written by
David Hooper

Want More Podcast Interviews? Don't Do This!

Hall Of Shame Media Training 3 min read

Any time you reach out to a podcaster in hope of booking yourself (or somebody else) as a guest, you risk being rejected.

Even worse than being rejected is being ignored. And even worse than being ignored is ending up in the Big Podcast Bulletin Hall Of Shame.

Got this in my email box a couple of days ago...


I just listened to your chat with [SOME GURU] and had to say, damn, it was an awesome episode. I actually ended up applying for his mastermind!

Anyways, I’m currently working with a few unbelievable entrepreneurs with also a great story, and was wondering if I could make the introduction to be potentially on your show? Based on your previous guests, it would be a nice fit!

Can I send some more info over about them?

Head of Growth at [SOME COMPANY]

Ps. I know you get pitched all the time, so I promise I won't waste your time. :))

As a podcaster, it's likely you've seen variations of an email like this.

Here are the problems:

  1. You lied to me. And I know you lied because I've never had a "chat" with [SOME GURU] on my podcast. I reviewed his book, which is why he's listed in the episode title, but he wasn't part of the episode.

    This mistake could have been easily avoided by looking at the episode notes or playing a couple of minutes of the episode.
  2. I need more feedback than "awesome episode." It's not for my ego, but so I'll know if what you this is important is what I think is important. And that's how I'll know to listen to your suggestions for potential guests.
  3. I don't know what "unbelievable" means. It's right up there with words like "excellence" and "next level."

Here's how to fix them:

  1. Don't lie.

    If you haven't done something, don't say you have. I you've already done something, like waste my time, don't "promise" me you won't do it again in the future.
  2. Listen.

    It's so easy to click on the play button and listen for a few minutes. It's so easy to review notes about an episode.
  3. Be specific.

    Why did you like a certain episode? What about the guest you've heard did you connect with? What's so "unbelievable" about the people you're trying to get booked?

More Detail (Not Pitches) = More Podcast Interviews

Not all pitches are created equal. You can fool yourself into thinking you're being efficient by blasting a form letter to everybody who's ever released a podcast episode with [SOME GURU] in its title (or something similar. You may even fool some of the podcasters who receive your message. But "spray and pray" outreach like this isn't nearly as effective as targeting specific podcasters with specific details on specific episodes about a specific person you think would be a great match and giving specific details on why that person would be a great match.

Will you be able to reach as many podcasters with individualized messages as you can with a generic one? No. But you'll end up getting more bookings on better podcasts that will get the message you're trying to spread to the right people in the right way.

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