Robb Conlon of B2B Business Class and Westport Studios once got a guest pitch so long and so self-focused that he stopped after the first sentence. It was 500 to 600 words, and he kept it. It's since turned up in a Captivate slide deck on LinkedIn as an example of a terrible podcast pitch. Dave Jackson explains why you should find out if a host is interested before sending the "War and Peace" version of your media kit. Robb then describes the guest he actually wants: someone with small-business knowledge his audience hasn't heard yet.

In This Episode:

• The bad pitch: A 500–600 word pitch that was all about the sender and nothing about the show or its listeners.
• Dave's elevator pitch test: If your short pitch doesn't get a "tell me more," that person probably isn't your audience. Start short and let interest pull out the details.
• Do I smell AI? Why pages-long bios make hosts suspicious.
• Robb's perfect guest: Someone who can teach business owners something they don't know yet, like a recent B2B Business Class guest who covered AEO (answer engine optimization). His listeners run small businesses and usually don't have specialists on staff, so he wants guests with a fun story and knowledge that makes jaws drop.
• New from PodPage: Guest intake form submissions now show up at pitchapodcast.com/guest, and hosts can choose which past guests appear at the top of the list.

Key Takeaway:

Lead with what the host's audience gets from you, not your life story. If they're interested, they'll ask for more.

Links & Resources:

• Robb Conlon / B2B Business Class: westportstudiosllc.com
• Captivate: captivate.fm
• PodPage: podpage.com
• School of Podcasting: schoolofpodcasting.com
• Share your pitch story and your perfect guest: pitchapodcast.com/story
• Previous Guests: pitchapodcast.com/guests

Mentioned in this episode:

Share Your Story and Get FREE Promotion For Your Show

We all get bad (and occasionally GOOD) pitches. The next time you get one, share it us by going to www.pitchapodcast.com/story and upload your story, and provide some links to your show.

Pitch Your Story

One might think with a show called, "The Recovery Show" that it's OBVIOUS what the show is about and people would be able to deliver amazing pitches that fit what Spencer is looking for, but this is not the rare occurrence of a good pitch. Once again, someone has taken zero time to figure out what they show they are pitching

The Recovery Show - therecoveryshow.com

School of Podcasting - Plan, Grow, Monetize Your Show

Podpage - A Great Looking Podcast Site with No Coding

Mentioned in this episode:

Share Your Story and Get FREE Promotion For Your Show

We all get bad (and occasionally GOOD) pitches. The next time you get one, share it us by going to www.pitchapodcast.com/story and upload your story, and provide some links to your show.

Pitch Your Story

Mark Lawley does the practical prepping show where he doesn't talk about aliens, zombies, or the apocalypse, and yet he got not one but two pitches, and neither one was good. In fact, one wanted to pitch their book about, you guessed it, the apocalypse.

Practical Prepping Show

P3 Media Group (Podcast Editing)

If you have insights into what to do when bad things happened that you could've prepared for, then reach out to Mark to be on his show and explain how your content brings value to his audience.

School of Podcasting

Podpage - Your Podcast Deserves a Great Looking Website

Today we're going to hear about a classic blind pitch that Jason Cercone received, and this is just a classic "how not to pitch a podcast." Jason is looking to have a conversation with someone who will bring value to his audience.

Podcast Strategy Simplified

Bombtrack Media (Jason's Services)

• Jason receives many cold, canned pitches that fail to reference my show or name, signaling mass outreach.
• When pitchers boast about their audience size without explaining the concrete value they will bring, Jason disregard their offers.
• He verify claims; when cross-promotion assertions lack evidence on the claimant's networks, he considers the pitch deceptive and invalid.
• We prefer conversational outreach that demonstrates understanding of our show and articulates specific topics aligned with our audience.
• Jason immediately disqualifies pitches that focus solely on self-promotion and use inbox bumps or AI-generated messages instead of personalized requests.

• pitchapodcast.com/story
• bombtrackmedia.com
• theschoolofpodcasting.com
• podpage.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Share Your Story and Get FREE Promotion For Your Show

We all get bad (and occasionally GOOD) pitches. The next time you get one, share it us by going to www.pitchapodcast.com/story and upload your story, and provide some links to your show.

Pitch Your Story

Scott Johnson does an amazing show called "What Was That Like," where real people are in really insane situations and they live to tell about it. Like when you get mauled by a bear or your parachute doesn't open and you live to tell about it. It's an amazing show, and Scott's a great host, which is why today's story of a bad pitch really makes you scratch your head.

Scott has very obvious episode titles that REALLY make you want to click (check em out), and so if someone had just READ the episode titles they would've known that what they were pitching was not even close.

Here a few stories that Scott is looking for:

• Someone who survived falling off a cruise ship while it was underway.
• Someone who's been rescued from the rubble after an earthquake.
• A non pilot who had to land a plane during a flight issue.
• Someone who inherited an island or a castle from an unknown relative.
• Someone who rescued a person from a burning building.
• Someone who won a million dollars or more from a lottery more than a year ago.

