Want to get featured as a guest on podcasts but not sure how to pitch yourself effectively? Pitching yourself as a podcast guest requires research, personalization, and clear communication of the unique value you bring.

There are hundreds of thousands of active podcasts out there, and hosts receive a lot of pitches, so you need a guest pitch that resonates with them and their audience.

Mastering how to pitch yourself as a podcast guest can open doors to new audiences, build your credibility, and grow your network organically. This guide will help you do exactly that.

The benefits of podcast guesting

Landing podcast appearances bring benefits that go far beyond a single interview. As a guest, you reach a focused audience already interested in your expertise, which boosts your visibility and builds your credibility.

They also help you form meaningful connections with influential hosts and fellow guests. When handled well, these relationships can expand your professional network.

Every episode you join becomes a credibility asset you can share on social media, your website, and with your email list. That makes podcast appearances especially useful for growing a business organically. Founders, authors, and podcasters all find them to be a powerful growth tool.

Don’t do this!

First up, let’s look at a ‘bad’ pitch—a composite of howlers we’ve seen and heard about. This one’s full of common mistakes that you REALLY don’t want showing up in your emails.

Podcast hosts have a few vital questions top of mind when they’re considering a potential guest:

• What’s this person like?
• Are they a good fit for the show, or could they be the wrong fit?
• Do they add value for our listeners?
• Can they have an engaging conversation?
• Will we get along well?
• How easy will it be to work with them?

Does the above pitch answer any podcast host questions? No, it doesn’t. The pitch fails to show why John Doe would be a good potential guest and risks being seen as the wrong fit. Even if they bothered to open it, that email’s headed for the trash.

Example pitch to use as a guest

We drafted this podcast guest pitch using the ChatGPT tool we created—you can try it here. We only needed to make a few small tweaks, and it was ready to send!

This pitch opens by naming the host and showing the sender has actually listened to several episodes — a must before pitching.

It quickly ties the podcast’s focus to the guest’s expertise, then gives a brief, on-point bio suited to the audience.

It suggests specific, useful topics that address the audience’s needs and makes clear the guest intends to add real value. It also offers to help promote the episode while keeping things low-pressure for the host.

8 tips to pitch yourself as a podcast guest

If you'd rather learn how to write a podcast guest pitch from scratch than follow a template, this guide will walk you through the process.

First off, do yourself and them a favor, and keep your pitch brief—200 words max. (Keep that in mind as we go through these tips.). As you review these tips, remember that your pitch should be personalized, value-driven, and focused on how you can benefit the podcast’s audience.

A good pitch clearly demonstrates the value you bring, not just your own achievements. Podcast hosts prioritize pitches that focus on audience value and actionable takeaways, rather than simply highlighting personal accomplishments.

#1. Introduce yourself as a podcast guest

The host probably won’t recognize your name, so let them know who you are and what you do by offering credibility.

Be friendly, genuine, and establish credibility by including a concise professional bio—you could even link to past media appearances. You might include a sentence or two about your expertise, such as being a SaaS founder or running a bootstrapped SaaS business, or the project you’re working on, but only if it’s relevant.

Mentioning that you’ve been featured in a major publication or on a major publication website can add more credibility. Imagine you’re a business coach focused on entrepreneur well-being. You could introduce yourself like this:

#2. Pitch unique talking points

How will you add value to the podcast? That’s likely the host’s number one consideration.

They probably won’t be interested in a topic they’ve already covered, so don’t go there unless you’re offering fresh ideas or a revolutionary solution. Instead, propose a topic or angle that hasn't been heavily covered on the show.

For example, you might suggest discussing scaling business challenges, sharing SaaS business growth tactics, or exploring organic marketing tactics. What specific problems does their audience have that you can help solve? Make sure your proposed topics are relevant and not overdone, so you avoid being the wrong fit for the show.

#3. Reference previous content

Show you’ve done your homework and genuinely listened to the podcast by taking the time to listen to a few episodes before pitching.

You might:

• Mention a moment that stood out to you in a previous episode
• Offer your perspective on the guest’s remarks
• Refer to a comment a listener left on YouTube or Apple

Be authentic, and really do your homework. Listen to recent episodes and, after you’ve finished listening, mention a specific takeaway to prove your genuine interest.

If you send an email saying I’m a big fan of the show, or I loved a particular episode, you’d better believe they’ll want to know which episode and why you liked it. To personalize your pitch effectively, mention specific episodes of the podcast that you enjoyed and explain why they resonated with you, demonstrating that you are familiar with the host's content.

Referencing a few episodes and sharing specific takeaways shows you’ve truly engaged with the podcast and helps your pitch stand out.

#4. Attach a one-sheet

You've probably got loads of relevant information you'd love to share with the host, but there's no way you can fit it into a 200-word email.

Don't even try.

Attach a one-sheet instead.

Think of your pitch email as an introduction—a taster. Personalize the heck out of it to catch the host's attention. If they're interested, they'll open the one-sheet to learn more.

That's where they'll find more info on your background, achievements and past guest appearances as well as links to your website, social channels and any relevant stats.

#5. Use the host’s name

I know. It seems obvious. But you’d be amazed how many guests don’t pitch their emails to an actual person.

• Dear podcast host
• Hey there
• To whom it may concern
• Hello team

Instead, use a personalized greeting like "Hey John"—addressing the host by name shows you’ve done your homework and makes your pitch feel more genuine. Personalization is key to standing out in a crowded inbox when pitching for a guest spot.

Podcast hosts loathe generic pitches and starting your email with any of the above sets their alarm bells ringing.

Podcasts are all about relationships, authenticity and connection. So make that your guiding light throughout the whole process, from your initial outreach right through to the recording and beyond.

#6. Tailor your  subject line

Your subject line is the first thing a host sees in their inbox. They’ll decide whether to open your pitch or not, based on that short sentence.

To grab attention, craft a subject line that is both personal and relevant to the host. Reference the host's description of their ideal guest to show you’ve done your homework and are a great fit for their audience.

#7. Use the right contact info

Again, it seems obvious! But, there’s no point in spending all this time writing your pitch if it doesn’t get to the right person in the right way.

So, double-check (or even triple-check) your information and make sure you are reaching out to an active podcast host who is currently producing episodes and engaging with guests.

The podcast’s website may have some guidance on how they like guests to pitch them. For example, they may have an online form to fill in, or ask you to DM them on a particular social media platform.

If not, then email is the best way to pitch. You might find the correct email address on their website, or you can get the contact info on Rephonic (you can even send your pitches from your own email address without leaving Rephonic!)

#8. Follow up

Just because a host hasn't answered your email doesn't mean they're not interested. They may have forgotten to reply or maybe missed seeing it altogether.

If you pitched via email and haven't heard back within a week, get in touch again and refer to your previous email. Forward it to them and say you're still keen on being a guest.

If you filled out an online form, they may have said they'll get back to you within a specific timeframe. In that case, only follow up with them after that time has passed.

If you're using Rephonic, you can automate follow-ups so you never forget to send that second email.

Final words

With these tips, you could see your pitch success rates soaring like those of Your Expert Guest, who credit Rephonic with helping them achieve an impressive 70% pitching success rate

Remember:

• Pitch podcasts whose audience aligns with your message
• Research thoroughly— and listen to several episodes before you start writing an email
• Personalize your email for the podcast and its host
• Don't write a novel—200 words + a one-sheet is plenty
• Proofread your email (twice) before you send it
• Follow up in a week (or after their stated timeline.)

