September 2021 Discoverability

Discoverability is what some of us call it when someone does an online search for you and finds you. And, if you are an author, also finds your book.

My clients being discovered is one of the main goals of the work I do. In addition to finding your website, and those all-important book listings on book commerce sites, I want people to find other mentions of my clients, and one of the most powerful is when someone can discover links to interviews my clients have been blessed to have with Christian media.

So in my work with authors, I spend a lot of time trying to get them interviews and other media opportunities. Why is this important? Those media folks have thousands, tens of thousands, sometimes millions, of listeners in their audiences. And sometimes they are all over the world. It’s hard to quantify how many people will hear the interviews, learn the author’s story, and be blessed. And of course, we also would love it if they decided to purchase the book if it’s something that will enhance their life and Christian walk.

A couple of times I year, I generally get to be face to face with the authors and some of the Christian media folks doing interviews at industry events, such as the recent Christian Product Expo in the St. Louis area. One of the great interviewers with a terrific show who generally attends the in-person events is Bob Crittenden, host of The Meeting House show that airs two hours a day during the prime afternoon drive time in the Montgomery, Alabama area. While Bob’s audience in Alabama is significant, in earlier years, the number of people who would hear that interview was limited to those listening on that particular day. But today the value of an interview with Bob, if you can get it, is enhanced because Bob also archives the interviews on his website and creates a podcast of some of them.

He makes it easy for guests to obtain the links so they can share them.

The links make great social media posts, whether after the broadcast, or if you are able to let your followers know in advance of when a radio interview or podcast will air. These days, of course, you can listen online to any radio station.

In addition, however, I also stress that it’s vital for authors and speakers to also capture these interview links on their own websites. I recommend always including a tab or page on your website labeled something like “media.” On that page, include links to the interviews you’ve had, along with the logo of the program or publication, and if possible, photos of you being interviewed, like this one above of Rickardo Bodden, author of Leadership in the Age of Narcissism, being interviewed by Bob Crittenden at CPE in 2020.

Gathering links to these interviews magnifies the audience size for you and helps people checking you out not only hear you, but know you are an author serious about being discovered and connecting with your readers.

As an added bonus, if you are a speaker, people hearing you being interviewed also get a great introduction to you and get a flavor of what you are like to listen to as a speaker.

Discoverability. It’s a funny word, but it’s an important concept.