If you’re flying blind on Google, trying to figure out how to become a podcast guest and what to expect once you’re booked, keep reading. This comprehensive article includes loads of real-world examples and actual statistics to navigate your way around the podcasting industry, which is expected to to grow significantly in 2025, with global revenue projected to reach $4.46 billion.
This guide examines people who want to appear on podcasts, their benefits, and how to actually become a podcast guest. We’ll also learn podcasters’ viewpoints and how they obtain guests for their shows. Lastly, we’ll take a long look at PR agencies and how they garner podcast guests, along with how much it really costs to employ a PR firm to do your bidding and booking.
“Stronger brands and personalities tend to get more easily invited as guests,” warned Nate Nead, CEO @ SEO.co. “In every instance, the exposure guest podcast interviews have provided for both ourselves and our clients has been phenomenal.”
Are you ready for more exposure as a podcast guest? Let’s get started.
Shortcut: Discover powerful Podcast PR tools from Listen Notes to meet all your podcast PR and guesting needs.
Podcast Guests: Why and how do you become one?
Who on Earth would want to be interviewed on podcasts? Why? How?
Well, the advantages of appearing on podcasts are numerous. Even if you don’t land a spot on popular shows like “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” or NPR’s “Up First” right off the bat, it can still be beneficial to gain a bunch of guest spots on small podcasts to build your brand.
The overall cumulative effect of placing yourself in front of listeners in your genre is to expose your product or service to new audiences. For example, Itamar Blauer is a London-based SEO consultant who has nearly a 100% success rate in landing himself as a guest on various industry-related podcasts. But Blauer doesn’t use tools to uncover the applicable podcasts in his niche.
“Only networking and correct research,” he says. “No money involved, but [it] can take some time to find the right opportunities and build a network.”
Podcast spots are easier to land than CNN or NBC
To build brand awareness, many people learn pretty quickly that it is an easier feat to land a spot as a podcast guest than trying to secure an interview with a network TV or satellite station.
“This year I have been targeting podcasts to become a guest as it seems much more challenging to get on traditional media outlets,” observed teacher and author Carolyn Wilman.
“The cost is my time, and lately, I have been mailing out books in hopes of getting on various podcasts as something in the mail is harder to ignore than an email, especially if the title/topic is intriguing,” Wilman learned.
Make sure the podcast size is worth your time
Even if a podcast only averages a handful of listeners per episode, that doesn’t mean you should skip speaking to a tiny audience. After all, you never know who could be listening. However, it helps to perform due diligence to verify that the amount of listeners a podcaster claims they enjoy are really valid.
Josh Plave, founder of Wall to Main, uses a combination of resources - including Listen Notes, Apple Podcasts, and Castbox - to find shows in his industry to target, and employs hunter.io to find email addresses.
“I use Castbox to track the downloads and subscribers for each to get a feel for how big of a show I am reaching out to,” Plave noted.
Plave’s method of researching podcast shows costs $0, but takes him approximately five hours to perform, with a 45% success rate in getting himself booked as a guest.
PRO TIP: Listen Notes provides an estimated popularity score (Listen Score) for the top 10% of podcasts, which is widely used in the podcast industry. You can get a rough sense how popular a podcast is, compared to other shows:
Find new podcasts with plenty of open guest spots
While you focus on the big guys, don’t forget new and little podcasters who are likely desperate to find guests.
Brett Downes, the founder of HaroHelpers, researches the length and frequency of podcasts to determine the ones that air with regularity and offer more opportunities for guests since they have lots of spots to fill. Downes also uncovers new podcast gems.
“We check podcast software weekly to find new podcasts as they are more likely to be looking for people to come on the show, and they are also less picky as they haven't had any success to be elitist or snobby!” Downes exclaimed.
Downes also takes advantage of automated Twitter notifications, which updates their Google Sheet when the hashtag #podcast is mentioned along with a specific niche.
“We find this helps us get early notifications on podcasts looking for guests, new podcasts and popular podcast episodes,” Downes explained.
PRO TIP #1: Many podcasters are looking for guests and cross-promotion opportunities on the Listen Notes Classified Ads page.
PRO TIP #2: You can apply the "Interviews only" search filter to find podcasts with guest interviews on ListenNotes.com (Learn more here):
Do your due-diligence homework first!
