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I realized that after sending a single email to Jim Rogers, he quickly responded and came on the podcast. Jim is a really busy person, so I was astounded with his generosity that he would respond so quickly.

This, however, is not unique. I am able to quickly get some of the most amazing adventurers, entrepreneurs, and people that have a lot on their plate to come on the podcast.

So how do you get them to say YES to your request?

First, I start with a dream list:

Who do I want to interview?

Who would I love to learn from?

Who would be a great fit?

I will compile a list of the people I want to reach out to, including their email, Twitter, Instagram – different ways that I can reach out to them. I also do my homework. I learn about them from other people or articles about them, and I also read their books.

I compile the background that I need, enough for me to know about their work and to know why they would be a good guest on the show. I also find out what would motivate them to donate their time to come on the show and teach something to the audience. Also I look for any possible shared interests or ways of connecting that might help build rapport.

When I reach out to them via email I make sure that it is short and concise. Three to five sentences is perfect and visually it is nice and easy to read.

In the first sentence I establish who I am, to build connection and credibility. Then I explain my motivation for getting in touch with them,  and pick an area of their expertise that I want to learn from and hear their story about.

I then ask them if they would be interested in doing an interview, making it simple and easy for them to reply YES.

And lastly, if they don’t respond, it doesn’t mean that they don’t want to help you or that they are not interested. It just means that they could not respond right there and then. So, following up is a polite thing to do. Don’t give up, make sure you follow up.

Things you will learn in this episode:

• How to find good guests for your podcast
• How to build a connection and rapport
• How to structure a concise email
• The importance of the follow up email