: Never pay or charge fees for podcast appearances—maintain integrity by ensuring value and trust drive the exchange.
Visit eCircleAcademy.com and book a success call with Nicky to take your practice to the next level.
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Transcript
Avoid Paying for Guest Appearances
00:00:03
Speaker
They ask me this question all the time. They go, Nikki, should I pay to be on a show? No. Hell no. F no. No, no, no, no, no, no. And no. You're going on a show to generate leads, sales, and clients. You're not going on a show to make the host money. Now, there's plenty of folks who put out the show for reasons of their own. They want to increase their own brand. Bringing on great guests is good for their brand. So they're putting on a show. You're coming in and giving you time. And I think that is the way it ought to be. Period. Full stop. End of story.
Introducing 'The Thought Leader Revolution'
00:00:36
Speaker
Welcome to the Thought Leader Revolution with Nikki Ballou. Join the revolution. There's never been a better time in history to speak your truth, find your freedom, and make your fortune. Each week, we interview the world's top thought leaders and learn the secrets of how they built a six to seven figure practice. This episode has been brought to you by eCircleAcademy.com, the proven system to add six to seven figures a year to your thought leader practice.
00:01:02
Speaker
Welcome to another exciting episode of the podcast, The Thought Leader Revolution. I'm your host, Nicky Balloum. Boy, do we have an exciting, exciting episode lined up for you today. Today's episode is another solo episode of Thought Leader Nugget.
Meet Nikki Ballou: Podcast Guesting Expert
00:01:18
Speaker
And I got to tell you, it's a good doozy. It's a great one.
00:01:22
Speaker
So a lot of people are asking me because I am the world's number one podcast guesting monetization expert. Number one in the world. And I'm also known as the world's greatest podcast guest because I've been a guest on over 670 shows. They ask me this question all the time. They go, Nikki.
00:01:44
Speaker
Nikki, should I pay to be on a show? Should I pay? And another one is, some people who have a little bit of a higher profile ask me, should I charge to be on a show? And the answer to both questions is a resounding, emphatic, unequivocal, no, hell no, F no, no, no, no, no, no, and no.
The Pitfalls of Paid Appearances
00:02:13
Speaker
But Nikki, why not? You may ask. Great question. You should never pay to be on a show. You're going on a show to generate leads, sales, and clients. You're not going on a show to make the host money. And the hosts that are asking you to get paid, frankly, are ripping you off, in my opinion.
00:02:37
Speaker
and What they're promising you is what? Branding on their show. Now, if it's costing them money and they want to recoup their money and they're saying, hey, I want to recoup the money that I'm spending on, you know, promoting you. I can understand that point of view, but I still wouldn't do it. I still wouldn't pay for it.
00:02:57
Speaker
There's plenty of folks who put out the show for reasons of their own. The main reason they're doing it is because they want to increase their own brand. Bringing on great guests is good for their brand. So they're putting on a show, you're coming in and giving you time. And I think that is the way it ought to be, period, full stop and the story.
Maximizing Free Guest Opportunities
00:03:15
Speaker
There's no need for you to pay money. There's plenty of people who won't charge you a penny to be on their shows.
00:03:21
Speaker
and you should just go on those shows. You don't need to pay money to be on a show. It's a rip off. It's taking money from you that you don't need to pay. And there's plenty of opportunities for you to get on shows where you will not need to pay a cent. So if someone says, hey Paul, I'd like to have you on my show, but the cost is $200.
00:03:43
Speaker
And let me know how you'd like to pay. Your answer is thanks, but no thanks. I don't pay to go on shows. I bring enough value to the audience and to the host where it's not necessary for me to pay. And that's what you want to say to them. Period, full stop end of story. Don't ever pay to go on a show. That's my advice.
00:04:04
Speaker
But what if Joe Rogan wants to have me on a show, should I pay to go on his show? No. I wouldn't even pay to go on Rugman's show. I wouldn't pay to go on Tim Ferriss's show. I wouldn't pay to go on any shows. Those shows have their own brands and they bring on guests for their own reasons. It benefits them to have a guest on the show. It's gotta be a win-win. You're delivering good value so his brand or her brand is enhanced by having you on the show. And secondarily, you're also there for a very particular reason, right? And that reason is all about
00:04:40
Speaker
growing brand awareness of you, generating lead sales and clients, and what it's not about is paying money to go on shows. So don't pay to go on shows. Now, there's folks out there who go, I'm a bit of a high profile person, should I charge, to be honest, should was I charge for keynote talks? The answer's no. This isn't a keynote talk. This is a podcast. The host isn't gonna wanna pay you to have you on their show. Okay, period, full stop, end of story.
