INTRODUCTION
According to Edison Research, approximately 80 million Americans listen to podcasts weekly. This makes sense as they’re easy to access and follow, both at home/office and on the road.
Having your clients featured on the right podcast can be an effective public relations and marketing strategy. It not only increases their brand recognition, but it also expands the company’s reach and helps the staff be perceived as experts in their field.
Here are best practices to follow when pitching a podcast.
DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST
Due to the nature of podcast formats, make sure you do your research ahead of time. For example, research their guest policy, social media presence, the longevity of the podcast and its ratings. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to know that podcasts with a higher ranking get more listeners. Another metric to find out is the podcast audience size. The easiest way is to look at the podcast download numbers and the number of subscribers on the various platforms (e.g. Stitcher) on which the podcast is published.
To begin your research, start with platforms like Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Also, be sure to see if traditional media or trade publications produce regular podcast content, too. One example being Becker’s Hospital Review, which is a healthcare trade publication that also produces a podcast.
Another thing to keep in mind when looking for the right podcast to pitch is searching with keywords related to your industry (e.g. real estate or healthcare data).
Once you’ve made a list of potential podcasts, listen to them before pitching. This will help as you can include information about what you learned from previous episodes or at the least, know what topics have already been discussed.
HOW TO PITCH A PODCAST
Like with any media outreach, you need to pitch the right person. A more established or sophisticated podcast will likely have a producer or a “Chief Podcast Officer.” If they don’t exist, then pitch the podcast host.
If your schedule allows, start pitching early. Many podcasts book far in advance so start roughly six to nine months ahead of time.
When pitching, the main goal is to prove to the podcast host (or producer) that your guest will resonate with their audience and be a good fit for the show. One way to do that is to include three to five potential topics for the interview within your ask.
Here is a sample pitch:
Hello (podcast host/producer’s name),
Are you currently looking for guests for [podcast name] with background/expertise on [topic]? In the recent episode in which you talked about [topic], it really resonated with this future guest and inspired me to connect with you. I think your podcast audience would enjoying learning about the following topics. Topic #1 – XXX. Topic #2 – XXX and Topic #3.
I look forward to talking about how this guest, who has [# of years] experience in [industry], would be a good fit for your [podcast focus or current theme].
If you don’t hear back right away, send a follow-up after 10-14 days of the original pitch. If the podcast turns you down, then as a last resort you can ask if it has sponsored guest opportunities.