According to the Podcast Index, the projected listener count for 2024 is going to reach over 500 million.
Chances are you have at least seen a few YouTube shorts with Joe Rogan or Jordan Peterson.
But podcasts aren’t just entertainment – they are also an excellent source of traffic for your business.
In this article, we are going to discuss:
- The benefits of going on podcasts as a guest
- The 4-step process for booking podcasts
- Tips and mistakes to avoid in order to be a good podcast guest
Let’s get into it!
Link building cheat sheet
Why Should You Go on Podcasts?
Seemingly everyone nowadays has a podcast nowadays.
Whether or not you’re planning to launch your own (or already have), hopping on as a guest on other people’s shows offers undeniable benefits for your content marketing and SEO strategy.
Let’s walk through each of them.
Establishing Authority in Your Field
First up, by getting interviewed, you have the perfect opportunity to establish yourself as “the guy who knows what he’s talking about”.
Over time, this helps you build credibility within your niche and cement authority.
By sharing your insights and knowledge, you become the voice that listeners associate with know-how.
It’s not just about being heard; it’s about being recognized as a go-to resource, which is, obviously, great for business.
Reaching New and Engaged Audiences
Podcast listeners are a dedicated bunch.
They tune in to learn and often commit to episodes ranging from 20 minutes to over an hour.
This means, as a guest, you get to connect with an audience that’s already interested in your field—providing you direct access to potential fans, followers, or customers who are ready to engage with your content.
Building Relationships with Hosts and Other Industry Influencers
Jumping into the podcast world puts you in touch with hosts and influencers who can be exceptionally beneficial to your network.
Each conversation can open doors to collaborations, partnerships, or other opportunities.
Plus, as hosts often share a tight-knit community, a successful interview on one podcast could lead to invitations from others, multiplying your reach.
Backlinks!
Let’s not forget the SEO perks of guest podcasting.
Many podcasts provide show notes with links to a guest’s website or social profiles—as you already know, backlinks are incredibly valuable for your website’s domain authority.
These links can boost your visibility in search engine results, driving organic traffic your way long after the podcast airs.
The 4-Step Process for Booking Podcasts
Now, let’s walk through the step-by-step process for getting hosted on podcasts as a guest.
In this example, we’ll be using our tool, Respona for every step of the way.
This is the same process we used to book over 100 podcasts for our Co-Founder, Farzad.
Creating Your Campaign
The first step is to create the outreach campaign.
Respona comes with two campaign templates for podcast outreach: podcast outreach and podcast episode outreach.
The difference between them is that the first finds shows based on their main topics, while the second finds specific episodes by their guests’ names.
In our example, we’ll be using the general podcast outreach campaign template.
To use it, all we need to do is fill out three simple fields.
In the first one, enter some general topics you’re interested in.
You can also use Respona’s AI keyword suggestions to come up with additional ideas and considerably broaden your search.
These keywords will be used to find related shows for you to be a potential guest on.
In the next field, provide a short synopsis of your career accomplishments as an introduction.
This, along with the last field will be pulled into your email sequence to form the base of your email template
Finally, propose an exact topic you’d like to discuss on your appearance. In our example, it would be the exact strategies we used to grow Respona with no outside funding.
When everything is filled out, click “Use this template” to create the campaign.
Crafting Your Pitch
The first step of the campaign flow is to craft your potential podcast guest pitch.
Because we used a campaign template, ours is already good to go.
However, we recommend taking a moment to come up with your template, or at the very least, refine the built-in one.
Respona’s email builder comes with a full set of tools to help you make the best email sequence to land in your prospects’ inboxes.
First up, let’s check our email for spam words:
It looks like we’ll need to remove the word “marketing” from our pitch as it can trigger spam words.
Other than that, the content of the email is good to go.
But, let’s go one step further and add an AI-powered icebreaker variable to our sequence.
This will save us a massive amount of time by “listening” to our prospects’ shows and coming up with unique personalizations for every single pitch based on what the host talks about with their guests.
Finally, let’s add an unsubscribe link to give our contacts an easy way to unsubscribe from further communications in case they’re not interested.
Doing so also reduces the chance of our email getting manually flagged as spam, and will save us from having to deal with negative replies.
The default template comes with one follow-up, seven days after the initial pitch, so there’s no need to add more to avoid being pushy.
When the sequence is ready, we’re good to go to move on to the next step.
Finding Podcasts & Their Contact Information
Respona is equipped with its own podcast search engine.
It’s powered by Listen Notes, so the data is always up-to-date and accurate.
It also runs several queries at the same time and automatically adds relevant opportunities to your outreach campaign, greatly reducing the time required for prospecting.
No need to change much here since our target keywords are already inserted in separate queries based on our inputs on the campaign template screen.
So, let’s click “Continue” to move forward.
Here, you can assign additional filters based on the listen score and the date of the last episode published by the show.
