Day 3: The Pitch
Once you’ve done your research you need to craft your pitch. Each podcast has a different method for fielding these. Some will have a website with a contact form, others will direct you to an email address, some may not have a website so you may have to DM them on Instagram or Twitter. Pay attention to what is available.
Elements of the Pitch
- Catchy, but not misleading subject line
- Who you are in 1-2 sentences. Are you an expert, what is your experience?
- What are 3-5 topics you can talk about on the show with the host(s). If these have been covered before, what new perspective can you bring?
- In those top two you are bringing the benefit to the listener. You need to provide a benefit to the podcaster. Do you have a strong following that will tune in? Have you been able to bring this to other niches, but so far, none in their specific niche? Have you spoken at events, and therefore the host can trust you to put a sentence together coherently?
Tips
- Now with all of those things in mind, you pitch should NOT be a wall of text. I list out all of the dos and don’t in this PDF
- Breakthrough the noise – send your pitch at off-hours.
- Connect but don’t be phony.
- Referrals matter. When I get a direct pitch and it is one sentence long “hey do you want to interview me?” no signature, no context. Delete. When I get a pitch that is a short novel. I can’t even process it. When I get a PR agency pitching me, I sometimes ignore it because we get inundated from these agencies and half the time the person they are pitching makes no sense for our audience. They did research a year ago for another client and now just have us on their list. Ugh. Next. But if a listener for our show reaches out from their personal email address and tells us about this great book they just read, or this blog they follow, and how much they love them and they think we should interview them. Hmm. I’m curious, I’ll check out their link. I don’t always follow through for an interview request, but it is a better way to get through to the gatekeeper. We like genuine emails, not something that was copy-pasted and blasted everywhere.
Sometimes it comes down to luck. As a gatekeeper for a weekly podcast, I only have 52 interview slots a year to fill. If we get amazing pitches and line them up or the next 6 months, we’re going to put a hold on taking me interviews because then we won’t be as timely if we record now and it doesn’t air for 5 months. That can be a tough break, but you CAN circle back to any podcast after 6 months to re-pitch if this happens. Read their pitching policies and be respectful.
Alright, so you’ve done your research, you’ve crafted your pitch, and *fingers crossed* you’ve booked some interviews. Tomorrow, I’ll go over my tips so that you can prepare for the interview.
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