According to Scott Mason, an executive coach, keynote speaker podcaster - tons of guest requests flow into his inbox. However, to separate the wheat from the chaff, he makes sure the would-be guest has done their homework first.
“To evaluate, first I assess whether the guest or their agent has bothered to read anything about my podcast and/or its themes and whether that is reflected in the inquiry,” Scott noted. “If not, the request is immediately declined. Secondly, I…determine if it truly is a good fit. In particular, does the guest have the intellectual, dispositional, and storytelling capacity to competently answer critical questions and engage the audience?”
He surmised, “Lastly, I assess whether a match exists between our respective brand values, our personal values, and our visibility levels and/or visibility trajectories. If so, I schedule a pre-interview to determine whether a dynamic interpersonal vibe exists. If that vibe is there, the guest is booked.”
The View From Podcasters
Now that you’ve read about the endless benefits of becoming a podcast guest, let’s uncover what podcasters think about when encouraging speakers to come on their shows. How do they find their podcast guests? Well, at the same time that you are searching to find podcasters to book you as a guest, podcast hosts are feeling the same pressure to fill their airtime.
“Hosting a weekly podcast means that I regularly face pressure to book guests for our show,” says Liam Quinn, host of 20 Minute Marketing. So relax in knowing that the demand for you as a podcast guest is strong. Quinn uses free sites like MatchMaker, Podmatch, and RadioGuestList, which bring podcasters together with guests.
Listen to at least one podcast episode before you pitch
Carrie Veatch is a podcaster of the show Set Yourself Free, and primarily finds guests online through referrals and Facebook entrepreneurial groups.
“I do get a lot of inbound guest requests,” Veatch explained. “I have a unique podcast that features multiple people on every episode, so I have a screening process for guests to apply and be accepted on the show. I ask that they have listened to at least one episode of the show and are interested in the topic at hand, since each season of the show features a different theme. One requirement I currently have is that they run an online business and are profitable in their business each month.”
“Stop sending cold pitch emails and start having conversations with people!”
Nia Lewis, host of The Solopreneur Hustle Podcast, recommends spending your pitch-time speaking to folks like real human beings and building mutually beneficial relationships with other entrepreneurs.
“I know podcasts are inundated with pitches, so I use a non-traditional route to get interviews,” Lewis noted. “When I’m at networking events I casually ask entrepreneurs I meet, in conversation, if they know any podcast hosts. This question doesn’t seem weird, as I’m a podcast host myself, so it makes sense that I’m interested in connecting with other hosts. An introduction to a podcast host from someone they know is a much more effective way to ‘pitch’ yourself than sending a cold email to someone who’s never heard of you.”
Lewis advised that connecting human-to-human also helps find great guests. “I ask entrepreneurs I meet to recommend to me people they know who’d be great guests,” she stated. “I used to pitch to guests, but this resulted in lots of wasted time sending emails I’d never get responses to. This strategy has gotten me interviews with guests I may have never gotten access to had I not got an introduction from someone they knew.”
The pitches that score big with Lewis are those that accentuate the benefits of the appearance for the podcast audience.
“I get inbound guest requests every week,” Lewis continued. “The guest pitches that stand out are those that prioritize the value they can bring to my audience. I know a guest will be a good fit when I see they’ve researched my podcast, understand my audience, and have considered how their message can be adapted to best serve listeners.”
Make it a relevant pitch
Jody Maberry, a podcast expert and producer for former Disney executives, now runs his own podcasts (Jody Maberry Show and Park Leaders) as well as those for his clients.
Maberry relies on word-of-mouth recommendations or his own research to fill guest slots for selective shows. “For some podcasts, I personally search out guests based on a topic I want to do an episode on,” he noted. “For some podcasts, we do entertain pitches. But the guest has to be relevant to the show. Having a good resume or a significant accomplishment (like selling your business for $1mm) is not as attractive as getting a pitch about why a guest would be a good fit for our guests.”
Whereas Maberry also gets continual inbound pitches, they have to stand out to receive a view.