Leveraging Guesting for Business Growth
00:05:10
Speaker
you're gonna have an opportunity to do a number of things. One is get business from that show. Two is build a business relationship with the host. There's an opportunity for that host and you to do business. You can make money because the host becomes your client or opens their door up for you to collaborate with them to get access to other clients. They could send you referrals. They could set up um webinars that you both do together.
00:05:40
Speaker
It's a beautiful thing. Don't charge to go on their show. Don't pay to go on a show. Don't charge to go on a show. This is like appearing on television. This is not advertising. And I think there's something messed up if you pay to be on a show or you pay to go on a show because it takes away from the purity of this is a real expert. This is someone who has something valuable to say because it's pay for play and pay for play just doesn't feel right. so It lacks authenticity. It lacks, it lacks purity. It lacks,
00:06:17
Speaker
the je ne sais quoi that the audience is looking for, that they're getting some pure, unadulterated content that's going to be real and valuable. And paying for the appearance either by you to the host or by the host to you sullies that. And you want to be part of the great unsullied. And that's what I have to say to you. So,
00:06:46
Speaker
Next time you're pitching to go on a show and they say, there's a fee, politely decline and move on to the next one. There are literally millions and millions and millions of shows out there looking for guests. It'll be easy for you to find good shows to go on that you don't need to pay to go on. And your primary objective, your primary objective is inspire the audience, make the host look good, and build a business relationship with the host. And if you're doing those three things, there's plenty of shows you can go on that'll never ask you to pay. And similarly, don't ask to get paid because they're bringing you on for reasons other than the purity of what you have to deliver to their audience. And that is gonna sully up the energy exchange. in them And it's not where you wanna be.
Building Relationships and Client Opportunities
00:07:43
Speaker
Okay? It's not where you want to be.
00:07:49
Speaker
So I've never paid to be on a show, I've never charged to have someone on my don't intend to ever pay to be on a show, and I don't intend to charge to have someone on my show. The relationships I build as a result of being on shows, and as a result of having people on shows,
00:08:12
Speaker
That's what I'm going for. That's payment enough. Because that opens up the door to creating clients for me. To creating opportunities for me to speak on stages that'll create clients for me. That's why you're doing this. And the amount of money that you could charge to be on a show, especially if you're not a massive name, is is peanuts. It's maybe 50 bucks, 100 bucks, 200 bucks.
00:08:42
Speaker
From being on a show, you could get a client for one of your high-ticket programs anywhere from $2,000 to $200,000. That's worth a lot more.
Podcast Guesting Success Stories
00:08:54
Speaker
So in conclusion, don't pay to go on shows. Don't charge to go on shows. Decline everyone who asked for payment to have you go on their show. Everyone.
00:09:05
Speaker
and never ever get your head to be so swelled that you think you should charge to go on shows. Go on shows for the reasons I mentioned, to inspire the audience, to make the host look good and build a business relationship with the host. Beautiful things come out of you doing that. Beautiful things. For myself, $425,000 in sales have come from me doing that. Part time, three to five hours a week. Same thing can happen for you.
00:09:37
Speaker
if you intend it, and if you let it happen.
00:09:46
Speaker
I trust you've gotten value from this powerful episode of the Thought Leader Revolutions, Thought Leader Nuggets, another amazing solo episode featuring, mwah, Mickey Ballou.
Closing Remarks and Listener Engagement
00:10:01
Speaker
If you enjoyed this episode, if you have a friend who would benefit from it, please share the episode with them.
00:10:07
Speaker
If you enjoyed this episode, give us a like, give us a rating, give us a review. Because that helps the algorithm select our show and put it in front of people who need to see it, who need to hear it, who need its message. You can be a part of spreading the word. And I'm so grateful for everyone who's ever done that.
00:10:35
Speaker
And I'm so grateful for everyone who's doing that now. Thank you. God bless you. Take care and have a brilliant and beautiful day. And that's a wrap.
00:10:53
Speaker
This episode has been brought to you by eCircleAcademy.com. The proven system to add six to seven figures a year to your thought leader practice.