If you’re like most podcasters, you’ve come up with an idea for a show that gets you really excited. It’s all you can think about and you can think of 15 different people off the top of your head who would be perfect guests.
Chances are, you may even already know a bunch of these people, maybe you’ve done business with them before, been mentored or coached by them, friends, family, some random dude you met on the subway, and so on and so on. (My bet is the subway dude is going to be an awesome episode.)
Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down there.
The thing is, we take the fact that we know all of these people already who would be great guests, and wind up thinking that it’s going to be a breeze finding people who want to come on our show and talk with us for, well, ever.
The truth is, often after that initial group of guests we have lined up in our pre-launch podcast fantasizing (I fantasize about podcasts all the time, so if you do as well, you’re in good company. Well, I think…) it turns out that it isn’t always a breeze finding people willing to commit hours to coming on our show.
Now, I’m not saying people don’t want to talk to you (I mean c’mon, you’re super interesting right?), but people are busy, you included. On your part, it takes a real time commitment to reach out to potential guests, coordinate schedules, and then actually record the episode.
On their part, well, basically they’ve just got to make time for the episode, but with really high-quality guests, their time is often at a premium.
Basically what I’m saying is that finding quality guests is work.
BUT I would venture to say that there are few areas in your podcast where your time could be better spent. You could have the greatest concept for a show in the world, but if you can’t find the guests to bring that concept to life and expose the different topics around it, it’s going to fall flat.
So today, we’re going to go over some tips for connecting with quality guests for your podcast that will help fulfill the potential of your concept.
Who to target as potential guests
So first things first, you’ve got your show concept, and hopefully have a good idea of who your audience is and what they want. If not, well, you should start there and then come back to this article when you have a better idea.*
* If you have no idea about any of this we’re releasing a 10 lesson email course walking you through the podcast launch process in early July. You can stay up to date on the course here.
There are a few reasons why you might want to have a guest on your show, which will help you decide who to approach and pitch to.
1. They are someone that you personally have an interest in talking toOne of the greatest benefits of starting a podcast is it often can give you access to influencers and people who you personally look up to. Hopefully, your podcast concept revolves around a group of many people you’re interested in talking to, so that you’re not reaching to tie a specific idol of yours into your podcasts theme.
2. They have a story to tell or something to teach that your audience will benefit from Really, this should be your guiding light when it comes to identifying potential guests. I know it’s your show and all, but really, you should be viewing your podcast as a service you provide to your audience. Everything you do should be of service in some way to your audience. Do this and you’ll find yourself with a loyal (and hopefully large) audience.
3. They have something to promote that you are earning an affiliate commission on Ok, so I include this because technically it is a valid reason for having someone on (and a great way to monetize your podcast). BUT, this should never ever ever ever ever be the reason that you are approaching them to have them on. Do that and you will not have a loyal or large audience for very long.
In a perfect world, all three of these factors would line up every episode and you make a killing on affiliate commissions, retire early, and podcast from your yacht in the Mediterranean.
In a more realistic world, the first two will overlap on pretty much all of your episodes and every so often you’ll find something to promote to your audience as an affiliate that you (and your guest) can really push.
In a slightly less exciting world, #2 is met every single episode, #1 is met sometimes, and #3 is met rarely if at all.
Throwing in a curveball
Keep in mind that while you want to be bringing on guests who will benefit your audience, your audience doesn’t always know what they want. They’re following you for a reason and trust your judgement, so if you have an idea for a guest who is a bit out of left field but still relates to your topic, bring them on! These can be some of the most valuable episodes as they open your listeners up to new ways of thinking about your show’s subject matter.
Just make sure that you feed them enough core content that relates directly to your niche. I don’t have any hard and fast stats for you, but if you’re doing a weekly show, once every 4 – 6 weeks feels about right to me for bringing in someone whose message is a little different from the norm.
Before we move on, I want to clarify once more, you should always be bringing on guests from whom your listeners will benefit. I know, I know, you got into podcasting thinking you were going to be the boss, but tough luck. Nurture your listeners or… well there is no other option, nurture your listeners and help bring them stories, perspectives, and knowledge that they’ll appreciate hearing. ‘Nuf said.
Now that you have a blueprint for general categories of people to approach, you can begin doing some research and making a list* of all the people you want to connect with about coming on your show.
* Or spreadsheet, matrix, write it down on balloons for all I care, just make the list already!
(Oh man this is so exciting, your show is going to rock!)
Making the connection
You’ve got your list, you’re feeling confident (yeah ok, you’re actually a blubbering mess at the thought of approaching these luminaries to come on your podcast). Regardless, the point is that you’re at the point where it’s time to actually reach out to them.
If you’re already familiar with the potential guest, this should be fairly straightforward. But sooner or later you’re going to be reaching further and further outside of your network of personal connections in search of guests, and you’re going to need some tact.
Degrees of separation
One of the very best ways to connect with someone you have an interest in having on your show is if you have a mutual friend or colleague in common. Write up an email and then have your mutual acquaintance pass the message on to the person in question.
I say write the email yourself, as this way you can control the way you and your show are presented, the tone, and why they might be interested in coming on. It also saves your friend work and increases the chances that they actually send the email at all. People are busy, remember? Note that this strategy gets easier and easier the longer you podcast. Huzzah!
The Pre-connect
If you find yourself in the unenviable position of not having a connection to someone you’re dying to have on your show (ok we’ve all been there many times), you’re going to have to get a little more creative in your approach.
