Strategies to Craft Compelling Pitches That Get Hosts to Say Yes

1. Start with the Subject Line

Imagine you’re a podcast producer getting pitches all day long. What’s the first thing that’s going to catch your attention? The subject line. We all get inundated with emails every day — and sometimes, we’re the ones sending them. 

The subject line is your first chance to get in the door with a podcast host. Think about what unique perspective you have — the one that only you can offer.

2. Paint the Picture in Seven Words or Less

What is it that listeners will gain by bringing you on the show? Try to paint that picture in a seven-words-or-less subject line.

 If you’re using a tool like PodPitch, it can help you brainstorm those subject lines. Whether you’re pitching an editor, a writer, or a podcast producer, the subject line is what demonstrates what you have to offer that’s unique, different, and interesting.

3. Keep the Pitch Focused and Intentional

As hosts think about what their listeners want to hear, you’ll want to be concise and intentional about your pitch, especially in the body of the email. Quickly demonstrate why you’re a credible person to talk about these things and save the details of your bio and background for later, either by linking to your website or including a short paragraph at the very bottom of the email.

Don’t start with a long paragraph about yourself because you’ll lose them right away. They might think, Yeah, you sound great, but what’s the point?

 That’s one of the harsh realities of PR: we all have interesting backgrounds and experiences, but producers are focused on one thing: What do you have to offer their listeners? What are you going to talk about? That’s the most important part of the pitch.

4. Go Straight to the Point

Include just one or two sentences about yourself, then go straight into what you want to talk about on their podcast.

Bulleted points work best because they make it easy for producers to skim and quickly understand the gist of your pitch. For example, they should be able to glance at your email and see something like, “You want to talk about content marketing for early-stage startups or D2C brands.” 

The clearer you are about the topic and the more unique your angle, the better.

If it were me, my pitch might say something like: “Learn why PR feels so mysterious — and how Amy breaks it down into simple, actionable steps.”

5. Find and Highlight the Hook

Maybe it’s the insider secrets of PR, or how industry leaders land their favorite podcast spots. Whatever your hook is, make sure it draws people in and gets them genuinely excited about your perspective.

Highlight that hook clearly in the body of your pitch email—bullet points work great here to make it easy to skim.

And here’s a bonus tip: if you’ve actually taken the time to listen to the host’s podcast, mention it in your pitch. They’ll appreciate it. It shows effort, authenticity, and genuine interest—and tools like PodPitch can even help you personalize those details effortlessly.

6. Connect Your Expertise to Their Show

Making that connection between you and one of their previous episodes can go a long way because it shows that you’ve taken the time to learn what they focus on and you see it as a fit for you and your experience.

Keep it concise because they’re going through so many pitches every day.

They’re looking for three key elements: a subject line that gets them to open the email, a very brief description of your expertise (but not your entire bio), and a clear idea of what you want to talk about — ideally in bullet points.

7. Show Your Reach

You can also link out to other resources — for example, if you have a big social following on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or wherever your audience is most active. That’s something you can include at the bottom of your email — links to those profiles help show your reach.

Remember, podcast hosts are doing this to grow their own shows, too. They want to reach as many people as possible by interviewing you, so demonstrating that you have an audience can really help.

If you don’t, it’s not a dealbreaker, but it definitely helps if you do. That’s also something PodPitch can include as a recommendation in your pitch.

8. Follow Up with Intention

It’s often going to take more than one email to get a podcast host’s attention. That first email is really important for making the connection between your expertise and what their podcast covers — but you’ll also need to follow up.

In many cases, it’s the follow-up email that actually sparks interest. My advice for following up with podcast hosts is the same as for journalists: don’t just say, “Hey, did you get my email?” Nobody likes that — it’s boring and adds no value.

Instead, think about ways to make your follow-up meaningful. Reference a recent episode — for example, “I just finished listening to your latest episode with [guest name], and it made me even more confident that my topic would be a great fit.” Or tie your message to something timely, like what’s happening in the news.

With your follow-up, come up with a new angle. Reference something timely, mention another episode they just released — anything that grabs their attention besides, “Did you see my email?”

And remember, you might have to follow up several times. It takes work — and that’s why PR programs aren’t overnight successes. It takes time, persistence, and consistency to keep reaching out and trying again.

If you’re ready to start landing podcast interviews but don’t have the time to manage the research and outreach, our team can help. Book some time with us, and let us help you make a Splash!