“If it looks like a cut and paste pitch, I usually don't even ready it anymore. I get too many of them,” Maberry declared. “There are a couple of PR agencies we know send good guests, so we give a second look to their requests. If a potential guest can demonstrate they have some understanding of the show and how their message can connect to the audience, then we give it consideration. If they can tie their request to a previous episode and explain why their message is a complement to earlier content, we give the request consideration.”
Hone your area of expertise
Craig Hewitt, founder & CEO of Castos, a full-service podcast hosting, distribution, and analytics platform, spends about one hour weekly pitching to podcasts.
“I use MatchMaker.fm (MatchMaker’s lite plan, which is free) to get me podcast interviews,” notes Hewitt. “MatchMaker is a service that matches guests to podcasts. I've created a profile on MatchMaker outlining my area of expertise. By searching their database I can find and apply to shows that are a good fit for my brand.”
Hewitts hits a home-run using this method about half the time. “I run a popular podcasting platform, which means I’m well known in my industry,” he stated. “As I only apply to guest on podcasts that are relevant to my company, my success rate is over 40%.”
Podcasters ask their listeners for guest ideas
Bram Spiero of Love Line for Business, whose tagline is “we get people unstuck,” turns to his own listeners to find new spots to pitch his wares. “I ask my audience which podcasts they listen to,” Spiero noted. “I then spend five minutes researching each so that I can write them a note that describes why I would be an interesting guest on their podcast based on their audience and what they talk about rather than on what interests me.”
Spriero admits that his innovative approach works about 10% of the time to land himself a podcasting appearance.
Jod Kapilakan, CEO of AbundanceNoLimits, recommends engaging with your own audience in order to gain the best guest suggestions.
“You can either contact them directly through social media or get in touch with their manager,” Kapilakan instructed. “Other than that, always look out for prominent figures in your podcast. The success really depends on the size of your podcast and the subject but it doesn't hurt to try.”
How can you help my audience?
Gillian Tietz, the host of Sober Powered, a top 1% podcast, has guested on many different podcasts.
“I use Listen Notes to determine the popularity of the show and find new shows in my niche, Chartable to find popular podcasts based on the Apple charts, and Instagram to build connections with podcast hosts and build my authority in my niche,” Tietz explained.
“My success rate is very high,” she continued. “I spent a lot of time researching the show so I can personalize my pitch and clearly demonstrate why my expertise would benefit the host's audience. [It’s] free, because I don't use any agencies to book guest spots. The time commitment could be about a couple hours including researching shows and writing pitches, coordinating with hosts, and doing the podcast interview.”
Tietz seeks people who are experts in one specific topic, who have recently published a book, and anyone who is trying to help the community of people in her niche.
“Most of my connections come from Instagram or books I have recently read,” she explained. “I get A LOT of pitches because I host a top 1% podcast and have a big following on Instagram. I rarely have guests on my podcast, so many of my pitches are from people (often podcast booking agencies) who have not researched my show. If I can tell you don't know anything about my show, then it's an automatic no. It's obvious when someone is only in it for personal gain.”
Whereas Tietz rejects bad pitches, she’s able to spot a good pitch by its personalization. “Do you know my name and what my show is? Do you know what my show is about?” she asks.
Audience-driven pitches are much more interesting, especially when a person can explain how their expertise would benefit Tietz’ audience. “Most pitches simply explain how amazing the guest is and their credentials,” she noted. “I am much more interested in why my audience would benefit from you guesting.”
Use Instagram voice memos, DMs, and Excel
Laura Haver is a self-described Play Advocate, Life Design Coach, Author & Inspirational Speaker at Foundation Consulting who loves being a guest on podcasts.
“The tool I use most (in addition to listening to podcasts) is an Excel spreadsheet,” Haver detailed. “I track potential podcasts, the status of my pitches, and then the URL once aired. I also took an awesome course by media visibility expert Abbey Gibb (that included podcast pitches and more) and have since landed the majority of my podcast pitches and a TV spot.”
As a result of all her efforts, Haver enjoys a success rate that is quite high since she has landed the majority of her pitches.
“The biggest cost at the beginning is time (unless you pay someone to do it for you),” she noted. “You can also have your VA help with this as well once you have a process lined up.”
Haver explained that certain tried-and-true methods are obvious but still oh-so-important.
