How to Write a Great Podcast Guest Pitch

I get a lot of questions re: how to write a great podcast guest pitch.

Most advice is common sense:

Keep it short (300 words or less)
“Personalize” it
Add “value”
etc

But here’s a hot tip you probably have not heard: 95% of great guest pitches have a great angle.

But great angles are *tough* to develop.

So here’s an exercise (originated by Dickie Bush) I’ve used to find angles in podcast guest pitches

How to Write a Great Podcast Guest Pitch (Using the 4A’s Framework)

First, find your big idea. Maybe it’s an insight. Or observation. Or word/phrase that best defines your brand (personal or company).

Then run your big idea through these 4 lenses or frames:

→ Actionable (here’s how)

→ Analytical (here are the numbers)

→ Aspirational (yes, you can)

→ Anthropological (here’s why)

Actionable: These are actionable, implementable pieces of content. The podcast listener should gain some new insight or instruction they didn’t have beforehand. This includes: Tips, Hacks, Resources, Ultimate Guides. Take your core idea and help the listener put it into practice.

Analytical: These are breakdowns involving numbers, frameworks, and processes. Take your core idea and support it with numbers and analysis. This includes: Industry trends; Surprising numbers; Why your idea works. Help the listener unlock a new way of thinking.

Aspirational: These are stories of how you or others put your core idea into practice. This includes; lessons, mistakes, reflections, underrated traits, how to get started. Help the listener understand the benefits they unlock when they see the world through this new lens.

Anthropological: These are things that speak to universal human nature. Including; fears, failures, struggles, why others are wrong, how you’ve been misled. Create a sense of urgency for the listener to fully embrace your core idea or be left behind.

By the way, why am I referencing the “podcast listener” instead of the podcast host/producer/talent booker above?

Because you should always pitch audience-first. Good hosts know they only exist because of their audiences. If you provide value to the audience, the host benefits. Audiences want something BIG (ideas, advice, tactic, insights, inspiration, etc) in exchange for something small (their time).

Applying 4A’s to Your Podcast Guest Pitch

Now which ‘A’ you choose depends on the podcast(s) you’re pitching. If you missed my deep dive on how to target best-fit podcasts, you should immediately open that article in a new Chrome tab. It’s dense. But target show selection can make or break your guest booking campaigns.

Okay back to selecting which ‘A’ to use in your pitch.

Ex 1. if it’s a podcast in the “How To” category, or its description promises ‘tactical advice,’ you want to prioritize an Actionable angle

Ex 2. if it’s a podcast that promises to inspire, or presents itself as softer skill-y, go with Aspirational angle

How to Assess 4A’s from the Podcast’s Perspective

But wait, where should you look for these descriptions?

Podcast title
Podcast description
Episode titles
Episode descriptions
Host socials

Yeah it’s gonna take a bit more time to unpack the context of each podcast. But if you do, and align your angle as a result…I can almost guarantee you’ll win more yeses than nos.

Now, it helps if your client has public ‘proof of work’ surrounding their big idea and 4A frames.

Public ‘proof of work’ can be:

Report
Whitepaper
Case study
Social post
Book they wrote
Public speaking
Unique Data

A few reasons why this is important:

Proves the guest’s idea’s been stress-tested
Improves prospective guest’s candidacy
Serves as baked-in call-to-action (CTA)

Some “proof of work” examples:

OkCupid – “Rent, real estate and relationships are on daters’ minds, according to new data from OkCupid and Realtor.com”
Chris Walker – Refine Labs – “Google paid search is often by far the largest expense across the entire Marketing budget and simultaneously the lowest performing investment.”
Peter Walker – Carta Insights – “Founders, don’t raise a seed round”

Here’s how I’d structure pitches based on these three examples:

Hi [Podcast Host Name],

How about a deep dive into [Thought-Provoking Question related to Relevant Content]?

Suggesting [Guest Name] as a guest for [Podcast Name], focusing on [Relevant Podcast Content]. [Guest Name], an expert in [Relevant Expertise], recently [achieved something notable, e.g., published a book, led a significant project, conducted research] that provides deep insights into [Specific Topic].

[Guest Name] can support this with numbers and frameworks, offering new ways of thinking. This includes:

[Datapoint 1]
[Datapoint 2]
[Actionable Guidance]

Confident that [Guest Name]’s appearance will enrich your content and provide valuable insights for your audience.

Best regards,

How to Write a Great Guest Pitch (Template)

Let’s run this through a real example, using Chris Walker’s post. And the target podcast is “Marketing Against the Grain.”

Why select this show? And which of the 4A’s should we lean into?

The show’s title literally invites unorthodox perspectives
The show’s description promises unfiltered examination of successful fresh [marketing] ideas
The description also calls out trends, tactics, and innovation
Recent episodes also display titles like “how to,” “Top 5 Strategies for XYZ,” “Why ABC is Dead,” etc

Now let’s look at Chris’s post and run it through the 4A’s

Analytical – pretty obvious as this is a data-driven analysis
Actionable – the data’s great, but what made the post pop off was the advice Chris gave re: how to scrutinize spend properly
Anthropological – this post doesn’t directly address why/how Google decided to grade its own homework when AdWords went to market (though Chris does cover that in other “proof of work” posts)
Aspirational – more implicit than explicit so let’s eschew it this time

Based solely on a cross-sectional view of the podcast’s POV vs Chris’s post, here are the A’s I’d choose in Chris’s guest pitch

Analytical
Actionable

So let’s write the pitch now shall we?

How to Write a Great Podcast Guest Pitch (Example)

Hey Kipp & Kieran,

How about a deep dive into how Google paid search is often by far the largest expense across the entire Marketing budget and simultaneously the lowest performing investment?

Suggesting Chris Walker as a guest for MATG. Chris (Chairman of Refine Labs) recently published eye-opening data that provides deep insights into Google Ads payback periods.

Chris can support this with numbers and frameworks, offering your audience of marketers a better path forward. This includes:

Advertising CAC Payback (Includes Google Ads Expenses): 23 Months
Marketing CAC Payback (Include All Other Marketing Expenses): 58 Months
How to measure your results against REVENUE, not just opportunity count or “pipeline”

Confident that Chris’s appearance will get your audience talking and provide a truly ‘against the grain’ discussion.

Best regards,

Trent

Now let’s analyze the pitch:

So there you have it, how to write a great podcast guest pitch in a few ~~easy~~ thoughtful steps:

Run your client’s big idea through the 4A’s Framework
Substantiate your client’s big idea with “proof of work”
Analyze your target shows through the 4A’s lenses
Craft a pitch that aligns your client’s creds with the show’s premise

Yes, this is going to take a bit more time. No, I don’t have a ChatGPT prompt that can do this all for you (yet).

But if you’re focused outcomes (i.e. landing clients guest spots on awesome podcasts), this pitch style will help you stand out as a red x in a sea of white circles.