Becoming a Podcast guest is all the rave right now. As cliche as podcasts have become, they have a HUGE following and are an awesome way to reach a lot of people all at once. If you wish more people knew about you, yet your social media presence and network aren't connecting you to the right people, then becoming a guest on podcast interviews will get you some great exposure. There are hundreds of podcasts that cater to niche business markets. That means the audience is full of bright-eyed listeners who are eager to improve their lives and/or businesses. And you’re the one who could teach them how to do that!
Contrary to popular belief, podcasters don’t always have an unlimited amount of inspiration about what to talk about on their show. Podcasters look for business owners like you to feature on their podcast so they can bring their listeners new perspectives and tools to use in their lives/businesses.
I know it probably still sounds really scary and impossible, so don’t worry. I’m going to break it all down for you Kristine style!
Here are a few easy steps to help you get booked as a guest for Podcast Interviews:
Find the right podcast for you
Not all podcasts are going to be the right fit for your business. Make sure that you are pitching yourself to the right niche and reaching the right audience.
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Spend some time researching podcasts and finding the ones you would love to be on. Listen to some episodes and do research on the podcaster to see if they sync up with your messaging and overall goals.
Make sure to note all of the ones that you think would be a perfect match and start compiling a list of podcasters to reach out to.
Start within your own business network
One of the best places to go hunting for podcasts is business Facebook groups. Oftentimes the admin of the group will have a podcast or series that they run for their followers. Reach out and let them know what you have to offer.
The best way to look for podcasters is to start within your own network. It might be a friend of a friend, someone you met at a conference or is in the same business group as you.
Give podcasters exposure on your social media platforms
Another way to build relationships with podcasters is to get featured on their other social media platforms first. You can collaborate with them by featuring them on your IGTV or Facebook group. By giving them exposure, they will most likely do the same for you.
Making that initial connection can still lead to a possible podcast guesting and other potential collaborations with them in the future.
Come up with a killer podcast guest pitch
Once you decide on a specific podcast(s) you want to get on, reach out to the owner/operator with a thorough proposal on what you can offer their listeners.
But what are you supposed to say?
You want to keep your pitch email short and sweet but pack it full of info about who you are and what you have to offer and what's in it for their audience.
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Basic Structure of a Podcast Interview Email Pitch:
1. Intro
This starts with the subject line of the email. Now, most people are tempted to stay very formal with this. They go with “Podcast Feature Pitch” or “Connecting With You About Podcasts.” Honestly, I just skip those. Because when there are 100s of emails in my inbox, I just skim them to see what to keep and what to skip. The things that sound like a robot wrote them are headed straight for the trash can.
But if an email has a creative subject line -- something creative that shows a bit of personality -- I give it a shot. So, brainstorm some unique subject lines like, “And the Oscar Goes to...Kristine and (name’s) Podcast Episode!” Peak their interest and give them something to look forward to when opening that email.
The second part of the Intro is a short bio. The biggest mistake people usually make when pitching themselves is that they only talk about themselves.
Honestly, that podcast owner doesn’t care about your achievements or your life story. They want to know if what you have to say is useful to their audience because those are the people driving their popularity and income.
Keep your bio or “About Me” portion to a short 2-3 sentences. Don’t make it sound uber generic like you’re copying and pasting it straight from the sample email you’re going to send to 1000 podcasters.
Think of it like speed-dating. You want me to know who you are and what you’re about right off the bat. Go with something that shows some wit, humor, or personality.
2. Content inside your Podcast Interview Pitch Email
This is the part where you explain what you would want to share on the podcast. You’re not writing a whole podcast script, just touching on a few major points.
I’ve found that pitches that touch on two major talking points are the best.
This shows that you’re organized, have something to say, but are also respectful of the compact podcast structure as it allows for tangents, questions, and additional points from the other host.
Basically, the less talking points you have the more collaborative the experience can be.
You also want to stress in this portion what makes you unique.
You don’t want to spend the whole time talking about yourself, but you want to stress what new perspectives you can bring to the conversation. I’d much rather give my audience a new take on issues or problems in their business/industry, than just the same run-of-the-mill stuff over and over again. That gets boring real quick. So, if you’ve got something different to say, let me know!
