How to get guests on your podcast

January 27, 2023

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min read

Jerine Nicole

Podcasting is a powerful way to showcase interviews with interesting people.

Your audience can learn from people with different and unique perspectives. But sometimes, finding the right guests and getting them on your podcast can be challenging.

So in this article, we'll cover

5 ways to find guests for your podcasts
how to get guests on your podcast

Let's dive in.

5 ways to find guests for your podcasts

Leverage social media

The people you’re interested in are most likely the ones you already follow. Look through your feeds and see who would be a good fit for your audience.

Join different communities

You can meet interesting people when you join communities in your niche.

Akta joined the Part-Time YouTuber Academy and built relationships within the community. That;s how she was able to invite creators like Andrew Barry on Creators On Air.

Find guests who have an upcoming launch

If someone is launching a new project or product they will want to talk about it! If they align with your audience, it’s often the perfect fit.

Ask your audience

Since it’s your audience who will be listening, find out who they want to have on your podcast by asking them on social media. Also check out the comments of your previous podcast posts to see if there’s been any requests.

Ask previous guests

Your guests will most likely be friends within likeminded people. Ask them for recommendations at the end of each episode.

How to get guests on your podcast

Now that you’ve found potential guests for your podcast, it’s time for the scary part: reaching out to them. Here are five steps you can follow to build up to your dream guests.

Step 1: Start with the people you know

Use your existing network to bring guests on your podcast. People are more likely to say yes if you know them already and it’s a good chance to practise your skills as a podcaster, especially if you don’t have much experience with interviewing people.

For every guest you bring on, ask them who they’d like to see on the podcast. And more importantly, ask for an introduction. This will have a ripple effect and before you know it, you’ll line up a string of guests.

Step 2: Build credibility

Before reaching out to your dream guests, invite guests with a smaller following first.

It's not because your podcast isn't worthy of “bigger” guests, but they might have hundreds, if not thousands, of requests for their time. They might not take your podcast seriously if you don’t have a portfolio of guests and episodes to show them.

Bhav Sharma didn't invite creators like Ali Abdaal and Matt D'Avella until she had at least 20 episodes under her belt.

You want to capture a potential guest’s attention by listing previous guests. So, start small and put the reps in.

Try to make sure every guest is someone you’re genuinely curious about, regardless of their audience size. This will then make your podcast more engaging, which leads to more loyal listeners.

Step 3: Show professionalism

Be professional with every guest you invite on. When you email them or send a DM, let them know the following:

what your podcast about
what made you invite them to your podcast
what you want to talk about
who you’ve interviewed before

If you don't have any guests, tell them about your plans for the podcast and the first ten episodes. When you show professionalism, it shows that you respect your guests' time.

Here's an example of the template we use for our podcast, Creators on Air:

Make sure that you personalize your invitation, so that even if you’re a small podcast, the guest is likely to say yes!

Step 4: Reach out to as many guests as possible

Get used to rejection. Not every guest will say yes but you can increase your odds by reaching out to as many people as possible. Contact at least 10 - 20 people every week by email, DM, tweeting in public, or find a unique way of asking that makes you stand out.

And remember, never take a "no" personally.