How to get on podcasts: 6 steps that get you booked

How many pitches does it take to get booked?

When I pitch 20 shows that are still recording, about 11 or 12 hosts reply and about 6 say yes. Since only about 6 in 20 say yes, I start every round with 20 shows. A booking usually takes about three emails or messages. I've been a guest on 70+ podcasts and hosted 120+ episodes of my own show.

1. Find 20 shows your buyers already listen to

I find shows with two searches:

• The problems my buyers bring to me, typed into Apple Podcasts and Spotify in their own words.
• The names of people who sell to the same buyers, to see which shows they've been on.

Every show that looks close goes into one sheet with three columns: show, host and link.

Look at who listens and who hosts before you look at downloads. I once went on a show with over 100,000 downloads an episode. It brought a handful of lead magnet downloads, no new followers and no one reaching out. My first podcast guest spot was on a brand-new show with very few listeners. The host ran a software firm in Toronto. Someone in his network hired my agency for $8,000 after that guest spot.

2. Score each show in about 12 minutes

Score all 20 before you pitch any of them. I check four things on each show:

1. It's alive: an episode in the last 30 days and at least 20 episodes in total. Apple Podcasts is full of shows that recorded three episodes and stopped.
2. It takes guests, and some of them do work like yours.
3. The host asks follow-up questions. On fast playback, listen to 90 seconds of the intro, two minutes from the middle of a guest episode and 90 seconds near the end.
4. The host promotes the show. Look at what they do for work, and whether they post each episode and tag their guests.

Then I score each show out of 10: almost half for how close the listeners are to my buyers, almost half for the host, and a little for the audio. I keep the ones that score 7 or higher. The host weighs that much because hosts who ask good follow-up questions also tend to know other hosts. I skip any show that sends a long form about my company size or asks me to pay.

3. Build a one-page speaker sheet

Before I pitch anyone, I make sure my speaker sheet is current. It has five parts:

• About: who you help and what you fix, in two or three plain sentences.
• Episodes we can record: three titles a host could post today.
• Experience: a few results, plus one personal line.
• Expertise: a short list of what you know.
• Links: your photo, your socials and two or three past episodes.

Write each episode title the way a listener would search for help, with a number and an outcome. The title hosts pick most often from my sheet is "How to Cut 30% of Your Delivery Tasks and Double Your Price."

My old bio ended with "His grandma says he's great at fixing an iPad." Debbie Bettendorf wrote back that the line made her belly laugh, and she had me on her show twice. If you don't have past episodes, link a talk or class you gave, or record a 40-second intro video once and send every host the same link.

4. Get to know the host before you pitch

For my top five shows, I start two weeks before the pitch. I follow the host where they're most active, leave two or three useful comments a week, reply to their newsletter and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. That way the host has seen my name before my email arrives. Shows that book guests 8 to 10 months out take longer to reach.

Joe Ingram, who hosts Sales Genius, didn't answer my first two emails. My assistant then spent several weeks commenting on his Instagram posts with our own take on what he'd said. The next message got a two-word reply, "Great follow up," and an invite. I had far less of a following than most of his guests. Joe had me on for two more episodes, and a listener from those episodes hired me for sales training.

5. Pitch with one short email

When I open a guest pitch for my own show, I give it about 15 seconds. My pitch fits in five sentences, one for each part:

1. A connection to the show: two of its recent episode titles.
2. Why its listeners would want this episode.
3. Proof that fits that audience.
4. Evidence you're a good guest: your intro video, a past episode or a talk.
5. One next step: "Reply if one fits."

For shows we know little about, my team first sends a two-line email with the subject "Taking guests?" that asks if the host is booking guests right now. Hosts who say yes get the full pitch and the speaker sheet.

6. Follow up on days 5, 8 and 20

Day 1 is the pitch. On day 5, send one line on Instagram or LinkedIn saying you emailed; a short voice note does better than text. On day 8, reply to your own email with a three-sentence bump that ends "Let me know either way." On day 20, tell the host you'll check in once a month unless they say they're not interested.

Some hosts write back two or three months later to say they're recording again and want to book me. Hosts often record in batches, so a host who ignores you in January may be booking guests in April.

Do you need an audience to get on podcasts?

No. When I hosted my own show, I had to find a new guest almost every week, and most hosts are in the same spot. They book people who hold an opinion their audience hasn't heard before and can explain it. My early appearances came almost entirely from cold pitches to hosts I'd never met.

Patrick Kucharson, a gift coach, made his speaker sheet within a day of my workshop. In his words: "This has led to 10 podcast bookings (and counting)."

What happens after you're booked

I traced $386,000 in revenue to my podcast guest spots by 2023. Hosts brought in 70% of that podcast guesting revenue: they hired me, sent me clients or introduced me to other people. After a few shows, hosts also introduce you to other hosts. One live stream with Debbie brought seven more bookings from her network.

My Podcast Guesting Program covers the interview and the talk you have with the host once the recording stops. You can also watch the free one-hour Get Booked on Podcasts workshop.