Podcasts are one of the most fun places to flex your speaking skills. And I’m not just saying that as a podcaster!

While there’s no experience quite like speaking in front of a live audience, podcasts are exciting in a different way. There’s something really cool about sharing your message with your audience in a quiet, intimate setting.

But first, you have to get booked by a podcast host. And before that, your pitch has to actually get read. So how do you become one of those in-demand podcast guests that hosts always want to say yes to?

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Does podcasting count as speaking?

Let’s deal with this question first. Does podcasting even count as speaking? The short answer? Yes. Here’s the long answer.

We traditionally consider speaking opportunities as gigs where we get up on a stage with bright lights and a big projector screen. Maybe we wear a microphone. There could be hundreds to thousands of people in the audience, or even more if you’re a super famous speaker.

But times have changed, y’all! The internet has changed the definition of what a “stage” is and what “speaking” involves. Alternative, unconventional stages let you make just as much of an impact on your audience as a regular stage at a conference.

Podcasting is one of them, but there are also webinars, live streams, virtual summits, YouTube videos — the list goes on.

So yes, podcasting counts as speaking, because stages come in many forms. Why not expand your horizons and try a different kind of speaking opportunity, like podcasting?

An outline of the pitching process

Have I convinced you that podcasting is a valuable speaking opportunity that can help you reach more of your audience and boost your speaking skills? Cool. Now, it’s up to you to pitch yourself and get booked as a guest!

You don’t have to hire an expensive PR firm to pitch podcasts for you, by the way. A DIY approach is perfectly fine, especially if you’re just starting your speaking journey. Pitching yourself also lets you connect with podcast hosts more personally, which means you’ll build stronger relationships from the get-go.

The first thing you need to know about pitching yourself as a speaker — for any opportunity, not just as a podcast guest — is that the timeline is longer than you think. There’s an entire episode about speaker pitch timeline where I get into the details, but basically, expect a 6 to 12-month lead time from pitch to event.

That timeline may be shorter among podcasters; many podcast hosts record their episodes anywhere from two weeks to three months in advance. That’s because everything has to be planned ahead of time: content, the interview itself, editing, and publishing.

As a speaker, it’s crucial that you start pitching for opportunities early. Give podcast hosts plenty of time to read your pitch and ask any questions they may have before booking you. You might even have to follow up once or twice to get a “yes” (or a definitive “no”).

As a podcast host myself, I can tell you we plan episode for The Speak to Scale Podcast FAR in advance. We plan our episodes quarterly and batch record episodes ahead of time to make sure we have plenty of time for the production and promotion side of things.

Finding the right podcasts to pitch

Now that you know how the pitching process typically goes, how do you find podcasts that are a good fit for you and your business? Which podcasts are your target audience actually listening to?

Before you start browsing the millions of podcasts currently on air, I recommend you get clear on a few things first.

What topic are you speaking on?
What are some keywords associated with this topic?
What categories are these shows listed under?

With this info in mind, you can start narrowing down those millions of podcasts. You’ll want to nix podcasts that are no longer active, and podcasts that don’t interview guests.

From here, you can start organizing the results of your search in a Google Doc or spreadsheet. (We’ll talk about how this is helpful in just a minute.) If you like a podcast but find that it’s on a break/hiatus, jot down that information for later. You can always pitch them when they return.

There’s a great episode featuring Case Lane on finding and pitching podcasts if you’d like to learn even more!

Tips for pitching podcasts

It’s time to write your pitch! Remember that spreadsheet I talked about creating? Once you’ve started finding potential podcasts to pitch, I recommend you write down information like:

The podcast name
The podcast host name
The website
Topics and categories
Contact info
Instructions on how to pitch

If the podcast has instructions in place for pitching, follow them! They’re not a suggestion. Podcast hosts are busy, and they have a process in place to make pitching and booking as smooth as possible.

Don’t think that disregarding those instructions will help you stand out and get booked. They’ll help you stand out, but not in the way that you want.

If there’s no form to use or process to follow, you can email the host directly. In your pitch, consider what you can offer the podcast and/or its audience. Why should they book you? What value will you bring to the show?

You don’t have to write an email from scratch every time you pitch. Create a template that will save you a little bit of time. Just remember to customize it for each pitch.

When in doubt, keep it short. Your pitch should intrigue the host and give them a glimpse of what you’ll bring to the podcast “stage” if you’re booked. Of course, if the host replies and asks you for more information, give it to them. But otherwise, be straightforward and keep it simple.

My favorite pitches to receive have nothing to do with how “famous” or popular the potential guest may be. The pitches that stick out to me are the ones that showcase how well the guest understands our listeners and clearly outlines the difference their episode will make for our audience.

Don’t give up on pitching too easily

Remember, you’re putting yourself out there when you pitch to podcasts. It’s hard! Rejection is never easy. You’re gonna be told no. You may not even get an answer at all. It’s okay; it’s all part of the process.

Keep pitching to the podcasts that make sense for you, your brand, and your speaking journey. It takes practice and determination. But if you’re choosing the right podcasts and pitching yourself well, you’ll get booked eventually.