Meet Tom Schwab!
As an author, speaker, teacher, podcast interview marketing pioneer, Tom Schwab knows how to build an online business. He’s done it successfully several times and now helps others find online success with podcast interview marketing. Marketing at its heart is starting a conversation with someone who could be an ideal customer.
Tom helps thought leaders (coaches, authors, speakers, consultants, emerging brands) get featured on leading podcasts that their ideal prospects are already listening to. The Interview Valet system then helps them to turn listeners into customers.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m the founder of a company called Interview Valet. We do podcast interview marketing, helping people get on podcasts to grow their brand and grow their business. I’m also the author of Podcast Guest Profits: How to Grow Your Business with a Targeted Interview Strategy.
Audivita helped me turn that book into an audiobook. It’s something I had been struggling with for way, way too long. And if I had known how easy it was, I would have done it sooner.
How did you finally decide to do your audiobook with Audivita?
I’ve been telling people they need audiobooks for a long time. Because we have seen that when people go on podcast book tours, they always sell better on audio. It makes sense. If somebody is self-identified as an audio learner, they’re probably going to buy your audiobook.
But I live in Kalamazoo, Michigan, I always thought that if I wanted to record my book, I would have to go to Nashville, New York or Chicago. And I really didn’t want to do that. So, it wasn’t until I met David at Audivita and realized I could do this from my home. Even during pandemic times, there was no excuse not to do it.
How has your audiobook helped you so far?
The majority of my leads find me through podcast interviews. So, it’s amazing how many people will hear my podcast interview, buy my audiobook, buy the actual book so they can highlight and study it, and then become customers from that.
I also think the audiobook helps open more stages for me because people can hear how I talk. And I’ve received quite a few invitations to speak and have even given keynote speeches based on what they heard in the audiobook.
What success tips do you have for others considering an audiobook?
Work with a professional. I’ve listened to a lot of audiobooks that were an embarrassment because of the editing or the sound quality. This is your brand. This is your legacy that’s going to be out there for people to judge.
They’re going to decide whether or not they collaborate with you and whether or not they hire you as a speaker. The other thing is I’ve also heard that many people struggled to get their recording finished, and then it got rejected by Audible. It was just a long, long process.
We all know how long the process is to write a book and how painful that can be. Recording the book doesn’t need to be that way. You really just need to block out time to do the recording. That’s what I did. It was quiet around the house, and I jumped on the internet with Audivita.
I read through the entire book, and we made all of the edits as we recorded. I was just amazed how fast the process actually went … from getting started to recording it to actually being posted on Audible for people to access. I think the entire process was finished in under four 90-minute sessions!
Are there any additional insights that you would like to share with our audience?
Remember that you wrote your book for a reason – to help people. Now today, not everybody reads books. I say that I read one to two books a week. But actually, I’m listening to it. Make it easy for people to find you and learn from you. What’s ordinary to you is amazing to others, and it’s never been easier to get that message out there, both in print and in audio.
To learn more about Tom, visit www.interviewvalet.com or check out his profile on LinkedIn as the only Tom Schwab in Kalamazoo, Michigan.