HOW TO GIVE A GREAT PITCH TO BOOK ANY PODCAST

podcast podcast guesting podcasting Oct 11, 2019
 
 
 

Want to know how to give an amazing pitch that won't get ignored and will actually give you a huge chance of booking it?

In this blog, I'm so excited to share with you the formula that has helped me book podcast after podcast, including John Lee Dumas' "Entrepreneur On Fire"!

I can't wait!

 


 

And before we dive in, you should grab my free template where I'll walk you through my Perfect Podcast Pitch Template to help you book any podcast!

 


 

How To Never EVER Book Any Podcast...

 
I get about 5 podcast pitches a week in my inbox of entrepreneurs {or their agents} trying to get them on my show, "The Visible Entrepeneur".
 
I actually got one this morning. And I'm going to show it to you not because of trying to embarrass anyone at all, but because this is the best way for you to learn. 
 
So this one is from Jordan's podcast agent, pitching her for my show.
 
I want you to study it for a few minutes to see what the possible problems are that the agent could easily fix...and what will save you a lot of time from ending up in the trash bin.
 
See if you can actually take note of a few before continuing to read.
 
Ready?
 

#1. There is an inserted {or attached} photo.

 
This is a big no-no for any type of publicity submission. Editors, journalists, anyone in the media will rarely even open an email with an attachment or inserted photo.
 
A lot of people don't know this! I know I didn't until I co-authored Publicity Jumpstart with my amazing publicist friend Kristin Marquet!
 
There just isn't time, in a lot of cases, to deal with attachments - so they get dumped in the trash.
 
We'll talk about what to do to fix this a little further down in this blog.
 

#2. The subject line is boring.

 
When you're trying to get the attention amongst hundreds {or even thousands} of emails, you need to do everything in your power to stand out.
 
There's no reason at all why I should feel intrigued to open this. And that's actually a huge disadvantage to Jessica because she could so easily have a unique spin to her marketing pitches. I'll show you more on that later.
 

#3. The explanation of who she is - is way too long.

 
My students know that they better be able to explain what they do in one sentence. And not a run-on sentence either!
 
We have such a small window to capture someone's attention - and pretty much the smallest window with a pitch email.
 
This email wasted 5 sentences on explaining who Jessica is, which is about 4 sentences too long.
 

#4. There's no indication that this agent even knows who I am.

 
Did you notice that there isn't even a word about why Jessica would be a good fit for my show? Or why they liked my show in the first place?
 
That unfortunately tells me that my podcast was in a long line of names that this agent sent this pitch to.
 
It's such a disservice to her client - because even just one sentence about my show would have warmed me up a little bit.
 
 

#5. No pitch topics.

 
What could she speak on that would really help my listeners? I have no idea. And that isn't a good thing!
 
If you can only remember one thing from me, it would be that...
 
NO ONE WILL DO THE WORK FOR YOU TO SHOWCASE YOU!
 
That's your job. So not making it clear to a podcast host about exactly how you can help their audience is a big no no.
 
 

#6. No generous action.

 
We have a very small window to set ourselves apart. So when a podcast pitch does not contain a generous action, I move on.
 
Because that tells me this is an interviewee {or agent} that will not share the episode, will not support the show. They'll just add it to a list of "featured on" logos in their roster and I'll never hear from them again.
 
 
These are the six glaring issues I can see from this pitch. Did you catch them all?
 
And, now that I've told you, it probably sticks out like a sore thumb! Don't worry, this is a process you have to learn -- so don't beat yourself up if you've made these mistakes.
 
We can fix them now.
 

 Remember, you can still grab the 3 page Podcast Pitch worksheets right here so you can start crafting your pitch right now! Download it here.

 

How To Position Yourself For A Perfect Pitch

 

 

Now that we've learned the wrong way to do something {remember, this is a learning experience for everyone}, now I'd love to show you the right way!

 
And this actually doesn't have to take up a ton of time.
 
If you do the work on yourself first, that's about 80% of the job. The rest is researching your desired podcast and follow up. 
 
 

#1. Create your mini bio.

 
 
It's easy to go on and on about yourself, but it isn't effective for any visibility or publicity strategy.
 
What you need is a clear and concise two sentence description of who you are and what you do. 
 
For example, 

Michelle Lewis is a Visibility Expert who specializes in helping established entrepreneurs skyrocket their visibility, launch their unique show strategy and start landing press for their brand through Hollywood techniques found in her programs and membership The Visibility Lounge. She is host of “The Visible Entrepreneur” podcast and facebook group and has been featured on Entrepreneur On Fire, The Huffington Post, Medium, Buzzfeed and Small Biz Trends. 

That is a pretty action-packed mini bio!

It clearly explains who I am, how I help my students and what accreditation's I have to my name. It obviously don't have to be this long if you don't have a lot of features yet, but it's a good example you can work from.

 

#2. Figure out your two main talking points.

 

You are not, cannot and will not be good at everything :)

What I mean by that is, when you're pitching for a podcast, you need to focus on one or two things that make you different.

That will intrigue a host to interview you.

So, for example, a mindset coach would probably think about pitching themselves to talk about mindset.

That won't book you.

There are a million people who can talk about mindset.

But what you could do is dig into two specific aspects around the mindset topic that no one else is talking about.

  • The 5 minute morning mindset practice of the 20 top earners in the world
  • How to utilize the rapid-imaging technique to hit your goals 10x faster than your competition

Can you tell I love this topic?!

But, in all seriousness, those two pitches would get read. And probably booked.

See what I mean?

 

#3. Give an example.

 

Link, do not insert, your work.

Putting in a hyperlink that leads to your press page is all you need to do. And you can do that in your mini bio or when you're signing off.

We already talked about attachments being a no-no, so remember to always hyperlink.

I don't have the space today to talk about press pages, but if you're ready to build yours now, you can grab the Press Page Template here.

 

#4. Show interest in their show.

 

Why on earth should you be on their show? Well, you've got to prove why.

And a huge part of that is letting them know why you relate to and resonate with their show.

Listen to at least one full episode and glance through their latest season.

Who is their target audience? How can you support that audience?

What is an episode that you really liked?

Let the host {or booker} know in the email. This will establish a good relationship that isn't all about you and what you can get by being on the show.

 

#5. A generous action.

 

This is the perfect way to sign off your pitch. Give something that costs your time.

Whether it's a 5 star review, a blog comment, a testimonial...wherever you feel led.

A simple gesture like this goes miles and miles when it comes to podcasting relationships.

It shows a booker you can be trusted, that you are generous and that you will {as weird as the correlation is} promote their show.

We always want our true nature to shine through our pitches, so do everything you can to be generous.

 



 

We've covered a TON of ground today, yeah?

But I hope this has shown you how NOT to pitch - and how TO pitch!

Some very common mistakes are so easy to avoid.

And it doesn't take much work to craft a pitch that really stands out, and gets you booked!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, so....

Comment below: 

What mistakes have you been making with your podcast pitches? What can you adjust to make them stronger? ⤵️

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