How to Guest on Podcasts
as a Service Provider
Being a guest on podcasts is a great way to grow your visibility and authority online.
Whether you’re not ready to start your own podcast or want to get in front of other peoples audiences while improving your speaking skills, guesting on podcasts is a great place to start.
But how do you get started? So often, people ask me how I’ve been able to average speaking on 20+ shows per year since 2020 and I want to share my methods with you. Because it’s not abou being the loudest in your industry, it’s about being proactive and open to the opportunities that are all around you.
Benefits of Being a Guest on Podcasts
While I get into this much deeper in an interview with Chelsea Riffe on the Unprofessional Entrepreneur, I do want to give a quick overview of some fast results I’ve seen after showing up on someone elses show.
- New Clients
- Increase in followers and email subscribers
- Increased brand awareness
- Invited for more Speaking Opportunities
And that’s just a partial list. Chelsea talks about how she booked out her 1:1 coaching after guesting on one podcast. I’ve personally had numberous hosts and their listeners book a Remix service immediately without further sales conversations.
3 Ways to Land Podcast Guesting Spots
It’s not only the big names that get invited on podcasts but waiting for inbound invites isn’t the way you’re going to get booked onto podcasts. The last thing I want you to do is spend hours on research and outreach only to get rejected.
Below are 3 different ways that I regularly book guesting spots without any hassle or relying on people pitching me. Take these and use the ones that work, then come let me know which shows you’ll speak on!
Let your Existing Audience Know you're Open to Speaking
There are a lot of podcasts that run interview only shows and are constantly looking for new people to interview. So what you want to do is go on your social media account or write an email and let everyone who’s watching know that you are open to being booked.
Something along the lines of “Hey! I’d love to speak on more podcasts and be able to reach more people who are interested in learning about (YOUR NICHE). Some topics I can speak on are (BULLET POINT 1-3). If you’re looking for guests reach out to me (email/dms) or forward this to someone you think I’d vibe with!”
I promise you this works every time. I see them all over threads and IG stories but I know a post like this will be just as effective on LinkedIn or through an email. The key is to show what you can bring to their audience, not what they can do for you.
Guesting is a collaborative experience and hosts want to know you’re in it for an even exchange, them getting an exciting interview and you getting in front of more eyes, not one sides.
Apply using Guest Speaker Forms
If you’re not ready to put yourself out there publicly yet, guest forms a great backdoor way into podcast guesting.
They don’t require you to ask your audience to help you OR to have a perfect pitch email that will get your emails opened. Since you’re using their system, you can be sure you provide them with all the details they need from the get go and hopefully increase your chance of getting approved on the first try.
If there’s a podcast you like and think would be a great show for you to appear on, then head to that hosts website and check if they have a Guest Speaker Form. Of course, not all shows accept guests and some that do won’t have forms but for the most part, the shows that are interview based tend to have a simple form available for you to fill out.
Pro tip: Once you see what questions always come up(lead magnet link+description, headshot, bio), you can put together a one sheet doc for you or a team member to refer back to to speed up the process.
Email the Hosts Directly
I actually consider this an advanced for of podcast guesting and rarely do it. However, it is a tried and true method and can work if you do you research.
I run a podcast called the Unprofessional Entrepreneur and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to reject guest pitches from these buttoned up corporate types that are clearly just looking to go on a podcast tour and promote themselves.
That is what I don’t want you to do. If you have no connections and there’s no guest form for a show you want to go on, spend time looking at who their audience is, what topics they’ve already covered recently and see where you can fill a gap.
The pitch shouldn’t be a fluff piece about how great you are and all your experience, the host wants to know how talking to you will benefit their audience, and newsflash, your career highlights aren’t what they’re looking for.
Example of a Podcast Pitch
- There are a few things I want to see in every pitch:
- Research has been done
- How your topic will fit my audience
- What you’re going to do to support the show
The classic line I see in pitches is I listened to episode ____ and loved how you talked about XYZ, but that information can be found in the show notes of most shows and doesn’t actually show that you’ve done any research.
Example:
Greet the host,
Start with how/where you found them (everyone wants to know) and why you wanted to reach out.
Drop that hot elevator pitch about who you are and what you do but keep it simple, 2-3 lines maximum. We’re not telling our life story just dropping keywords of how our audiences align.
Tie together their podcast with your expertise and pitch 2-3 BULLET POINT topics you think will benefit their audience.
*Bonus: Include what you can do for them, i.e. sharing with your audience or an interview swap.
There you have it.
The why and how to start speaking on as a guest on podcasts. If you’re still in the research phase of guesting, I recommend listening to episode 33 of the Unprofessional Entrepreneur – 3 Ways I Land PR Ops where I go beyond just podcast guesting and talk about guest speaking and media features as well.
But mostly, I want you to go out and take action. Guesting isn’t a big scary thing, I look at it as a conversation with a friend as a marketing tactic. It’s a great low lift way to get more eyes on your business, launch a new offer and build relationships.
Let me know what shows you end up on by connecting with me over on IG @fellyday and don’t forget to hit pin!
About Felly Day
Felly Day is the owner of a content repurposing agency, FDStudio. She has a passion for helping entrepreneurs show up unprofessionally across the internet.
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