How To Get Booked as a Podcast Guest

Three Reasons To Pursue Guest Spots on Podcasts

If you have a desire to impact the world through sharing your expertise in entrepreneurship or finance (or any other field) but aren’t sure how to get started, I recommend getting booked on other podcasts as a guest.

First, how many podcasts do you listen to?

If you’re like many podcast listeners, you probably have 3-5 that you follow regularly and others that you test out for at least one episode.

You know the benefits of listening to podcasts–new ideas, expanded knowledge, entertainment, and that delicious chill down your spine during true crime stories. Those are the benefits of being a podcast listener.

But what are the benefits of being a podcast guest?

The Benefits of Being a Podcast Guest

You add value to your own audience and the podcast’s audience.

Podcast guest appearances are designed to help a target audience. If you find podcasts that are aligned with your current audience, you’ll add value to your existing audience and grow your reach by speaking to the host podcaster’s audience.

You grow brand awareness through free publicity.

Good podcast interviews will bring your brand to the forefront for new listeners. Even if you’re interviewing with a small podcast, you will still be growing your brand.

All it takes is one enthusiastic person to hear your interview about taxes or finances or investing and spread the word. You never know which two friends were just lamenting over drinks last weekend about how they wish someone would tell them how to X,Y, Z. It just so happens that’s your area of expertise!

You’ll also discover your voice and uncover the questions that intrigue audiences. This will get you booked on future podcasts and prepare you to market your brand with confidence.

You grow your audience and make more sales by becoming known as an expert guest.

Becoming a frequent podcast guest will grow your audience, boosting your potential for increased sales of your products and enrollment in your program(s), resulting in higher revenue.

As you communicate with a wider group, you’ll be able to open up your courses, services, or investment opportunities to more people. A larger audience usually equals more sales, as long as you’re providing the audience with consistent value, a stellar offer, and a clear way to work with you.

Before you can add value and grow your net worth, you’ll need to actually find and get booked on the right podcast.

Here’s how to find podcasts, reach out to the hosts, and get booked like the pro you are.

How to Get On Podcasts

Over the past decade, many have followed these steps to snag guest spots on podcasts.

They’ve found relevant podcasts through podcast directories, pulled a form template off the Internet, and then cold emailed their podcast pitch to hundreds of podcast hosts until landing one or two podcast interviews.

This process doesn’t work as well now as it has in the past.

Most podcast hosts receive multiple cold pitches and are able to sniff out the would-be podcast guests who haven’t even listened to a single podcast episode from the show/host they’re pitching. (Pro tip: Listen to a few episodes before reaching out to ask about a guest spot!) Plus, many of the hosts have so many warm connections to bring onto their podcasts that they aren’t interested in reading generic podcast pitches.

Rather than cold pitching, you should stand out by fostering connections within your network and finding guest opportunities within your already-established relationships.

How to Find Potential Podcast Hosts

You can use podcast directories or a podcast booking platform to find potential podcasts to on which to make a guest appearance. But if you google podcasts, you’ll be overwhelmed!

Luckily, there are other, less frustrating ways to connect with top podcasts’ hosts. Currently, three great ways to find podcasts and hosts are Facebook groups, matchmaker services, and your network.

Social Channels

Find Facebook groups designed to help podcast hosts find guests. Once you join the group, stay consistent in reading posts, providing helpful answers to questions, and creating conversation.

In some groups, depending on the owner’s rules, you may also pitch yourself to do interview episodes with podcasts that share your target audience.

When you join Facebook groups specifically designed to match hosts with guests and facilitate podcast appearances, you might be surprised by how easy it is to discover which other podcasts are searching for guests in your field.

Active groups are also helpful because the groups grow and offer you opportunities consistently.

Matchmaker Services

Another way to find podcasts is through online matchmaker services designed to help hosts find interested guests and vice versa. These services are helpful because the hosts are looking for guest pitches and welcome new ideas.

There are a wide array of podcast guest service sites, all at various price points offering a wide array of services within the “matching” realm. Some may offer you a free profile and a limited number of connections prior to signing up for a paid account.

I highly recommend creating that free profile, spending some time on the platform, and exploring how much you’ll really use the service. Some of my favorites, simply because I’ve heard such rave reviews from those who have tried them include Podmatch, MatchMaker, and PodcastGuests.

Make every effort to use the service to the fullest. This might mean blocking off your calendar for an hour twice a week to check and respond to host and guest messages on the platform.

Mutual Acquaintances

One of the best ways to get booked as a podcast guest is through mutual friends.

Nearly every podcast receives hundreds of guest pitches, and yours could get lost in email oblivion. However, having a mutual friend establishes trust immediately and gives the host a reason to consider your pitch.

If you don’t have friends who have connections with podcasters, begin developing a wider network with the intention of adding value to and helping out your new contacts. When you are ready to begin going on podcasts and doing interviews, ask your network for podcast guidance.

Some of them may have the connections to make an introduction to a podcast host. Even if the first few are small podcasts, you’ll have new listeners and you’ll be able to hone your interview skills. These smaller podcast hosts will still have connections within the greater podcast community, and your strong interview skills will give the host confidence in recommending you to the larger podcasts.

Once you are established as a good podcast guest, you can include links on your media page when you reach out to other podcasters as further social proof that you are perfect for their podcast.

How to Reach Out to Podcast Hosts

If you’re working with a mutual friend to reach out to podcasts, it’s a good idea to exercise creative control over parts of the conversation.

