One of the most frequently asked questions I get from friends is: what tips would you have for someone who wants to start their own podcast? If you’re going to start your own podcast, you’re also going to want to appear on other people’s shows to promote your own. Podcast hosts will usually ask you to say a little bit about your own show when you’re a guest. So here are my top tips on how to be a guest!
Now that I’ve produced more than 400 episodes on my podcast, I thought I’d write a little bit about how to pitch yourself to be on someone else’s show. This is the third post in a series that I’ve created on podcasts, though the previous two posts date back to 2015. They are:
- How to Start Your Own Podcast
- Podcast Interview Etiquette: Top Tips To Make Your Podcast Guests Feel Special
- Podcast Guest Etiquette: Top 10+ Tips To Be A Stellar Podcast Guest
Now that my podcast has been around for 400+ episodes and over eight years, I get pitched a lot. A LOT. It was getting overwhelming, until I set up a Google Form to collect everyone’s information, and now I direct people who pitch to that form.
Here’s the thing: the show has evolved over the years, and now only one or two episodes each month are interviews, so I have very few openings for guests on the show. Plus, I have a massive spreadsheet full of people I want to invite on the show. I usually source most of my guests myself.
One thing I’ve noticed lately is that most of the pitches I receive are from people who clearly want to promote themselves and their business, rather than actually connect with me and have an interesting conversation that we share on the podcast. I get this. I’ve done this in the past, too.
But now I’m really focused on who I want to have conversations with, and what are the conversations that I want to have. In other words, I’m pretty picky about who I invite on the show, and if I feel like people want to promote rather than connect, I’m honestly not interested.
So how can you stand out from the crowd of pitches and be accepted for an interview? Here’s what I think are the top ten most important things you can do…
On the concept of “etiquette”
Table of Contents
You do you. That is the top piece of advice I can give. This article is not intended to be the definitive rules of podcasting. I am not the podcast dictator.
However…if you’re new to podcasting, pitching yourself to be a guest, or doing interviews, there are a lot of things that aren’t necessarily common sense. These are all new skills to be learned and honed.
This blog series is intended to give you a list of things that perhaps you hadn’t considered before. Pick and choose what works for you. Take the advice that serves you; forget the stuff that doesn’t. You do you.
Top 10 Tips on Pitching Yourself
- Listen in. Before pitching yourself to be a guest on any podcast, listen to at least one episode to make sure you’re a good fit for the show. Ideally, only pitch yourself to shows that you honestly love and which have hosts that you’d love to connect with and have a conversation with. Focus on connection, not promotion.
- Connect. Connect with the host on social media. Go to their website and follow them everywhere and get to know them. Share your favorite episodes of theirs on social media. Again, focus on connection. Build a relationship with them.
- Review. Take a couple of minutes to review the show on iTunes. It shows that you are a fan of the podcast and that you’re willing to help out the host by spreading the word about how much you love it. If you aren’t willing to do this, then you probably shouldn’t pitch yourself to be on the show.
- Be different. In your pitch email, make it really clear on how you’re different and unique. I get so many generic pitches from generic online entrepreneurs, and none of them really stand out from each other. I don’t want to have someone on the show if they’re just going to sound like everyone else out there. I want someone who’s different.
- Be specific. Include at least three really specific and unique topics that you can speak on. Not generic things like “business growth” and “online marketing” but your specific take on a topic that is useful and interesting to the show’s audience. Include these with bullet points, so it’s easy to scan through the email and find them. If you’ve also written blog posts on these specific topics, include links.
- Be honest. Lately, I’ve been pitching to more and more podcasts, even when I’m not sure I’m a good fit for the show. Here’s what I do: I straight up say at the start of the pitch that I’m not 100% sure I’m a good fit, because of X reason. I let the podcast host make that decision, rather than automatically opting myself out. When you’re honest about the fact that you might not be the ideal guest for the show, it makes you come across as honest and authentic, rather than pushy. And when it comes down to it, the podcast host is the one who really knows whether you’re their ideal guest or not.
- Mention other shows. If you’ve already been a guest on other podcasts, mention this in the pitch, whether or not they’re big name shows. This is super important: it shows the host that you’re an experienced podcast guest and that you can carry on a conversation that’s worth listening to. Include links to three podcasts that you enjoyed being interviewed on.
- Name drop. Though this can be very annoying in other parts of life and business, if a good friend of yours has already been a guest on the show that you’re pitching to, mention it. It’s always interesting to know that someone who’s sending in a pitch is a friend of someone I know. If the two of you have collaborated together in the past, include links in the pitch email to show that.
- Reciprocate. If you have a podcast, and you’d also like to invite the host you’re pitching to be on your show, then say so in the pitch email! If you don’t have a podcast, invite them to do a video interview for your YouTube channel, or a Facebook live in your Facebook group, or even a guest blog post on your website. Offer to reciprocate however you can. It shows that you truly want to connect, rather than just promoting yourself. Include a link to your show.
- Provide full info. Don’t be presumptuous and assume that the host will accept you, but do include your full speaker’s bio and photograph in the pitch, so that if you are accepted, the host won’t have to waste time getting them from you.
- Promote. In your pitch, make it clear that you’ll be sharing the episode far and wide, and detail how and where you’ll do that. Will you share it to your newsletter? Will you share it on social media? Will it go into your MeetEdgar account to be shared on a regular basis? Will it go on your Media page or Speaking page? Good podcast guests will spend time promoting the episode, and being clear about your intention to do so will make the podcast host happy. You can also include the number of followers/likes/subscribers you have, and while this isn’t necessary, it’s helpful for the host to see your reach…but remember that your stats aren’t as important as your story and your ability to connect and have an interesting conversation.
What not to do
- Use generic language. You want to stand out. Business buzzwords like “cutting edge business strategy”, “powerful personal branding”, and “helping people to take their business to the next level” don’t impress me. We’ve all heard this crap before. What makes you different?
- Pitch generic topics. I know I said this earlier (like, in the previous bullet point), but don’t share generic topics with buzzwords. Someone once pitched me and said they wanted to talk about “golden nuggets of mindset information to help inspire [my guests] to live their true purpose.” Huh? What does that even mean?
- Be presumptuous. Don’t make your pitch sound like you’re so amazing, the podcast host should jump at the opportunity to interview you. Make a genuine effort to connect. Make it a conversation.
Maybe?
I know that Denise Duffield-Thomas recommends including a link to your own calendar when you pitch to be a guest on someone’s show, but this doesn’t really work for me. I have very specific times that I work, and when people send me a link to their calendar, I always respond asking them to book into my calendar. However…do what works for you. Try it. Play around with it.
Make it easy
The top ten tips I shared above on how to pitch yourself to be a guest on someone else’s podcast are basically about how to make it easy for the host to see if you’re a good fit for their show. It answers all of their pressing questions about you:
- Who is this person?
- Have they even listened to my show, or did they just find it on Google?
- Do they just want to promote their business, or do they really care about me and my show?
- Do I like them?
- Do I find them interesting?
- Are they capable of having an interesting conversation with me that I want to share with my audience?
- Do I actually want to have a conversation with this person?
Remember, pitching yourself to be on someone else’s podcast is about connecting with someone that you want to have an interesting conversation with…a conversation which will be recorded and promoted by the two of you. Happy pitching!