“I highly recommend asking for referrals once you get started. For example, after the interview I thank the host for having me and ask if they know any other podcasters that would be a good fit. I also ask my friends and community. That is by far the best way to land podcasts. But good old-fashioned canvasing also can work too. I also keep a podcast kit with all my info to make it easy for the host/podcast admin,” she described.
Making yourself stand out from the pitching crowd with excellent research and unique approaches also helps.
“I also recommend always leading with how you can help serve the podcast's target market's interests and pain points in a unique way,” Haver noted.
“Taking the time to understand what the podcast is about and who it is serving is key in landing the pitch. From hosts I've talked to, they also appreciate when you have done more than just listen to the most recent episode and you explain why you feel connected to them as well. The more specific, relatable and insightful your pitch, the better chance you have to be heard. I also recommend sending voice memos on Instagram DMs. They have a higher read rate and also the host gets a sense of your audio presence (also key for podcasts.)”
Be a thought-leader
Nate Tsang, founder & CEO of WallStreetZen, recommends that future podcast guests position themselves as leaders in their areas of expertise, and make it known that they are available.
“The best thing to do is to position yourself as a thought leader on LinkedIn or another personal page,” Tsang advised. “Let visitors know that you're open to being on podcasts—you never know who might be reading. Do some outreach yourself, and point to content you've produced as well as your experience. These will prove that you have expertise the podcast host wants to utilize.”
Whether it’s as simple as Googling "[Topic] podcast" or asking around in your circle for recommendations, Tsang noted that the free techniques don't have much downside and will give you a better sense of the conversation surrounding your industry.
Search for podcast hosts via LinkedIn and Google
According to author and podcast host Dave Molenda, founder of Positive Polarity, it’s easy to tap into the power of LinkedIn to find guest spots by searching for “podcast hosts” on the website.
Molenda also recommends searching Google for the specific industry you’re interested in and adding the word “podcast” to your query. “So if I was wanting to be on a hunting podcast, I would Google ‘Hunting Podcasts’ and a list of them would come up,” he advised. “Then I reach out to the person and ask them if they are taking guests for their show!”
Brandon Adcock, the CEO of Nugenix, also recommends using LinkedIn as a great way to find podcasts to pitch as a guest. “There are tons of podcast communities and groups you are able to join, plus industry-specific ones,” Adock advised. “Using your network and social platforms usually helps you gain access to the right podcasts to guest-appearance on. It saves you money as well instead of hiring a PR or contract person to find opportunities for you.”
Pitch till it clicks…
Joi R. Fisher-Griffin - an educator, adoption advocate, and author - uses rooms in Clubhouse: The Social Audio App to learn how to gain podcast spots.
Clubhouse feels like attending mini-workshops. Griffin advised, “I began to search the calendar to find anything related to podcast, pitching, social media, and speaking. I went into the speaking rooms to learn how to pitch myself in three minutes and then went into rooms with podcasters looking for guests and began to test out my pitch.”
Whilst in those rooms, Griffin learned about Podcast Guest and PodMatch. “I have gotten more gigs using the free PodMatch site,” she admitted.
Pay for better tools
While the basic version of LinkedIn is free, there is value in paying for more advanced versions of the website. “Investing in Linkedin Sales Navigator is one of the best things we’ve ever done as far as lining up interviews for podcasts,” noted Jack Choros, CMO of IronMonk Solutions.
“Sales Navigator allows you to use advanced search filters. You can search for decision-makers in your niche that would line you up as a guest for their podcast.”
Choros also recommends utilizing automated software like MeetAlfred.com to send four or five messages automatically to the same people until they respond to you.
“This means you can essentially engage in outreach with thousands of people without having to hire anyone full-time to do it,” Choros counseled. Approximately 30% of the messages sent receive a reply, and one out of every 10 qualified leads results in a podcast appearance.
Investing in the most popular MeetAlfred.com plans costs $39 monthly, while LinkedIn Sales Navigator costs approximately $800 per year. Therefore, prepare to spend about $1,200 and up per year to guarantee yourself as a guest on podcasts every single month.
“You also have to take the time to learn how to use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to target the right audience,” Choros said. “Then you have to use MeetAlfred.com to scrape the leads into an Excel file and then upload them to the MeetAlfred CRM platform in order to start sending messages.”
