How to Get on Podcasts to Increase Your Visibility & Influence [Free Pitch Template]
We all want to grow our podcast audience, right? Well, one of the best ways to do this is by getting on other people’s podcasts. But how do you find the right podcasts to pitch to, and how do you get the podcast hosts to say yes? I cover it all in episode 21 of Podcasting Step by Step.
Why is guesting on other podcasts the most effective way to grow our audience? When we are interviewed on someone else’s podcast, we’re getting in front of people who already know what a podcast is. They like podcasts and listen to them, no education required on how to subscribe.
Here’s our game plan to get you interviewed on other people’s podcasts.
Get organized
Before you start pitching podcasts, you’ll want to get organized so you can keep track of who you reach out to and when. Keep track of your pitches in a spreadsheet that includes information on:
name of the show
host name
host email
date of pitch
follow up
response
notes
link to their website
Find podcasts with a similar audience
You already know how you’re bringing value to your audience. If you need a refresher, go back and listen to the episodes on “What Should I Podcast About? Find Your Way” and “Who is Your Podcast for? Defining Your Ideal Listener.”
Now, it’s time to find podcasts that offer similar value — that’s right, your competition, the people who are in the same podcast category as you.
The podcasting community is quite special in that people who could be viewed as competitors often help each other out. And that’s just a good way to approach life in general, right? How can we help each other out, share what we know, and help our communities.
If you have Apple Podcasts on your phone, open up the app and find your show in your subscription library. Scroll all the way down until you get to the section: “You Might Also Like” (this is how the app is set up right now. Maybe they’ll move things around in the future, but I’m guessing they’ll keep these suggestions). And here you will find shows that are similar to yours.
You can also type keywords in Apple Podcasts and other podcast players to find related shows. Or do a simple google search with your topic and the word ‘podcast.’
Read the descriptions of these shows you discover. For each one, ask:
Does this look like a good fit?
Could you bring value to this audience?
Do they interview people on this show?
Is this podcast still producing new episodes?
Listen to these podcasts. Are they quality? Would you be proud to be on this show?
When a show looks like a good match, add it to the spreadsheet. And be realistic. I wouldn’t start pitching Tim Ferriss straight out the gate unless you’ve already built up some major credibility and authority and are the thought leader in your space, with great stories to back up your experience.
Find podcasts with a related audience
You can also pitch to be on podcasts that fall outside of your show’s primary category. What are the second and third categories that your podcast fits into? My podcast the Postcard Academy is a travel and freedom lifestyle show. So I can reach out to similar shows. But I can also reach out to shows that feature women being brave or living unconventional lives. I can reach out to expat shows. And I can reach out to shows that share my personal values and interests, like vegetarian living.
Other ways to find podcasts that will be a good fit
What podcasts have your competition appeared on? This could be your podcast competition, your business competition, or people you admire who’s footsteps you want to follow in.
Are you writing a book? Has someone else written something similar (you can check on Amazon)? What podcasts did they appear on? They’ll either have this on their website, or you can search their name in your podcast player.
The pitch email to send to podcast hosts
Once you have your list of potential podcasts (and this is a list that you should keep adding to on a monthly basis), it’s time to pitch.
Subject line
You don’t want to be confused with junk email, so be obvious in your subject lines and say something like “potential podcast guest” and then add something that’s more of a hook.
Example: Potential podcast guest — How to get a second passport through Italian ancestry
Body
You want to keep the body of the email short and sweet and do these three things:
Establish credibility.
Share a story.
Make the ask.
Begin your email by saying why you’re contacting this person specifically. Say something about their show so it’s obvious that you know what their podcast is about, who the audience is, and what you like about the show. Be genuine here and don’t just copy and paste their tagline and feed it back to them, which someone did to me recently. Make the podcaster feel special. If you want to go the extra mile, follow this person on social media. Comment on their posts.
Next, mention what you have to offer this audience and share a short story about this. One of the biggest mistakes podcasters make when they pitch is that they lead with the fact that they have a podcast as the selling point. “Hey, So-and-So, I have a podcast on XYZ. I thought your audience might want to hear from me.”
No one cares if we have a podcast. They want a good story. They want the same things we want for our shows. They want their guests to be able to educate, entertain, or inspire their audience.
So share your story and if this is what inspired you to start a podcast, or write a book, or make some big change, you can mention that here.
And finally, make the ask. Give the host something to respond to, like: “If you think your audience would like to learn more about XYZ, I’d love to share what I know as a guest on your show. Let me know what you think and I’m happy to answer any questions.”
In your signature, include a link a link to your website.
This is the beginning of a conversation. Don’t include a link to your calendar schedule or make any other assumptions about whether the host will say yes or no.
Follow up
Don’t give up if you don’t get a response right away. If you don’t hear back from a host, try again in another week, and log your contact attempts in your spreadsheet. It’s up to you how many times you want to try. After two attempts, I’d wait a while and try again in a few weeks and then I’d move on.
Summarizing your game plan
Getting on podcasts is a great way to share your message and build your audience:
Research podcasts and keep track of your outreach.
Your pitches should build credibility, share a story, and make the ask.
Follow up.