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Quick Wins For Podcasters

How to Create a Powerful and Profitable Call to Action for Your Podcast Guest Appearance

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Are you guesting on podcasts but not seeing a return on investment? It could be due to a lack of a powerful call to action in the last 30-60 seconds of your interview. In this episode, Kelly Mosser explains how to optimize your call to action for the podcast listening experience, meet your audience where they are, and boost your inquiries, messages, follows, and subscribers. Discover the three ingredients to a successful call to action and avoid the biggest mistake that leaves you hearing crickets from your audience!

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Read the Blog Post: The 3 Must-Haves For an Effective Podcast Guesting Call to Action

“Thanks for joining me for this amazing interview. It’s been a pleasure talking with you. Where can our listeners learn more about you and your work?”

When it comes to podcast interviews, there’s often a moment when your mind goes blank. Those initial nerves that fade away after a few minutes suddenly come rushing back, leaving your mouth dry. It feels like the clock is right in front of you, counting down to get you off the stage, with the Oscars music ready to start playing any minute.

As your life flashes before your eyes, you open your mouth to answer the host’s final question.

And in nine out of ten cases, you end up saying one of two things: “Visit my website” or “Follow me on social media.” The interview concludes, you log off, and you breathe a sigh of relief. The episode is released, and you eagerly wait for some kind of return on investment from that interview. You keep an eye on your DMs, emails, and website intake form, but nobody reaches out.

Related: How You Can Elevate Your Podcast Guest Interview Game

You’re completely baffled because it was an incredible interview. You provided so much value and shared profound wisdom. So why aren’t people joining your email list, sending inquiries, booking sales calls, joining your membership, or buying your products?

Before I shed light on what might have gone wrong, resulting in silence from the podcast audience, there’s one important thing you need to know: everyone experiences this. You’re not alone. Now isn’t the time to beat yourself up over past interviews.

What you’ll learn today will help you improve your approach going forward. And that’s great because;

When we know better, we can do better.

So please don’t be hard on yourself about those times when the host asked, “Where can we learn more about you?” and you replied, “Visit my website or follow me on social.”

You didn’t know any better. The truth is, and very few people grasp this, that the last 30 seconds of your interview will make or break your return on investment of time and energy.

Related: How to Multiply Your Podcast Guesting ROI

It determines whether you’ll hear from that audience again because those final 30 seconds are your chance to deliver a powerful call to action that brings those listeners into your world for good.

Yes, “Visit my website” and “Follow me on social” are both valid calls to action. However, they’re not the most optimal ones for podcast listeners, and I’ll explain why. I want you to close your eyes for a moment and picture what a podcast listening experience looks like for you, your partner, and your friends or family.

When you imagine someone listening to a podcast, what are they doing? Most people aren’t holding their phones, staring at the screen, ready to click a link or a button.

They’re multitasking—driving, grocery shopping, walking the dog, or working out.

This is fantastic because it means they’re likely focused on what they’re listening to since the only thing in their ears is you, with no distractions.

But if they’re not looking directly at their phones, a call to action like “Follow me on social” isn’t the most effective way to nurture your relationship with that audience.

Let’s discuss three key elements of an effective podcast interview call to action, along with a bonus tip that guarantees higher audience engagement. 

#1 Logical and Straightforward

First and foremost, your call to action should be logical and straightforward. It should serve as the bridge between the conversation you just had in the interview and the ultimate destination you want your listeners to reach. Your call to action should be the next logical step for them.

What often happens in podcast interviews is that people offer a call to action that doesn’t actually move the listener forward. Sometimes it’s a step backward or to the side.

For example, let’s say you’re a dietician, and you provide your listeners with a grocery shopping checklist that helps them make optimal energy choices. However, you already covered that and more in the episode.

So they might not feel inclined to take up your free offer because they think, “She already shared everything I need to know. Why do I need that checklist?” Or perhaps you spent the entire interview discussing how to succeed on Pinterest as a small business, but your prepared call to action is a five-step success plan for YouTube. That’s not a logical next step; it’s more like a detour.

