Podcasts are so hot right now.

Joe Rogan.

Snoop Dog.

Paula Deen.

Anderson Cooper.

Snooki.

Shaq.

It seems as though everyone who’s anyone has a podcast. Even I have a podcast!

And Americans, in particular, are eating it up. In fact, over two thirds of Americans say they listen to podcasts. This is a huge jump from the majority of Americans saying they never listen to podcasts the previous year. 

With all the traction podcasting has been getting, there’s massive potential for you to reach your niche audience by snagging a spot as a podcast guest speaker.

Getting interviewed on a podcast can help you generate free publicity for your brand, drive authoritative backlinks to your website, and even help you bump elbows with some big names in your industry. 

Even better, podcasting drastically increases your exposure to highly targeted, niche audiences. From self-help to true crime to edgy political commentary, there are podcasts just about any industry, audience, and topic. 

(Case in point, if you’re looking to take the leap to location independence in your business, I have my own Workationing podcast for that too! Learn all about it by joining the Workationing Facebook group here.)

The good news, just about anyone can land get booked as a podcast guest – especially company executives. In this post, we’re going to show you how.

Want to start getting booked on the top podcasts in your industry? Here’s what you need to know…

So You Want to Get Booked on Podcasts… Know This First.

Before hitting up a bunch of podcasters in order to land a spot as a guest speaker, you’ll need to consider which podcasts are actually going to provide value to your business.

It’s easy to burn a lot of time on podcast guesting. Lots of podcasts will want you (because you’re awesome!), but you shouldn’t want all podcasts.

Vetting the podcasts beforehand is so important, as you don’t want to be on a dodgy podcast and have it devalue your brand by association (and waste your time on top of it). 

You’ll need need to spend some time finding the good ones (and nixing the rest).

Finding the Good Ones

Therefore, you should first assess whether a podcast is actually worthy of your time. Follow the steps below to identify which podcasts are worth pitching to.

1. Look at the reviews

Does the podcast have a posse of adoring fans – or are they being chased down by a bunch of disgruntled haters? 

Looking at the reviews of a podcast should give you an indication of whether listeners are raving – or ranting – about the podcast. While some brands may hold the belief that “Any publicity is good publicity”, it’s worth considering how being on a particular podcast could affect your brand’s reputation.

2. Check out their social media accounts

Does the podcast have people buzzing online?

Examine the podcaster’s social media following and engagement to see whether users are commenting on, Liking, or sharing their content. The more engagement they have, the more likely it is that your podcast episode will get shared around as well.

3. Analyze their website presence

Check out their website presence to see if their content resonates with your brand. If they are posting regularly, this means that they are consistent when it comes to producing fresh content. You can also use SEO tools like SEMrush to see their traffic stats and assess the benefits of earning a SEO-boosting backlink from their site.

4. Ask your audience

Got a loyal following already? Ask your fans about their favorite podcasts – or least favorite podcasts – to vet potential guest speaking opportunities. You can also ask their opinions about a particular podcast you are considering to gauge interest (and even build up some pre-broadcast hype).

5. Scope out the stats

Beyond positive reviews and audience reach, you’ll also want to see cold, hard stats for how many downloads a podcast is getting. This is the best indication of how many people are tuning in. 

An important note on podcast stats, though…

Understand that no podcaster can tell you how many listeners they have. They can only tell you how many downloads they have, how many they’ve received in the last month, and what the average number of downloads per episode is. 

And, unfortunately, they can lie about this. Without a screenshot for proof (which they can fake) there’s no way for you to truly verify whether a podcast is getting the amount of traction they say they are. However, it’s always worth it to ask to try and get information about the podcast’s reach.

All of these clues will give you an indication as to whether getting featured on a particular podcast would be good (or bad) for your brand. 

If a podcast has a wide reach, has a rock-solid reputation with positive reviews, and puts out content that ties into your brand, then it’s worth trying to land a spot as a podcast guest. 

How to Get Booked on Podcasts

So, while you may not be able to land a guest interview on Tim Ferriss’ podcast (one can dream), you can still find top-tier podcasts in your industry that will help you generate some massive publicity for your brand. 

Ready to get booked? Here’s how to become a guest on a podcast and start raking in the benefits.

1. Use PodcastGuests.com

This service is awesome, and puts podcast producers and hosts in touch with high-quality and relevant guests (like you!). Click here to sign up, and you’ll get the hookup via our affiliate link.

