Simon Whaley's Business of Writing: November 2022
Welcome to my November newsletter and a Happy Thanksgiving to those of you across the pond in the USA.
Well, my month began with a long weekend writing retreat in Criccieth, on the Welsh coast, with friends from my writers’ group. The photo above is from the Saturday evening meal, when we also took part in a Murder Mystery. All I’m saying, is that when I read who I was playing, it was clear I would be the victim. . . And I was right!
Still, the weekend was useful because I spent the day travelling there taking plenty of photos (it was sunny!) and I later pitched a travel piece, which was commissioned! So, my retreat was definitely worth it (even if I did die on Saturday night).
And, every so often, I’d nip out for a bit of fresh air to get some lovely short video clips, like this:
ALCS Deadline—30th November
Those of you in the UK only have a few days left to register your articles for secondary rights with the ALCS (Authors Licensing and Collecting Society). The deadline is 30th November, although remember that you actually have three years to register an article. Technically, the 30th November deadline is for articles published in 2019, 2020 or 2021.
I don’t know about you, but I register my articles as soon as they are published. That way, I don’t have to worry about the deadline. So far this month, I’ve registered the latest article in Writing Magazine; my mistletoe piece in BBC Countryfile; my feature about the Reverend Carr getting caught in the snow on the Long Mynd back in 1865 in This England; and I’ve just registered a piece about Langley Chapel in the Winter 2022 issue of Evergreen. It’s been a busy month, this month!
Pitching to Podcasts
I’ve just submitted my March 2023 Business of Writing piece, where I looked into the world of podcasting, or rather, pitching to be a guest on a podcast. It’s not something I’ve done (although I have been on a couple of podcasts, when interviewers have reached out to me), but now I’ve garnered this information, it’s certainly something I’ll consider when I have a new book to promote.
I was delighted when Matty Dalrymple, who hosts the brilliant The Indy Author Podcast, agreed to chat to me and offer some pointers about how to pitch yourself as a potential guest to a podcast host. (She’s also the author of The Indy Author’s Guide to Podcasting for Authors: Creating Connections, Community, and Income.)
Amazingly, she gave me so much information I couldn’t use all of it in my piece, but at least I can share it all with you.
I began by asking why writers should consider pitching to podcasts. What can we gain from putting ourselves out there?
”Guesting on a podcast is a fantastic way of connecting with people who will love your work! Audio (and video, if the host publishes that as well) provides an intimacy of connection that is not possible with written content like guest blog posts. You get a seal of approval by the podcaster being willing to share their platform and their audience with you, which can pave the way to building relationships with their listeners. On top of all that, you can do it from the comfort of your home and, unless you are paying for a podcast-guest matchmaking service, it’s usually free. The benefits you gain from a podcast appearance depend on the benefits you provide to the host and their audience: approaching your appearance professionally and ensuring that your topic and content are good matches for the listeners.”
As someone who now hosts a show, Matty is inundated with pitches. Unfortunately, many miss the mark, and it’s clear that writers who try to automate the process in someway, by, effectively, spamming numerous podcasters with one generic pitch, are the ones who miss out.
”My best advice for people seeking podcast appearances is: Do not write a generic pitch and then blast it off to every result that turns up on an online search of podcast. I didn’t appreciate what a turnoff this is until I started receiving these myself. If you’re asking a podcast host to take the time to consider your pitch—not to mention the time to actually host you on their show—you owe it to them to spend at least a few minutes reviewing some of their recent episodes and listening to at least a few minutes of one of them.
Almost worse than a completely generic pitch is one that has been incorrectly “personalised.” I’ve received at least one pitch that was addressed to my email address but referenced someone else’s name and podcast.
Another common error is making the host do the work to find out if you’re a good match for their show. Any pitch should include links to information about you and your proposed topic.”
So if that’s what not to do, how should we make our approach?
