How do you pitch someone to be a podcast guest?

A podcast guest pitch works when it shows you know who you are writing to and makes saying yes require no further thought. Name the specific thing that made you want them, say who listens to the show, give the format and the time commitment, and propose a concrete next step.

The most common mistake is writing about your show. The person reading has no stake in your show yet. They have a stake in whatever they are working on, so the pitch has to open there.

The second mistake is hiding the commitment. If it is forty-five minutes on video, say so in the first three lines. Vagueness reads as either disorganisation or a trap, and both get ignored.

The third is asking an open question at the end. "Would you be interested?" invites a decision with no deadline, which means it never gets made. Give a next step small enough to say yes to.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Open with the specific reason it is them

    A talk they gave, a post they wrote, a decision they made. One line. It has to be something you could not have said to anyone else.

  2. 2

    Say who listens

    Not download numbers. Who. "About nine hundred agency owners" is far more persuasive to the right guest than a bigger number with no shape.

  3. 3

    State the format and the length up front

    Video or audio, remote or in person, how long, and roughly when it would go out.

  4. 4

    Name what they get

    The clips, the transcript, the audience. Be honest. If the show is small, the honest version is still a reason.

  5. 5

    Close with one concrete step

    A link with three times on it. Not "let me know your thoughts".

People also ask

How long should a podcast guest pitch be?
Short enough to read on a phone without scrolling twice. Roughly 120 words. Anything longer is usually the host talking about the host.
How do I pitch myself as a podcast guest?
The same structure inverted. Name the episode of theirs you actually listened to, say what you could add that their recent guests did not cover, and make it easy to check that you are worth having on.
Should I follow up on a podcast pitch?
Once, after about a week, on the same thread. A second follow-up rarely converts and costs goodwill.

In PodGlue

Podcast relationship management

Track who you pitched, what you said, and when to follow up, without a spreadsheet.

Related questions

Last reviewed 2026-09-01