Of all the ways to spread brand awareness, podcasts are one of the most versatile—and fun!
As a business owner, being a guest on a podcast gives you the opportunity to speak directly to your audience in a low-pressure environment. Plus…
- It grows your network with like-minded people.
- It’s an easy way to establish your authority and expertise in your industry. It provides content you can repurpose to promote or support future blogs, ads, social media posts, and even sales pages.
- It helps to cultivate the KLT (know-like-trust) factor that is so essential to establishing long-term relationships between your brand and your audience.
So, how do you become a guest on a podcast?
The answer is simple. But for many, it is also intimidating: You ask.
Fortunately, pitching yourself as a podcast guest gets easier the more you do it—especially if you have a simple formula to follow every time.
In this guide, we provide you with the exact process we use for finding and pitching podcasts and booking guest spots with them.
Plus, you can get detailed email templates and a record-keeping spreadsheet to streamline the pitching process and track your results.
Click a section below to get started!
Traditional vs. Digital Media: Being a guest on a podcast requires knowing the difference.
If you’ve ever tried to land a spot in your local paper or on the radio or TV, you know there are certain channels you have to go through and a specific format you have to follow. The work is worth it, though, since appearances on these channels lend credibility to and help spread awareness of your business.
Podcasts and other digital media are different but just as valuable—mostly because they have an advantage that traditional media does not.
Effective pitching to get booked on podcasts requires you to remember their key advantage: Podcast hosts are much more engaged with their listeners.
Traditional media is concerned with curating content that will immediately engage and inform their audience. It is quickly consumed, and then people move on.
Podcast hosts, however, are working to curate a loyal fan base. Being a guest on a podcast is like being invited into someone’s living room. The relationship you develop is just as important as the information that you convey.
When a podcast host chooses you as a guest, they are trusting you to…
- Bring value to their listeners.
- Help them further develop their relationship with their community.
If you want to be a guest on a podcast, you need to be prepared for storytelling, elaboration, and digging deep into your topic in a way that centers the audience as the star of the show.
Demonstrating that you are exactly the kind of guest a podcast host is looking for begins with your pitch. Unlike with traditional media, pitching a podcast means you’ll likely be talking directly to the person in charge. They’ll want to see that you understand the assignment.
- By the way, working with podcast production studios can feel a lot more like navigating traditional media. If you’re a smaller business or new to the podcasting world, avoid these companies for now until you have a better idea of how you want podcasts to fit into your overall marketing strategy.
How to Be a Guest on a Podcast: Research, research, research.
Just like with any marketing strategy, podcast pitching must be targeted and strategic to get the most value for your time.
Your goal isn’t to be on any podcast that will take you. Your goal is to be on the right podcast that will connect you with the right people—your people.
Our tried and tested four-step research process will help you identify podcasts that are the right fit for you.
Through your research, you will gain a deeper understanding of the unique value you have to offer podcast audiences. And, you will be better equipped to pitch each podcast host on your list.
Step 1: Get clear on who your audience is and where to find them.
When you’re trying to decide which podcasts are worth pitching to, it helps to know what you’re looking for. Spend some time in your customer’s shoes:
- What types of things are they interested in?
- Who do they look to for advice, information, or encouragement?
- What types of topics would they search for online?
If you’ve invested in well-flushed-out personas and keyword research, you’re already a step ahead. If not, click here to check out our services.
Step 2: Cast a wide net of podcast possibilities.
Based on the list of topics, interests, and keywords you’ve developed in Step 1, start searching for potential podcasts to pitch.
This isn’t the time to self-censor. Volume is key here, as you will likely receive a lot of No’s. That’s normal. The best way to increase your chances of a Yes is to just keep pitching.
Where should you search?
Start by inputting [topic/keyword + podcast] into the search fields of major podcast platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube Podcasts.
Some other search tips to try…
- Use more general search platforms like Google and Sparktoro.
- Focus on finding niche shows, as small audiences that align with your values, beliefs, and interests can provide a wealth of opportunity.
- Consider who in your personal or professional network (including your client base) has a show that serves a similar audience—or knows someone who does.
- Check the websites and social media pages of people you already follow to see if they have a podcast.
- If you have the resources, check out platforms that help match you with relevant podcasts, such as Podmatch or MatchMaker.fm. (Use caution: While these can be helpful for finding entry-level shows, they can also attract scammers.)
Be sure to keep an organized list of these podcasts, since you’ll be keeping track of several details throughout the pitching process. To save you time, we’ve created a record-keeping spreadsheet you can get here.
Step 3: Prune and prioritize your list.
Once you’ve created a solid list, it’s time to take a good look at each podcast to better determine which ones would be a good fit.
