How do you find podcast guests?

The most reliable source of podcast guests is the people your previous guests already know, because a warm introduction converts far better than a cold pitch. Beyond referrals, guests come from your own listeners, from the guest lists of shows adjacent to yours, from people who have just published something they want to talk about, and from communities where your audience already spends time.

Most advice on this starts with cold outreach, which is the hardest possible way to do it. Cold outreach is what you use when the other four options are empty.

The reason referrals work is not politeness. Someone who has just recorded with you knows exactly what the experience was like, so their recommendation carries information a cold email cannot. The catch is that the window is short. Ask in the days after recording, while the episode is still a good memory, not six months later when you need a guest.

The practical failure is rarely running out of names. It is losing track of them. A pipeline of forty possible guests is worth nothing if you cannot remember which eight you already contacted, who said "maybe in the spring", and which introduction someone offered you in a reply you have since scrolled past.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Ask every guest for two names

    Do it in the thank-you message, not weeks later. Ask for two specifically. One feels like a favour, five feels like homework, two feels like a conversation.

  2. 2

    Look at who is already listening

    People who reply to your episodes have self-selected. They know the show, they know the format, and they say yes at a much higher rate than strangers.

  3. 3

    Read the guest lists of adjacent shows

    Not competitors. Shows that share your audience but not your angle. Someone who has been a guest before knows how to be one.

  4. 4

    Watch for people with something to say right now

    A book, a launch, a new role, a study. Timing does most of the persuading. The same person who ignores you in March will reply in September if September is when their thing is out.

  5. 5

    Write down where each one came from

    The source matters more than the name. Once you know that referrals convert at four times cold outreach, you stop spending Tuesday mornings on cold outreach.

People also ask

How do I get podcast guests when nobody has heard of my show?
Start with people who already know you rather than people who are famous. A small show with a specific audience is genuinely attractive to someone selling to that audience, and saying so plainly in the ask works better than pretending to be bigger than you are.
What is the best way to find podcast guests?
Referrals from previous guests, asked for within a few days of recording. Every other channel takes more effort per booking.
Do podcasts need guests?
No. Solo and co-hosted shows work well. Guests are worth the coordination cost when the guest brings an audience, an expertise, or a story you cannot supply yourself.

In PodGlue

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Last reviewed 2026-09-01