July 13, 2026 • 9 mins
In this episode, we share three practical ways to get booked as a podcast guest without blasting generic emails to hundreds of podcast hosts. We focus on choosing the right shows, pitching with clarity, and using tools that make the process faster while still staying personal.
Resource Mentioned: Podmatch
If you have questions about being a guest on a podcast, reach out to us on the Podcaster Success team by emailing support@buzzsprout.com.
Have a topic or question we should address on a future episode? Text us or email the Buzzsprout Podcaster Success Team at support@buzzsprout.com.
Keep podcasting!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Cara Pacetti (00:00):
Welcome to Podcasting Q&A, brought to you
by the people at Buzzsprout.
I'm your host, Cara Pacetti,and I'm bringing you the best
tips and strategies to keep youpodcasting with confidence.
Since I covered the benefits ofguesting on a podcast last
(00:20):
week, I wanted to focus today'sepisode on exactly how to get
booked as a podcast guest.
Getting booked on a podcast canfeel super intimidating,
especially if you've never doneit before.
But the good news is thatpodcast hosts are always looking
for great conversations.
So today, I want to walkthrough three simple ways you
(00:40):
can improve your chances ofgetting invited as a guest on a
podcast.
Before sending a single pitchto a podcast host, you're going
to need to spend some timeidentifying what types of
podcasts would be a good fit foryou.
This means you need to do alittle self-reflecting.
You need to determine what kindof show would be a good fit for
(01:02):
not only your experience, butyour message.
Ask yourself, why do you wantto be a guest?
Are you hoping to grow yourpodcast, maybe establish
yourself as an expert, promote aproject, or you just simply
want to share your story?
Knowing your goal will help todetermine which podcast you
should target.
And instead of focusing on thebiggest podcast, focus on a
(01:26):
podcast whose listeners wouldgenuinely benefit from what you
have to say.
A smaller audience that'sinterested in your topic is so
much more valuable than a largeaudience that's not.
An example here is myexperience as a guest on our
head of support, PriscillaBrooke's podcast, Happy to Help.
So Priscilla's podcast is allabout how to offer remarkable
(01:48):
customer support.
I got invited on this podcastto talk about Podcasting Q&A.
Now, while at first glance, itmight not seem that my role
would be appropriate to heraudience, which is talking about
a podcast.
This podcast is developed fromour support team.
So I am a part of the podcastersuccess team, and we are
(02:09):
serving our customers in asupport role.
And so this directly speaks toher audience.
And I was able to share myexperience using a podcast to
support our customers and howher listeners can do that same
thing with their businesses.
Take a podcast and use it as asupport feature for their
(02:32):
listeners.
So it was an awesome fit and itwas an honor to be able to
speak and share my ownexperience to help benefit her
audience.
That's the kind of thing youwant to look for when you're
looking for the podcast that youwant to be a part of.
Think to yourself, what is mymessage?
What am I bringing to thetable?
And how can I serve this newaudience?
(02:54):
In order to know whose audienceyou can serve, you're going to
need to do a little bit ofhomework.
Before reaching out to a newpodcaster, you want to listen to
a few episodes.
Are they regularly featuringinterviews with guests?
You want to pay attention tothe host's style and how they
format their episodes.
Would this be a good fit foryou?
(03:14):
And you want to think aboutyour experience.
Would it fit naturally into oneof the conversations that
they've already published?
Spending five or 10 minutesresearching a show can save you
from pitching to a podcast thatjust isn't a good fit.
So once you finish with thathomework and you found a podcast
that's a great match, it's timeto introduce yourself.
Keep in mind that podcast hostsreceive a lot of guest pitches.
(03:38):
So you want to try to make yourpitch easy to follow and even
easier to say yes to.
Start by mentioning somethingspecific about the podcast.
Maybe you enjoyed a recentepisode or you noticed a common
theme, or you just reallyappreciate the host's
perspective on something.
This really shows that you'vedone your homework and you're
reaching out because yougenuinely think that you are a
(04:00):
good fit for their show, notjust because you're sending the
same email to hundreds ofpodcasts, hoping to guest on the
one that says yes.