The services pulls double duty: you can use PodcastGuests to both source guests for your own podcast, and find podcasts that are looking for guests. 

Simply create a solid profile, spring for the paid version, and you’ll get promoted in their email to 14,000 subscribers. 

For example, on my PodcastGuests profile I describe my professional background and accomplishments, the topics I’m passionate about, my previous media appearances, and how I support podcasters in circulating their content to my own audience. 

The key here is to sell yourself – how awesome you are and what you bring to the table.

I scored over 10 interview requests, and most of them were very high quality. (For instance, this interview on the Leadership Without Borders radio show and podcast).

PodcastGuests is a great hack for finding guest speaker opportunities with minimal effort.

2. Create a List of Prospective Podcasts

While PodcastGuests plays podcast-guest matchmaker for you, you can also take a more active role in seeking out top-tier podcasts in your industry.

The best way to create a list of prospective podcasts is to create a tracking sheet that helps you organize which podcasts you want to reach out to. Start digging into the research, and as you find podcasts you want to target add them to the spreadsheet.

At The Content Factory, we have a tested process for identifying the absolute best prospective podcasts for our clients. 

You can download the exact tracking spreadsheet we use to vet potential podcasts, track which podcasts you have pitched to, and confirm which podcasts you have gotten successfully booked on.

This tracking sheet includes:

  • The name of the podcast
  • The focus of the podcast
  • The podcaster’s contact information
  • Their social media following
  • Number of reviews on Apple Podcasts
  • Any requirements they have for landing an interview

You can continuously add to this list, knowing which podcasters you have reached out to and following up with podcasters over time to increase your chances of getting booked.

Download the free Podcast Pitching Tracking Sheet and Pitch Template to start building your list of potential podcasts and get booked faster than Benihana on a Friday.

3. Google Top Podcasts in Your Industry

Looking for podcasts about dog walking? Being a location independent entrepreneur? Underwater basket weaving?

The simplest way to find podcasts that are relevant to your industry is to do a quick Google search.

You can use key terms like “entrepreneur podcast”, “travel podcast”, “investing podcast”, “cannabis podcast”, and the like to explore podcasts that may be looking for guest speakers like you. 

You can then vet them according to the outline above and add them to your tracking spreadsheet. Then, shoot the podcaster an email to see if they are open to guest interviews.

4. Search Apple Podcasts for Trending Podcasts

Podcast directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play Music, and TuneIn are great places to find trending podcasts for your industry.

You can typically use the search box on the platform to find podcasts that discuss topics that are relevant to your business. Or, there’s often a “Trending” or “Top Shows” column that showcases the top podcasts for that day, week, or month.

Use these platforms to find additional podcast interview opportunities, run them through the criteria above, and add them to your list.

5. Scope Out Your Competitors

Google your competition’s CEOs (and CEOs/influencers you admire in your industry) + “podcast” to see if Google spits out any juicy potential podcasting opportunities.

If your competition’s been featured in a podcast, you should be able to see a nice list of podcasts that you can pitch to yourself. Make sure the podcasts check off all the boxes in terms of criteria and then add them to your list.

6. Make Connections on LinkedIn

LinkedIn makes it simple to find users that either have podcasts or have been featured in podcasts themselves.

Just use the search box to search for people who use “podcast” in their profile. You can even filter your search based on the degree of connection to find people already in your network.

If their profile seems relevant to your business, or you think it’s worth pitching yourself as a guest speaker, extend a connection request. 

Just be sure to include a friendly introduction rather than DMing them “Can I get on your podcast?!” Nobody wants to be pitched cold, so warm it up by following them on Twitter (and on Medium and Quora, if they’re there too) and engaging with their content.

7. Join Facebook Groups

There are tons of Facebook groups dedicated to podcasting and finding guest speakers. Join them. Network your butt off. Build genuine connections to see if you can land yourself a spot as a podcast guest.

Again, don’t be *that person* who cold messages group members just to land a guest opportunity. Introduce yourself, ask them questions, and build an authentic connection. There are (often lucrative) benefits in taking a genuine approach and letting those relationships build over time.

8. Get Your Reddit On

Like Facebook, Reddit is home to loads of subreddits about podcasting and landing interview opportunities.

If you’re new to Reddit, you may need to build up your Karma a bit to get noticed on the platform. But, over time, commenting on threads and providing your expert tips could get you booked on an awesome industry podcast. 

