How to do a Podcast Launch Tour

Hey IH,

If you launched a niche product and want some press, chances are TechCrunch et al are not going to answer the phone, even if the launch is wildly successful by indie standards. One way to get the publicity and excitement of a book tour or media coverage (but from the safety of your own home) is a podcast tour. I did a book tour (#podcastbooktour) for Writing for Software Developers. Here are my tips:

1. Reach out early. Once I had the metrics on my launch, I immediately began querying hosts. There are a lot of podcasts, and I wanted to only reach out to shows where I thought I would be a good fit. I did background research and listened to partial episodes of ~20 podcasts to find good candidates.
2. Target all sizes. I did a podcast with basically zero subscribers and a brand-new podcast, but I also appear on some bigger, well-established shows. Promote them all equally.
3. You need decent equipment but nothing too fancy. I have a ~$100 microphone and a pair of cheap headphones, and my audio quality has been fine recording from my mother's living room. You don't need thousands of dollars of equipment and a whole studio just to appear as a guest.
4. Have your talking points ready but be sure to mix it up. Don't just sound like you're repeating prepared answers, engage in a conversation with the host even if it means you don't hit all of the topics you wanted to cover. The host can help by asking questions you haven't answered already on other shows.
5. Be flexible on the timing. The episode you're recording one morning could be released that same day or in three months depending on the podcast's schedule and backlog.

I've recorded or scheduled 5 podcasts, one came out today (https://share.transistor.fm/s/a3b9c5fb). I hope this is helpful to other indie launchers.