Rephonic is a database of over three million shows with listener numbers, audience demographics, contact information and lots more.

Check out our free trial to book more podcast guest spots.

Article credits

Written by Lyn McNamee, podcast-PR writer with years of experience transforming podcast insights into practical, results-focused playbooks.

Edited by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist who frequently analyzes Rephonic’s data across 3 million podcasts.

How to Get Booked on Podcasts: Full Podcast Guesting Guide

This in-depth guide explains what you can expect to gain from podcast interviews, how to find the right shows, pitch effectively, prep for the interview, and follow up afterward.

Monthly Podcast Appearances or Intense Bursts: Which Is Better?

Podcast sprints or a spaced approach—which guesting strategy works best? Or should you try a hybrid? We break down the pros and cons of all three.

Follow us:

Do your podcast ads draw your target audience in or leave them out in the cold?

There's more to getting a perfect match with podcast advertising (aka podcast sponsorship) than you might think. As well as partnering with an appropriate show, the ad copy should resonate with the listeners. Otherwise, that podcast ad spend is a waste of money and time.

One of the best ways to learn is to study the masters. We've selected five top podcast advertisers who've mastered the art of designing ads to match a podcast and its audience.

Let's dive into their ad campaigns to see how they match their podcast advertising with each audience. We can't know how effective the ads were on each podcast, but our analysis show what we think worked based on how these factors interact:

• Niche
• Target audience
• Messaging

We'll learn from some of the most popular podcast sponsors and see how helps you discover great partners for your next podcast advertising campaign.

SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe is a leading home security company specializing in innovative monitoring and alarm systems designed to keep homes safe and secure. In April 2026, it ranked 14th on Magellan's list of top podcast advertisers by spend, highlighting its commitment to reaching engaged podcast audiences.

While its top genre for advertising was comedy, SimpliSafe's sponsorship strategy is notably diverse. Research by Rephonic in 2025 revealed that 27% of the episodes sponsored by SimpliSafe were within the True Crime category, making it their most heavily sponsored genre and positioning them as the brand most likely to invest in True Crime podcasts.

This alignment makes strategic sense, as True Crime listeners often value security and safety, creating a natural fit for SimpliSafe’s products.

Manscaped

Arguably one of the best podcast sponsors in its industry, Manscaped sells grooming products designed for men's "most delicate parts." Products include the "Weed Whacker"(shaver), the Crop Preserver (deodorant) and anti-chafing boxers, to name a few.

Their brand messaging is bold, humorous and high-end, featuring gold and black colors, and names like "The Perfect Package".

Host-read ad opportunities work particularly well when the podcast host injects their personality into the mix. In the Valentine's Day ad below, Nick Viall uses his tone of voice and well-timed pauses to sound humorous and natural.

Rephonic's podcast data indicates that The Viall Files' audience is highly engaged and skews female. The script speaks to that audience with lines like: "Valentine's Day's coming up and ladies if you're looking for the perfect gift for your man..."

The entire advertisement exudes authenticity and genuineness. One notable humorous yet relatable point is Nick's line, "instead of him having to use your razor or clippers - which they do!" Ali and Amanda chime in to support this statement, further enhancing the ad's humor and relatability. Nick's endorsement as a male offers validation, while his co-hosts provide a feminine perspective by emphasizing the convenience of purchasing the platinum bundle, which eliminates the hassle of decision-making.

Overall, the ad seamlessly connects with The Viall Files' engaged and predominantly female audience, making it both entertaining and relatable.

BetterHelp

Also one of the top podcast advertisers, BetterHelp is an online therapy platform dedicated to making professional therapy affordable and accessible. Consistently ranking among the highest advertisers by spend, BetterHelp connects individuals seeking support with a team of trained professionals ready to help navigate life’s challenges and foster personal growth.

According to Magellan AI, BetterHelp's most frequent advertising category in April 2026 was sports. Sports podcasts are particularly appealing to sponsors; in fact, Rephonic's 2025 research found that nine of the ten most-sponsored podcast categories are sports-related.

Notably, listeners of sports podcasts tend to be more receptive to podcast ads compared to print and radio, as reported by Podnews. This focus likely reflects BetterHelp’s strategic targeting of predominantly male audiences, with Rephonic’s data showing that nine sports categories skew heavily male, six skew moderately male, and one maintains an even gender split.

HelloFresh

HelloFresh is another one of the most well-known brands that advertise on podcasts. A meal kit delivery offering food boxes, recipes and meal plans, HelloFresh delivers straight to your door. The company calls its customers to "take the stress out of mealtime," reminding them that HelloFresh represents convenience, fun, togetherness, and developing good health through quality food.

Consider This episodes feature one daily news or culture story with the podcast's audience skewing male, according to Rephonic's data.

In keeping with the factual nature of news, this pre-recorded ad mentions surveys and stats: "According to a recent HelloFresh survey, 43% of people said they've ended relationships if their partner was a bad cook."

The fact reflects the formal nature of news but it has a sense of humor to it and the voiceover draws inspiration from text-to-audio AI features on social media that HelloFresh's target audience of millennials will be familiar with.

Listening to episodes should always be part of the drill when assessing the suitability of a podcast and producing an effective ad, so click the blue Listen button when viewing a podcast page on Rephonic to play recent episodes.

Shopify

Shopify is another leading podcast advertiser, with an impressive ad spend exceeding $5.2 million in April 2026. Using Rephonic, we can easily identify the diverse range of podcasts they sponsor, spanning from large audiences like The Diary Of A CEO to smaller, niche shows such as Entrepreneurs on Fire with just a few thousand listeners.

By navigating to the Sponsors tab and utilizing the search tool to enter the advertiser's name, you can discover which episodes feature Shopify’s sponsorships, listen to the ad reads, and view the calls-to-action.

Notably, many of these ads are host-read, which can often be more engaging and authentic. Leveraging Rephonic to find such host-read ad opportunities can significantly enhance your podcast advertising strategy.

Final thoughts

So... what have we discovered in our deep dive of some of the most popular podcast advertisers?

Niche, target audience and messaging are closely intertwined.

We've seen that it's important to think about the niche or topic. It doesn't always have to be the obvious ones—think BetterHelp and its sports podcast ads.

And it's vital to consider your customer demographics. Understanding demographics will help guide both the choice of podcasts and your ad messaging.

Will you choose programmatic ads for scalable ad delivery? Or baked-in ad slots? Will you choose host-read ads? Or will you supply them yourself?

Looking to advertise on podcasts?

Rephonic is used by podcast sponsors to find shows in your niche and filter by listener numbers, gender skew, social reach and lots more. You can listen to previous podcast episodes on the platform, get the show's contact info, and send pitches from your own email address without leaving Rephonic.

Get started with Rephonic for free.

Article credits

Written by Lyn McNamee, podcast-PR writer with years of experience transforming podcast insights into practical, results-focused playbooks.

Edited by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist who frequently analyzes Rephonic’s data across 3 million podcasts.

Podcast Intelligence Engine for Discovery & Insights

If podcasts are part of your PR or sales and marketing strategies this year, you'll want the best insights and information on exactly which podcasts are right for your advertising campaign.

