A podcast about podcasts. With around a million shows out there as of September 2020, this episode is both sides of the booking email: what I delete as a host, what I would send as a guest, and why I do not pay to be on anyone's show. As a host, the template pitch sent to fifty thousand people gets deleted. "I'd be a great guest for your show" with no reason why gets a reply asking which episode they heard. And "we have a reach of forty million on iHeart" tells me nothing about who is listening. I would rather hear "this is my fifth episode and I am building an audience." I respond to that. As a guest, I share the cold pitch that worked: I listened to a specific episode, named what the guest said, said what I could add to the topic, and the call came the next day. I also share why I do not go on every show, why I do not share every appearance, and the music show host I turned down because I disagreed with everything he stood for and told him so. On paying: the host who had a great half hour with me and then explained her fee, the virtual room that sells the expert seats, and why I believe pay to play on podcasts is the same problem I saw in music. Would you tell your clients you paid for the positioning? Then the tactics I would use instead: ask a guest what they are tired of talking about and what they have never been asked. Lead with who you are and what the show is about, not the download count. Have a page with short samples so a busy host can get a sense of you in minutes. And separate what you know from what you believe, so the conversation is a conversation and not an argument. Written transcription, chapters and links: https://lorenweisman.com/2025/01/01/podcast-guest-solicitation/

Episode pages with written transcriptions: https://lorenweisman.com/wait-what-really-ok/
Opening theme by RKVC. Closing theme by Doug Hinrichs. Both licensed.
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