How to Craft the Best Pitch for Podcasts Looking for Guests

All forms of media are important. 

Today, there is no better or quicker way to grow your personal brand while driving traffic to your website, than being a guest on a podcast.

The day a podcast airs, especially if the person has a larger audience than yours, you can see a spike in your traffic. 

As new listeners discover older podcasts it can continue to bring traffic to your website and social media handles – making podcasts an evergreen traffic source. 

If you have found a niche, an area of expertise, being a guest on podcasts also helps you to build your authority as that expert. 

I love podcasts for experts because it’s where I believe you see the quicker return on your investment (of time). 

There’s just something about a podcast listener – they seem more willing to invest in their hobbies, in their lifestyle, and in their businesses.  

Basically, podcasts are a great way to grow your brand, drive traffic, connect to potential buyers, and build authority – it’s a win, win if you ask me. 

If you want to know how to get booked on a podcast, I’m telling you it’s by having a really good email pitch.

What is “podcast pitching”?

The most common way to get on a podcast is to send email “pitches” to podcasts that are looking for guests. 

This is where your elevator speech comes in handy, but with some tweaks so that you aren’t put in the “no thank you” pile upon receipt.

A good email pitch is critical. 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PITCH I SENT TO PAT FLYNN TO GET BOOKED ON THE SMART PASSIVE INCOME PODCAST!

Fortunately, there are ways to make sure your email pitch stands out and has a higher chance of you being a guest on a podcast you are targeting. 

I’m sharing these insider podcast pitching do’s and don’ts so you have the best chance to get booked.

Email podcast pitching “Do’s”:

  • Do get more information before you pitch by looking at the show’s iTunes description, listening to the intro of the podcast, and looking at their website.
  • Do lead with the value you can provide for the host’s audience and do a great job of explaining how you can help their audience with your expertise.
  • Do provide a brief bio about who you are and what you do.
  • Do offer 2-4 sample topics you can discuss if you are selected to be a guest on their podcast.
  • Do provide them information about being a guest on your podcast if you have one, creating a reciprocal opportunity. 
  • Do include the names of a few key podcasts where you have been a guest (if applicable).
  • Do include a link to your website so they can easily check it out. 
  • Do write it like you are communicating like a real person with a real person.
How Podcast Clout works

Email podcast pitching “don’ts” (these mistakes will land you the rejection box almost instantly!):

  • Don’t pretend you love their podcast when you’ve never heard of them, having it come across fake or insincere. Instead, be honest if you don’t know them and say, “I recently came across your podcast and I love how you are.” (here’s where you show that you understand their objectives).
  • Don’t email robotic, template pitches without any customization.
  • Don’t send pitches where you forget to change the name of the host, the font is different because you copied and pasted so many times or other obvious signs that it’s a “template email”.
  • Don’t use pitches where it’s unclear who you are or why you would make a good guest.

It’s fine to go on an email pitching sprint, just make sure you are following the “do list” if you want to make the best impression and have the best chance of success.

What size podcast should you target?

If you go for the top leaders in your niche, it’s a much more customized situation that is needed. 

Sometimes it’s better to start with someone who has the next level audience size up from yours and then keep growing and reaching higher as you gain momentum.

If you are going to pitch the top-rated podcaster in your industry, make sure you’ve crafted the best email pitch you can come up with, one that really gets their team’s attention so you are able to get your foot in the door.

There’s nothing wrong with going for your favorite leaders in your niche. One of the first guest spots I landed was on Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income Podcast – but I had a great pitch!

Bring your patience to your pitching because these things take time.

When you submit email pitches for podcasts, it’s important to be patient. It can often take a week or two to receive a response, if you receive one at all. 

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear from them for a while and it feels like you are sending emails and getting nowhere. 

You can suddenly get three responses in one day and they include a link to their calendar to get you on the schedule… It’s a game of patience but the payoff is worth it!

podcast clout demo

One final thought on email pitches regarding podcasts that ask you to pay a fee to be a guest.

“Should you pay to be on a podcast?” 

I get asked this a lot. 

When you are sending out your podcast pitches, it can happen where you receive a reply saying they’d love to have you, but for a fee. 

“Pay to Play” podcasts are out there, but you’ll have to decide how you feel about them. 

My opinion on this is that free is best. 

Not because I don’t believe you should invest in your business or yourself, but because I don’t know that the “pay to play” podcast holds the same credibility that the rest of the free podcasts hold. 

CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO START YOUR OWN PODCAST.

I find myself wondering if the host really believed in their guest or if they had them on because they could pay the fee. 

It leaves a question mark. 

When you pay to play in the media, in my opinion, it affects your authority because then it’s really an advertisement. 

Right now there’s no way to know which podcasts are “pay to play” and which are free when you are pitching because it’s generally not disclosed on the website or in the contact form, but the majority do not charge. 

If you are starting out, it makes sense to stick with the podcasts who are looking for guests that do not charge. Get your feet wet and start building momentum. 

You can always invest later when you have a solid platform, if you feel that it’s needed

Well, are you ready to begin pitching to podcasts looking for guests but don’t know where to start?

Getting a quality list of top podcasts to pitch will save you time and energy. 

Podcast Clout is the tool to find podcasts in your niche. 

It is the only podcast directory of its kind. Podcast Clout gives you access to the top 200 podcasts in their category and they are high quality. 

We also feature “new and noteworthy” podcasts in our monthly email to subscribers that meet our high standards.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PODCAST CLOUT IN ACTION!

Did you know, 22% (62 million people) listen to podcasts weekly? 

Even better, podcast listeners listen to an average of seven different shows per week. 

This is not a market to skip!

Podcast Clout finds podcasts so that people can find you. 

It’s suited for your niche and size and makes creating a good pitch the hardest part of email pitching. 

You won’t need to spend countless hours trying to figure out where in the world to send your great pitches and how to know if it’s a high-quality podcast or not. 

Starting with an incredible list of podcasts to pitch to allows you to take a shortcut to building your brand and growing your reach, especially when you use these tips to pitch effectively.

fix