Stephanie Ryan, PhD, CEO of Ryan Education Consulting LLC uses tools to experience a great success rate as a podcast guest. “I use PodMatch and Matchmaker.fm to find podcasts to be a guest on. The success rate is pretty high on PodMatch because of the algorithm they use!” she explained. “The time in searching is low, but preparing for a podcast and doing the interviews takes time. Matchmaker.fm Pro is $99 a year and PodMatch is $39 a month.”
Zachary Hoffman, CEO @ DigitalPR.com, has struck gold with a tool that is pretty inexpensive.
“We've had success with Podcastguests.com in the past,” Hoffman explained. “You list your expertise and build a detailed profile that will grab a host's attention. You can do some outreach and message others letting them know you're available as well. It'll cost you $19 a month to be listed but the tool can be very useful. You'll see what other podcasts are up there and learn more about how to network into new interviews.”
Personalize those pitches!
Joe Wilson, the Senior Career Advisor at MintResume, recommends that would-be podcast guests not overlook iTunes.
“iTunes should definitely be your first stop when podcast hunting,” Wilson suggested. “From the podcast section of the iTunes store, you can search for podcasts by category or sub-category, by keyword or by the name of industry experts who have already appeared on podcasts.”
After compiling the list of potential podcasts that fit your genre, you should examine the show’s description and listen to several episodes in order to pitch the host effectively, Wilson explained.
“Most podcast hosts schedule their interviews via email, but that doesn’t mean that a cold email is the only way to reach them,” Wilson continued. “If you send a podcast host a message on social media, for example, your goal should be to ask permission to pitch them and then move the conversation over to email. But never send the same email to multiple podcast hosts. Every email you send should be personalized to the specific show you are contacting.”
The value of podcast directories
Certain individuals skip using the resources of a PR agency and instead choose to tap into podcast directories instead.
Kate Kunkel, a vegan nutritionist, health coach, and author, has appeared on 39 podcasts thus far, with several more scheduled. “I do not use an agency,” Kunkel admitted. “I do use the podcast directory (Steve Olsher) and I just hunt down podcasts in my niche.”
Kunkel spends approximately 20 to 30 minutes daily, about 5 or 6 days per week, listening to podcasts and determining her perfect fit. As for money? “The only thing I've paid for is $7 for Steve Olsher's podcast challenge,” Kunkel revealed.
The Instagram impact
Sean Kelly, co-founder of BookRetreats.com, relies on Instagram for podcast interviews.
“We regularly update our podcast every week and we always make sure that we get a credible guest for our podcast audience,” Kelly noted.
"Instagram is our source of podcast guests. We update our Instagram daily after and before every live podcast, uploading small snippets from our recordings and, most importantly, creating content to advertise and promote our podcast,” Kelly continued. “We make certain that we are developing a trustworthy image for our podcast series so that it will never be difficult to ask anyone or an important guest to appear on our live program.”
Swap appearances with other podcasters
In the world of YouTube it’s called a “collab,” short for collaboration. YouTube creators with similarly-sized audiences will often appear on another person’s channel simply to expose viewers to someone new in hopes of gaining subscribers.
The same notion can work for podcast guests.
“I joined podcast groups on Facebook that will do interview swaps or have a thread called pitch Tuesdays where you can pitch yourself to be a guest on a podcast with a topic that you would like to speak about,” explained Sheena Yap Chan of The Tao of Self-Confidence.
“Another great tool that I recently found is called matchmaker.fm,” she continued, “which is a free website where you can pitch yourself to be a guest on other people's podcasts.”
While there is no outright cost, Chan spends up to three hours per week tapping into the resources found in Facebook groups such as She Podcasts, WOC Podcasters, and Asian American Podcasters Association to find podcast opportunities that create more visibility.
PRO TIP: Many podcasters are looking for guests and cross-promotion opportunities on the Listen Notes Classified Ads page.
Find cross-promotion opportunities in private Facebook Groups
Help a reporter, help yourself
Naresh Vissa is founder & CEO of Krish Media & Marketing and has appeared often in the mainstream media.
