How I Pitched To Be A Guest On My Dream Podcast In 4 Simple Steps
Steal my playbook
As a first-time founder, I learned a ton from numerous podcasts.
The amount of insights, behind-the-scenes information, struggles, and real-life advice I heard from other entrepreneurs was priceless.
Some of my go-to podcasts about entrepreneurship included:
Once I discovered these podcasts, I began to find other interesting niche topics and hosts. For example, some podcasts talked about high-level thinking about startup ideas and raising millions in revenue while others touched upon the ground reality of launching a startup with no funding.
Every stage of an entrepreneur’s journey is different, and while it is great to keep an eye on the prize and aim for the moon, the reality is very different.
I used this as an opportunity to start learning from those who were a few steps ahead of me in their founder journey.
I found niche podcasts that I could resonate with at the early stages.
For example, getting your first customer and going from 0 to 1.
Or dealing with the challenges of being an immigrant founder.
Or exploring the deep trenches of getting to product-market fit.
The beauty of podcasts and the overall plethora of content online is that you can find whatever topic or niche you are interested in learning about.
During this deep dive, I discovered a few more podcasts that I enjoyed:
- Make Sense
- Founders without Borders
- Business Growth Hacks
- South Asian Trailblazers
- Emerging Brands Podcast
At Geeks and Experts, we work with founders or CMOs at startups and scaleups, so I knew that appearing on podcasts that resonate with my target audience would be a great starting point for me to make connections and also increase my thought leadership in the entrepreneur community.
Make Sense became my go-to podcast to pitch to and listen to as well!
Of course, simply having a dream podcast isn’t enough to be invited as a guest speaker. You need to have a product or at least an idea in mind, put in the effort to test your product, maybe generate case studies, and so on.
But, once you’re at that initial stage, nothing should stop you from appearing on podcasts to talk about any topic that resonates with you.
So now that you’d like to be a killer guest because you have some smashing and first-hand experiences of being a founder, let’s start pitching!
I was delighted to be on Make Sense alongside guests like Charlie O’Donnell and Ash Kaluarachchi whom I have admired for a long time.
Below is the 4-step framework I used:
#1 Create A Dream List
Start identifying which podcasts you’d love to be a guest on.
Some starting points could be looking at your peers in the industry, even competitors, and then selecting the podcasts that resonate with you.
I knew I would be most comfortable talking about the following topics:
- First-time founder
- Future of work/fractional talent
- Founder wellness
- Immigrant/WOC founder
- Bootstrapping from 0 to 1
If your startup creates PCOS products for women, your topics could be:
- CPG sales and GTM
- Brand development
- Wellness industry trends
- PCOS / Hormones
- Female founders
The idea is to simplify and not complicate which podcasts to be on. It’s great to have a high-level target list but create a realistic dream list first.
Remember, you want to be as comfortable as possible in the first few gigs.
#2 Do Your Homework
Once you have an achievable list, listen to a few podcast episodes.
Pay attention to identifying sticky points.
- Was there a particular insight you took away from one guest?
- Did the host discuss any industry trends you are an expert in?
- Does your product solve the problem they addressed in the podcast?
- Are there any resources you took away or tried that were valuable?
- What are other common links or connections you found with the host?
Podcast hosts get 100s of pitches and book recordings months in advance.
To get invited or to bump up your place in the recording, you need to use these sticky points and make a strong case as to why you’re a good fit, now!
Below are some sticky points I noted when I heard the Make Sense pod.
- Every interview starts with a ‘crystal ball’ talking about the industry trends that may or may not happen. My startup is in the future of work, and post-Covid, this was on the rise which made it a relevant trend.
- The host is very passionate about discussing customer discovery and finding product-market fit, as her listeners are mostly founders solving this issue, so I found and shared helpful resources like “The Mom Test”.
- The host interviewed multiple Techstars founders, one of whom mentored me during the time I was in the accelerator program. It was an easy mutual connection to increase my credibility and value-add.
Make it about them, not about you!
#3 Nail Your Pitch
I have followed Lindsay Tabas’ content since I heard the word PMF.
As an EIR for Techstars and product genius, Lindsay Tabas offers incredible insights about doing customer discovery interviews and getting to PMF.
I remember using her printable e-book guide as a go-to template when I was figuring out who was the ICP for my startup, Geeks and Experts.
After listening to a few more of her podcasts, I decided to write to her.
The message I wrote to Lindsay covered key points, including:
- Who am I, what does my startup do, and why — with social proof?
- Why is now a good time — industry trends, like the future of work, etc?
- Why do I want to be on the podcast — my insights, credibility?
- How did I find the host — via Techstars, peers, YouTube, etc.?
Be sure to request them for an intro call. You want the first pitch to land you a get-to-know-you call with the host.
Try this template if you are starting and looking for pitching ideas:
Hello [podcast host],
I hope you’re well! My name is [your name], and I am the founder of [your company]— [your company one-liner]. [Any accolades such as client case studies, investors, partners, or accelerators you’ve been a part of].
I have enjoyed listening to your podcast, especially the episode on [name of the episode]. I appreciate that you talked about [topic/resource]. My startup addresses [problem] for [users] that might be relevant given [recent trends].
I’d love to be considered as a guest speaker on the [name of podcast] if you’re up for it. We could schedule some time to chat to see if it’s a good fit.
Let me know what you think. Take care!
All my best, [your name]
Make it as easy as possible for them to get to know you better, or invite you!
#4 Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
Congrats! You’ve landed a speaking gig at your dream podcast.
Be a giver and dedicate time and resources to make this a meaningful exchange for the host. As a guest, all you have to do is show up and talk.
The host and their team put in a lot of effort to get media collateral ready, edit the podcast, share the recordings on multiple platforms, and so on.
To make this 100 times more meaningful:
- Ask them what questions you can prepare in advance
- Offer to create some special perks for their listeners
- Send them preparation material like headshots, bios, and so on
- Be responsive to scheduling and add reminders to your calendar
- If you need to reschedule, be sure to let them know in advance
Being prepared and offering them upfront perks or going out of your way to make the recording a success makes both of you gain from it.
Also, it takes a few gigs to get comfortable speaking candidly, sharing vulnerabilities, or exchanging insights — the best you can do is to be you!
Don’t try to be someone who has it all figured out!
Good luck pitching!
Check out Part 1 of my playbook to get featured in top-tier outlets!
At Geeks and Experts, we match PR specialists with startups and scaleups across industries from Fitness to FinTech. Starting at $1500/m you can work with PR talent to generate earned media and visibility for your startup to build trust, increase awareness, feature in niche publications, appear in speaking engagements, or build thought leadership to name a few!
Leave a comment if you found this playbook helpful. And, let’s connect if you’d like to work with PR Geeks and Experts to skyrocket your PR efforts!
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