A creative way of writing apitch that's easy to say yes to
is to pitch an episode, not justyourself.
Give the host two or threespecific episode ideas that they
(04:21):
can immediately picture asbeing a part of their show.
Take the time to explain howeach topic would benefit their
audience.
Hosts are looking forconversations that serve their
listeners, not a resume.
When you paint a picture forthem, it makes it really easy to
see the vision behind yourpitch.
One way of making sure thatyour pitch is standing out above
(04:42):
the rest is to include all ofthe details that your hosts will
need to know about you.
So you want to keep your emailshort, but you also need to
include some valuableinformation all in one place.
So some of the details werecommend are to include a short
bio.
So just a sentence or twoexplaining who you are and why
you should be a guest on theirshow.
(05:03):
You want to include a piece ofcredibility like a previous
interview or a relevantexperience.
And if you can link to it,that's even better.
You also want to let them knowyou're flexible when it comes to
scheduling and how to book youas a guest.
Again, as a bonus, link aCalendly link to make it really
easy to book that recording.
(05:24):
The easier you make it for thehost to respond can really
increase the likelihood of younot only getting a response, but
also getting booked for theirpodcast.
So as I've outlined some ofthese steps, you can probably
already tell that finding andpitching podcasts one by one
does take some time.
I want to make sure I alsoleave you with a more automated,
(05:46):
maybe efficient option for thisprocess, if that's what you're
looking for.
So I want to share a platformwith you called PodMatch.
PodMatch is a platformspecifically designed to easily
match podcast hosts withpotential guests.
I'm gonna link to this platformin the show notes below.
So if you want to go read moreabout it and check it out, then
you can find that there.
(06:08):
But I do want to go through thequick steps that it takes to
sign up for PodMatch and alsoget matched with a guest for
your podcast.
So first you'll need to createa complete podmatch profile for
you as a guest.
Think of your podmatch profileas your first impression.
So you'll design your profilein the same way that you would
write a pitch.
(06:28):
You can add a professionalphoto, a clear short bio,
include your areas of expertise,and the topics you're most
qualified to discuss.
The more complete your profileis, the easier it is for hosts
to determine that you're a goodfit for their audience.
So once your profile is live,PodMatch recommends podcast
matches to you based on theinformation you've included in
(06:49):
your profile.
Instead of searching endlesslyfor shows, you can review your
matches daily and you can focuson researching podcasts that
already align with yourexpertise and interests.
This makes it really easybecause you can see all of those
matches in one place and youcan easily reach out to those
podcasts directly on thisplatform.
(07:10):
So when you find a podcastyou'd like to be on and you've
taken the time to research it,the next step is to take a few
moments to write a personalizedmessage explaining why you're
excited about their show, whatvalue you can bring, and which
topics would make for a greatconversation.
So once you find a podcast thatyou'd like to be a part of, you
have the opportunity throughthis platform to reach out to
(07:32):
the podcaster directly.
I recommend including thosesame details that we mentioned
when it comes to writing apitch.
You're gonna share why you'reexcited about their show, what
value you can bring, and whattopics would make for a great
conversation.
Making it personal can reallygo a long way for podcasters who
are receiving a lot of guestinterest.
(07:53):
Using a platform like PodMatchwon't always guarantee that
you're gonna get booked on everypodcast that you apply for.
You'll still need to apply andconnect with the host and filter
out the matches to make surethat you're finding the right
podcast for you.
But one benefit of usingPodMatch is that all of these
podcast hosts are looking forguests and they're all showing
(08:15):
up in one convenient place.
So you're not having to searchall of the podcast directories
based on categories and figuringout how to reach out to them.
You can find them, you will bematched with them, and you can
reach out to them on that sameplatform.
Getting booked on a podcastisn't about sending hundreds of
emails and hoping someoneresponds.
(08:36):
It's about finding the rightshows, making it easy for hosts
to see the value you bring andshowing up prepared to create a
great conversation.
The more intentional you arebefore and during each
interview, the moreopportunities you'll create for
yourself in the future.
If you have questions you'dlike answered on a future
Podcasting Q&A episode, justclick the send us fan mail link
(08:58):
in the show notes.
