In recent years podcasts have grown into one of the most popular forms of content. According to DemandSage, as of August 2022, there are over 383.7 million podcast listeners globally and it’s predicted that number will jump to 424 million by the end of the year. Additionally, there are currently over 2.4 million podcasts with more than 66 million episodes between them! The opportunities podcasts present are abundant and PR and marketing teams should be taking advantage of them as part of their overall communications strategy. But how can you utilize podcasts to increase thought leadership, exposure, and networking? Let’s dive in

First things first, do your research! Identify podcasts within your industry that cover topics you’re already an expert thought leader on. Not sure where to start? My favorite tool for podcast research is PodSeeker, because it gives you a contact email and shows how many monthly listeners a podcast has, which can help gauge relevance. Additionally, here are some of the things I like to look for in a podcast: has it highlighted your competitors, mentioned or interacted with your organization before, featured other guests in the same role/title, or covered topics you regularly discuss?

It’s also best to seek out podcasts that have guests so you can speak about your company, product, or service in your own words (which helps humanize your organization). According to Muck Rack’s “State of Podcasting 2022” report, 81% of podcasts feature guests sometimes or often, so you should be in luck.

Once you have your podcast targets identified it’s time to draft a pitch. According to Muck Rack, current events are the leading source of inspiration for podcast content. So, your pitch should be tied to relevant and timely events or topics within your industry. Only 22% of podcasters surveyed rely on topics introduced via pitches, so your topic shouldn’t be random, but instead well-informed by current events, news, topics, or research.

Now that we know what makes a good pitch, it’s equally as important to understand what makes a bad one. Muck Rack states lack of personalization, confusing subject lines and bad timing are the leading reasons why podcasters will reject a pitch. In fact, lack of personalization ranked even higher this year at 51% of respondents vs. 47% in 2021. Additionally, 55% prefer pitches that are 200 words or less and notably, most had no preference on a day of the week to be pitched. Of the podcasters that have a preferred pitch day, Tuesdays were at the top of the list

Podcasters like to know you’re familiar with their shows. Most podcasters want you to review their website and content or review their social media presence before pitching. This will also help you be able to better personalize your pitch, thus raising the chances they’ll respond and invite you on their show.

With all that in mind here are a few key things to keep in mind when drafting a podcast pitch:

  • Your subject line should be clear and specific. For example:
      • New Podcast Guest? [Guest Name from Guest Company]
  • Make it personalized! Mention the podcast or the host by name in the first sentence.
  • Keep it short, as mentioned above, under 100 words is the sweet spot.
  • Link to your guests LinkedIn or digital portfolio so the host can easily check them out.
  • Reference recent research or an event that you can speak about.
  • Follow up! Sometimes the timing is just off, continue to follow up weekly a handful of times.

Podcast popularity isn’t going down anytime soon, 64% of those surveyed believe podcasts will be even more popular in the next two years. If you haven’t already it’s time for your company to jump into the podcast world! Looking for more tips? Contact us today.