Podcast Guesting Case Study: Ahrefs Vs Semrush

Using Rephonic, we discovered that Ahrefs has made 99 podcast guest appearances, compared to 117 for Semrush. We compare their approaches in this article.

Follow us:

It doesn't matter whether you're part of a professional podcast production team or an indie podcaster recording from a spare room, podcast awards can help shine a spotlight on your work.

Most awards are self-nominated, and almost all require an entry fee. They come in many shapes and sizes; some are giant industry affairs while others are run solely by volunteers. But every event aims to recognize brilliance, creativity and the passion that goes into making a great podcast.

Read on to discover our gigantic list of podcast awards.

Did you know: Many podcast production teams use Rephonic to research other podcasts, analyze what’s working in their niche and gather insights they can use to improve their own show. You can learn more here.

Podcast Industry Awards

The Ambies

Run by the Podcast Academy, The Ambies are all about celebrating excellence in podcasting and raising the status of podcasting in the audio industry.  They include two types of category: Show Recognition and Talent Recognition.

Submissions for entry: The 2026 submission period ran from 4th August to 17th October 2025, so watch out for the submissions window for next year's awards in August-October 2026.

Who can apply? Any ongoing podcast can enter, and any miniseries podcast can enter so long as they published at least 3 episodes in 2025. (English language shows only). “Published” means the date the episode was first made available for streaming or download to the public

Learn more

iHeartRadio Podcast Awards

In March each year, iHeartRadio recognises the best podcasts in the USA at a glitzy annual awards ceremony. The awards contain multiple categories including Podcast of the Year, Best Comedy, Best Crime Podcast, Best Fiction, Best Science Podcast and so on.

Can anyone apply? Shows are nominated by a judging panel (taking their iHeartRadio performance into account) and fans vote for their favorites.

Learn more

The Independent Podcasts Awards

These are back-to-our-roots awards, created to celebrate podcasters that are "truly free of corporate ties" i.e., no corporate support or celebrity hosts (although you can have high profile guests.)

Submissions for entry:

Closing date: Monday June 8, 2026

Awards Ceremony: November 4, 2026

Who can apply? Only podcasters based in the UK or Ireland can enter at the moment.

Learn more

Political Podcast Awards (UK)

Launched in 2025, the Political Podcast Awards bill themselves as the UK's first awards dedicated to political podcasts, saying:

“More people than ever are getting their news from political podcasts, and they play a vital role in shaping the news agenda and bringing untold stories to the fore.”

Submissions for entry: The 2026 awards were held in London on 28 January. Submissions for the 2027 awards are likely to open mid-2026, with the awards ceremony taking place towards the end of January 2027.

Who can apply? Podcasts covering politics and based in the UK and Northern Ireland. The International Podcast of the Year is open globally.

Learn more

Publisher Podcast Awards

These awards are “a celebration of the podcasting success of publishers and media organisations, whether they've been in the podcasting space a while, or have just launched.”

First awarded in 2024, the second awards took place in June this year and included the Publisher Podcast Hero of the Year, designed to celebrate “an individual who has gone above and beyond to demonstrate the value of podcasting to their organisation.”

Submissions for Entry: Entries for the 2026 awards will open in the (Northern Hemisphere) spring and the organizers suggest signing up for their newsletter to receive the latest information.

Learn more

Signal Awards

Signal says no matter how big or small your studio, the best podcasters are authentic, creative, open minds and change culture. They include four entry types: Shows, Limited Series, Individual Episodes and Branded Shows & Advertising and have many awards within each category.

Submissions for entry:

• Final Entry Deadline: June 26, 2026
• Extended Entry Deadline: July 31, 2026

To be eligible for the current season, the work must have been originally published after September 1, 2025, and be live and accessible upon entry.

Who can apply? Global entries encouraged. (NB they use Google Translate to translate non-English language submissions reviewed by an English-speaking judge.)

Learn more

Culture & Diversity

Black Podcasting Awards

These are the longest-running podcasting awards for the Black community. Podcasts must have a public RSS feed and be hosted or majority co-hosted by Black people. The awards offer 40+ categories.

In their own words: "Black means a person who identifies as such racially."

Submissions for entry:

BLACK POD AWARDS 2026 SEASON TIMELINE

• Applications open:  May 10, 2026
• Applications close: July 31, 2026
• Announcement of new nominees & Legends: August 15
• Awards ceremony: September 26

Who can apply? Black podcasts from anywhere can apply to enter so long as the shows are in English.

Learn more

Latin Podcast Awards

This competition recognizes and celebrates podcasts by, for or about the Latino community and are judged on content and quality by a panel of independent judges. This year marks the Awards' 10th Anniversary and in October they're hosting their first live awards ceremony in Florida.

Submissions for entry: Close mid June 2026

Who can apply? a global competition for members of the Latino community producing content in English, Spanish or bilingual formats.

Learn more

NAACP Image Awards

The NAACP exists to advocate for civil rights due to Black America. Their multicultural awards have a “tradition of excellence, uplifting values that inspire equality, justice, and progressive change, and highlighting artists committed to these values.”

They include Outstanding Podcast categories in News & Information, Society & Culture, Short Form Series, Lifestyle and Arts, Sports & Entertainment

The 2026 awards ceremony was held in Pasadena, California on February 28.

Submissions for the 2027 awards have not yet been announced, but based on previous years awards, are likely to open in August 2026 and close in November.

Learn more

Podcasts as a Category

American Writing Awards - Podcast of the Year

The AWA 2026  Podcast of the Year awards were created as a means to recognize excellence in independent podcasting.

This competition is held online and Submissions for the 2027 awards are now open with a new list of categories including Parenting, Technology, LGBTQ, Interviews, Fantasy & SciFi and more.

The 2026 awards were announced on February 27.

Submissions for entry:

• Registration Deadline: February 14, 2027
• Category Prizes and PODCAST OF THE YEAR AWARD announced: March 7, 2027

Who can apply? The award is international and open to all shows regardless of country of origin or language. (Transcribe or translate non-English speaking podcasts please.)

Learn more

Audio Production Awards

The APAs began as radio awards in 2010 and widened in 2016 to reflect its members' expanding audio production activities. They're now an annual fixture in the UK industry, with a high-profile awards ceremony held in London.

Submissions for entry: Dates have not yet been announced, but last year's submission dates ran from mid-June to mid-September, with the glitzy awards ceremony held at the end of November.

Who can apply? Anyone in the UK audio industry

Learn more

AVA Digital Awards

AVA Digitals reward excellence by creative professionals responsible for the planning, concept, direction, design, and production of digital communication. There are 227 categories, including two for podcasting in the Content Marketing category.

The 2026 awards were announced in February.

Submissions for entry: Typically entries open in November with a final submission deadline in mid-January.

Who can apply? Open to individuals, companies, and organizations involved in producing digital media for external or internal audiences.

Learn more

Audio Verse Awards

These celebrate the greatest in immersive audio fiction around the world, including podcasts. They're by and for the audio fiction community and decided by a public vote. The organizers suggest joining their mailing list to keep up to date.

Submissions for entry: Each year they open for entries in September and voting in October.

Who can apply? Any immersive fiction podcast that's exclusively audio and is discoverable.

Learn more

Content Marketing Awards

These are the largest and longest-running international content marketing awards and aim to recognize the best in strategy, content creation, visual  and audio storytelling. They include a category for Best Podcast/Audio Series

Submissions for entry: These closed at the end of May, 2026.

