How I guested on 99 podcasts for free in 2 years
Every bootstrapped founder should get on podcast marketing now.
Hi, it’s Melissa, and welcome to “your founder next door”, a bi-weekly column with relatable stories of my journey bootstrapping eWebinar to $5m ARR. No BS, just straight-up truth bombs on what it’s like to build a company without an abundance of resources or friends in high places.
This is the story of how I got into podcast marketing and why I think every bootstrapped founder should do the same – now. Find my super simple outreach process and email template below.
Backstory: Spending $6k on 12 mediocre episodes 💸
A couple years ago, a prospect in my demo told me he closed some deals from people who found out about him through podcasts – a new marketing strategy he was testing. He suggested I give it a try at eWebinar because we were desperately looking for new ways to get eyeballs.
He introduced me to a “podcast placement agency” for $6k/12 episodes, which was high at the time because we weren’t profitable yet, but I was willing to try anything, especially something different than what I knew.
These agencies act as middlemen and guarantee you guest spots on “top 10% podcasts” for a fee. Part of their onboarding process is to understand your expertise and the type of podcasts you want to get onto. Then they’ll pitch you to podcast hosts, send you a calendar invite, and all you have to do is show up.
A few episodes in, I realized the podcasts they booked me on were fairly low quality and didn't always fall into my area of expertise. Turns out, with the number of podcasts out there, there’s still a lot of garbage in the top 10%.
What’s worse, with this particular agency, you still had to pay $500/episode even if you turned the guest slot down because they had done their job of placing you. You don’t get the final say in whether you accept or not. I guess it makes sense (for them), because if you keep turning down episodes, they still keep getting paid. But I just found it frustrating to continually show up for interviews I knew weren’t going to be great.
What makes a podcast low quality? Hosts that aren’t prepared, and aren’t great at carrying conversations and improvising. Misaligned target audience which means little return on marketing value for your time. Low quality sound and video. All these things lead to low listenership.
I’ve always been in sales and cold outreach is my jam. I knew I could do a better job marketing myself and started researching what other founders were doing to get booked on podcasts. I learned that there was a whole world of podcast marketing out there that very few founders were taking advantage of…but should.
Why podcasts are great for marketing and branding 🎙️
It's 30-60mins of undivided attention for you to share your story, the problem you’re solving, and build credibility.
It's effortless because they're unscripted and casual, all you have to do is respond.
It has evergreen value, $0 ad dollars spent = extremely high ROI.
It forces you to think about your business, sharpens your speaking skills, and expands your business network via hosts.
Hosts are always looking for great speakers and content, so one podcast can turn into 1-3 more.
I guested on 99 podcasts at no cost, and saved over $49,500 (99 x $500/episode) by spending an hour a week reaching out to hosts and recommending my friends to shows I'd been on (eventually they did the same for me).
If you're a bootstrapped founder like me with $0 to spend on advertising, I'd highly recommend you get on this now
Where my podcasts came from 🔍
My own outreach. I followed Respona's strategy and took Casey Hill's course on getting booked on podcasts. (Message Casey on LinkedIn if you want to buy that course from him for $297.)
Hosts invited me on their shows after hearing me on other podcasts or seeing my LinkedIn content.
Other founders referred me to podcasts they'd been on, and I did the same.
If you’re wondering if I’ve ever paid for a guest appearance, the answer is: Yes, I’ve done it for 2 shows. Entrepreneurs on Fire and MarTech Podcast.
These are well-known podcasts with a wide reach and I needed to build credibility to increase my chances of getting booked. They were expensive and did not give much of a boost in our website traffic or revenue. Do I regret doing it? No. Would I do it again? Probably only the less expensive one. 🙃
My Speaker Profile has the full list of podcasts I’ve been on. In addition to podcast marketing, I also have my own podcast, ProfitLed, where my COO and I talk about “Our Journey to $1M ARR” at eWebinar over 36 months.
My outreach process is simple 📨
1. Make a list of podcasts I want to get on and get their emails from ListenNotes.
2. Send out 10-15 pitches every Wednesday. Check if the podcast has guests and recent episodes first. (I get pitched by agencies to place guests on ProfitLed and we don’t guests on our current season. Nothing screams “deleted this email” more than knowing the other side didn’t bother doing basic research.)
3. Follow up once.
As with anything you do, the trick is to be consistent and respectful.
(⭐ By the way, including a Speaker Profile in my pitch emails increased response rate by 10%. If you want to make this profile your own, you can buy this template HERE for a small donation.)
Here is the podcast pitch email I use.
Getting on great shows 🤩
I believe podcasting is the most underrated marketing channel, and not many founders are taking advantage of it. But it’s not enough to be on just any show. You need to get on great shows with a shared audience in order for your time spent to have a good return on investment.
What makes a great show? An interviewer with high energy who knows how to have engaging conversations. A host with a meaningful following (ideally from their own successes and an audience you care about) who’s active on social media and promotes episodes on their channels. Good video and audio quality.
The more shows you’ve been on, the easier it is to get booked. The more credibility you have, the better speaker you are, the more value you can offer shows and the less risk you are for hosts.
Reflections 🪞
With the negative trend in SEO and search traffic due to people asking ChatGPT for answers instead of Google, we’ve had to scale back on content efforts and evaluate other marketing channels to invest in.
Last year, I took a break from doing as many podcasts as I did the previous 2 years because I traveled non-stop. Our demo traffic that came from podcasts dropped from 10%+ to ~4%. Perhaps it’s time for me to restart the podcast engine again.
Want to join me? If you’re ready to start pitching yourself, read my post on how to be a great podcast guest.
💌 PS. Think you can save some time by hiring a placement agency like I did? Hosts hate agencies and love it when founders pitch themselves. If you can’t spend a few minutes to shoot them an email, why would they spend hours on you? Food for thought.
Some stuff you might find interesting 👇
My Speaker Profile I include in pitches to increase response rate
Buy this Speaker Profile template for a small donation
LinkedIn Post: How to be a great podcast guest
Thank you for reading!
— Melissa ✌️
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The only way this grows is by word of mouth, so I’d really appreciate all the help you’re willing to give.
This was awesome, Melissa! Thank you for sharing.😊 As a bootstrapping entrepreneur myself, I totally see the benefit in podcasting and have been thinking of guesting a lot more this year. Because to your point, it's evergreen, free, and it helps you get in front of a curated audience AND build trust and credibility quickly because you're basically leaning into the goodwill that podcast host has built up with their audience. Super valuable.
Your post answered a lot of questions for me, so thank you!
I love this, super helpful + tactical breakdown. I have my own podcast but have been thinking about guesting more. Your insights are great!