Podcast Guest Pitch Swipe Copy

A great way to get in front of your ideal client is to be a guest on podcasts that your ideal client is listening to!

It’s also a GREAT way to get your foot in the door to more collaborations down the road with a person who serves your ideal client!

Here’s how to pitch yourself as a guest on a podcast without feeling gross or like a total imposter!

Research and make a Top 25 list of podcasts that your ideal client listens to.

To make it onto your Podcast Top 25, the podcast must meet the following criteria:

• You think your ideal client would listen to this podcast.
• The podcast frequently has guests on it.
• The show is published consistently (a new episode at least weekly).
• The show has had a new episode in the past 30 days.

Here’s how to do the research:

• Google “podcasts for [your ideal client (for example “high school spanish teachers” or “americans who want to move to mexico“)]
• Go through all the search results and look at either the website for the podcast, or the place the podcast is hosted (Anchor.fm, Buzzsprout, etc.) or search for the podcast in the Apple Podcasts app on your iPhone or on whatever podcasts app you use if you have an Android phone (Google Podcasts, Stitcher, etc.)
• Make sure the podcast meets the 4 criteria above and if it does, add it to your Podcast Top 25 List.

Next you’ll apply the 111 Method to connect with the podcast host.

The 111 Method is one new connection, one shoutout, one ask.

Here’s how to apply it to podcasts:

One New Connection

• Listen to at least one episode – and I love to listen at 2x speed so that I can listen to more episodes in half the time. If you don’t like the podcast or you’re not resonating with the host, cross it off your list.
• If you do like the show, subscribe to the podcast.
• Follow it on all of its social medias.
• If it has an email list, sign up for it.

One Shoutout

• Leave a rating and review of the podcast on whatever platform you listen on.
• Take a screenshot of your review.
• Make a post on social media
  • Use the screenshot of your review as the post image,
  • The text of the post would be something like “Found this awesome new podcast “Name of Show” all about “topic of show”! [Then mention something you liked from the episode you listened to]. You gotta check it out at [link to the podcast website].” And definitely make your post sound like YOU and how you write.
  • TAG the podcast/podcast host in your post.
  • Look at some of the posts that the podcast has made for their episode and note the hashtags that they used on whatever platform you’re posting on. Use those same hashtags on your post. 

One Ask

Now it’s time to pitch yourself as a guest for the show.

Follow the steps of the ASK step in the 111 Method – send the ASK via email, follow up if you don’t hear back (3 days, 7 days), then change the channel (DM them where they’re active on social media).

Your pitch is NOT about you, how awesome you are, all the credentials you have, books you’ve written, places you’ve spoken and why the podcast host should be so impressed by you that they say yes.

Let me say that again: YOUR PITCH IS NOT ABOUT YOU.

The best pitches include:

• A sincere compliment about the show (that proves that you listened to an episode).
• What you can share with their audience + why you think their listeners would benefit from it.
• If you have an email list of 100 or more, you can add “And I’d love to promote our episode to my audience and send more listeners your way.” If you’re brand new, skip this.
• End your pitch with a clear ask: “Does this sound like a good fit for your audience?“

Contrary to all the “advice” I hear from PR people that charge clients to pitch them to be on podcasts…

You don’t need a fancy “one-sheet” or a pitch sheet that lists all of your accolades and social media followers counts, etc!!! It’s outdated advice.

Personally, I don’t even look at them… And I say NO to more pitches that have them attached because those pitches usually suck and are all about how great the person is and not what’s in it for my audience.

I’ve linked up proven pitch templates below. These are pitches I’ve said YES to, and taken and tweaked and used myself to land my own guest spots on other podcasts.

MAKE THEM SOUND LIKE YOU!! WRITE LIKE YOU’RE TALKING TO A FRIEND! BE YOURSELF. 

• Podcast Guest Pitch Swipe Copy

When you get a yes:

• They will likely ask you for a bio and headshot – have that ready and ALWAYS PUT YOUR ICTA and link to your freebie in your bio!!!!

  Example:

  “Shannon Mattern is a former side hustler turned full-time entrepreneur who teaches other entrepreneurs how to DIY their websites even if they’re not techie – and how to market themselves online without ads, algorithms or big audiences on social media.

  She’s also the host of the Pep Talks for Side Hustlers Podcast all about helping you go from side-hustle to self-employed without taking a pay cut.

  You can find Shannon’s free DIY web design + marketing trainings over at https://shannonmattern.com.

• Be camera-ready. Even though most guests will only use the audio, some might take a screenshot of the interview –  and you just wanna look like you’re taking them seriously. Remember, this isn’t a one and done thing – this is the first collab you’re doing with this person (even if they don’t know that yet!)
  
  
• Your host will likely give you an overview of what the interview format will be and give you a chance to ask any questions you have before you start – so if you have questions ASK! We want you to feel comfortable 🙂 If you like to swear, say something like “Sometimes I swear, is this a PG podcast?” My answer always is “Say whatever you want, I’ll bleep it out.“
  
  
• Ask your host if it’s okay to mention your freebie. “I have a free diy web design training that I’d love to share with your audience. If you think that would be a good fit I can give you the link for the show notes.“

After the show:

• Share the episode on all of your social media accounts (even if you have no followers).
  
  
• Post it on your website, either as a blog post, or on a special page you create to list all the podcasts you’ve been on and places you’ve been featured. I call this page on my site “Press” and I just list everything – see an example here: https://shannonmattern.com/press The point of doing this is to help with the podcast’s SEO by giving them a “backlink”
  
  
• Email the episode to your email list (even if you only have 2 people on your list!!!): “I had the pleasure to be on so and so’s podcast all about this topic – listen here [link] and we’d love it if you’d share it, subscribe and leave a review!”
  
  

Where you might get stuck:

You’ll probably get nervous to send the pitch. That’s totally normal. Send it anyway. If you don’t send it, you guarantee you won’t be a guest on the show. The point isn’t to get a yes, the point is to create the opportunity for a yes.

You might be afraid they’ll say no. You’re probably thinking you’re not good enough, you don’t have enough expertise, and if they say no you’re making it mean you’re not good enough and you shouldn’t even be doing this anyway… WRONG! Don’t make a NO mean anything about YOU. It literally has nothing to do with you. It means the host doesn’t have room for you, doesn’t think your topic is a good fit or who knows? The point is, you can cross that one of the list and try another one.

You might be thinking you won’t be a good podcast guest. Can you have a conversation with someone who asks you questions and talk about what you do and why you do it? This is not a sales call, a pitch or a webinar. You don’t have to be “ON” or “professional” or have anything memorized. Those podcasts are BORING. You just gotta be your normal self. It’s literally a conversation with a person who is asking you questions about you and what you do.

You think you need fancy equipment to be a guest on a podcast. 

Nope. All you need is a decent internet connection and a pair of earbuds that have a microphone. I use the ones that came with my iPhone.

If you have any other questions or anything that’s holding you back from sending that first pitch – be sure to hop on a live Q&A and get coached through it!