Who can apply? Anyone, but the show must have recorded episodes in 2025 to qualify for the 2026 award.

Learn more

Golden Globes: Best Podcast Category

In 2025, the Golden Globes announced that their 2026 awards would include a Best Podcast category to recognize “the extraordinary and diverse talents in podcasting.” The 84th Annual Golden Globes will be held in 2027.

Submissions for entry:

• Submissions website opens: June 1, 2026
• Submissions deadline: October 30, 2026
• Nominations Announced: December 7, 2026
• Presentations: January 10, 2027

Learn more

The Golden Mike Awards

Part of the Radio & Television News Assn of Southern California, the awards are now also open to independent podcast producers, content creators and streaming platforms in the US.

The 2026 contest covered work produced between 1 September 2024 and 3 October 2025, with finalists announced January 2026 and the awards ceremony held in March 2026.

Categories include Best Interview Podcast, Best Limited Series Podcast, and Best Open Topic Podcast.

Submissions for entry: Likely to open in fall, 2026.

Learn more

The Gracie Awards

The Gracie Awards, presented by the Alliance for Women in Media (AWM), celebrate programming by, for and about women.

The 2026 awards include several new podcast-related categories including Audio Podcast Host – Lifestyle, Audio Podcast Host – Educational, Audio Podcast Host – Sports, and a new Video Podcast (Digital Media) category, with the awards ceremony held in June, 2026.

Submissions for entry have not yet been announced but are likely to open from mid October 2026-mid January 2027.

Who can apply?

Judges are looking for outstanding programming or individual achievement by, for, or about women.

Podcasts from anywhere may apply. All entries must be submitted in English or include English subtitles or transcripts.

Learn more

New York Festivals Radio Awards

The New York Festivals Radio Awards honors the exceptional professional content across many channels, including podcasts and is judged by a panel of industry experts.

Single episodes or series must have aired in the previous 12 months.

The awards introduced a Video Podcast category for the 2026 competition.

Submissions for entry: Entries are self-nominated.

The 2026 competition is closed, and entries for the 2027 competition opened in September.

Who can apply? Podcasters from any country may enter, but you're asked to provide an English translation if your podcast's in another language.

Learn more

The Peabody Awards

The Peabodys were established to honor excellence in radio back in 1940. Now they cover outstanding digital and interactive storytelling in TV, streaming, internet, radio and podcasts. Podcasters can enter documentaries, entertainment, news, youth programming, public service or arts.

Submissions for entry: Submissions for the 86th annual Peabody Awards will open in October for all categories.

Who can apply? US and international English language podcasters

Learn more

Quill Podcast Awards

Running since 2021, this yearly digital awards ceremony celebrates the achievements of podcasters and podcast companies who've become leaders in their field, have a positive impact in the podcast industry and created outstanding content.

Submissions for entry: 2026 were announced on May 28. While the 2027 dates are yet to be announced, the 2026 submissions opened and closed in April, with voting open from April 30 - May 8.

Who can apply? These awards are free to enter and open to everyone. Podcasts must be active for at least 6 months to qualify. Best New Podcasts must have at least 6 episodes.

Learn more

The Shorty Awards

This international competition began in 2008 and honors the best work on digital and social platforms. It includes brands, agencies, non-profits, content creators and influencers and has a Podcast section with 11 categories including Branded Podcast, Comedy and Mini Series. The2026 winners were announced on May 19 in New York city.

Submissions for entry: The next Shorty Awards dates have not yet been announced, but this year's entries opened at the end of October (2025) and closed in January 2026, with a late deadline in February.

Who can apply? This is an international competition.

Learn more

The Stevies

The American Business Awards present the Stevies annually and added podcast categories in 2024 to recognize excellence in US podcasts. Major categories include Shows, Individual Episodes, Limited Series & Specials and Features.

Submissions for entry: Entries for The 2027 (25th Annual) American Business Awards® will be accepted starting October, 2026 through an entry kit

Learn more

Webby Awards

Established way back in 1996 the 'Webbys' have grown until now The New York Times calls them "the Internet's highest honor." They now honor excellence across eight media types including podcasts. There are two honors in every category—The Webby Award (judged) and The Webby People's Voice Award (awarded by the voting public.)

Submissions for entry:

This year's entries closed on February 6, 2026, with the Awards announced on May 26. Sign up for their newsletter to learn the dates submissions open in 2027.

Who can apply? Anyone. The 28th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 13,000 entries from the US and 70 countries worldwide.

Learn more

Where in the world?

Asia Podcast Awards

Launched in 2023 by RadioInfo, these awards honor individuals, teams and organizations in media and marketing who create outstanding podcast content in Asia.

In 2025 they received hundreds of entries across 23 categories including Best Children's, Best Comedy, Best Factual podcast and Best International Podcast.

Submissions for entry:

Open: April 27, 2026

Winners announced: in Jakarta on September 3, 2026

Who can apply? Individual category awards are open to Asian and Pacific citizens or organisations. Entries from countries outside of Asia/Pacific (as defined above) are permitted to enter the Best International Podcast category, but should not enter any other category unless they have an individual or organisational address in Asia and publish from that country.

Learn more

Australian Audio Awards

These are new awards in 2026 and replace the Australia/NZ podcast awards.

They include 27 categories across Australian radio and podcasting landscape. Podcast categories included Best Branded Podcast, Best Children's Entertainment Podcast, Best Comedy, Best Crime, Best Journalism Podcast and more, aired between 1 July 2024 and 6 March 2026.

Submissions for entry: 2026 entries have closed, with the awards ceremony taking place in Sydney on May 28.

Who can apply? Podcast teams based in Australia or New Zealand with work actively conceived in those countries.

Learn more

Australian Podcast Awards

These celebrate Australian podcasts, with more than 20 categories up for grabs, including the Listener's Choice Award. Entries are self-nominated and judging is done by a panel of podcasting experts. They promise to " uncover and champion the best talent of the Australian podcasting industry. We welcome podcasts big and small to enter and look forward to another year of break-through podcasting content."

Submissions for entry: There isn't any information on when entry opens for the 2024 awards, but last year's Sydney ceremony was held in November. You can register your interest here to get more information when it becomes available.

Learn more

Belgian Podcast Awards

Belgian podcasting is growing fast and these awards aim to recognize new and existing talent, promote great podcasts and encourage listeners to try new shows. Founded in 2021 by Maarten Bovée (chairman of the independent judging channel) the 2024 awards promise to be the biggest and best yet.

Submissions for entry: The 2025 entry window has closed, with the awards ceremony held on 10th June.

Who can apply? They welcome a diverse range of podcast entries including brands, independent creators, comedians and more. People can register online to vote for The Listener's choice award.

Learn more

British Podcast Awards

Recognizing excellence, talent and originality in the booming podcast industry, the British podcast awards have been running for eight years and seek to reward both commercial podcasts and passion projects. Their broad categories include Genres, People & Teams, Editors' Choice and Listeners' Choice. The judging panel particularly looks for quality, impact and new perspectives.

Submissions for entry: This year's competition opened in early 2026. Entries received after May 1 incur a late fee.

Longlist announcement: July 2

Shortlist announcement: July 23

Awards ceremony: October 1, 2026

Who can apply? Podcasts and podcasters in Great Britain

Learn more

All Ireland Podcast Awards

The inaugural awards will be held on 13th November as part of the brand new Sound Waves summit in Adare, Ireland.