“When I started out trying to get publicity, I represented myself because I had no money,” Vissa explained. “I did not intend to spend $10,000 - $20,000 a month on a publicist. I’ve gotten at least 50 media hits and mentions going all the way back to my college days. MSNBC, Bloomberg, USA Today, Deseret News, Entrepreneur, numerous podcasts and radio shows have featured me.”
Vissa recommends HARO (Help A Reporter Out) because the platform sends three emails a day with up to 50 queries from journalists (not publicists) who give an overview of the stories they're working on and the sources they need. And it’s free.
“Once you start receiving the regular email newsletter, seek niche queries that you qualify for,” Vissa advised. “An hour after posting one query, the journalist can receive up to 100 emails back from assistants, marketing assistants, publicists, and experts, so your pitch MUST stand out from the crowd.”
Another gem is the Radio Guest List. Vissa explained, “Radio Guest List sends one email every two days or so, and each email has only three or four queries. Furthermore, Radio Guest List only sends out radio and podcast queries. It’s free to use.”
Never overlook the zeitgeist that is iTunes. Vissa challenged everyone to think about all the Apple products that come preloaded with the “Podcasts” app. “That means more than a billion people get the Podcasts app around the globe. But iTunes has crossed more than a billion podcast downloads, and that number is growing rapidly,” he noted.
Podcast tours have replaced brick-and-mortar book tours for authors, Vissa exclaimed. But he also cautions that not all podcast platforms are equal. “BlogTalkRadio is a competitor to iTunes and has many shows too. The quality of listeners and return on BlogTalkRadio is not as strong though,” he warned.
PR Agencies: All About the “Podcast” Relations
We know “PR” stands for public relations - those people who help bridge the gap between folks who need their product or service advertised and the news outlets seeking content. However, we can also think of PR reps in terms of podcast hosts and guests who need to meet one another for mutual, symbiotic relationships.
So how exactly do PR firms and marketing folks help people get interviewed? How much do they charge? Well, it varies based on a bunch of factors.
First off, let's cover how PR firms help podcasters find their guests and vice versa. Then we’ll talk about real money.
PR people who need people...for podcasts
Our website Listen Notes is used by many PR and marketing people to help their clients find podcasts to guest on. Let’s say your PR client is an expert on something specific, such as using “sea moss gel” and “Bladderwrack” nutrients in her weight loss journey. Typing those specific keywords into Listen Notes will uncover podcasts that have mentioned such things in the past.
Listen Notes also has advanced functionality called “Listen Alerts” included in the subscription-based Premium Membership, which can monitor nearly 2 million podcasts and notify you once your subject-matter interests are mentioned again.
Listen Alerts work best for PR and marketing professionals who want to monitor brand mentions, media exposure, and those seeking automated notifications that help them stay on top of podcast guest opportunities for their clients.
Tips from real PR people
According to Kristen Elworthy, founder of Seven Hills Communications, and a PR consultant who helps many people gain guest spots on podcasts, the largest podcasts come with very long waiting lists and lots of competition vying for guest spots.
However, Elworthy uses podcast databases such as Podcast Clout to “discover new podcasts in specific areas.” While Podcast Clout is reasonably priced at $474 for semi-annual access to their database of podcast hosts and more, MuckRack is pricier.
“MuckRack is a media database across all outlets, but does have a podcast arm,” says Elworthy. “This is a much more expensive option and most companies wouldn't get it just for podcasts alone, but if you already use it, you can use their podcast search.”
Krystal Covington, a communications consultant and publicist, regularly executes campaigns for podcast interviews using Listen Notes.
“I subscribe to the Premium Membership for access to email addresses and use the tool to find the most relevant shows and directly contact the show host or producer,” Covington instructed.
She also noted that her success rate can depend on the industry, because certain industries are inundated with pitches while other industries have a dearth of prospects.
“For example, I recently did a campaign to pitch 30 parenting shows hosted by psychologists and received 5 bookings for the client, but in the financial niche pitched over 3x that number for a client to get the same number of booking opportunities,” Covington learned.
Utilizing Listen Notes helped Covington book her client David Blatt on Smart Money Circle and elsewhere.
What's the cost in time + money?
Finding appropriate podcasters to pitch can take hours of research, before you even appear on air. Those folks who prefer to spend more money than time can expect to pay a wide range of fees to have agencies book guest spots for them.