Sure an email could work, but we’re all bombarded with so many emails every day that between spam filters and overflowing inboxes, I’d say that putting all your eggs in the email basket is a low percentage play here.
The strategy I recommend takes a bit more time, but can pay off in the long run. I call it Building A Relationship (cool title huh?)
Once you’ve identified your target guest (or guests), start following them on social media, and engaging with what they’re sharing. Start out with some likes and comments and then perhaps move to a private message once they’ve reciprocated the interaction. Even if they only post every couple of days, that’s multiple opportunities per week to interact with them and introduce yourself.
Then, and only then is it time to pull out the email. You can now introduce yourself as “that gal who’s been stalking – I mean interacting – with you on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/MySpace/peering through your kitchen window over the past few weeks.
Note that this strategy works best when you actually do want to build a relationship and aren’t just trying to get them on your podcast. But I already know that’s what you want!
A note on emails
So when it comes to podcasting, blogging, content creation, and email, I’m a big fan of not only letting your personality shine through, but of really playing up your personality even more than you might normally.
We’ve all read more than enough dry, business-y (read: BORING) emails in our day, and we want to stand out when we approach potential guests right? Right.
So with that said, get creative with your subject lines and email text, especially the first few lines. I’m a fan of being a little zany (if that’s who you are) so as to put it out there immediately that this is who I am, and this is what my show/blog/etc is about. The people I want to work and interact with are people who respond well to that, so if they’re not a fan of my “unprofessionalism”, let’s get that out of the way so they can go back to their boring business emails and I can go back to watching Seinfeld reruns for the bazillionth time!
Unfortunately I can’t give you any specifics on what you should write here. It’s your personality you’re trying to get across isn’t it??
Knowing when to move on
Remember how I said that people are busy? Well this has yet another (or two) implications when it comes to recruiting guests.
The first is that it can sometimes take a long time to work out the scheduling to have a particular person come on your show. They may be interested but have a lot on their plate at the moment. In this case, you’re probably going to have to email them a number of times to reconnect and refresh yourself in their mind while waiting for an opportunity to make it work.
In other cases, it’s just not worth your effort to keep pestering them, and will only damage both your relationship with them, as well as any future chances to have them on the show. No matter how perfect a guest they may be, sometimes you just have to move on and come back to it in a year when you can check in with them again.
Building A Guest Referral Network
I mentioned earlier how it becomes easier and easier to find guests for your show the longer you podcast for. This is because you can set up a referral network of sorts that ensures you have people approaching you to come on your show on a regular basis. This can bring a whole new set of challenges as you’ll have to wade through the offers to determine who your audience will really benefit from, but it’s a good problem to have.
Keep in mind that even when you get to this point you probably are going to want to keep reaching out to specific people that interest you on a personal level, as well as a listener level.
Two ways of getting referrals
There are two main ways that I recommend getting referrals for potential guests, your audience, and your past guests.
If you have a track record of high quality, well-connected guests, they are probably going to be able to make some valuable introductions to other influencers and sought after guests. Personally, I like to have my guests fill out a short pre or post-show interview form with one of the questions regarding anyone they know who might be worth reaching out to to guest on the show. The one issue I have with this approach is that it can often get a little incestuous after a while, with a number of similar guests.
It seems to be the case for most genres of podcasts, that there is a core group of guests who seem to make the rounds on all the applicable shows. Now, this is probably because they have some great knowledge, a large audience of their own, and can bring valuable insight to you and your audience. These people are definitely worth having on your show every once in a while. But only every once in a while.
You do not (and neither do I) want your show to become another one of those shows where these common guests make the rounds. Sure they have some great info, but they’ve shared it on a dozen other podcasts already. You want to stand out, and provide a different angle on your niche compared to what’s already out there.
This is where your listeners come in. Your listeners can often put you on to lesser known guests that you would never have heard of otherwise and might not be podcast mainstays. Don’t underestimate the power and impact of the stories that these guests can share with your audience. Besides, if one of your listeners suggested them, you know you’ve got one fan who’s going to be interested already, and probably a whole lot more.
Wrapping this whole thing up
Selecting the guests for your show is one of the most important decisions you make that will affect the success of your show. Your gear can be the best in the world or the mic on your phone. Either way, without great content in the form of interesting and insightful guests, your show is not going to get a whole lot of downloads.
By the same token, even if you’re recording on your phone, if your guests are fantastic, you still can get those downloads and engagement that you’re after.
This is one of the areas of running a podcast that can be the most time intensive. Researching and reaching out to guests can be frustrating and even downright disheartening at times. But hang in there. With the right touch and a little bit of persistence, you’ll be landing your dream guests and selling out stadiums with your podcast*.
*I mean that figuratively. Not that your podcast couldn’t do if it sets its mind to it…
To help you out with recruiting awesome guests to your podcast, I’ve created a downloadable version of the email template I use myself when contacting guests! Click below to download your copy and get started reaching out to some amazing people! Just don’t forget to change all the specifics for each guest 😉
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If you’re looking for some inspiration and support in your podcasting journey, come check out our free Cut The Bullshit Podcast Community. We’re an open, honest, but challenging community aimed at improving our brands through podcasting and making genuine connections with our listeners. See ya inside 🙂
Jeremy travels full-time, loves long-distance cycle touring, and will always look back on the day he finally saved up enough money to buy the Millennium Falcon Lego set as one of his proudest achievements. He believes that the way to grow sustainable businesses is by leading with heart, vulnerability, and helping your people be and become their best selves.
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