I decided to write this post after receiving 5 podcast pitches in the last month that sucked. Really, they sucked so badly and their suckage could have been avoided by doing some simple research about my show. What made these pitches even wore was the fact that several of these pitches were being sent by services that podcasters are paying to market them as guests. In my view, these services are basically ripping them off because the pitches they’re sending are guaranteed to repeal podcast hosts instead of getting hosts excited about having their clients as podcast guests.
*In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please read my disclosure here.*
Thinking about starting a blog?
It’s pretty simple to do and cheap! Start with Siteground and WordPress.org. With this winning combination you’ll own your own website by the end of the day. And, Siteground has easy to follow tutorials to help you with setting up your site. Also, don’t forget to grab 120 Awesome Blog Ideas from Ruth Soukup’s Elite Blog Academy today.
Show Resource
Do you have 20 minutes later in your day? Watch the 20 minute workshop “Why Now is the Time to Publish Your First Book.” Click the link to get started today.
7 Podcasting Pitch Tips
Tip #1 Remember…It’s Not About You
When you’re sending out pitches to shows and hosts that are new to you remember that it’s not about you. The show is always about the listener. If you pitch a show without that in mind, it’s highly likely that your pitch will be rejected.
Not sure what I mean? Here is an example of a bad pitch.
“Hi Michelle! I’m reaching out to you because I’m in the process of launching my book “Bitcoin for Newbies.” I would love to share the book with your audience and answer any questions that your listeners may have about bitcoin.
Why This is a Bad Pitch…for my show
- I don’t talk about bitcoin at all and people know that I’m not a fan of bitcoin. My show specifically covers the following topics:
- How to make money selling what you already know.
- Personal finance topics related to making more money/debt repayment/and money management
- Online entrepreneurship related to selling what you already know
- They talked about their book so I understand that they are motivated by their book launch. This is fine, but why would I be excited about their book? If I were a show that talked about cryptocurrency and they’d sent me copy first and then reached out, the pitch would be a lot more affective.
- What exactly is the value of sharing this book to my audience?
Tip #2 Ask Yourself The Following Question
“What am I bringing to the audience and the show?” The answer to this question really depends on the type of shows that you’re pitching and the online space that you’re in.
In order to pitch a great topic for the show that you’re interested in do the following:
- Listen to a couple of episodes to gain an understanding of the key topics that the host covers.
- Look through the different podcast episode titles to see what has been discussed before.
- Find the topic that hasn’t been covered that you can address as a guest. Ask yourself what is your unique spin or perspective that you can share with the audience that hasn’t been shared before.
Be thoughtful about your pitch and avoid sending out generic cookie cutter pitches to every show that you’re reaching out to. The hosts and virtual assistants receiving these pitches always notice generic pitches.
Tip #3 Listen to the Show
Listening to the shows that you pitch is a non-negotiable. Find the shortest most recent episode possible and give it a listen. Pay attention to the following:
- Do they have guests on their show?
- How long is the show? Do you really want to be on a two hour show? I don’t. But, some people do. Know which person you are.
- What’s their interview style? Are they good interviewers?
- Are they asking good questions?
- Do they have ads on their show?
- Does the host tell funny jokes or ask signature questions of guests?
- One host that interviewed me always asked guests about their favorite pizza. I’m not a huge pizza fan (made it for 4 years in college) so I was glad that I knew that question was going to be asked.
- Are there two hosts?
- Do they have seasons and do the seasons cover specific topics?
Spend some time checking things out so that you send podcast pitches that always get a yes.
Tip #4 Share The Key Takeaways
That you plan on leaving the audience with. You should be able to succinctly share what you would like the listeners to leave with from your conversation. These takeaways are very specific to the niche that the show is in.
Examples:
- You’re a guest on a show about Star Trek. The conversation you’re having is about how relevant Star Trek is in pop culture. YOU would share a very specific example of that and why it’s relevant to the listeners/the show.
- You’re a guest on a show about women and money. You might share how women can access a new tax savings for women’s personal products as a result of the CARES act “paid for medical care.”
- You’re a guest on a show about personal finance. Maybe you share a free tool or resource that helps listeners with a specific area of struggle.
Tip #5 Share a Resource
Many podcast guests tend to be seeking guest opportunities as a way to expand their brand, sell products, or build backlinks to their website. The biggest mistake many podcast guests make is not getting listeners into their funnel. Instead of pitching your product, pitch a free helpful tool that gets listeners onto your email list.
Then, nurture your list.
Tip #6 Share Audio Clips
Of your other interviews. If you’re pitching a host that is new to you, share audio from other interviews. It makes it easier for hosts to see if you’re a good interviewee.
Tip #7 What’s Your Motivation
This can be confusing because your motivation can be one of the things that I cautioned you about when pitching.
- Growing your brand
- Being of service
- Selling your products
- Marketing outreach
Podcast Pitching Best Practices
- Keep your pitch short and sweet
- Use video email to make it more personable when you’re new to the host
- Include links to previously recorded episodes-this helps reassure the host that you understand what podcasting is all about.
- Communicate what key takeaways you’ll be delivering to the audience.
- Respond to the host quickly-within 48 hours if possible whenever they send an email communication
Once the Podcast is Scheduled
- Provide a headshot
- Links to your social media-typically hosts will send an email requesting these items from you. Just send it prior to the show and be ahead of the game.
- Have a biography prepared that you can send to the host.
- Communicate how you plan on helping to market the show
During the Interview
Once you’ve successfully booked your next podcast episode, it’s now time to kick butt during your interview. Here are some ideas on how to make that happen. You want to avoid sounding low energy during the show. You also want to avoid sounding like a spaz.
- Have high energy! If that means you drink a cup of coffee or an energy drink, do it!
- Don’t multitask-no typing on your laptop (the audio picks it up) no looking at websites, etc. Be fully present for the conversation.
- If you plan on including podcast interviews as a way to market your products/goods/services/etc. Get the right equipment. You don’t have to go broke, but will end up spending around $125 on Amazon on the following podcasting kit.
- A good pair of headphones that completely cover your ears
- A good microphone
- And a microphone cover that filters out the audio.
- Create your own podcasting best practices guide
- Be clear about the type of shows you would like to be on
- Understand the ideal show length and what makes you shine. I don’t enjoy being on a show that lasts longer than an hour. Preferably45 minutes or less.
- Know when is the best time for you to record?
- What are your preferred recording days? Mine are Wednesday and Thursday
- Don’t forget to grab the book below. It will help you think about marketing as a podcaster and podcast guest.
Do It Ugly
Make sure to grab free mini toolkit “Do It Ugly” with tips on on how to launch your first podcast, blog, book, event or course. And, once you grab that course you will have ongoing access to weekly in-person or pre-recorded workshops focused on helping listeners make money selling what you already know with skills that you already have.
Latest posts by Michelle (see all)
- How Work Policies Against Black Women Birthed a Love of the Soft Life - 20 March, 2024
- How Taylor Swift’s IP Victory Could Change the Business of Music - 28 February, 2024
- Why Don’t More Personal Finance Content Creators Talk About Policy - 16 January, 2024
Leave a Reply