Note that applying these can significantly reduce the number of results, but we still recommend applying the Listen Score filter to at least 1 to skip podcasts that get 0 traffic and focus only on successful podcast lists.
Click “Continue” once again to access some additional settings.
First up, let’s run a simultaneous contact search.
Respona will automatically seek out your target podcast hosts or associated contact addresses.
In the next field, let’s also provide our AI personalizations with additional instructions.
You can both provide general guidelines for tone and stye or paste examples of your previous personalizations as training data.
The last option on this screen will turn your campaign into a recurring one.
After doing so, Respona will automatically re-run your search at your selected time intervals and add any fresh podcasts that have come out in the meantime to your campaign.
Click “Run automation” to kickstart your search for podcasts, their contact information, and AI personalization.
Results will start appearing on the screen as they are found in real time.
All of this is done entirely in the cloud, so you don’t need to sit on this screen and wait for the progress bar to reach 100%.
Respona will send you an email once it’s done. In the meantime, you can move on to other campaigns or tasks.
When it’s complete, move on to the final step.
Review & Launch
Here, all variables – both regular like “podcast name” and AI like the Icebreaker we used, will be populated by Respona.
You can review your personalizations and make manual adjustments where needed.
In addition to email addresses, Respona also finds the LinkedIn profiles of your prospects.
We highly encourage you to also send them a connect request to put a face to your outreach and create an additional touchpoint, increasing your chances of a successful booking.
When all your emails are personalized and connection requests are sent, feel free to launch the campaign.
From that point on, all that’s left for you to do is look out for responses and manage conversations.
Tips & Mistakes to Avoid
Now, let’s run through some tips and mistakes to avoid to land more podcast bookings and be a better podcast guest in general.
Using Generic One-Size-Fits-All Pitches
Few things are as personal as getting interviewed one-on-one, like on a podcast.
Cold email outreach gets a bad rep because of how abused it is with mass email blasts.
So, to stand out from the crowd, you need to personalize every single one (or let Respona’s AI do the heavy lifting for you) of your emails.
Show that you’ve done your homework and that you’re genuinely interested in contributing to their show.
Ignoring the Fit Between Your Expertise and the Podcast’s Target Audience
Not every podcast is right for your message.
Because cold outreach is a numbers game, it may be tempting to reach out to each and every podcast under the sun.
However, you’ll make a more significant impact on shows where there’s a natural synergy between your knowledge and the audience’s interests. Choose platforms where your voice will resonate and add genuine value.
Underestimating the Importance of Follow-Ups and Building Relationships
Sending your pitch is just the beginning.
Follow up if you haven’t heard back in a week or so––hosts are often juggling multiple tasks and a nudge may be welcome.
Additionally, whether you secure a spot or not, it’s still a good idea to stay in touch with hosts and podcast teams. Networking can lead to future opportunities and collaborations.
Utilizing Feedback from Hosts and Listeners to Improve
After your guest appearance, take note of the host’s and podcast listener responses.
Did they appreciate a particular insight? Were there questions that stumped you?
Use this feedback to refine your expertise and to improve your future appearances.
Help Promote the Episode
Whether it’s a simple Facebook group post or feature on your email newsletter, you should always help with podcast marketing of the show you’ve come as a guest on.
This is good both for the host and yourself, helping the both of you generate more traction and traffic with your podcast content.
Now Over to You
So, to reiterate, to get on a podcast as a guest, you need to:
- Find shows you want to appear on
- Find their contact information
- Send a personalized email pitch and connection request on LinkedIn
Need help? Don’t hesitate to start your 14-day free trial with Respona to see it in action.
Link building cheat sheet
FAQ
How do I find relevant podcasts to be a guest on?
Start by identifying podcasts within your niche or industry using podcast directories like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts Spotify, or other podcast hosting sites. Consider using keywords related to your expertise and check out where similar experts have appeared.
What is the best way to approach a podcast host for a guest spot?
Craft a personalized pitch that highlights your unique perspective, expertise, and the value you can bring to their audience. Be concise and mention a specific episode or topic you can contribute to. Always follow the submission guidelines if the podcast has them.
Should I have a media kit ready when pitching to be an ideal podcast guest?
While not mandatory, a well-prepared media kit can make you stand out. Include a brief bio, a professional headshot, podcast idea, and any relevant credentials or previous media appearances. Make it easy for hosts to see your potential contribution at a glance.
How do I prepare for a podcast interview once I’m accepted as a guest?
Research the podcast’s audience, style, and previous episodes. Prepare talking points, stories, and data that support your expertise but remain flexible for the natural flow of conversation. Also, test your recording environment beforehand to ensure good sound quality.
How can I maximize the exposure of my podcast appearance?
Promote your appearance on your social media channels, email newsletter, and website. Tag the podcast and share links when the episode goes live. Offer to collaborate on any cross-promotion efforts with the podcast host to reach a wider audience.