Some questions to consider…
- How active is the podcast? Have they published any new episodes in the past year?
- Do the podcast’s audience and yours seem to overlap? (Sometimes titles can be misleading.)
- What kinds of topics have they covered? Do you have anything you could add to the conversation?
- What is the tone of the podcast and/or who are they affiliated with? Does it align with the way your brand shows up in the world?
- Has this podcast ever hosted guests, or is it an entirely solo show?
Add these notes to your podcast list since they can help you later to personalize your pitch email.
- Go the extra mile: Listen to an episode or two that catch your eye. It’s easier to write a more personalized pitch when you can demonstrate your knowledge of their work.
Step 4: Ensure you have all the necessary details for efficient pitching.
When you sit down to write your pitch, the process will be easier if you have all the information you need in one place—namely, the list of podcasts and notes you’ve been keeping.
Once you’ve determined which podcasts you’ll be pitching first, make sure you have some basic info on each one:
- Podcast link
- Name of the host(s)
- Name of who you will be contacting (often the host, but not always)
- Contact information (email address or web form link—and where possible, use the email address)
- If you’re unable to find contact information on the podcast’s show notes or website, try looking for the host’s website or social media accounts.
Once all your information has been gathered, it’s time to draft your pitch to be a guest on their podcast!
Your Podcast Guest Pitch: It’s time to fill in the blanks.
It’s true: to be a guest on a podcast, you have to promote yourself.
However, that doesn’t mean your pitch email should be all about you.
As with any values-driven marketing effort, your focus should be on connection through values alignment and serving shared communities.
In your pitch email, this looks like two things:
- Highlighting the ways in which you are in agreement with the host’s work and impact.
- Explaining what you bring to the table to provide value to their audience.
Over time, you’ll develop a standard template you can use for each of your pitches, changing out personalized information as necessary.
To jumpstart that process, click here to download the template we’ve developed to match our values-driven marketing framework.
What does an effective pitch email template look like?
To give you an idea, here’s the first part of our pitch template:
Hi [INSERT PODCASTER’S NAME(S)],
I’ve enjoyed listening to your podcast and seeing the work you’ve been doing with [INSERT TOPICS RELATED TO THEIR PODCAST/EPISODES/ THEM AS PEOPLE - be specific]. I’m reaching out because I think your listeners may be interested in learning about [INSERT PITCH IDEA].
I work with [INSERT YOUR SHARED AUDIENCE] and am passionate about…
And this is an example of how we would fill it out, based on our research of a particular podcast:
Hi Anne and Trisha,
I’ve enjoyed listening to your podcast and seeing the work you’ve been doing to help empower women entrepreneurs with support that can be harder to find when you’re not backed by billionaire investors. I especially enjoyed the episode about prioritizing your website and email list over social media—a concept I’ve been encouraging my clients to adopt for years.
I’m reaching out because I think your listeners may be interested in learning some financial management tips from a former small business banker turned business strategist and coach.
I work with small and micro businesses from a variety of industries, but as a once single mom, I am especially passionate about helping other women...
Remember—find that personal connection and be clear on what you can add to the conversation.
And, don’t be discouraged if it takes a bit to get your first few pitches down. As you become more confident in expressing your unique value proposition—and all the ways you can connect on a human level—pitching to be a guest on a podcast will become a streamlined, efficient process.
The Often Overlooked Key to Getting Booked on a Podcast: Be the one who follows up.
Too often, we assume no answer to our pitches means the other person is not interested. We forget that they get busy too, and sometimes things just fall through the cracks. Their silence is typically not personal.
This is another reason to keep track of your pitches and when you send them—so you know when to follow up.
If there’s been no response after one week, draft a quick follow-up email to put your name back at the top of their inbox.
The goal of this email is to politely bring their attention back to you and your pitch.
As with your original email, continue to focus on providing value and making a connection with the podcast host and their work.
Once again, this step is even easier when you use a template. Download our follow-up email template here, and feel free to adapt it to match your voice and style.
Use this Podcast Pitching Guide to pitch yourself for other digital media opportunities.
Podcasts aren’t the only digital media platforms that provide creative outlets for connecting with people who might love what you have to offer.
Consider using this process to pitch yourself for…
- Webinars and online workshops
- Digital summits and conferences
- Online courses or masterclasses
These opportunities won’t just spread brand awareness and help expand your customer base—they also help establish your expertise and industry authority to both search engines and customers.
Are you ready to be a guest on a podcast? Download our free resources below and prepare to expand your impact!
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Streamline your podcast pitching system with our free templates and more.
Sustainable business systems require easily reproducible processes and templates you can use again and again. To save you time, we’re sharing our tried and tested resources with you. Click below to snag your podcast-pitching goodies!