Since you’re talking about a completely different platform, it’s essential to consider the content of our conversation and offer a next step that aligns with what they heard and learned, leaving them hungry for more.

Related: Top Tips For High Impact Podcast Interviews

#2 Irresistible

Another crucial aspect of a podcast interview call to action is that it must be irresistible. Consider this: when someone is driving and listening to a podcast, what happens when your episode ends while they’re cruising at 70 miles per hour? They’ll keep on driving, and Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whichever platform they’re using will automatically start playing another episode.

So when crafting your call to action, think about what you could offer someone at the end of an interview that would make them seriously consider pulling over if they’re driving. What action step could you invite them to take that’s so valuable they’d be willing to stop? Put yourself in their shoes and ask, “What’s in it for me if I take this call to action?”

Ask yourself, “What can I offer that would be so enticing that someone would actually contemplate pulling over, even while on the highway?”

powerful podcast guesting call to action

If someone simply says, “Follow me on Instagram,” that’s not compelling enough to make me want to pull over and take action. However, if someone were to say, “Click below in the show notes to unlock a free seven-day one-on-one mastermind experience with me in Puerto Rico, where I’ll guide you to make six figures in just seven days,” that’s something I’d seriously consider pulling over for.

Of course, that’s an exaggerated example and not something you can offer at scale, but that’s the line of thinking I want you to explore.

What’s the most exciting, irresistible offer you can present that would make someone genuinely consider pulling over to take action immediately?

And if you don’t have paid products or services but want to drive people to listen to your podcast, clearly communicate the specific value they’ll receive by checking out a particular episode.

Direct them to a specific destination. Help them understand that if they loved the conversation about XYZ, they’ll adore episode 132, where they’ll learn 1, 2, 3.

Send them somewhere specific and make sure they understand the value, transformation, knowledge, or mastery they’ll gain by taking the action you’re inviting them to take.

#3 Memorable

The third crucial aspect of an optimized podcast call to action is that it should be memorable. Keep in mind that your listeners are multitasking, so you want the call to action to be something they can remember, even if they can’t take immediate action.

One effective approach is to offer your audience a keyword—a simple word that sticks in their memory.

You can make it clever or funny using a memorable word from an anecdote you shared in the episode. They can then DM you that word to redeem the call to action you’re offering.

For instance, if you shared a story during the interview about how you discovered your life’s calling while eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, you can make your call to action for people to message you the word “cereal” on any of your social platforms to access a highly valuable next step.

Additionally, when delivering your call to action, consider sharing a vulnerable personal story, as vulnerability is always memorable.

Final Thoughts & Bonus Tip

To summarize, the last 30 seconds of a podcast interview can make a significant difference in generating ROI. Instead of simply sharing your website or social media, aim to provide a more impactful call to action. Offer a logical next step for listeners to find you and receive further value.

Make sure the action you propose is enticing enough that they would consider pulling over to take it immediately. Your call to action should pass the “pullover test” with flying colors.

Since most listeners are multitasking and not actively looking at their phones, make your CTA highly memorable so it stays with them even after the episode ends.

If they can’t act on it right away, ensure they remember to come back to it later. When preparing for a podcast interview, think about your call to action in advance. Ensure it is logical, irresistible, and highly memorable.

Here’s a bonus tip that can significantly impact your podcast interview’s ROI: When signing off, repeat your full name. Listeners often forget guest names by the end of the episode. Leave them with a lasting impression by saying something like, ” Again, my name is X.

Thank you so much for having me. I’m honored to be a guest. If you’d like to take the next step, here’s a free bundle to help you expand on what we discussed today. And to grab that bundle, all you need to do is…”

About Kelly Mosser

Kelly Mosser is a New York-based business strategist, speaker, and host of the top 1% podcast, The Aligned Success Show. She has a decade of experience supporting businesses from Fortune 500 powerhouses to hungry mid-sized startups and scrappy solopreneurs.

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