There is a disturbing trend growing in the world of podcasting.  It starts off something like this… “I love your show and I’d be a perfect guest for you! Let’s set it up!”  Recognize this kind of pitch?  It’s boring, impersonal, and makes it clear that the writer has done absolutely no research into your show or your audience.  Whether from an individual or a guest booking service, these types of pitches are becoming all too common, and I’ve heard an overwhelming number of complaints about this in the podcasting community.

When you copy and paste a clearly generic pitch to a random list of podcasts, you are doing yourself and the hosts you are contacting a huge disservice.  Not only are you clogging up their inbox with unnecessary and frankly annoying communication, you are undermining the tremendous amount of blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into building those podcasts…and their audience.

You are also missing the very point of being interviewed on podcasts….reaching your target audience.  I don’t know about you, but I didn’t get into podcasting to become famous for my awesome interview skills.  I started podcasting because I wanted to reach a very specific audience with the valuable content I have to share.  By doing this, I have grown my business at Interview Connections and established myself as an expert in my niche.

The fact is when you neglect to research shows and get to know the audience BEFORE you approach the host for an interview, you are missing out on the whole point of doing interviews at all.  Sure, you might get a few “yes” responses from hosts and bag some interviews, but what is the point if you aren’t reaching the right audience?  You might as well be doing your interviews in Latin rather than doing interviews on shows that aren’t the right fit for you (unless, of course, your target market is made up of people who understand Latin!).

So please, guests, stop being annoying and start doing your research.  Check out the show’s website and for goodness sake, LISTEN TO THE SHOW before you pitch yourself or a client.  Get to know the audience and consider what you can bring to the podcast, not just what you can get from it.

If you want to get booked on the best shows for your niche, check out Interview Connections, and we’ll get you in front of your target audience.