If you have questions aboutbeing a guest on a podcast, just
reach out to us directly on thePodcaster Success team by
emailing support atbuzzsprout.com.
Be sure to join us every Mondayto kickstart your week.
Thank you so much forlistening.
And as always, keep podcasting.
Welcome to Podcasting Q&A, brought to you
by the people at Buzzsprout.
I'm your host, Cara Pacetti,and I'm bringing you the best
tips and strategies to keep youpodcasting with confidence.
Since I covered the benefits ofguesting on a podcast last
(00:20):
week, I wanted to focus today'sepisode on exactly how to get
booked as a podcast guest.
Getting booked on a podcast canfeel super intimidating,
especially if you've never doneit before.
But the good news is thatpodcast hosts are always looking
for great conversations.
So today, I want to walkthrough three simple ways you
(00:40):
can improve your chances ofgetting invited as a guest on a
podcast.
Before sending a single pitchto a podcast host, you're going
to need to spend some timeidentifying what types of
podcasts would be a good fit foryou.
This means you need to do alittle self-reflecting.
You need to determine what kindof show would be a good fit for
(01:02):
not only your experience, butyour message.
Ask yourself, why do you wantto be a guest?
Are you hoping to grow yourpodcast, maybe establish
yourself as an expert, promote aproject, or you just simply
want to share your story?
Knowing your goal will help todetermine which podcast you
should target.
And instead of focusing on thebiggest podcast, focus on a
(01:26):
podcast whose listeners wouldgenuinely benefit from what you
have to say.
A smaller audience that'sinterested in your topic is so
much more valuable than a largeaudience that's not.
An example here is myexperience as a guest on our
head of support, PriscillaBrooke's podcast, Happy to Help.
So Priscilla's podcast is allabout how to offer remarkable
(01:48):
customer support.
I got invited on this podcastto talk about Podcasting Q&A.
Now, while at first glance, itmight not seem that my role
would be appropriate to heraudience, which is talking about
a podcast.
This podcast is developed fromour support team.
So I am a part of the podcastersuccess team, and we are
(02:09):
serving our customers in asupport role.
And so this directly speaks toher audience.
And I was able to share myexperience using a podcast to
support our customers and howher listeners can do that same
thing with their businesses.
Take a podcast and use it as asupport feature for their
(02:32):
listeners.
So it was an awesome fit and itwas an honor to be able to
speak and share my ownexperience to help benefit her
audience.
That's the kind of thing youwant to look for when you're
looking for the podcast that youwant to be a part of.
Think to yourself, what is mymessage?
What am I bringing to thetable?
And how can I serve this newaudience?
(02:54):
In order to know whose audienceyou can serve, you're going to
need to do a little bit ofhomework.
Before reaching out to a newpodcaster, you want to listen to
a few episodes.
Are they regularly featuringinterviews with guests?
You want to pay attention tothe host's style and how they
format their episodes.
Would this be a good fit foryou?
(03:14):
And you want to think aboutyour experience.
Would it fit naturally into oneof the conversations that
they've already published?
Spending five or 10 minutesresearching a show can save you
from pitching to a podcast thatjust isn't a good fit.
So once you finish with thathomework and you found a podcast
that's a great match, it's timeto introduce yourself.
Keep in mind that podcast hostsreceive a lot of guest pitches.
(03:38):
So you want to try to make yourpitch easy to follow and even
easier to say yes to.
Start by mentioning somethingspecific about the podcast.
Maybe you enjoyed a recentepisode or you noticed a common
theme, or you just reallyappreciate the host's
perspective on something.
This really shows that you'vedone your homework and you're
reaching out because yougenuinely think that you are a
(04:00):
good fit for their show, notjust because you're sending the
same email to hundreds ofpodcasts, hoping to guest on the
one that says yes.
A creative way of writing apitch that's easy to say yes to
is to pitch an episode, not justyourself.
Give the host two or threespecific episode ideas that they
(04:21):
can immediately picture asbeing a part of their show.
Take the time to explain howeach topic would benefit their
audience.
Hosts are looking forconversations that serve their
listeners, not a resume.