Bryan Clayton, co-founder of GreenPal, uses a podcast connection marketing agency to get interview spots for his lawn business.
“They only charge us $150 per placement which is a good deal for us,” Clayton reported. But Clayton doesn’t mind mining YouTube for potential opportunities as well.
“Other than that I have found a great way to find podcasts for me to be on is actually on YouTube, a lot of podcasters re-purposed their recordings on YouTube and I find that it’s a gold mine for hidden podcast gems,” Clayton noted.
According to Jane Budzhyna, assistant marketing manager at Better Proposals, CEO Adam Hempenstall has been featured in 90% of the podcasts they pitched, but the team is very careful and selective about which podcasts they choose to find relevant topics.
As far as their budgeting goes, a mere $200 is spent towards their endeavors. “A couple hundred dollars total in hourly wages, which we paid out to our team--but no costs other than that,” noted Budzhyna.
Podcast booking packages can range from $350 to $4,500
If you turn to the professionals to perform your podcast booking legwork, expect to pay a pretty penny for the service. Matthew Baltzell, CEO & founder of Elite Podcast Bookings, developed a process to customize pitches for their real estate investor clients.
“We successfully place clients on 2 to 4 podcasts a month,” explained Baltzell. “Packages range from $350 to $4,500.”
Prefer self prep-time over paying a publicist?
Bram Spiero’s prep-time takes about “half a day once a month and then probably another day a month talking to people, following up, answering questions, getting on Zoom calls to chat, etc.”
Spiero explained that he visits websites to search for contact or guest forms. If he can’t find one, he’ll email the intended podcaster or seek them out via social media.
“I usually say something I like about their podcast, connect it to something I'm interested in and then ask if they're looking for guests,” Spiero noted.
After spending 12 to 36 hours of pure research time to find and connect with podcasters in your field, account for the additional time it will take to actually sit for the interview.
“Once you are guesting on a podcast it is often a 20- or 30-minute solo interview and the audience is usually very targeted, so you really get a chance to connect with people on your message or brand,” advised Kristen Elworthy.
Using Google or search engines within podcast listeners like Stitcher can help you hunt down the applicable podcasts within your niche. You’ll have to take it a step further to find the contact information of the person responsible for booking guests.
And by using our podcast search engine Listen Notes, you can uncover the email addresses of podcasters easily:
“You can do this yourself for free or hire a PR agency or consultant to do it for you,” noted Elworthy.
PR consultants charge a wide range of fees, so based upon your budget, you might consider hiring a less-expensive freelancer to act as your PR rep.
Paying $0.00 costs a lot of time
Mai-kee Tsang took it upon herself to pitch 101 podcasts in 30 days as a personal challenge.
“It was actually all trial and error, and I learned very quickly after the first few pitches what to do, but most importantly what not to do,” Tsang noted. Her venture was successful in that she booked 33% of her podcast guest attempts immediately without even following up on her pitches.
“I didn't spend anything financially as it was a personal challenge I took upon myself,” Tsang explained. “But it did cost me a lot of time (30 days) in total to consistently pitch.”
The award-winning actor and writer Kate Huffman echoes the sentiment of the time it takes to book herself using a “killer pitch” as a certified body image coach on approximately 30 podcasts. Using Facebook and other tools, Huffman has an 80% success rate.
“No cost financially, but does take a time investment,” Huffman wrote. “Maybe 30 minutes a day, or several hours once a week.”
Have former guests make the introduction
David Pere of From Military to Millionaire finds it effective to have former guests break the ice with the podcast host.
“I have used many different tactics to be featured on podcasts, but one of the most effective is to have a previous guest of that show (or friend of the host) send an email introduction to the host(s),” Pere explained.
A simple email introduction from a previous guest is a personal touch that can help get your foot in the door and voice in the ears of plenty of podcast listeners.
Hire a freelancer to act as your PR rep
Mark Webster, co-founder of Authority Hacker, prefers hiring cheap assistants from sites like Upwork over tapping more expensive PR firms to work for him.
“As a host, I much prefer a personalized outreach message that actually talks to me like a human being rather than a cut-and-paste PR release,” Webster advised. “For that, nothing beats having a real human personally vetting and sending out custom-made emails to every show.”