Submissions for entry: Are now closed

Learn more

Final Thoughts

You probably weren't thinking about winning awards when you started your show. Or, maybe you were - in which case, good on you because it means you were thinking about excellence right from the start.

But now you're up and running, why not enter a few competitions and see where that leads? You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain if your podcasting commitment and courage is recognized by your peers and/or the public.

Enjoy the process - if nothing else, it's a fantastic chance to analyze and review your show and really pay attention to your high quality work.

Article credits

Written by Lyn McNamee, podcast-PR writer with four years of experience transforming podcast insights into practical, results-focused playbooks.

Edited by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist who frequently analyzes Rephonic’s data across 3 million podcasts.

Article credits

Written by Lyn McNamee, podcast-PR writer with four years of experience transforming podcast insights into practical, results-focused playbooks.

Edited by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist who frequently analyzes Rephonic’s data across 3 million podcasts.

How Agencies & Networks Find Podcast Cross-Promo Partners

Looking to cross-promote a podcast you manage and grow its audience? Rephonic helps podcast agencies and networks find the right shows to partner with.

How to See How Many Listeners a Podcast Has (& More Podcast Stats)

If you're planning to pitch yourself (or someone else) as a guest or sponsor, you probably want to know how many people are listening to it.

Follow us:

We've found 10 fascinating examples of entrepreneur podcasts for you to contact as a potential guest. Plus, for each show, we provide you with an insight from Rephonic that can help you decide whether it's worth pitching.

Listening to entrepreneur interview podcasts is an excellent way for new and experienced founders, creators and business owners to pick up valuable knowledge and hear inspiring stories from others on their own entrepreneurial journey.

At the same time, appearing on entrepreneur podcasts is a quick way for business leaders to share their expertise with aspiring entrepreneurs. Finally, appearing on podcasts for entrepreneurs is an excellent way to showcase your story and gain exposure for your own business or podcast.

1. Young and Profiting with Hala Taha

Hala Tala is the founder and CEO of YAP Media and "an expert on networking, marketing, social media, personal branding, side hustles, entrepreneurship and podcasting."

In the YAP podcast, Hala interviews entrepreneurial thought leaders and turns their inspiring stories into practical advice. Guests like Joey Zwillinger (AllBirds), Jaspreet Singh (a serial entrepreneur) and Gretchen Rubin (podcast host & author) discuss their successes, failures, insights and lessons learned.

Rephonic insight: start with an overview

Each podcast page opens with an overview, including essential info such as whether or not the podcast is active and key facts like the number of listeners per episode and if the podcast accepts guests and sponsors.

Episode data gives you an idea of the podcast's longevity, i.e., is it well established (as YAP is) or a new podcast with only a few episodes under its belt?

Likewise, you need to know if a podcast accepts guests. Again, it's possibly not worth pitching a host who only records solo episodes (unless you craft a persuasive pitch explaining why they should change their format and feature you as a special guest.)

2. The Side Hustle Show - Nick Loper

Nick Loper says he's learned a lot about side hustles, what works and what doesn't, by building multiple businesses and income streams. Interviewing hundreds of successful entrepreneurs on this 570+ episode podcast has probably helped, too.

"For me," says Nick, "hustle" is about taking back control of your own effort and your own financial health and well-being." So, the Side Hustle Show delivers "new business ideas, side hustle opportunities, and high-value content to help you make extra money and make the most of your time."

Rephonic insight: dive deep into audience demographics

One essential question for podcast guests should always be, "How does this podcast's audience match with mine?"

The more closely related they are, the more likely it is that listeners will be interested in and connect with your message. You can still work with podcasts with a less-aligned or broader audience than your dream customers, but your conversations and message would have a different focus to those where you're speaking to your ideal audience.

Research a podcast audience on Rephonic through the Audience tab. Here, you'll see an overall listener profile, followed by information we've gathered from episodes and public podcast data to show likely audience locations, professions, age range, income and education levels and more.

3. Earn Your Happy - Lori Harder

Lori Harder is an entrepreneur, author and founder of CPG wellness & beauty company Glōci.

In her podcast, Earn Your Happy, Lori alternates between short solo episodes and long form interviews with leading entrepreneurs, founders, authors and more. They cover wide-ranging topics from entrepreneurship, networking and personal branding to mindset, relationships, personal growth, building a fulfilling life and much more.

Rephonic insight: do the podcast's values, tone and style fit your brand?

Always research the topics the audience covers and listen to a few episodes to gauge the tone and style before reaching out to a podcast host.

We've removed the hassle of searching on a podcast app or finding it online with a list of recent topics and episode links in the Overview tab.

4. The Dwayne Kerrigan Podcast

Dwayne Kerrigan has been in and around the business world for over 35 years and has owned nearly 30 businesses in 12 different industries so he’s got plenty of knowledge around the grittier aspects of business growth behind all the glitz and glamor of entrepreneurship.

In this podcast, Dwayne collaborates with overlooked but accomplished entrepreneurs. Together, they share insights into each entrepreneur’s personal journey, lessons learned, and strategies that keep them moving forward. The conversations often touch on resilience in the face of setbacks, leadership in building teams and companies, and innovation in business.

Rephonic insight: research previous guests

Another way to see if the podcast will suit your marketing strategies and goals as a podcast guest is to research former guests. What industries do they cover? Have your competitors guested on the show? Have you heard some of these people on the industry or niche podcasts you subscribe to? Are they thought leaders or successful people in your niche or an adjacent one?

To find out, open the podcast's People tab and scroll down to see the podcast host's profile and a list of recent guests. Each one includes an episode link, it's focus and relevance.

5. Real Talk with Zuby

Nzube Olisaebuka Udezue, aka Zuby, is a British rapper and creative entrepreneur.

'Real Talk with Zuby' features a diverse range of guests discussing society, culture, politics, health, and entrepreneurship. This diversity fosters rich conversations and allows for exploring multiple viewpoints, making it an appealing platform for guests aligned with themes of personal development, social critique, and ethical discussions.

Rephonic insight: who's advertising on this podcast?

Are you considering podcast advertising as part of your marketing strategies? Check out these experienced podcast advertisers to see how they structured their ads and why.

Researching other companies that have advertised on the podcast can help you see if it's a good fit for your business. For example, if your products, audience or industries fit with those of previous sponsors it could be a sign the podcast might fit your business too.

At the same time, enormous differences could show that this audience may not act on your message.

If you've never tried podcast advertising before, head to our beginner's guide to podcast advertising to learn more.

6. The Foundr Podcast - Nathan Chan

Nathan Chan knew nothing about startups, marketing or business strategy when he worked in a hated 9-5 job. So, when he launched Foundr Magazine, he went to the most successful entrepreneurs to ask ‘all the questions every founder needs to know.'

In this weekly podcast, Nathan asks well-known entrepreneurs (and some you’ve probably never heard of) about how they started, lessons learned and their best business strategies to help other aspiring entrepreneurs along their way, with an emphasis on execution through the right team, systems, and marketing, not just the idea. The show also reinforces that founders often need to just start and ship rather than wait for a perfect plan.

Rephonic insight: what do the charts say?