”The more personalised the pitch, the more likely I am to consider it. The more clearly the potential guest describes the benefits my listeners will get from the information they have to share, the more likely I am to extend an invitation. I invited one guest on the podcast, primarily because her pitch so exactly complied with a run-down of tips for potential guests that I had just shared in the intro of an episode of The Indy Author Podcast. She demonstrated a familiarity with the podcast, and even referenced specific episodes that had been especially valuable to her, and which tied well with her proposed topic.
It also helps if I can see online examples of the potential guest speaking on their proposed topic. Some accommodate this by providing links to already-existing online talks, webinars, or classes. However, if you don’t yet have these resources, don’t despair: you can record yourself talking on the topic and include that in their pitch.”
I think one of the reasons I’ve not actively pitched to a podcast yet is because I don’t have any special equipment. But is any really necessary?
”Technology is the least difficult aspect of podcast guesting to accommodate. You will need a computer (or even just a phone), access to the podcaster’s interview platform (e.g., Zoom or Skype), a camera if you are doing video, a microphone, and earbuds. My primary technical advice to guests of The Indy Author Podcast is not to use the computer or phone’s built-in microphone; almost any inexpensive auxiliary mic will provide better audio than the computer’s. Earbuds further improve sound quality by preventing feedback from other participants’ audio.
Beyond the technology, do everything you can to minimise audio and video distractions. Try to isolate yourself from sounds such as traffic noise and barking dogs. Make sure the background of your video presents a professional persona (no dirty laundry hanging over a chair!).”
Finally, I asked Matty for her top tips when pitching to podcasts, and this is what she had to say:
”When pitching … Personalise, personalise, personalise! Demonstrate your familiarity with their specific podcast and present a compelling case for how your content will benefit their specific listeners.
Once you’ve received an invitation … Comply with the host’s suggestions. If they suggest you use an auxiliary mic, use an auxiliary mic. If they ask you not to make an overt pitch for your book to their listeners, then don’t make an overt pitch.
Make it easy for them! Send any requested materials, such as a headshot, bio, and social media links, as soon as requested.
After the podcast … Promote, promote, promote! The host has gone to a lot of trouble to bring you and your message to their listeners—return the favour by enthusiastically spreading the word about their podcast. If your content is evergreen, put a note on your calendar periodically to re-promote the episode. If you provide benefit to your host, you increase the likelihood of repeat invites to that podcast and pave the way to appearances on other podcasts as your reputation as an excellent guest grows.”
I think the promotion after the podcast is a particularly useful tip because it helps both the author and the podcaster. And let’s face it, if the podcast went well, we might want a second visit when the next book comes out, and who’s a podcast host going to pick: the author who pitched the wrong host name, or the author who was a joy to chat to last time, and promoted the episode when it came out?
If you’d like to see me in action on a podcast/facebook live event, then check out: https://fb.watch/eg-4v-Y8TV/
Twittergeddon
Have you been watching the Twitter meltdown since Elon Musk took over? In some ways it hasn’t bothered me—I don’t find Twitter the nasty place some people seem to, but perhaps that’s because I tend to follow writers, and we’re nice people!
It has caused me a small headache because a few months ago I switched over to the Revue service for distributing this newsletter. For those of you who don’t know, Revue is owned and managed by Twitter, but not for much longer. There are strong rumours that Elon will be shutting the service down towards the end of this year.
So, I’ve had to swamp this newsletter over to Substack. Now, for those of you who subscribe, you probably won’t notice anything (although I have used the opportunity to tweak some header images and font styles). But one thing is clear, whatever happens to Twitter (and Revue), this has been a useful reminder as to how reliant we are on other online services.
The beauty of having a newsletter is that I can move it about and transfer my subscriber list at the same time. But what if Twitter collapsed? We’d all lose our followers on that site. How, then, would we share news with them?
Most social media platforms have a service in their settings that allows you to download a copy of all your data (posts and images). I wrote an article on Medium to explain how to download your Twitter data. You can read it (for free—you don’t need to be a Medium subscriber) here.
I can’t believe it’ll soon be December. I suppose I ought to start my Christmas shopping soon. Then again, perhaps I might do the bloke thing and leave it until Christmas Eve 😁.
Until next month!
Best wishes,
Simon