Remember that amazing feeling you had when you nailed a job interview? Chances are the reason you killed it is that you did your homework and knew what you were up against before you walked in the door and shook hands with someone. You wowed them with your knowledge of the company and sold them on why you were the best person for that job because you communicated the value that you could bring to their organization.
You’ve probably figured out where I’m going with this. So many times I’ve seen guest pitches that look like the person wrote it in about 5 minutes. Do you want to know where most of these kinds of pitch emails end up? The deleted folder! Sometimes those carefully crafted words are all that stand between you and a potential guest opportunity to grow your audience and build your credibility and authority.
You want to do everything you can to make this a slam dunk and convince this person that you would make a great guest. Sometimes the only way you can do that is through a great email.
Here are some things you want to remember when writing a pitch email.
- Don’t just copy and paste
Nobody wants to read an email where it’s painfully obvious you pulled content from the internet and just changed a couple of words. If you can’t set aside a few minutes with a little bit of intentionality to write something with thought and authenticity, then you probably don’t care enough about being on the show in the first place.
Take this time to introduce yourself, give a bit of exposition and let some of your personality come through. Be conversational with an approachable tone, but don’t get too casual. You still want to keep it professional and authoritative.
- Compliment them
What is it that makes their show so special? Why do you feel like there’s a good synergy between what they do and what you can offer their audience? Reference a favorite episode, the quality of the guests, the topics covered, and how excited you are to potentially be a part of it. This is your chance to show that you’re familiar with the show, are a fan, and that you share similar interests.
- Be valuable
Now it’s time to sell yourself. Talk about your background, your accolades, and achievements so you position yourself as an authority for the topic you’re pitching. What makes you an interesting guest for their audience? Do you have a social following? Have you written a blog? Is your YouTube channel gaining traction? It’s not easy to hype up ourselves sometimes, but here you have to. Remember they don’t know you. The only way you can persuade them to want to initiate a conversation with you is by giving them enough compelling information to show that you’re worth their time as a great future guest.
If you’re struggling to find things, pull some stats to reinforce your topic, reference something trending in the news that ties into your pitch that you believe their audience will find intriguing and relevant. Ask a friend what they think are your best qualities and use that to describe yourself. Frame your experiences and your passions to be able to tell a compelling narrative.
- Keep it brief
It may feel like you’re dumping a ton of information into this email, but it’s actually not that bad. People aren’t looking for your life story, they just want the highlights.
A concise email that gets straight to the point will be a blessing and is more likely to get you a response. Try to keep it to around 200-400 words if possible and avoid writing a novel.
State your purpose in your subject line. You could even start with “Podcast Pitch” as an example so the recipient knows exactly what your intentions are.
- Be direct and give a call to action
Make sure you end the email by giving them a next step. Whether that’s pointing them to your site, podcast, or Linkedin profile to learn more about you, asking them if you can schedule a time to connect in the near future or both. Let them know you’ll be following up with them shortly. A little bit of assertiveness can be admirable. It’s OK to be a little persistent and keep following up until you get a “Yes” or a “No.”
- Proof it (a lot)
Nothing gives you that moment of angst more than realizing that you sent something that has spelling and grammar mistakes. Doh! It makes you look unprofessional and that you didn’t think it was worth your time (or theirs) to review your email before you sent it.
Check it once, check it twice, then check it again. Read it out loud to make sure it makes sense and if you can, have a friend read it too. It’s amazing when you stare at something for so long how easy it is to miss some of those little mistakes that can make such a big impact.
Let’s put these tips into practice now. Here’s an example of what a “typical” pitch email could look like when we follow this format:
[SUBJECT LINE]
Podcast Pitch: Quick team building techniques for start-ups that build trust and reduce turnover.
Dear [NAME],
[INTRODUCTION]
Hi! My name is Ryan and I’m the founder and CEO of KONNECT, a training program for HR reps to build better relationships with their employees. I started the company as a senior project in college and within 2 years I had grown it into a 7 figure business with more than half a dozen employees.
[COMPLIMENT AND REFERENCE SHOW]
I’ve been a fan of your podcast for quite some time and really enjoyed the recent episode on young entrepreneurs and how they are reshaping the future of business. I love the way you mix success stories with questions from your listeners with actionable takeaways on how to improve their teams and businesses. I’m wondering if you might be interested in having me as a guest on your show.
I’ve created some unique trust-building techniques that have improved productivity and synergy among my team members and I would love to share them with your audience.
[VALUE PROP – create a bulleted list of key points and give your achievements]
Some ideas I had for a potential episode include:
- Easy team-building exercises that you can even do remotely
- Unique ways to engage your employees with positive reinforcement
- How understanding your team’s specific personality profiles can help you reduce turnover
For the last 3 years, I’ve been a CEO and a business development coach having hosted numerous workshops and lectures on team building. In 2017 my company received a “Best Places to Work” award for small business and my own podcast on team dynamics just crossed the 1M download mark and is continuing to gain new listeners.
I would be more than happy to promote your show with my listening audience as well.
[CALL TO ACTION]
I don’t want to take up any more of your time, but I would love to connect with you and continue this conversation. I can be reached at XXX-XXX-XXX or you can click this link to access my calendar to book a time to talk some more.
If you would like more information on me and my company, please visit [WEBSITE] or review my Linkedin profile.
[WRAP UP & THANK YOU]
Congratulations on a great podcast and for continuing to provide a valuable resource for entrepreneurs to learn and grow. I look forward to hearing from you.
Warmest Regards,
Ryan Smith
CEO, KONNECT
This email realistically only took around 20 minutes to write. Once you’re able to collect your thoughts and organize them in a logical way, you can create a professional and engaging email that introduces you in a very positive way and helps you stand out from the crowd.
Be yourself, share your strengths, proof it, and hit “send” with confidence!
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