To save you searching around in each separate podcast chart, Rephonic lists a podcast's category rankings as they appear in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Chart rankings can help you decide whether a podcast is worth pitching. If a show ranks strongly in a category closely related to your business, it may be a good place to build credibility with a relevant audience. If it charts in countries where your ideal customers live, that’s another positive signal.

Chart rankings are especially useful when combined with Rephonic’s listener numbers, audience demographics and episode topics. A high chart position alone doesn’t guarantee the right fit, but it can help you spot podcasts with momentum and prioritize the ones most likely to support your guesting or advertising goals.

7. Wake Up to Wealth

Podcast host Brandon Brittingham is a seasoned real estate expert, entrepreneur and wealth-building guru.

In this show, he shares insights, strategies and stories and interviews a diverse range of guests to help listeners build knowledge and motivation to take action, stay resilient through setbacks, adapt to changing circumstances, and pursue long-term success in their financial goals.

Rephonic insight: what does the audience think?

Reviews and ratings can tell you what listeners genuinely value about a podcast. Are they tuning in for expert advice, entertaining conversations, personal stories, industry insights or the host’s interview style?

This matters when you’re deciding whether to pitch the host as a guest or advertise on the show. If reviews suggest listeners are highly engaged and trust the host’s recommendations, the podcast may be a stronger opportunity than its size alone suggests.

Reviews can also help you shape your pitch. Look for repeated themes in the feedback. If listeners love practical takeaways, pitch a topic with clear, actionable advice. If they respond to personal stories, lead with an experience that would make for a memorable interview.

For advertisers, listener reviews can help you judge whether the podcast has a loyal audience that may pay attention to sponsor messages. A show with enthusiastic reviews, strong audience fit and relevant topics is usually worth a closer look.

8. Acquiring Minds

Will Smith is an entrepreneur who has specialized in building online media brands. He's sold businesses before but has never tried buying one—until now!

"Recently I became curious about buying a business... I couldn’t find much information to guide me through the process of acquiring a business. Unlike start-a-business entrepreneurship, there are not countless channels and podcasts devoted to buy-a-business entrepreneurship. There are still fewer public stories about entrepreneurs who have taken the plunge to buy a business and done well — though I knew such successes are plentiful."

Smith started the Acquiring Minds podcast and YouTube channel to document his journey and share stories, insights, & valuable advice about acquisition entrepreneurship from entrepreneurs who have already been there and done it.

Rephonic insight: create a podcast guesting campaign and pitch podcast hosts

Rephonic helps you take control of your podcast guesting or advertising plans by bringing your entire podcast outreach workflow into one place.

Create and name a new campaign, then add podcasts from your search results. You can manage campaigns, send pitches, automate follow-ups, and collaborate on replies, all within Rephonic.

Check out all the features we designed to help your team move faster and collaborate more easily than ever before.

9. The Financial Independence Show

Author, entrepreneur and blogger Cody Berman first heard of passive income at 19 and was hooked on the idea. By the time he was 25, he'd achieved financial independence. Justin Taylor started his financial independence journey in 2015 and recently celebrated his second year of early retirement.

Together, they host the Financial Independence Show, which focuses on real stories of individuals as they journey towards financial independence. It covers topics like building wealth, entrepreneurship, investing, money mindset and much more.

Rephonic insight: use transcripts to research episodes

Podcast interviews get you in front of people who are likely already tuned into your message, with each new interview building your visibility and credibility.

Podcast transcripts are another tool to help you research the best podcasts for your particular product, idea or message. You can research keywords, check out other guests, see what others are saying on the same topic, spot content gaps and more.

Rephonic gets you to podcast episode transcripts from the Overview page in just two clicks (Tap More Episodes - scroll to the episode you want then open Transcript. That's it!)

10. The CEO Glow Show

'Where beauty entrepreneurship meets personal growth and spirituality.'

Podcast host Sheila Bella is a 7-figure beauty business coach and microblading mogul and aims this show at the beauty entrepreneur audience. Her guest speakers include industry experts and thought leaders and covers topics such as business and marketing, self-awareness, community building and integrating faith in entrepreneurship.

Rephonic insight: use our 3D graph to find similar podcasts

When you find a highly relevant podcast, you might want to see others in the same vein. Rephonic includes a Related section, which lists similar shows with a shared audience (according to Apple Podcast's "Listeners Also Subscribe To" connections) This can be a fast way to build a campaign of shows for further research.

You can see related podcasts as a list or view them on an interactive 3D graph. Tapping an icon reveals an information pop-up and links to the show's Rephonic page.

Final Thoughts

You could reach out to an entrepreneur podcast for many reasons. But if you're searching as a potential guest or sponsor or as a podcaster seeking cross-promotion opportunities, Rephonic can help.

These examples and images from our paid version show how Rephonic puts data, episode links, contact info and more right at your fingertips.

Find your dream podcasts with Rephonic.

Article credits

Written by Lyn McNamee, podcast-PR writer with four years of experience transforming podcast insights into practical, results-focused playbooks.

Edited by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist who frequently analyzes Rephonic’s data across 3 million podcasts.

How to Get Booked on Podcasts as a Guest

You want podcast interviews that actually turn listeners into leads, or simply get your message in front of your target audience. But the trick isn’t blasting out as many pitches as you can...

Podcast Guesting Case Study: Ahrefs Vs Semrush

Using Rephonic, we discovered that Ahrefs has made 99 podcast guest appearances, compared to 117 for Semrush. We compare their approaches in this article.

Follow us:

This essential guide to podcast media training will help you understand that while your interview should sound conversational, you shouldn’t walk into podcasts unprepared.

Podcast interviews often look relaxed from the outside. The host chats, the guest answers and the whole thing seems effortless. But behind the scenes, that's not always the case.

With the right preparation, you can turn a nerve-racking interview into a focused, useful and genuinely engaging conversation. This guide covers the mistakes to avoid, how to prepare, how to shine on air and where to find further resources and podcast media training providers.

Skip straight to a list of podcast media training providers here.

Common mistakes podcast guests make (and how to avoid them)

Before we look at how to prepare well, it’s worth understanding the mistakes that can make a podcast interview harder for the host, the guest and the listener. Even experienced speakers can fall into common podcast interview traps, but most are easy to avoid with the right preparation.

1. Not researching the podcast and audience beforehand

You can’t give a relevant and engaging interview if you don’t know who you’re talking to. Take time to explore the podcast’s audience and topics so you can tailor your message to their interests and needs.

Without that context, you risk pitching your message at the wrong level, using examples that don’t land or covering ground the audience already knows. And instead of sounding prepared and relevant, you may come across as though you’re delivering the same talking points you would use on any other show.

The result is often an interview that feels too broad, too basic or too far removed from the audience’s real interests and concerns.

Media training tip:

Research the podcast, host, and audience demographics. Here's where Rephonic shines. Every podcast page includes extensive details and audience analysis. You'll get a fuller picture of the audience, their interests and the topics the podcast host typically covers.

2. Forgetting to tailor the message to the host’s style and listeners

A podcast interview should never feel like the same canned message dropped into a different show. If you did effectively research the podcast audience, you’ve still wasted your time if the conversation doesn’t land.

When framing your message, make sure it aligns with your core mission so your communication advances your main purpose or cause.

Media training tip:

Develop and rehearse your core message and key talking points.  Before the interview, decide what you most want listeners to understand, remember or do after hearing you speak. Then break that message into a few clear talking points and memorable soundbites you can return to naturally throughout the conversation, without sounding scripted.

