Find Podcast Guests + e-mail Templates

Are you struggling to bring guests to your podcast? Are you worried that you won’t get a yes from the guests?

Then this article is for you.

In this article, you will learn:

• How to find guests for your podcast
• How to approach them
• Email & DM templates to reach out to them
• How to write an outreach message that gets a “Yes”

Let’s jump into the article.

Benefits of inviting guests to your podcast

Inviting guests to your podcast is one of the best ways to grow your podcast.

• Increase buzz about your podcast

Since your guests are an authority figure in their niche, a lot of people would be interested in listening to their thoughts which will increase your episode listeners.

• You don’t have to write scripts for your podcast

By inviting guests to your show and interviewing them, you can get high-quality content on your podcast and it takes away spending hours preparing an episode script.

• Boost your podcast reach

The guests will share your podcast with his/her audience once your episode is live. So your podcast will be in front of hundreds if not 1000’s of new listeners giving you reach and subscribers.

• Boost your Podcast SEO

Inviting authoritative guests from your niche to your podcast can be a powerful SEO strategy. These guests often have names that serve as low-competition keywords, so when people search for them on Google, your podcast has a great chance of ranking highly. This can help you reach a larger audience and increase your podcast's discoverability.

In addition, if your guests have their own website, they often will link back to your episode page, which will strenghten your google ranking.

So, let’s see what are the best ways to find guests, reach out to them and get them to say yes to join you on one of your podcast episodes.

How to identify guests?

It's not just about reaching out to the most popular celebrity guests and influencers. It's important to target guests who are relevant to your niche and who your target audience is likely to be interested in.

So always ask these 4 questions before you approach a guest for your podcast:

• Is the guest related to your podcasting niche or topic & can discuss popular trending topics?
• Will your podcast audience find your guest inspiring & interesting to listen to?
• Does the podcast guest have a following on social media? (this will help you get reach when your podcast goes live)
• Has the guest been on a podcast before? (this is not a must, but if they have already been on a podcast before, it means they understand the space and are much more likely to say yes)

Keep these 4 points in mind when you start looking for a guest.

5 Ways to find a guest for your podcast

1. Look into your connections and your audience

When you're looking for guests, one of the best places to start is by looking at your existing connections and social media followers. Since you already have a relationship with them, they're more likely to say "yes" to your invitation. Not only is this more efficient, but it also makes the whole process more personal and authentic.

If you can’t find an ideal guest among your own friends and followers, you can also ask your audience.

You can try mentioning on your podcast that you’re looking for a guest to be on your show and ask them to reach out to you if they meet what you’re looking for. Add a form to your podcast summary/show notes, using Tally or Google Forms, and ask people to fill out the form if they want to be a guest on your show.

2. Facebook, Linkedin, Slack Groups, Forums & Niche Communities

Once you’ve done going through your direct connections to find guests, the next best place to look for guests is forums and online communities within your niche.

Browse through communities like Facebook groups and Slack groups in your niche, and look for people who regularly share their thoughts in the group.

People who post actively in these niche groups are much more likely to be an expert in your niche, making an ideal guest for your podcast. Not only that, since they’re part of the same community/group that you’re in, it makes it much easier to contact them & invite them to your show.

Ex: If you run a marketing podcast, just search “marketing” on Facebook search and filter to only show groups. Now join them, and look for top contributors to the group

3. Podcast collaborations

When looking for podcast guests, one of the most effective strategies is to reach out to other podcasters in your niche and pitch a collaboration. A podcast collaboration involves two podcasters creating an episode together that's of interest to both of their audiences.

Once the show is recorded, you both will be promoting the show to your own audience, and the episode gets published on both of your podcast channels.

This can be a great way to expand your listenership, learn from each other, and grow your subscriber base. If you're new to podcasting, a collaboration can be an excellent starting point for building your guesting experience.

4. Podcast Guests Directories

There are a couple of podcast guest directories like Podcast Guests & Matchmaker that have a database of influencers, business owners and experts, who are interested in being a guest on podcasts.

Go to these directories, and shortlist the people who would be ideal guests on your show using filters. Now, share your podcast details & send out the guest invite right away straight from the guest directory.

Make sure to include all details about your podcast like what your podcast is about, any guests you have had before, and where your listeners are from, to increase your chances of landing the guest.

Ex: There are 43 experts in the tech category who you can invite to be a guest on your podcast on the PodcastGuests directory.

5. Invite guests with upcoming Product launches or Publications

Whenever an expert or influencer has a new product launch coming up, or they’ve published a book of their own, they constantly look for new opportunities to promote.

If you run a podcast with an audience who would be interested in their product, it would be a no-brainer for them to be on your podcast. So always be on the watch-out for new product launches or publications in your niche.

Follow them on Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram looking for new launch posts and reach out to them offering an opportunity to promote their product on your episode.

Since they directly benefit from it, they are most likely to agree to be on your podcast.

