Lifestyle
Guestio Has Changed The Podcast Industry In America
As of July 2021, there are currently over two million podcasts and more than 48 million podcast episodes here in the United States. And on top of that, nearly six in ten US consumers above the age of 12 have listened to a podcast at least once.
So, how do all these podcasts survive? It comes down to of course money, which only happens if the podcasts have listeners, which then relates to solid content and guests.
Enter Guestio, a new online platform that streamlines the booking process for podcasts. People can literally go on the platform and book guests for their shows at the click of a button in all sorts of topics / with the biggest shows. So, if you have a podcast and need a big name star to appear on it, at the click of a button you can book them on through this platform.
Behind Guestio is Travis Chappell, the creator and founder. He spoke with us directly about his game-changing platform and what’s next.
1. How has Guestio changed the podcast environment / space?
Traditionally, it’s extremely difficult to book A list guests for your show no matter what industry you’re in. You have to either have notoriety already, pre existing connections to high level people, or wait for months on end waiting for responses that will ultimately be a “no”. Guestio allows you to cut the line, save the time, and book people you want to interview as soon as you’re ready to do so.
2. What aspects of the Guestio platform do you feel are the most innovative?
We are changing the game for all platforms, not just podcasts. Facebook, IG, or Youtube Lives, virtual speaking events, Miniviews, mastermind or company Q&As, or even media/blog interviews like this one can all be booked on the site. We even created the new idea of the “Miniview.” Content Creators can submit their questions to the guest and allow them to record their answer via audio or video on their own time. The responses can then be edited to form a mini interview, or any other type of content for the channels. The convenience for the guest allows bigger names to be open to more interviews, and therefore, more accessible to content creators!
3. Which celebrities and/or big names have utilized your platform so far?
Guests-Manny Pacquiao, Shawne Merriman, Matt Barnes, Jordan Harbinger, John Lee Dumas, Les Brown
4. What trends with podcasts do you see happening as we go forward in our society?
Podcasting has a bright future. I’ve always been told to “follow the money.” And right now, monster companies like Spotify, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook have been making huge moves in the podcasting space. Facebook announcing that they’re creating their own podcast discovery and listening tools is exciting enough by itself. There’s only a few hundred million podcast listeners in the world, but there are over 2 billion facebook users. This move is going to open up podcast consumption to an entirely new segment of the population.
5. We know how the people who use your platform make money, but how does Guestio make money?
Aside from the Service fee that is received for all paid bookings, we have a monthly membership for users who wish to have our Pro Account features. This includes unlimited booking requests, audio and video pitches, and much more! The unlimited booking requests alone make this membership a no-brainer. We had a customer book on 23 show appearances in the first 15 days that he was on the site.
6. What’s next for Guestio?
We are focused on completing our seed round and hiring talent for key roles in the company. We are also working on a new podcast and youtube show called “Travis Interviews.”