How to Get Booked on a Podcast

There’s a bunch of reasons to want to be guest on a podcast, including wanting to promote yourself, product, company, or nonprofit.

Podcasts are good venues for promotion because the format allows guests to fully expound upon an idea or story to a relatively highly engaged audience.

So how do you become a podcast guest?

1. Have something to offer.  Maybe what you offer is knowledge, your story, a product, service, or a nonprofit.  Before asking to be a guest, make sure you have something to offer.  In my case, a guest with cool story may be good enough, but including something in addition to that story is a major plus.  For example, a guest that not only has a good story but is making impacts by operating an organization adds appeal.  Even better is a guest that can provide listeners with takeaways, meaning something listeners can find value in such as advice, a product, an idea, a technique, etc.
2. Contact the podcaster. Work up the courage to ask the podcaster.  Don’t be afraid of rejection, which is often in the form of a non-reply.  The likely worst case scenario is you hear a big no.  Remember, you won’t get on a podcast unless the podcast approaches you or you approach them and right now, you can only control the later.
3. Present a clear and concise message for why you’re a good guest.  Those podcasting long enough are often approached by individuals and organizations wanting to be a guest.  Often very few provide a clear and concise message explaining why they’re a good guest.  To me, it’s impressive when someone approaches me with a quick message (5-7 sentences) explaining why they’re a good guest and including links to their social media, websites, etc.  This person appears organized and likely really wants to be on the show.

In my experience, those that meet the three steps above have a decent chance of getting booked, but be realistic about the podcasts you approach.  Don’t expect to get booked on the This Past Weekend with Theo Von or any other insanely popular podcasts.  There’s leagues in podcasting, but for sure don’t let that deter you.