You can also watch new book launches happening on Amazon to watch out for authors who are launching - filter new launches in the last 30 days, and reach out to them via Twitter/email to be a guest on your podcast (in exchange for a shoutout to their new book in your podcast)

Reach out on Emails & Social Media

Once you’ve decided on the guests you want to invite to your show, the next step is to start reaching out to them one by one.

Create a Google sheet and add their names, your pitch on why they should be on your show & their social media profiles before you start reaching out to them.

Tips to increase your chance of getting a reply while reaching out on social media:

• Engage with guest’s posts before DM’ing them, so that they’ll remember you from your interaction & reply to you.
• If you are on Twitter (now called X) Get Twitter Blue (also called X Premium) which allows you to reach out to people even if you’re not connected with them.

If you’re not able to reach your guests through social media, the next best way to contact them is through email.

How to find the email addresses of your guests to reach out

• Check their personal website, blog or company directory to locate their email address from the Contact Us section.

• If you’re unable to find it, You can use an email address-finding tool like Hunter, to find email addresses.

  • Go to Hunter e-mail finder.
  • Enter the name of the guest you want to reach out to & their website name/company name
  • Then, click find

Now, Hunter will search the web & give you the email address of your guest.

Podcast guest outreach Email & DM templates

Template 1: Acknowledge their recent work

Sub: Loved your post on (topic)

Hey ____,

I’ve seen your post about (What their post was about) on (Where you read it)

I run a podcast on (topic 1) & (topic 2) called (Podcast name). And my mission with the podcast is to help people with (the goal of your podcast). Your experience on the (topic you would like to discuss with him) would be awesome to hear!

I wanted to reach out to invite you to be on the podcast to talk about your story on (question 1}, (question 2) & (question 3). This would be great info for my listeners. Are you interested?”

Template 2: Podcast Collaboration

Sub: (Guest podcast name) + (Your podcast name) Collaboration?

Hey,

This is (Your name) from (Your Podcast name)

I have been binging your podcast for a while & loved your episode on (topic)

Since we’re both in the same niche & have a similar audience, I thought doing a podcast collaboration on (Topic) would be a great idea.

It would be a good opportunity for us to cross-promote our podcasts, exchange our followers & grow together.

What do you think?

Let me know your thoughts.

Template 3: Share Your Inspiration

Sub: I’m a big fan of (Business name / what you like about the guest)

Hey there,

I’m (Name) from (Your Podcast Name)

I closely follow your advice on (their blog name/channel name) & you’re someone who has been the biggest inspiration to my business & what I’ve achieved today.

(“Insert your favorite quote/advice/content from them that inspired you”)

I would like to thank you for being my inspiration.

And I’d also be thrilled if you would be a guest on my podcast, (Name of Your Podcast)

Let me know what you think.

PS: Here are a few topics I had in mind to discuss with you on the podcast:

(1. idea 1)

(2. idea 2)

(3. idea 3)

Tips to optimize your podcast outreach message to get “Yes” from your guests

Subject lines matter the most

If you’re reaching out to your prospective guests through email, then the subject lines matter the most. Write subject lines that are short and intriguing to increase the chances of guests opening it.

Have a single Call to Action

Don’t confuse your guest by asking too many questions. Have just one call to action at the end of the email. It can be a simple “reply to this email if you’re interested” or “Book a call on my calendar at the time that works for you”

Share what’s in it for them

Give your guests a strong reason why they should be on your podcast. Tell them the incentives they get by being on your podcast.

It can be:

• An opportunity to get a free shoutout to their new product/service at the start or end of your podcast to your (number of your podcast subscribers).
• Offer to extensively promote the podcast episode with the guest on your personal social media handles & increase reach and brand awareness for them.

Example:

I’ll share our podcast with our list of 2000 email subscribers & my (number) followers on Twitter. This will give maximum exposure about you and (product name) when the podcast is published.

Follow-ups are crucial

Email Inboxes & DM’s get flooded with tons of messages each day, so there is a good chance your message goes unnoticed by the guest. Make sure to send at least 2 follow-up messages to the guest.

Example:

I just wanted to check in on my invitation to join my podcast. If you're still interested, please let me know your availability or any questions you might have. I’m open to scheduling the podcast at any time that works best for you.

What to do after getting a “Yes” from your podcast guest

Once you get a “Yes” from the guest, follow these steps to make your guest comfortable on your podcast & get the best out of the episode:

• Send them an email/message withvYour calendar link asking them to pick a time of your choice.
• Tell them what topic you have in mind for the podcast
• Questions you're planning to discuss with them
• Length of the podcast episode (you can send an approximate time)

Noisy environments can easily ruin a good podcast. Request your guest to be in a room/space that has the lowest background noise possible while recording.

Once the recording is complete, send them a thank you email and the ETA of when you will publish the episode.

Share the link once the episode is live, and request them to share your podcast if possible for maximum visibility and reach.

Conclusion

It's completely normal to feel uncomfortable reaching out to guests and facing the possibility of rejection when you're first starting out. But don't worry - if you use the tips from this article and the message templates we shared with you, you'll land your first guest in no time.

So get out there, start reaching out to potential guests, and grow your podcast!