Water pump sealant or no sealant?

Sorry to jump on somebody's else's post, but I have a question about this. I recently installed a new water pump on my slant. I coated the outside paper gasket on both sides with sealant. However, I had to leave the inside gasket that came sandwiched between the metal plate dry because I could not access it. Just as I was afraid of, it is now leaking. Where did I go wrong? I was really careful about cleaning off the block. Is there a way to apply sealant to the inside gasket that I somehow missed? I assume that is the gasket that it is leaking from. Thanks for any insight....