Finding Guests Who Align with Your Podcast
Looking for a way to rejuvenate your Podcast? Guests are a really great addition to podcasts and oftentimes give listeners great insight. That being said, finding guests that align with your podcast’s purpose is necessary!
This is really important as the wrong guest can deter listeners, due to many reasons. Some of these may be that their views and statements just do not support your podcast’s purpose, their energy does not match the vibe of the podcast, or maybe they’re just not knowledgeable in the area of discussion.
Below, we’ll go over the steps to take when looking for guests that align with your audience!
Define the Target Audience
Research and Identify Potential Guests
Evaluate Potential Guests
Reach out and Book the Guest
Define the Target Audience
Before you even begin the process of finding guests who align with your podcast you have to decide what that means for your show. The easiest way of doing so is to make sure that you have defined your target audience. That means taking the time to decide your niche by creating an ideal listener profile. Are you hoping to reach:
Moms/parents
Business owners
Artists
Certain age groups
Sports enthusiasts
Etc. - the list of ideal listeners goes on
Based on the group(s) you wish to reach, take time to jot down what makes them your ideal listener. For example, if my ideal listener is a parent, generally speaking, I’m looking for a niche of parents. I am creating episodes for those who have children and/or are full-time caretakers, looking for ways to encourage independent play, cook healthy meals, and find creative ways to involve their kids in everyday activities like cooking, cleaning, etc. This is my listener profile.
Once you’ve created your ideal listener profile, determine the topics that are the most relevant for your target audience. This helps you begin the process of searching for guests as you step into your audience’s shoes and think “what do I want to hear about and who would I want to hear from.” Once you’ve done this crucial step you can begin identifying guests that align with your podcast!
Research and Identify Potential Guests
The next step of the process is to research and identify the potential guests that align with your podcast! You want to find guests that have things to add to the topics you are discussing. You can invite people that you already know and have access to.
Assuming you don’t already have a pool of people you can reach out to, look for experts and influencers in your niche! There are many ways that you can go about this, here are a few ways we suggest:
Utilize social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. are great places to start as you may already follow influencers who discuss topics that would align with your podcast! If not, you can use these platforms’ search engines to find influencers to reach out to.
Join online communities: Online communities (Facebook, etc.) are a really great place to gain inspiration, ask questions, give support, AND find guests for your podcast. Many of these online communities have requirements to join so it may be easier for you to confirm that they are in your niche before researching and reaching out.
Other Podcasts: Other creator’s podcasts can be another fantastic place to find inspiration! From topics to guests, maybe you listen to/found a podcast with a really amazing guest list that would align well. You can use this as a starting point for researching said guest(s)! Or maybe you want the podcast host to be your guest - using podcast hosts as guests and being a guest on other’s podcasts is a great way to promote each other and share knowledge!
Guest booking services/agencies: There are plenty of reasons to go with a service that books guests for you. Time is a huge one! You want to have guests but you just don’t have the time/capacity to find, research, and pitch a potential guest for your show. Agencies are a great way to have guests vetted and pitched for your show, meanwhile giving you more time to focus on producing your show!
No matter how you decide to go about it, this step of the process can be daunting. Have fun with it! You can find guests while also finding new shows and accounts to follow, expand your community, and get new ideas. Take your time and remember to put on your audience goggles and think “Does this guest align with my podcast?”
Evaluate Potential Guests
You’ve found potential guests now it’s time to evaluate each individual and determine if they are a good fit for your podcast.
During this part of the process, you will research the guest’s background and experience. To ensure that they align with your podcast, you need to be sure that they have the knowledge and/or can provide valuable insights.
What do they discuss? What’s their viewpoint? Do they have prior experience in this topic?
Depending on your niche you may be looking for guests who are actually educated in the topics, or guests who have experienced something (i.e. parenthood, professional sports, etc.), own a business, etc. The required experience is based on your needs and what will relate to your ideal audience.
Not only is their experience important it’s also valuable to consider said guest’s personality and communication style.
Does their vibe align with your podcast? Will your audience enjoy their tone? What about the way they word what they’re saying? Are they quiet/loud?
These questions may seem irrelevant but remember, even if your show has a video format, your audience is LISTENING to your podcast and if they love your show for your jovial, happy-go-lucky personality and joyful tone then bringing in a grumpy guest who yells and is aggressive may not be the best for your show.
Reach Out and Book the Guest
Potential Guest = Found. Research = done. Now comes the pitch!
Craft an engaging pitch that highlights the benefits of being a guest on your podcast. OnePitch has a great blog on what to include, “5 Tips for Pitching a Guest for a Podcast”. Be sure to include any important information that will show the potential guests why they should come on to your show and how they align with your podcast.
Make it easy for potential guests to say yes by providing them with all the necessary details and logistics. When are you recording the episode, where, how long, what questions do you plan to ask, etc.
After you’ve written your pitch utilize email or social media to contact potential guests. The best format to reach out on will vary depending on the guest. Your knowledge of the guest, from your research, will help you decipher how to reach out. For example, if your guest is a professor at a university they may respond best to an email but if they are an Instagram influencer you likely want to message them there.
Conclusion
Your podcast deserves nothing but the best and that stays true when it comes to guests on your show!
It’s important to find guests that align with your podcast to keep your audience engaged, increase viewer/listenership, and create relationships with those you are bringing to the show.
Having guests on your show can confirm what you’ve discussed, add insight, and or give you new topics to think about.
Utilize our tips above to find the perfect guest for your podcast. And remember, we’re always here to help, check out our services to see how we can help you with the next step in your podcasting journey!
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