The podcast audience is growing. A segment of the population has a strong preference for audio over text and they’re increasingly finding it easy to download and listen to podcasts.

You can approach podcasting in a couple of ways. First, you can create your own podcast. Unfortunately, that can be deceptively time consuming and expensive. But, it’s doable. I’ve got a regular show at Stay Happily Married and at Divorce Talk Radio. These are weekly programs.

A second approach, and this is much easier, is to become a guest on podcasts produced by others.

There are some tricks to getting on the shows and being a good guest.

Here’s my list –

1. You’ve got to find the shows in the first place. Install iTunes and do some searching in the iTunes music store. Do the same at Google. Look for lawyers, informational websites, etc. that are producing shows. Do your searching by topic are and add the word “podcast.” They need good guests. Think about shows on related topics. Maybe shows for real estate agents, business brokers, physicians. You could do the “How divorce impacts (fill in the blank)” or “Ten Myths about (fill in the blank) and divorce”.

2. Prepare some PDFs about yourself. Do a bio, include a photo, provide a list of possible questions on your topic, provide any pertinent articles about the topic.

3. Listen to the shows you’ve identified above. Get to know the host and the format by listening to several episodes. Figure out if you’re an appropriate guest.

4. Email the podcaster and include your attachments. Make the email short. Basically, indicate that you’re an expert and that you’ve got a show idea. Offer to be flexible about scheduling the recording time.

5. Do a dry run with your partner or spouse. Practice your answers. Be quick. Be perky. Be interactive. Don’t drone on.

6. Most of these shows are recorded over the phone. When the date for the show arrives find a quiet place to talk. Use a landline with a wired phone. Don’t use a portable phone. Don’t use a cell phone. Don’t allow interruptions. Disable call waiting before you place the call.

7. After the show gets posted be sure to promote your appearance. Mention it on your website. Post it to your blog. Reference it on Twitter. Send traffic back to the podcaster. It’s the polite thing to do.

Follow these 7 steps and you’ll be on podcasts all over the internet in no time at all. We do the occasional show right here at Divorce Discourse. Make your pitch. We’d love to hear from you.