Podcast Guest Pitch Template: Book More Guests

August 24, 2021

Ever been to a party where you're the only guest to show up? Or worse...

Ever hosted a party that only one guest showed up to? Guess I'll be eating leftover guacamole for a week.

Neither situation is a fun one to be in. As a podcast host, you want to be keen on the ways to get guests to show up to your party.

How do I book more podcast guests? To book more podcast guests, start by...

Know what? Alexis explains it way better -- just listen to her. 👇

https://youtu.be/JZEAN_7JEHQ

Keep reading for more details on...

Let's get to it.

Who Are Your Podcast Guests?

First and foremost, you've got to figure out who the heck your guests are.

When you launch a B2B podcast, there's a number of goals you might have for your show. Things like...

More brand awareness
Stronger thought leadership
More content creation
Another revenue stream

All of those are perfectly fine objectives. But, if you want to see some serious ROI from your podcast, prioritize content-based networking.

Content-Based Networking

What the fluff is content-based networking?

When we talk about using your podcast for content-based networking, we mean make podcast episodes with your ideal customers.

You're podcasting for your business, right? Well, why not interview people who match your brand's ICP?

Then, you have the perfect opportunity to build lasting relationships with potential customers.

How It Works

Here's how content-based networking works, step-by-step:

Invite your ideal buyer to be a guest on your show.
Make the content all about their expertise.
Shine the spotlight on them.
Ask thought-provoking questions that make the guest feel like a rockstar.
Build a relationship with the guest by creating killer content from their interview.
Continue to engage the guest post-interview (send them the episode, links to other content that features them, engage with their posts on LinkedIn, etc.).
Nurture the relationship — it might turn into something in the future!

Take it from us -- business relationships rooted in valuable content do turn into something. Sweet Fish has driven over $4m in revenue from our flagship podcast, B2B Growth.

Identify Your Guests

Identifying who you want as guests on your B2B podcast is the easy part. Who matches your ICP? They're your ideal customers and your podcast guests (hopefully).

Your podcast guests should -- for the most part -- meet your ideal customer criteria:

Job title
Type of company
Size of company
Job functions
Age
Location
Revenue amount
Challenges
Goals

Ya know. That kind of stuff.

Now you know who your guests are. Let's find out where they are.

Where to Find Podcast Guests

When you're sourcing podcast guests, make sure to note their information in a Google Sheet or Xcel document. This way, you can keep track of all the names, sources, outreach statuses, and responses in one spot.

And, you won't make the mistake of reaching out to one person two separate times. 😬

There are lots of places to find podcast guests for your B2B show. Here are a few of them:

If you're in the B2B space, you probably spend a fair amount of time on LinkedIn. It's the perfect place to find guests who match your ICP because you can search for job titles, company names, and more.

First, look at your network. Who in there would make a good podcast guest?

Next, search for your ICP's job title. Then, look at companies that your ideal customer works at.

Once you've found a potential guest outside of your network, send them an invite to connect.

Industry Conference Keynotes

Do you know what keynote speakers like to do best? Speak.

Search for past and upcoming industry conferences. Look at who they have on their keynote docket. Do any of the speakers jibe with your ICP?

Add them to the list.

Amazon Books: Coming Soon & New Releases

Another source for interesting podcast guests is Amazon.

Check out their Coming Soon and New Releases book lists. Find authors who write about the topics you discuss on your show.

Authors with new books are often willing to speak on podcasts to drum up more publicity.

Similar Podcasts

There are probably a few shows out there similar to yours. See if they've had any guests who'd be good for your podcast.

Heck, see if the hosts of those shows are potential guests for yours.

Podcast Booking Agency

You could always outsource your guest booking to an agency.

Here are 10 guest booking agencies compared side-by-side.

Podcast Guest Pitch Template

You've got your list of potential guests now. Time to hit 'em up.

Before you jump to the template, there are five things to keep in mind when doing podcast guest outreach:

Keep it short.
Personalize it.
Don't talk about your company.
Always end with a question.
Butter 👏 those 👏 biscuits. 👏

We suggest using the following email sequence to book podcast guests.

Pitching Podcast Guests: Email Template

Email 1:

Hey [Name],

I saw your recently published [article, book, TedTalk, etc.] where you discussed [topic]. I would love to invite you to be a guest on my show, [Show Name].

I think my audience could learn a lot from you. Are you interested?

Email 2:

Hey [Name],

I still think you'd be a great guest for our show. Did you know [Name] was a past guest?

Email 3:

Hey [Name],

Haven't heard back from you about being on the show. Can we set up a quick call to see if this opportunity makes sense for you?

Email 4:

Hey [Name],

I didn't get a response to my last three emails, so I'm going to assume that your schedule is just too busy right now. If it clears up down the road, we'd still love to have you as a guest on [Show Name].

In addition to the email copy, your signature should include a link to your podcast's page.

Again, it's about keeping the focus on them. That's why we strongly advise against talking about your company, your awards, or your plans to take over the podcasting world a la Joe Rogan.

This simple yet effective email sequence has worked for us time and time again.

Pro Tips for Booking Podcast Guests

In addition to the email outreach template, consider these guest booking pro tips:

Personalized Video

Use an in-email video service, like BombBomb, to personalize your messages.

All you have to do is make a quick video of yourself inviting the person to be on your show. You can even use the email template as a script.

Recipients are much more likely to respond to an email with a video. Might as well try it out.

LinkedIn Voice Messages

Instead of sending a connection invite with a written message, wait until they accept your invitation. Then, send them a quick voice message, inviting them to be on your show.

Use the email template as a script if you want.

Social Media DMs

Is your potential guest active on Twitter or Instagram? Slide into the DMs.

Remember to keep your pitch short, especially for social media.

Tenacity Is Key

Even with all of this personalized outreach, some people still say no or worse -- they ghost you. 👻

But, a lot of people are going to say yes because being on a podcast that's focused on their industry is a no-brainer.

So keep the outreach flowing. Don't get discouraged if someone says no. The more guest outreach you do, the more likely you're going to book some pretty cool people.

Start by reaching out to 10 potential guests a week. Then, as you refine your process, ramp up the number of messages.

They Said Yes! Next Steps

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Are you prepared for when a guest says yes?

Here's a failproof process for getting the ball rolling:

Schedule a Pre-Interview: Create a 15-minute calendar link using Calendly or HubSpot.
Make an Outline: During the pre-interview, use POV discovery questions to reveal your guest's unique perspective. Jot down the main talking points you want to hit in the interview.
Schedule the Interview: At the end of the pre-interview, schedule the actual interview. This way, there's no confusing back-and-forth emailing about schedules.
Make a Calendar Invite: Create a calendar invite for the agreed upon date and time. Include the video conference link, any camera expectations, a backup phone number to call, contact info for rescheduling, and the interview outline.
Send a Reminder: Remind your guest of the interview the week of.

Before you know it, it's interview time.

Not sure how to interview someone? Here are some best practices.

Hey, Good-Bookin'

Start booking more podcast guests by keeping these key takeaways in mind:

Identify your ideal guest (customer).
Get creative with guest sourcing.
Keep your outreach to-the-point.
Butter those biscuits.
Don't give up.

For more buttery, flaky tips on B2B podcasting, subscribe to B2B Growth on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.