Since I started my podcast, I regularly get pitches from people eager to be my guests. They usually go something like this:
Hi Cathy,
I hope you’re doing well today. I’ve listened to several episodes of your impressive podcast.
I’m Roberta Representative. I’d like to introduce you to Sally Sunshine, an internationally known branding expert, storyteller, and breeder of Siamese cats.
Sally would be the perfect guest for your show. She can talk about the 3 types of press releases your audience can use to build up their presence on the national media.
Would you like to learn more about Sally? Here’s the link to her bio and website, with additional topics she can talk about. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Robert the Rep
My first thought was, “If Sally walks on water, and she’s really a superstar, why does she want to be on my small podcast?”
My second was, “Why do I have to connect the dots?”
Sally may be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I have no idea how she’ll fit into my podcast. My podcast is about stories for solopreneurs who rarely write press releases. If she’s worked mostly for big companies, and my podcast is tailored to solorpreneurs, why is she a fit?
What I’m looking for is, “I’ve listened to 3 of your episodes. In Episode #71, you talk about how to use stories to build community. I loved the story of the guy who showed up, clueless about his future, and blossomed into a new, fulfilling career by growing with the community. My guest will talk about how she used stories to get community members to become more involved. She has specific examples of people who initially resisted the idea of ‘belonging.’ As they listened to stories, they became active members and sometimes leaders in their community.”
Sure, that requires work. You have to listen to a few of my podcast episodes. If you’re not willing to do that, I’ll have to figure out why you’re a good fit for my podcast.
My third thought was, “How much did she pay for someone to copy-and-paste a message and send it to a hundred podcasters?”
Anyone who’s taking money to give you marketing advice – let alone marketing support – should know the damage a generic message can do.
I cringe when someone compliments my podcast broadly (“so insightful” or “truly original”) without the slightest indication they’ve listened to even 5 minutes of an episode. Fake compliments are worse than no compliments at all.
Even worse: Please don’t pretend you listened to podcast episodes if you didn’t. I can tell if you used material from the show notes and claimed you’d listened to them live.
The truth is, pitching a podcast can be time-consuming. If you hire someone to do it for you the right way, it won’t come cheap. So you’d better pick podcasts that offer real potential for rewarding you.
Here’s a colorful video that makes the point in a different way:
https://youtu.be/VjhmersO_tw
Got any experience with pitching or getting bad pitches? Reply in the comments below.
Want to listen to my podcast *before* you make your pitch? Good idea! Star