The Podcast Pitch Toolkit: 5 Assets You Need to Prep Before Sending a Single Pitch Email
Hey there! So many people ask me how I've grown my law firm through podcast appearances, and I'm excited to share my process with you. Getting on podcasts has been an incredible growth lever for my business, and with the right preparation, it can be for you too!
Let me walk you through exactly what I prepare before sending out those podcast pitches. Trust me, a little prep work goes a LONG way here.
1. A Freebie That Converts Listeners to Leads
When you're on a podcast, you need a way to turn those listeners into leads. That's where your freebie comes in. A freebie is a free resource that you can mention on the podcast episode; this can be a PDF guide, a worksheet, a special podcast, a video, a recipe, etc. Interesting listeners can go to your website and download the freebie in exchange for you giving your their email address to add to your email list so you can send them weekly newsletters that add value for them and sell your services. See how that works?!
Here are a few things to think about when creating a good freebie:
Create something genuinely helpful - This could be a guide, template, or resource that solves a real problem for your target audience. Here's a podcast episode I was on talking about tips for creating a helpful freebie (so meta, right?!)!
Give the freebie a super simple URL - Give your freebie it's own landing page with a URL that's short, memorable, and easy to say out loud during a podcast interview (like yourdomain.com/guide or yourdomain.com/template). When podcast listeners hear you mention it, they should be able to remember and type it without having to rewind!
Create a dedicated, streamlined freebie landing page - Your freebie deserves its own special landing page without your standard website headers and footers that might distract visitors. The page itself should balance persuasive copy with a clutter-free design—clearly highlighting exactly what visitors will learn or gain from your freebie. Be specific about the transformation or problem it solves: "Learn the 3 contract clauses that will save you thousands" or "Download the template that cuts your onboarding time in half." This value-focused content should convince them it's worth their email address, while the simple name and email fields make downloading your freebie effortless. Remember, every extra click or navigation element reduces your chances of converting those podcast listeners into subscribers.
Make sure the freebie delivery system works flawlessly - test your delivery system multiple times to ensure new subscribers get what they signed up for right away
Follow up the freebie delivery with a welcome email sequence - Your relationship with podcast listeners doesn't end when they download your freebie—it's just beginning! Create a thoughtful welcome email sequence that delivers value beyond the initial download. This sequence helps transform cold leads into warm prospects by establishing your expertise and building trust gradually. Make each email relatively short, focused on a single idea, and always providing value before making any offers. By the end of your sequence, podcast listeners who might have forgotten about you after downloading your freebie will instead feel like they've found a valuable resource they want to keep hearing from.
Liz Wilcox is my favorite person to learn from about setting up your email marketing. I also like Sara at Between the Lines Copy and Ashlyn at Ashlyn Writes. Sara and Ashlyn have more complicated systems and styles for more premium clients.
I can't tell you how many new leads I've gotten just from having a great freebie that I mention during podcast interviews. People hear me, like what I have to say, and then head over to grab my resource. It's like magic!
2. Topic Ideas That Hosts Love
I want to make it as easy as possible for a podcast to say yes to me so I always brainstorm 3-5 juicy episode topics that showcase my expertise that the podcast's audience might be interested in.
First, I read the podcast description and listen to a few episodes so I get a feel for the types of questions, angles, and topics that the podcast covers.
Then, I usually use ChatGPT to develop ideas, catchy episode titles, and angles that are specific to a category of podcasts or that particular podcast. I literally will draft 3-5 potential episodes with titles and descriptions that can (and often are!) copied by the podcast. For each topic, I make sure I have 2-3 takeaways that listeners will get.
3. A One-Pager That Makes Me Look Pro
This is my secret weapon! I created a one-pager PDF about me that includes:
My bio written exactly how I want hosts to introduce me
A photo and a link to download good professional headshots (not a vacation selfie, folks!)
Links to my website and socials
Info and a link to my freebie that I'll mention
How to contact me with questions
Having this one pager allows me to share critical information with the host in one place. I need the podcast host to be able to explain my work and connect me to their audience through show notes so I need the links to my socials, website, and free resources to be easy to find and accurate.
4. A Website That Looks Legit
Look, podcast hosts are busy people. When they get your pitch email, the first thing they'll do is check out your website. And if it doesn't look professional... well, that email is probably heading straight to the trash.
Here's what your website needs to look legit:
A clean, professional design - it doesn't need to be fancy, but it should look like you take your business seriously
An engaging "About" page - This is where hosts go to figure out if you're the real deal. Share your story, your expertise, and what makes you different. Here's my about page.
A dedicated "Speaking" page - Provide a short bio about you, a few testimonials from past speaking events, links to past podcast episodes, at least 3 topics you can talk about, with specific takeaways for each, and a link to download your one-pager and headshots. This shows hosts exactly what you bring to the table. Here's an example from my website.
A dedicated Freebie page - See above for why freebies are so important and why they deserve it's own page! Here's my freebie page.
I've found that having these elements on my website makes hosts way more likely to respond to my pitches. They can quickly see that I know what I'm talking about, working with me is easy, and that I'll deliver value to their audience.
5. A Customizable Email Pitch Template
I'm a firm believer that there's no need to reinvent the wheel. That's why I'm always trying to repurpose business assets. For example, I have a basic email pitch template that I tweak for each podcast. This saves me SO much time!
I include:
A quick intro about who I am (keeping it brief!)
Why their podcast is valuable (You want to show that you've done your research!)
Why their audience would benefit from hearing about my expertise
Proposed episode ideas with snappy titles and descriptions
Links to any previous podcast appearances that prove I won't ramble or sound awkward
A link to my speaking page on my website so the host can gather additional information about me
A clear ask about next steps
Again, don't be afraid to use ChatGPT to create this template or to customize it for a particular type of podcasts or podcast.
Create Once, Pitch Many: The Efficiency of this Podcast Pitching System
I know this might seem like a lot of work upfront, but I promise it pays off. When you have all these pieces ready to go, pitching becomes so much easier, and hosts are way more likely to say yes.
The beauty of this system is that once you set it up, you can reuse most of it again and again. Just refresh your topics occasionally, and you're good to go!
What I love most about podcast guesting is the connections you make. I've met amazing people, built genuine relationships, and yes—grown my client base significantly. All because I took the time to prepare properly before hitting send on those pitch emails.
So what do you think? Ready to get your podcast pitching materials together? I'd love to hear which part you're going to tackle first!
And if you think this sounds like a bit too much work to tackle alone, don't worry! Let's chat about working together to develop your podcast strategy.
What do you think? Leave a comment below!
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