Start with an initial email sent by your friend and an immediate follow-up email.

This helps you provide the angle you want to pursue during recording and makes sure that your friend remembers to create the connection!

Initial Email

I recommend that you write a portion of the initial email that goes out to the podcast host. Whether the host is looking for new guests or not, you still want to make sure you show up in the best light in the connection email.

If you struggle with writing about yourself, work with a virtual assistant to write a short, snappy, yet solid introduction that demonstrates you are a strong guest for the podcast.

Encourage your friend to personalize what you’ve written but keep the main content intact.

Immediate Follow-up

As soon as your friend has made the introduction, email the hosts personally. This is where your voice and personality should shine as you hook them with your ideas.

First, express your enthusiasm for the opportunity and for their show. Demonstrate that you’re either a fan of the show or else have listened to more than one episode and have thought carefully about the content of the podcast.

This is also where you can show how you plan to promote their podcast. This could mean taking a screenshot of a great review you’ve given the podcast or a post you made about a specific interview or episode.

After you’ve expressed why you want to be a guest, it’s time to show what you know and why you’re a great guest choice.

How to Get Booked as a Guest on a Podcast Because of Your Expertise and Perspective

New guests often struggle with the last part of my follow-up email recommendation: developing a topic and showing why their perspective is unique and valuable.

You obviously have a passion to educate and impact people through your knowledge, and you know more about the topic than the average person! Unfortunately, knowledge alone doesn’t make for a strong podcast guest or pitch.

You must add value to the host and to the guests.

“But my knowledge IS the value!” you might think.

Yes, your knowledge is valuable, but how you frame that knowledge shows the podcast host that you are serious about being a good podcast guest. Great guests aren’t only fountains of knowledge trying to impress listeners.

Great guests know the podcast’s existing audience, what the podcast host hopes to accomplish, and frame their pitches to add immediate value to the podcast host and audience. Your first few pitches might be rough, but with practice, you’ll be booked as a guest on the right podcast.

Three Ways to Display Your Perspective Through a Solid Interview

Know the Podcast’s Target Audience

Every podcast has a target audience.

Some are broad audiences. For example, a podcast may be geared toward people in the general public who want to make more money.

Many podcasts have narrower audiences. These audiences might be stay-at-home moms who want to cut back on daily expenses or medical personnel who have decided to invest in commercial real estate.

No matter which medium or platform you’re creating content for, it should always be aimed at creating a connection with your target audience. The more you understand the podcast’s audience, the more tailored your pitch topic can be and the more likely you’ll be booked as a guest.

Know the Podcast

Top-tier podcasts look for relevant guests who fit into a podcast series or niches.

As you research the right podcasts for your expertise, you need to be listening to at least one recent episode, though ideally three or four episodes. This research will help you understand how the podcast host conducts interviews and how your ideas fit into recent episodes.

You’ll know the style of content the podcast targets, how they conduct guest interviews, and enable you to pitch an idea that has different information or a different slant from previous guests.

A podcaster will want to share guest slots with a potential guest who has done solid background work. If your follow-up email highlights that work, you’ll be well on your way to scheduling multiple podcasts as an expert guest!

Know the Right Structure for Your Ideas

Top podcasts are looking for more than information. These podcasts want to know how your information can transform the lives of their audience.

Sometimes new speakers are so intent on getting on prospective podcasts as a guest that their email overwhelms the podcasts’ hosts with technical details and jargon but no real structure.

As you approach various podcasts, consider how you can structure your knowledge to connect the information with the transformation. For example, if you’re a real estate investor, don’t end your email detailing everything you know about HOAs, REOs, and TICs (or any other jargon!).

Instead, focus on the value to the podcast audience. Your email could include the topic “Five ways a Homeowner’s Association can make your property easier to sell.” The pitch is specific, has one main purpose, and tells what the benefit is to the podcast audience.

But don’t stop there! Let the podcaster know how your perspective makes you the best guest to discuss the topic.

Perhaps you were once the president of an HOA or maybe you exclusively sell houses that are part of an HOA. Your unique perspective and expertise on the topic are just as important (or even more so!) than the topic itself. You’re much more likely to become a guest on a podcast when your pitch and perspective are streamlined and fit the podcast’s purpose and demographics.

Does it Matter if the Podcast is on Apple Podcasts or Other Specific Platforms?

When you first begin podcast guesting, you might be concerned about which podcast platforms your prospective podcasts are on such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Most podcasts are on multiple platforms, and the audiences are as well.

If you’re concerned about how to choose a good podcast, you might want to check out their social media marketing or who else fills the guest slots to determine if the podcast is the proper fit to showcase your expertise.

How well the hosts interact with and engage their audience is more important than if the podcast is on Apple podcasts or not.

How Being a Guest on a Podcast Can Change Your Business

Even if you aren’t ready to launch your own show, although podcasting is a great way to expand your business and create a fresh stream of income, you can pursue a guesting strategy on other people’s podcasts to grow your audience and increase sales.

Podcast guesting can help you develop a reach far beyond your physical location. So if you have an online business, but have been primarily focused on local marketing, becoming a consistent podcast guest has the potential to skyrocket your business’s traction!

Now that you know where to find shows looking for podcast guests, how to reach out to hosts, and how to craft your topic and perspective, you’re ready to become a go-to guest for multiple podcasts.

With your perfect podcast pitch, you’ll tap into the power of being booked on top podcasts. You’ll grow your audience, improve your communication and interview skills, and create the life and impact you desire.