Build the outreach lists
Build a podcast list by audience fit
List podcasts whose listeners are your readers, check that each one actually has guests, and record how it takes pitches, before you send a single one.
Authors often hire help with this: publicity or marketing.
Why it matters
A podcast interview reaches people who chose to spend an hour on that subject, which is a better match than most print coverage, and the episode stays available for years. Building the list with fit and pitch route recorded means each pitch is specific, and the tracking item later can tell you which kinds of shows responded.
Your part
- What you do
- Do it. You normally do this yourself.
- Who normally owns it
- Publicist and Author. Publicist pitches larger shows; author builds and pitches the specialist list
- When
- 4 to 6 months before publication; many shows book guests 2 to 3 months ahead (Build the outreach lists: six to three months before publication)
How to do it
The full walkthrough
Podcasts are the interview medium most open to authors, because there are many of them, they need guests continuously, and their audiences are self-selected by interest. The list is built the same way as the media list, but the fit question is sharper: would this show's listeners want this book? A show about your subject is a fit. A show about books in general is a weaker fit than it looks, because it has every author pitching it.
For each show, record the host, the format (interview, panel, solo), whether it has guests at all, the typical episode length, how it accepts pitches (email, form, booking agent, not at all), a recent episode that resembles what you would offer, and the angle you would pitch. Listen to at least one episode before adding a show; it is the only way to know if it is a fit and whether you would want to be on it.
Traditionally published authors may have a publicist pitching the larger shows; the long tail of smaller, specific shows is usually yours. Hybrid and self-published authors do all of it, and the small specific shows are the ones most likely to say yes.
Check that the show is still publishing. Podcasts stop without announcement, and a pitch to a dormant show goes nowhere.
Common mistakes
- Pitching shows that do not have guests.
- Sending the book description as the pitch instead of a specific episode idea.
- Ignoring small shows with exactly the right audience in favor of large ones with no fit.
- Adding shows from a list without checking they still publish.
A template for this
Podcast pitchA short guest pitch that leads with an episode idea for the show's listeners, not with the book, and gives the host what they need to decide quickly.
When to use it: Use this when the show has guests, its listeners are plausibly your readers, and it accepts pitches by email. Adjust the opening and the talking points for every show. Do not use this when the show publishes a guest form or its own pitch instructions. Follow those instead.
What done looks like
- A spreadsheet with show, host, format, guest policy, pitch route, recent relevant episode, your angle, and status.
- Every show confirmed active within the last two months.
- At least one episode of each show listened to before it goes on the list.
- Shows grouped by audience so the pitch can be tailored.
- The publisher's publicist told which shows you are pitching.
Sources and last checked
- Official source
- No single official page for this step.
- Last checked
- Not checked against its source yet.
- How confident we are
- Verified