9. Do a BuzzSumo Keyword Search

Buzzsumo is powerful content marketing tool that helps you find the most popular content on the web, as well as the top influencers in your industry.

You can use BuzzSumo to search for podcasts by industry or topic (e.g. [keyword in your industry] + “podcast”). The tool will then generate lists of backlinks, articles, and influencers you can check out.

Use these lists to find potential podcast interview opportunities. Look out for any big names in your industry, and for high-authority websites. Filter these podcasts through your criteria and add them to your spreadsheet if you think they are worth reaching out to.

Pro Tip: As you’re adding to your spreadsheet, include the influencer’s social handles and connect with them on each network systematically. 

Do this before you send them a pitch. This way, they sort of know who you are already – which will make your pitch more likely to land. 

You can even add them to Twitter lists and interact a bit to get on their radar.

10. Craft Your Pitch

By this point you should have at least 30-50 options on you list of prospective podcasts. Now it’s time for the pitch!

You really want to sell yourself as a kickass podcasting candidate. Think about what value you have to offer to their audience. 

What makes you stand out in your industry? What topics could you talk about that would be of interest to the podcaster AND help you drum up publicity?

The key here is to NOT be salesy – rather, pitch them on what you can bring to the table and why you think their audience would be interested in what you have to say. You should also mention how you will help market their podcast across your own social media platforms.

If you need inspiration, then look no further than our Free Pitch Template.

11. Stay Active on Social

It may take some time for you to get noticed, especially if you are relatively new in your industry. 

You’ll want to start networking with podcasters and influencers online to begin building those connections. Add them on social media, interact with their posts, and generally do what you can to get on their radar.

This is not an opportunity to spam them with messages requesting for them to interview you. Building that trust can go a long way, and can pay off ten-fold once they come to respect you and see you as an industry expert. 

You may even land an open invite to join their podcast on a regular basis!

12. Master the Follow Up

Once you’ve sent your pitch to the podcasters on your list, you’ll need to follow up according to a reasonable schedule. I recommend 3 days, 7 days, and 30 days before marking them as “not interested” on your spreadsheet. 

You can track email opens using MixMax (one of my favorite email marketing tools). If an email has been opened, but you received no response, follow up. If an email hasn’t been opened, check to make sure you have the right email address.

Pro Tips from an Expert Podcast Interviewer/Interviewee

With the help of PodcastGuests.com (plus networking and outreach), I’ve been able to land some awesome podcast guest speaking opportunities. 

Not only have these opportunities allowed me to connect with some genius thought leaders in my industry, but it has worked wonders for The Content Factory’s PR and brand reach.

To get booked on podcasts like a pro, follow some of these expert tips:

  • Master your messaging. Make sure you have your messaging down, and if you’re trying to sell something, be sure it’s relevant to the podcast’s audience. Consider offering a freebie or discount to that audience, which you can track via a unique URL or affiliate platform, so you can see which podcast appearances are actually driving sales.
  • Engage with their audience. When the podcast goes live and the host promos it, make sure you hang out on their social channels so you can interact with the people talking to the host about your interview/episode.
  • Practice makes perfect. Leverage lower-level podcast interviews to get experience and get better at conveying your messaging.
  • Promote your episodes. Continually promote your podcast appearances across your social networks, tagging the outlet and host to broaden your reach.

How to Find Podcasts Looking for Guests – & Get Booked

Figuring out how to become a guest on a podcast can be a long, often tedious process. From finding podcasts to filtering your list to sending pitches to podcasters, managing your brand’s publicity can become a full-time job.

Take the headache out of getting booked. If you want to land guest speaking opportunities on the top podcasts in your industry, we can help

Reach out to The Content Factory to discuss PR for your business and get booked as a guest speaker in no time.

While we’re at it, why stop at podcasts? We can also land you major media coverage beyond the earbuds – TCF’s clients have been featured everywhere from the Today show to The Wall Street Journal. 

Want in on the action? Contact us and we’ll get the media party started.

By Kari DePhillips


  1. This is a really interesting article. Having never ventured into podcasts, but thinking about doing so, my question is do you need any special equipment to be a guest? My audience is UK but I'm based abroad so I'd be contucting interviews from overseas.

    1. No special requirements, other than an interesting story and/or relevant expertise you can share with the podcast audience.

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