If you want to lend a bit more credibility to your methods you can always link to different interviews, articles, or courses that talk about your products/services.
That way if the podcast owner is intrigued they can always do some more digging on you.
But you NEVER want to send that stuff as an attachment. I have too much junk in my downloads folder to be adding your 50-page guide to the pile. Give them the option of learning more about you and your business if they want to, but don’t force them.
3. The Audience Analysis for Your Podcast Interview Pitch
This is where you want to lay out all the different ways that what you have to say can benefit their listeners. Like I said before, the listeners are the only reason the podcast exists, so it’s a podcasters main priority to cater to those listeners.
You want to make your pitches ALL about their audience. Do your research and figure out where your products align with the pain points of that demographic. The more you can speak the language of their crowd, the more likely you are to get a message back.
The only thing the podcast owner is thinking as they read your pitch is:
What could you speak on that would really help their listeners?
Lay it all out, keeping it short and sweet.
Drop in some of those pain points and buzzwords that you got from your research.
If the podcaster sees that you understand their audience they’ll be more likely to consider featuring you on an episode. You should lean heavily on the benefits you can offer their audience, particularly any tangible knowledge they can implement to make their lives easier.
This section is pretty straightforward and easy to nail. You just talk about your products and insights like you’re pitching them to a client.
If you only learn one thing from this, it should... NO ONE WILL DO THE WORK FOR YOU TO SHOWCASE YOU!
That's your job. So make sure that your clear to the podcast host exactly how you can help their audience.
4. The Trade Off for Podcast Guesting
This last part of the pitch should be where you let the podcaster know what’s in it for them. Sure, they want to feature someone to who their audience will respond well to. But, they don’t want to just let any old Joe with two Instagram followers and a dormant Facebook to be advertising on their podcast. They want exposure to new clients just as much as you do.
Offer a generous action to hold up your end of the deal.
Make the collaboration worth their while.
- For example, will you share the podcast episode with your Facebook group of 3000+ followers?
- Will you send it out to your extensive email list?
Some podcasters won’t even consider pitches if you don’t have above a certain number of followers. That’s just a reality of the business. But don’t let that get you discouraged.
There are other smaller podcast owners who might be willing to feature you for less. You never know what someone might be looking for, so make sure to lay all your cards on the table. The right person will come along and love what you’re offering and it’ll be a match made in heaven.
Summary of How to Get Booked for Podcast Interviews
Those are the basic parts of pitches that have been most successful for me and those that respond well. If you’re a bit overwhelmed , just keep these these highlights in mind.
Ultimately, this is what a podcaster wants to hear from their potential guest in an email:
- What you would like to chat about
- Why it would be useful and interesting to their audience
- Credibility – a little about you, and why you’re well positioned to help
- The benefits their audience will get from it
- What keywords or search terms you are targeting, in relation to the episode title
- The ways you will share the episode to drive traffic to their show
Big No Nos of Podcast Guesting
There are a lot of ways your podcast pitch can go right and a million more ways it can go wrong. Make sure to stay away from these major faux-pauxs.
- Scratch attaching photos to your email. It’s tacky and weird. If they want to know what you look like they can look you up on social media. Also, it doesn’t matter what you look like, it’s a podcast not a beauty pageant!
- Don’t talk about yourself too much. You have such a small window to capture someone’s attention to become their podcast guest. Pointless details about your life don’t help do that.
- Say no to the fill-in-the-blank template. It’s fine to use the same basic components for your pitches, but not to a point where you can copy, paste, and send. If something feels generic the podcast owner will be able to tell. They don’t want to just be one more person on your never ending list of people to pitch to. They want to know why you singled them out and feel like the pitch is coming from a genuine place. You want to customize each pitch to fit with the specific person you’re targeting. It might take a bit of extra effort but it’s worth it in the end.
If you stick with these basic components for all of your pitches, you’re sure to land a podcast feature eventually. It might take some time to find the right person, but when you do the collab will be EPIC!