When you paint a picture forthem, it makes it really easy to
see the vision behind yourpitch.
One way of making sure thatyour pitch is standing out above
(04:42):
the rest is to include all ofthe details that your hosts will
need to know about you.
So you want to keep your emailshort, but you also need to
include some valuableinformation all in one place.
So some of the details werecommend are to include a short
bio.
So just a sentence or twoexplaining who you are and why
you should be a guest on theirshow.
(05:03):
You want to include a piece ofcredibility like a previous
interview or a relevantexperience.
And if you can link to it,that's even better.
You also want to let them knowyou're flexible when it comes to
scheduling and how to book youas a guest.
Again, as a bonus, link aCalendly link to make it really
easy to book that recording.
(05:24):
The easier you make it for thehost to respond can really
increase the likelihood of younot only getting a response, but
also getting booked for theirpodcast.
So as I've outlined some ofthese steps, you can probably
already tell that finding andpitching podcasts one by one
does take some time.
I want to make sure I alsoleave you with a more automated,
(05:46):
maybe efficient option for thisprocess, if that's what you're
looking for.
So I want to share a platformwith you called PodMatch.
PodMatch is a platformspecifically designed to easily
match podcast hosts withpotential guests.
I'm gonna link to this platformin the show notes below.
So if you want to go read moreabout it and check it out, then
you can find that there.
(06:08):
But I do want to go through thequick steps that it takes to
sign up for PodMatch and alsoget matched with a guest for
your podcast.
So first you'll need to createa complete podmatch profile for
you as a guest.
Think of your podmatch profileas your first impression.
So you'll design your profilein the same way that you would
write a pitch.
(06:28):
You can add a professionalphoto, a clear short bio,
include your areas of expertise,and the topics you're most
qualified to discuss.
The more complete your profileis, the easier it is for hosts
to determine that you're a goodfit for their audience.
So once your profile is live,PodMatch recommends podcast
matches to you based on theinformation you've included in
(06:49):
your profile.
Instead of searching endlesslyfor shows, you can review your
matches daily and you can focuson researching podcasts that
already align with yourexpertise and interests.
This makes it really easybecause you can see all of those
matches in one place and youcan easily reach out to those
podcasts directly on thisplatform.
(07:10):
So when you find a podcastyou'd like to be on and you've
taken the time to research it,the next step is to take a few
moments to write a personalizedmessage explaining why you're
excited about their show, whatvalue you can bring, and which
topics would make for a greatconversation.
So once you find a podcast thatyou'd like to be a part of, you
have the opportunity throughthis platform to reach out to
(07:32):
the podcaster directly.
I recommend including thosesame details that we mentioned
when it comes to writing apitch.
You're gonna share why you'reexcited about their show, what
value you can bring, and whattopics would make for a great
conversation.
Making it personal can reallygo a long way for podcasters who
are receiving a lot of guestinterest.
(07:53):
Using a platform like PodMatchwon't always guarantee that
you're gonna get booked on everypodcast that you apply for.
You'll still need to apply andconnect with the host and filter
out the matches to make surethat you're finding the right
podcast for you.
But one benefit of usingPodMatch is that all of these
podcast hosts are looking forguests and they're all showing
(08:15):
up in one convenient place.
So you're not having to searchall of the podcast directories
based on categories and figuringout how to reach out to them.
You can find them, you will bematched with them, and you can
reach out to them on that sameplatform.
Getting booked on a podcastisn't about sending hundreds of
emails and hoping someoneresponds.
(08:36):
It's about finding the rightshows, making it easy for hosts
to see the value you bring andshowing up prepared to create a
great conversation.
The more intentional you arebefore and during each
interview, the moreopportunities you'll create for
yourself in the future.
If you have questions you'dlike answered on a future
Podcasting Q&A episode, justclick the send us fan mail link
(08:58):
in the show notes.
If you have questions aboutbeing a guest on a podcast, just
reach out to us directly on thePodcaster Success team by
emailing support atbuzzsprout.com.
Be sure to join us every Mondayto kickstart your week.
Thank you so much forlistening.
And as always, keep podcasting.
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