Read this article to see how understanding the audience helps you frame your message appropriately.

3. Poor vocal delivery and technical issues

Podcast interviews are a conversation between a host and guest with the audience a 'fly on the wall' that gets to listen in.

People just don't want to listen to bad audio or watch a poor video. Fuzzy sound, poor lighting, bad internet connection, stumbling speech—these are all issues that can create a bad experience for you, the audience and the host.

At best, these issues distract listeners from what you’re saying, even when your ideas are strong. At worst, people will turn off the episode and leave a scathing review. Ratings go down and the podcast might lose fans.

The screenshot below shows the Feedback section that you'll find on Rephonic for every podcast. It finds common review themes and you'll be surprised how often poor audio quality is mentioned. As a guest you have a responsibility to make sure your setup is as professional as possible.

Media training tip:

Consider your technical setup: Poor sound quality or flat delivery can distract listeners from what you’re saying, even when your ideas are strong. Before the interview, check your microphone, headphones, internet connection and recording setup, and choose a quiet space where you’re unlikely to be interrupted.

It’s also worth paying attention to your voice: learn how to slow down, vary your tone and pause between ideas so you sound confident rather than rushed. You don’t need a broadcast-quality studio, but you do need to make the experience easy for the host and pleasant for listeners.

Here's how to set up for remote podcast interviews.

4. Over-talking or rambling without clear key talking points

There's an art to conversing, answering questions and still delivering your message. But without clear talking points you can easily find yourself just talking without really knowing what you wanted to say.

Your answers will probably seem vague or repetitive and you risk over-answering the question or rambling long after the host wants to move on.

You don’t need to memorize a script, but you should know the point you’re making, why it matters and when to stop.

Media training helps you manage that message during podcast appearances so you can deliver key talking points in a concise, confident way.

Media training tip:

Practice with mock interviews:  Practicing helps you build confidence and refine your delivery. You could:

• Ask a colleague or friend to interview you as if they were a podcast host.
• Record yourself answering questions, then listen back. You'll soon notice places where you ramble, speak too fast or miss the point.
• Explain your points to someone who knows nothing about the topic to help you learn how to explain simply and clearly.
• Practice answering difficult or off-beat questions with a colleague.
• Do a mock interview using a podcast platform (e.g., Riverside or Zoom) so you can check your microphone, camera, lighting and internet connection as well as honing your delivery skills again.

5. Lack of storytelling or engaging content

While talking points (and facts) are important parts of the interview equation, on their own they're not enough.

Listeners may tune out if your interview only consists of facts and figures, because people connect better with examples, stories and actual situations. They need concrete examples that help them understand why your message matters.

Media training tip:

Prepare engaging stories and examples relevant to the podcast's theme. Make your data stick with the audience by anchoring it with real-world stories and anecdotes. If you plan to use podcast guesting as a PR strategy, develop a bank of stories to cover your messages then select the most appropriate ones for that audience.

The same story bank can also strengthen your pitch by highlighting your unique experience and knowledge when approaching podcasters, while sharing tips that add value to the conversation.

Learn more: Read this storytelling article to learn more on the benefits of storytelling in podcasts and how to choose and tell an interesting story.

6 podcast media training tips for podcast guests

Media training can help demystify media appearances, making the process accessible and building confidence for effective engagement. Podcast media training can increase authority and brand visibility by helping a client build a visible, credible online profile and positioning them as credible experts.

Training programs typically provide a mix of strategic messaging and practical performance skills. Being clear about your expertise and showing up consistently online strengthens how listeners, journalists and producers perceive you.

Podcast media training tips include the following:

1. Balance professionalism with authenticity and natural conversation style

Great podcast guests can speak clearly about their company’s message but still respond naturally to the host.

You'll want to check the company guidelines - policies, brand messaging, and legal and chat to internal comms for PR guidelines.

But natural conversation means letting some of your personality shine through. Prepare your origin story, perhaps to show your professional journey, rather than a personal background. Share real stories and examples of where your company has succeeded, or failed and learned/grown from that.

Learn more: We wrote about podcast guesting as an employee, and included real-world interview examples for you to learn from.

2. Blocking and bridging

Blocking and bridging are techniques to help you stay on track when the host asks questions that could lead you away from your message. Blocking is briefly acknowledging the question without being negative. Bridging helps you move the answer back to the message you do want to share.

For podcast guests, this doesn’t mean dodging questions. It means staying calm, answering in a way that’s fair and guiding the conversation back to your expertise, your key message or what will be most useful for the audience.

Learn more: Check out The Bridging Technique and related articles from Media First, and this PDF from UNC Health.

3. Vocal techniques

Speaking in normal conversation is one thing; conversing during podcast interviews is harder. It helps to be aware of (and practice) vocal skills like:

• Varying pitch and tone to keep your voice from sounding monotonous.
• Changing pace, speed up a little to show enthusiasm, or when a story demands it and slow down to emphasize key talking points.
• Deliberate pauses: pausing strategically gives listeners time to absorb your ideas. Pausing before answering a question gives you time to think and helps you avoid using too many filler words ("um", "you know", "like" etc.)
• Speaking clearly. Practice pronouncing important names, technical terms and brand phrases so you know you won't stumble.
• Breathing - learn breathing techniques to calm nerves and to help with clear delivery.

Learn more: Read How to Nail Soundbites for advice on choosing and delivering short, memorable statements.

4. Use subtle calls-to-action

What do you want to happen as a result of your podcast interviews?

In other words, what goals did you have for the interview? You might want:

• New community members
• Engagement
• New sign-ups to your newsletter or social media pages
• Sales
• To introduce yourself as a thought leader or show your subject matter expertise on air.

Use a call-to-action (CTA) that links to your goals but deliver it in a way that feels subtle and natural, not salesy.

Learn more: Read this article to learn how to create and deliver effective calls to action.

5. Handle unexpected questions or mistakes gracefully

Even seasoned podcast guests make mistakes - it's part of being human, after all. First, don't panic. A stumble or two can make you seem more relatable and most listeners are far more forgiving than nervous guests imagine.

If you mispronounce a word, lose your train of thought, call the host by the wrong name or can't answer a question, here are a few techniques to help.

Pause before answering. A brief pause gives you time to gather your thoughts.

Acknowledge what you can and can’t answer. If a question is outside your expertise or you don’t have the information, say so clearly. It’s better to be honest than to guess, speculate or over-promise.

Bridge back to what’s useful for the audience. If the question takes you off track, answer briefly where appropriate, then steer the conversation back to your key message or the part of the topic that will help listeners most.

Recover and move on. Correct yourself simply, take a breath, laugh or apologize if that's appropriate and continue.

6. Listen to the conversation

If you're new to podcast guesting, the advice to listen might sound obvious. But guests (and hosts) are sometimes so focused on what they want to say that they forget to listen to what's actually being said.

Prepare using all the techniques above. Then you'll be able to respond to questions appropriately, ask follow-ups of your own, recognize and laugh at jokes, tell stories for that audience, and have a deeper, richer conversation that delivers value for you, the host and the audience.

Podcast media training providers

Podcast media training providers range from corporate workshops for executive teams to affordable online courses for individual guests, so the right choice depends on your budget, location, experience level, and whether you are invested in broad media training or podcast-specific coaching. Being invested in your media training journey—through time, effort, or resources—can significantly enhance your ability to engage with podcasters and prepare for podcast interviews.

