One of the best ways to organically grow your podcast, branding and online influence is to invite guest speakers to your Podcast. But… what do you say?

You’ve finally gathered enough courage to start your podcast and that’s great! Maybe you’ve even recorded a couple of episodes and now you’re feeling confident enough to record your first interview.

That’s exciting and also a bit daunting if you’ve never done it before, so that’s why we’ve put together an email template to help you land podcast guests.

A lot of podcast newbies tend to forget the most important rule when communicating with strangers: TIME IS MONEY! Here’s the structure of a good email invitation:

Stop beating around the bush (and ditch the 5 paragraph email):

The initial email shouldn’t be longer than two paragraphs (maybe three short ones).
Get straight to the point: provide your guest a brief description of yourself and what the podcast is about.
Structure the Email with Your Reader in Mind:
- Don’t start with endless details about yourself. Nobody likes a self-centered person, so don’t waste their time with your whole life story.
- One line with your name, your Podcast’s name and a brief description of your mission is enough. Include a hyperlink to the Podcast.
- Next, include a short, personal, and unique reason you’re inviting them to the show. Are you a fan of theirs? Have they impacted your career? Do you have common connections or common interests? Are they a thought leader in the field? Do you want to do business with them?
- Stay positive, avoid statements like '“I know your time is limited and I will understand if you have to decline the invite”. People make time for what matters to them, so don’t even put negative information on there.
End with a concrete ask:
- Ask for their availability in the upcoming weeks. (or)
- Ask for a time to do a pre-interview call to discuss the opportunity further.
EXTRA TIP: Use free online tools like Calendly to book interviews and avoid 1,986 emails exchanges. It will make you sound professional, organized, and efficient. It was incredibly helpful when I used to work as producer and had to be a liaison between guests and hosts!)

Let’s put that all together into a highly successful email - here’s the full template I promised you:

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Email Subject: Interview request

Hi [guest’s name],

My name is [your name] and I am the host of [your podcast’s name hyperlinked], a podcast about [relevant information to your guest or your podcast’s mission]. I’d be honored to invite you to my upcoming episode about [relevant information to your guest].

[2-3 lines where you explain why you’d like to have them on the Podcast and how they can benefit from your exposure. Also include relevant links to your business (if it makes sense) and examples that could be relevant to your guest, such as industry peers or a high-profile guest you’ve interviewed, or a relevant topic that you cover and that can pique their interest].

The Podcast episodes are about [time] minutes long and conducted through [Location, Riverside, Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, phone call]. Interested? Please reply to this email with your available times, or use this link to book a convenient time for you.

Thank you,

[Your name]

Now, did you know that your guests are also part of your potential listeners? Listen to the full episode to learn about how you can turn guests into superfans of your content: