How to Write a Pitch for Being a Guest on Podcasts

Being a guest on someone else’s podcast is a great way to market yourself, get the word out about your own podcast, and tap into other podcasts’ audiences.

But like anything in life, it’s important to think of this process in unselfish terms. It’s obvious why being a guest on a podcast benefits you. The critical point a lot of people forget to consider is how does your being a guest help the other podcast.

With that in mind, let’s look at how you can write a kick-ass pitch to start securing yourself guest spots.

✴ Research

Do your research before pitching. Not only do you want to have an understanding of the show, its format, and what types of content they cover, but you also want to research its audience. How many listeners do they have, and are those listeners engaged? Are these listeners that would be interested in your show?

Then, and this should really go without saying: listen to the show you’re pitching. Yes, it takes time. And yes, it’s easier to just send out a template. But there are two reasons to listen to at least an episode or two of every show you’re pitching. First, the people you’re pitching to will recognize the effort you’ve gone to and appreciate the respect you’ve shown them, which in turn will likely lead to a higher response rate to your pitches. Second, you might find after listening to an episode that the podcast doesn’t align with your brand and that it’d be better to not pitch them at all.

✴ Writing the pitch

Now that you’ve done your research, it’s time to write the pitch. This process intimidates a lot of people, but it doesn’t have to be painful. Let’s go through it step-by-step.

✴ The email subject line

Think of the email subject line as an article headline. You want it to be attention-grabbing and to tell the reader exactly what they’re getting into. General headline writing guidelines apply here. The best headlines are straightforward but intriguing. They raise a question or concern (that you can actually answer/deliver on) and state clearly the topic being explored.

✴ Pitch yourself

Start the email with a greeting, preferably addressed to a specific person. (This will most likely be the host of the podcast, whose email you’ve identified.)

Then, provide a brief bio of yourself. And I mean brief. Keep it to three sentences or under. You want to tell them who you are, what podcast you host, and why you would be a great fit for their podcast. You can include things like how many listeners you have, any other podcasts you’ve recently appeared on, or where your expertise comes from.

✴ Mention their show

Show you listened to their podcast by referencing a recent episode. Without getting into the weeds, try to make this more than just a superficial comment that could have been gleaned by reading the episode title. You want to demonstrate you’ve actually listened. This, too, should be very brief. It’s really just to show that you respect their time and work.

✴ Pitch your idea

Now, we get to the meat of the email. This is where you can--and should--go more in-depth. Remember, you want to make it as easy as possible for the person who’s reading your pitch to say yes. Don’t make them chase up further details--give them everything they need to know right off the bat.

Start with the general topic you stated in the email subject line. Detail what it is you’ll bring to this topic. Then, outline the points you would cover throughout the episode. You want to prove there’s enough material on this topic to sustain an hour-long episode (or however long the podcast you’re pitching to runs).

Don’t be vague here. Don’t be worried someone’s going to “steal” your idea. You have to get used to putting your cards out there if you want a positive response. Besides, the idea is only the starting point. What you’re really selling is you and your unique point-of-view on the subject.

So, with that in mind, be sure to answer these questions throughout the pitch:

Why does this topic specifically need you to discuss it?
What expertise do you bring?
Do you have a unique perspective or opinion?
Is there a problem, and you have a unique solution?

If you keep those questions in mind while writing your pitch, you’ll be able to write a pitch that feels specific to you and what you can offer the podcast.

✴ Follow-up

If you haven’t heard back in about a week, politely follow-up on your pitch. When you do, it’s great if you’re able to continue adding value to the conversation. Feel free to mention any new materials you’ve produced in the interim. Have you appeared on other podcasts or written articles about the topic since you first emailed them? Mention those!

If you still don’t hear back, don’t let it bring you down. Just keep pitching yourself. Like anything, you’ll get better with each pitch. The first yes is always the hardest, but sooner or later, someone will take you up on your offer. After that, you’ll find it easier and easier to secure guest spots.

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