You might think being a podcast guest is only for big-name experts with deep pockets.
Not true.
If you're an entrepreneur wanting to grow your personal brand, or a marketing team looking book your founder or C-suite team on podcasts for brand visibility, a podcast guesting budget of just $500 can set up a high-quality campaign, without wasting a dime.
If you invest the money strategically, that is.
No overpriced services, no unnecessary gear—just the essentials to help you land interviews, sound professional and make the most of every appearance.
So, whatever your reasons for booking podcast guest spots, here’s how to stretch that marketing budget and get real results.
Spending breakdown
To make the biggest impact, we recommend spending money on:
- Finding the right podcasts
- Ensuring great audio quality
- Looking professional on video podcasts
- Repurposing podcast appearances for social media
Find the right podcasts: Rephonic (3 months) – $297
Be strategic about which podcasts you approach; there's no point in being a guest on a podcast that doesn't reach your target audience. That’s why choosing relevant podcasts is key to your campaign’s success.
What makes a podcast relevant?
- Its mission gels with your goals and values
- The listeners are the sort of people you want to reach
- The vibe should match how you want to come across
- The podcast format suits your style
- People you admire in your industry have been a guest
- Your competition has been on that podcast (or similar shows)
- When you check out their episodes, you can see how you can contribute new information or an alternative angle.
How does Rephonic help?
Rephonic has several search options, so you can find podcasts via their topic, title, publisher or episode.
So, let's imagine your podcast guesting goal is to raise your profile amongst startup founders. You want to reveal how a systemic failure led to you developing a framework that changed your business and your life.
In that example, a simple topic search for startups reveals 10k+ possibilities. Fortunately, we can whittle that down by applying some well-chosen filters.
Now, we're down to 88 podcasts, with thousands of listeners who are likely to be very interested in your message.
Opening each podcast page on Rephonic reveals a wealth of data, including listener numbers, social media followers, audience demographics, ratings and reviews, contact addresses and much more.
Could I search Google and Spotify: It's free?
Yep. Some people spend hours doing all this manually. That works if you've got hours to burn. But you probably won't find all the data you need to make informed decisions on which shows to pitch, which increases the likelihood of you getting "ghosted," or worse, wasting time appearing on podcasts that don't share your target audience.
Could I use a matchmaking site?
You could. And matchmaking sites definitely suit some people as they're lower cost. But the thing is, matchmaking sites only have a few thousand shows listed, compared to the 135k active podcasts with a guest format you'll find listed in Rephonic's database.
Sound great: Samson Q2U USB Microphone – $70
It'd be lovely to sit in a professional studio with someone else taking care of all the audio. But it's far more likely you'll be doing each interview remotely so, you'll need a mic like the Samson Q2U USB.
The experts consider this an entry-level microphone but those in the know say it's great value for money. It'll pick up your voice while ignoring the neighbor's lawn mower and even your kid's pup yapping outside your office door.
Why can't I use my laptop mic?
You can use a laptop mic, but the interview sound quality will probably be compromised. The audio may be uneven or muffled—and your dog's barking will probably echo through the recording.
Poor audio quality makes you sound unprofessional and unprepared. At the same time, it creates a nightmare for podcast editing, when someone has to even your audio up to match the host's clearer tones.
People just don't want to listen to bad audio. It distracts them from absorbing your message. Good audio quality is crucial for credibility and professionalism. So, do yourself—and your reputation as a podcast guest a favor—and invest in a mic.
Audio-Technica ATH-M20X Wired Headphones – $50
You often see a podcast host with headphones, but it's best if guests wear them too.
Headphones, especially closed-back headphones, keep the audio clean. Without them, your mic can pick up the host's voice from your speakers and create an annoying echo or feedback loop during your podcast interview. You can imagine how hard that is to edit out.
Hosts appreciate guests who take sound quality seriously. Wearing headphones and fronting up with a decent microphone signals that you're prepared, professional, and respectful of their podcast and the effort it takes to record and edit it.
Can I just use my AirPods?
You can. If you prefer not to use closed-back headphones (perhaps it's not the look you're after), you can opt for smaller earphones instead. Just be sure to set your laptop’s Sound Input to your external microphone and your Sound Output to your earphones. And be aware that the sound might "leak" out of your earphones and get picked up by the mic.
Look professional: Lighting Setup - $25
Podcasting may have started off as an audio-only medium, but more and more podcasts now include video, so you'll need to look professional, too. Poor lighting might put your face in the shade or do the opposite and trap you in a glaring spotlight.
Fortunately, buying a ring light doesn't mean you have to break the bank.
Ring Lights may come in many sizes, but they all look exactly as the name suggests. Some clip to your laptop, while others come with stands, yet they all provide direct, even lighting.
Mini phone tripod - $20
Now, if you're recording a video, ask the podcast host if they mind you recording it separately on your phone, because it's a fantastic tool for social media promotion. You can get plenty of valuable social media clips over and above the ones the podcast host may send you.
The easiest way to get that second recording is to clip your phone to a mini tripod and set it up where it can film your face but the host's camera won't see it.
Repurpose content: Descript (3 months) - $36
Recording a podcast episode is only the start of the journey. You can make much more of it by repurposing the content as an article for your website, plus video clips, quote graphics etc. (Find out more about repurposing.)
You could create those manually, but why would you when AI tools take the hassle out? Descript is a popular, but relatively inexpensive repurposing tool for creating clips from your video recording.
The AI software sorts out the best clips for you. Then you put your own branding and spin on them with drag-and-drop shapes, colors, music and more.
You don’t need to jump on a Descript subscription immediately. Instead, time it so you start sharing clips around the time your podcast episode launches, so that your promotion is more effective.
Final thoughts
If we add these costs up, it comes to $498, so $2 under budget!
I think it's worth pointing out that almost half this budget comprises one-off costs, so you'll have this equipment available for any further podcast guesting campaigns you decide to run.
Being a podcast guest can help you
- Build brand awareness
- Attract new clients or customers
- And become known as a thought leader.
We'd say that's particularly good value for money.
If you're ready to get started, give Rephonic's free trial a whirl.