So if you or someone you know has one of those stories or something just as crazy, the best way to send it in is through the website. Just go to whatwosthatlike.com and click on your story.

Scott setup a great prank when I worked at Libsyn (I now work for Podpage). He had listened to an episode of my show Building a Better Dave where I had played some music (which is a no-no), and he had my boss deliver a very official looking document that looked like I was up to my neck in legal problems.

Luckily he didn't let me flounder in fear too long before letting me know it wasn't true, but he had me good!

• This podcast episode emphasizes the significance of effective pitching for podcast appearances, illustrating the need for clarity and relevance.
• Scott Johnson's podcast, 'What Was That Like?', showcases extraordinary survivor stories, drawing listeners from numerous countries around the globe.
• The episode critiques poor pitching attempts, highlighting a recent example of an irrelevant U-Haul pitch that failed to engage the audience.
• Listeners are encouraged to submit compelling stories to Scott's podcast, particularly those involving remarkable survival or extraordinary experiences.
• A central theme revolves around the importance of storytelling, as Scott enhances the listener experience by allowing guests to narrate their unique experiences.

• pitchapodcast.com
• whatwosthatlike.com
• schoolofpodcasting.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Share Your Story and Get FREE Promotion For Your Show

We all get bad (and occasionally GOOD) pitches. The next time you get one, share it us by going to www.pitchapodcast.com/story and upload your story, and provide some links to your show.

Pitch Your Story

Timothy Kimo Brien did a review of Writers drinking coffee on his Find a Podcast About show. Later he had a show pitch to come on the Writers Drinking Coffee. So two points:

• Tim is not the host of Writers Drinking Coffee - He creates the Fine a Podcast About show
• What would a finance person want on a show about writing

• The episode exemplifies the importance of understanding the podcast's content before pitching.
• Listeners are encouraged to thoroughly research a podcast prior to submitting a guest proposal.
• Effective pitches are predicated on familiarity with the podcast's themes and audience expectations.
• The discussion highlights how misdirected pitches can lead to frustration for podcasters and potential guests.
• Tim's experiences underscore the necessity of aligning guest expertise with the podcast's subject matter.
• The hosts advocate for a systematic approach to pitching, emphasizing clarity and relevance.

• findapodcastabout.xyz
• pitchapodcast.com
• School of Podcasting
• Fix My Podcast

Mentioned in this episode:

We Need Your Stories - Help Guests Find You

We'd love to hear your bad (or good) pitch you've received (as we can learn from both). While you're sharing your pitch story, tell us a little bit about your show, and who your perfect guest would be (if you do interviews). Go to pitchapodcast.com/story

Pitch Your Story

Ralph Estep Jr. joins me to talk about one of the biggest challenges in podcasting: getting booked as a guest. We break down why so many podcast pitches fail and share real examples of outreach that completely misses the mark.

You can find all of Ralph's shows at www.askralph.com

As the host of Financially Confident Christian and Content Creators Accountant, Ralph has seen just about every type of pitch imaginable. He explains what podcast hosts are really looking for and why taking the time to personalize your message can make all the difference.

Ralph also shares the importance of researching a podcast before reaching out. A pitch that shows you understand the show's audience and explains why you're a good fit stands out far more than a generic email sent to hundreds of hosts.

Ralph shares how the same people keep pitching a show that doesn't do interviews. This just proves (along with "I hope this finds you well") that the agencies pitching these guests have done zero investigation.

Beyond pitching, Ralph shares advice for content creators about managing their finances. He explains why it's important to have a plan for your money and how working with an accountant can help creators keep more of what they earn as their businesses grow.

If you want to become a better podcast guest, write pitches that get responses, and build your podcasting business more strategically, this episode is packed with practical, actionable advice.

If you're looking for CRM not so much to have funnels and track sales, but save information about your contact, and create a task list of follow ups, then check out (and this is the real name) Less Annoying CRM. It's $15/month per person. I love it.

• In this episode, Ralph Estep Jr. elucidates the intricacies of effectively pitching a podcast.
• We engage in a critical examination of various podcast pitches, identifying deficiencies and areas for enhancement.
• Listeners are provided with tangible examples and constructive feedback to refine their podcasting outreach strategies.
• Ralph emphasizes the importance of delivering genuine value to podcast audiences through thoughtful guest selections.
• We discuss the phenomenon of automated pitches and the lack of authentic engagement from some outreach attempts.
• The episode highlights the necessity for podcast hosts to critically evaluate the relevance of potential guests to their specific audience.

Mentioned in this episode:

We Need Your Stories - Help Guests Find You

We'd love to hear your bad (or good) pitch you've received (as we can learn from both). While you're sharing your pitch story, tell us a little bit about your show, and who your perfect guest would be (if you do interviews). Go to pitchapodcast.com/story

Pitch Your Story