Webster’s strategy works approximately 30% of the time, with the remaining 70% of rejections representing podcasts who never have guests on their shows, flat-out rejections, or no replies.
He explained that it costs less than $100 for his assistant to spend approximately 6 hours to source, prospect and compose messages to their top podcaster targets, costing around $15 per hour.
Have fun and be real
The podcast named Beer and Business is in the top 5% of all podcasts worldwide and makes sure to “strip out the filters, BS and nonsense and deliver authentic content that is actionable.”
An example, “Episode 106: Playboy Playmate Becomes a Business Success After Losing EVERYTHING,” details how Deborah Driggs lost it all and gained success.
The podcasters rely on an online application for potential guests to complete and send to them. Next, they vet the potential guests and reach back out if it's a good fit. It’s a constant job to find candidate guests for the weekly podcast.
Their litmus test is if the candidate has a legitimate business, has an excellent story to tell, and can keep up with their comedy schtick. “We do not accept business coaches as guests as a point to note,” Beer and Business noted.
Podcast-Guesting for Life: What comes next?
In conclusion, you will likely discover that once you begin getting into the flow of contacting podcasters and appearing as a guest on their podcast, your own audience will grow in leaps and bounds. Chances are that you’ll become more adept at climbing the ladder of obtaining guest spots on more popular shows as you hone your interviewee skills and learn how to woo an audience.
The more you guest, the easier it gets
Moving forward, you will have to strike the best balance between time spent on content-creation versus content-marketing. Don’t be surprised that many podcast-guesting opportunities begin to fall into your lap as your brand expands.
That’s what Matt Confer, VP of Strategy & Business Development for Austin-based Abilitie, experienced. “Over the last two years I've seen the amount of podcasts I've appeared on increase dramatically,” Confer remarked. “Many are shows that reach out to me, but I do contact a good deal of the shows directly.”
Therefore, as long as you enjoy the process of researching podcasts for guest opportunities (or hiring someone else to do so) and appearing on shows, it’s up to you to determine the value in the efforts.
“The key is to be discerning about the shows you reach out to,” Confer explained.
Building long term relationships with podcasters and audiences can ultimately be very rewarding, not only for your brand, but your overall life.
It gets easier
In the end, you may not have to reach out to anyone in order to score appearances as a podcast guest. Your reputation or relationships may precede your need to ask for a guest appearance. Ultimately, the guesting opportunities may find you.
“I don't usually directly ask,” advised Stacy Caprio, founder of Her.CEO. “It's better to establish a relationship with the person first.”
Keep stalking your competition and winning
Moving forward, create a vision of your optimal goal as a podcast guest, and emulate the best parts of the individuals who are doing what you want to do.
Kaila Yu, founder of NomList, calls it stalking her competition.
“I'll search [for] founders who have similar backgrounds to myself and check out their past press coverage and interviews,” Yu explained. “This is a really great resource for finding more obscure podcasts that may not be on the top 10-50 podcast lists.”
Yu teaches her virtual assistant - whom she pays approximately $100 per month - to "stalk the competition" as well.
PRO TIP: The most popular use case of our podcast search engine website listennotes.com is to search people. For example, find all podcast interviews of Mary Trump. Obviously, you can find all of your competitors' past podcast interviews on listennotes.com :)
Over time, you will learn the most rewarding and beneficial techniques that win you the best spots as a podcast guest. Book, speak, and repeat!
While podcast PR is effective, like any PR outreach effort, it's time consuming. To boost productivity, use the following list of free or paid tools, hire PR agencies, virtual assistants, and avail yourself of all the resources listed below. Happy podcast-guesting!
Resources
Find guests, podcasters in your genre, podcasters email addresses:
- Listen Notes
- Listen Alerts
- Apple Podcasts
- Castbox
- Linkedin Sales Navigator
- The Ultimate Directory of Podcasters - Steve Olsher
- YouTube
- Stitcher
- Podcast Clout
- MuckRack
- Hunter.io
Podcaster-guest matchmaking sites:
- MatchMaker
- Podmatch
- RadioGuestList
- Podcast groups on Facebook (She Podcasts, WOC Podcasters, and Asian American Podcasters Association, etc.)
Software solutions:
Podcast booking packages:
Hire freelancers:
