So, you started a podcast and now you want to interview the biggest names in business, right? Of course, you do! Getting big celebrities on your podcast builds your credibility, increases downloads, gives you the opportunity to talk one on one with someone you wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to connect with, and it positions you as a celebrity by association.

I book guest interviews on a lot of different podcasts. I have had the pleasure of connecting my clients with celebrity guest expert interviews like Jon Taffer, host of Bar Rescue, Stacey Poon-Kinney, who was a finalist on Food Network Star and starred in an episode of Restaurant Impossible, Jeff Olson, author of The Slight Edge, and Amy Porterfield, Facebook marketing expert.

Here are a couple of tips I have for appealing to celebrity guest experts who do not say ‘yes’ to everyone who asks for an interview.

1. Tell them your download numbers. If your download stats are very high and you like to show them off, this probably isn’t hard for you. Celebrity guest experts are approached for interviews all the time and cannot say yes to everyone so, they ask, or their publicist needs to know how many people are going to hear this interview? If only 100 people listen to every episode it’s probably not worth their time. But if you say right up front that you have impressive download numbers and tell them what those stats are, you’re more likely to get a yes.

—> If you don’t want to share download numbers, or perhaps you haven’t launched yet so you have no download numbers, tell them how big your list is. By telling someone that you have a list of, say 40k entrepreneurs, that is also very appealing knowing that you will be promoting the interview to a lot of potential listeners.  I am using this strategy with a current client who has not yet launched.

2. The power of association. Who else have you interviewed? If you have interviewed guests who the celebrity guest expert may also know, find that common ground. Again, this builds your credibility and assures them you are someone worth spending time with during an interview.

3. Keep it short. When you call or email the guest, don’t write a novel and tell them your life story. They will likely scan the email or read the first couple sentences before making a decision of whether or not to take action.

4. Make it easy to schedule. Use a service like Schedule Once to schedule the interview so the process is as convenient as possible.

5. Offer a shorter interview. Several of the bigger celebrities I have booked will not do a 30 or 60-minute interview.  Much of the time they are calling in from a car while on the road or in back to back appointments.   By offering a 15-20 minute spot, they are more likely to say yes, and trust me, it won’t hurt you at all to air a shorter interview especially if the guest is very well known. You can always record a slightly longer intro after the interview and add a solo segment to your episode as well to make it a full 30-minute episode.

6. Make sure your web presence is impressive. These guests will check you out before committing to an interview. Make sure your website communicates that you are established and professional.  A big following on social media helps, though it’s not always a deal breaker.

Remember, celebrity guests are very exciting and can offer great value, expertise and experience to an interview. But a lot of podcasters make the mistake of obsessing over celebrities and forget that lesser known entrepreneurs can often resonate with listeners more.

If you would like to learn more about how we can book great guests on your podcast, visit InterviewConnections.com.