Do an online search for providers in your area or check out some of the following media training organizations.

Based in the US, UK, Australia or New Zealand these options range from one-person operations to large, established brands, and each course is run by people with many years of speaking and media experience.

1. Throughline Media training: US-based, custom in-person and live online workshops aimed at executives and spokespeople.
2. Harrow Communications: media training for CEOs, entrepreneurs and authors. Based in California, USA. Offers a free initial 15-minute consultation.
3. Stephanie Weaver: media training, particularly focused on Tedx. Offers a free 30-minute video consultation.
4. Media Training Worldwide: US-based. Includes many online courses in crisis communication, media training and public speaking.
5. Spokesperson Media: Based in Australia. Conduct workshops in major Australian cities aimed at corporate executives and spokespeople.
6. Easily Said: Based in New Zealand. Jason Gunn offers in-person workshops and an online course teaching participants how to speak confidently and personably on camera.
7. Higginson: Offers in-person training for teams, held at London Broadcast Studios in the UK.
8. Media Training Ltd: UK-based, offers a one-day, in-person or live online media training course for 1-6 people (online) or up to 10 people at their London studio.
9. Impact Institute: Based in Australia, with workshops for 1-4 people. Training includes message crafting, interview tactics such as bridging and hooks, live journalist interviews, video review and feedback.
10. The Media Coach: Aimed at CEO and C-suite executives. They offer workshops in UK, Spain and Italy, and on Zoom.

Final thoughts

Are you thinking about being a podcast guest? Are you worried, excited or nervous about how your interview will go?

You can prepare for your interview to make the whole event less stressful and more pleasant.

Remember to:

• Research the podcast and its audience using Rephonic.
• Prepare your talking points and stories.
• Practice your delivery during mock interviews and prepare for unexpected questions.
• Listen actively, and pause before you reply.
• Breathe.
• Smile.

Before your interview, you can practice informally using the suggestions in this article, listen to podcasts or watch videos on the subject, or look for more formal media training in your area or online.

Looking to use Rephonic as your podcast search engine and research partner? Sign up for your 7-day free trial.

Article credits

Written by Lyn McNamee, podcast-PR writer with years of experience transforming podcast insights into practical, results-focused playbooks.

Edited by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist who frequently analyzes Rephonic’s data across 3 million podcasts.

How to Use Podcasts for Link Building [Full Guide]

Quality backlinks should be a vital part of your SEO strategy, and in our opinion, building links via podcast guesting is a highly underrated tactic.

How to Spy on a Competitor’s Podcast Guesting Strategy

In this article, we break down why piecing together their competitor’s podcast guesting strategy matters and how to use Rephonic to get a clear view of what’s happening behind the scenes.

Follow us:

Rephonic is the best way to find podcasts to be a guest on, offering opportunities for guests to reach audiences around the world through the power of podcasting. Just ask Julie Fry, founder of podcast guest booking agency, Your Expert Guest.

Using Rephonic to find and pitch relevant podcasts has helped Julie’s team achieve up to 70% acceptance rates and sliced two-thirds off their podcast guest research time, streamlining the process of finding guest opportunities in the podcasting world.

"To find a pitch list of 50 shows for a client with Rephonic…we can do it in a third of that time."
Julie Fry

Key Takeaways

1. 140k podcasts are active and accepting guests.
2. You can use Rephonic's search tool and filters to quickly narrow down your search.
3. You can view Rephonic's podcast data to decide if a show is a good fit.

Find relevant podcasts faster—from 140k active shows

Rephonic's database lists well over three million podcasts and counting. Of those, 140k are active shows that accept guests.

There are alternative ways to find podcasts as a potential guest, but most of them take hours and won't reveal all the possibilities. Manual searching, for example, takes a ton of time and effort. Matchmaking platforms will be faster but often have just a fraction of all the possible shows.

This article shows you how to cut through the chaos and find podcasts to be a guest on the smart way, with Rephonic.

8 steps to find podcasts to be a guest on

1. Use Rephonic: Take advantage of our free 7-day trial.
2. Search for a topic or keyword: Use industry-relevant search terms, or start by choosing from a list of popular topics.
3. Apply filters: Begin with the active and guests filters, then add demographic filters to find podcasts with your target audience.
4. View podcast data: Rephonic's data sections go deep—find detailed profiles, read public reviews, see podcast sponsors, previous guests and much more.
5. Add to a campaign: Create a campaign containing likely podcasts.
6. Select an email sequence: Use our pitch templates or create a pitch from scratch and save it as your own personalized template.
7. Review and send: Send your pitch from your own email address without leaving Rephonic.

How to use Rephonic to find podcasts looking for guests

Rephonic provides advanced search filters so users can quickly isolate active, interview-based shows.

Before discovering Rephonic, Your Expert Guest's matchmakers spent "hours and hours" combing through Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Listen Notes to find podcast guest appearances.

It was a lot of doing searches, comparing data, creating a database...the best analogy for what we did is Frankenstein—like we 'Frankensteined' these tools together and made it work.

Now the team uses Rephonic as the easiest way to find podcasts to be a guest on. It takes them a third of the time to find great match results and clients' acceptance rates are soaring as a result.

Do you want similar results? This is how to find and message good fit podcasts.

Search for your topic or keyword

Imagine an experienced educator, with a side-hustle business teaching elementary school teachers how to work smarter using AI. How can they use Rephonic to find podcasts to be a guest on?

Start on the home page and enter relevant search terms in the Topics search bar to discover podcasts that align with your expertise.

• Know the podcast name already? Switch to Title mode.
• Searching for particular podcast hosts? Try Podcasts by publisher mode.

Using a broad search term, like ‘elementary education’ will generate many, many podcasts (in this case, 10K+.) But many of the podcast listeners won’t be interested in our teacher’s products so they’ll need to filter the search.

Apply filters, including Rephonic's guest filter

Set the parameters as wide or narrow as you like.

You can:

• Use numerical filters when you're seeking podcasts within a certain number range. For example, set listener numbers to 0-5000, if you want to target smaller niche podcasts. Or perhaps you want social proof so you turn social reach numbers up to 300k-500k+.
• Narrow your search by filtering for certain jobs or educational levels.
• Find your ideal audience by selecting demographic filters like age range, country, gender, income range and education levels.
• Always select the Guests  and Active filters because pitching to dormant or host-only shows wastes your time and theirs.

View podcast data

Rephonic conveniently categorizes podcast data into six sections. Dig into the data to find podcasts looking for guests and those most likely to welcome your guest pitch.

Overview page

Here's where you find the general data including:

• How long the podcast's been active and how many episode they've recorded in that time
• Listener numbers estimated per episode and monthly
• Social reach and YouTube stats
• Related podcasts

Check the Related section for other podcasts with similar audiences—an excellent way to find podcasts that didn't show up in your initial search.

Audience page

Podcast interviews work best when your message truly connects with the host and their audience.

So the audience page helps you see how closely the podcast's listeners match your ideal audience by showing information on all the search bar's demographic filters.

People and Sponsors

You can learn a lot by noting who has guested on a show—their role in your industry and the topics they discussed. That can highlight topics the host hasn't covered yet, or perhaps your background offers a perspective they haven’t featured before. Either way, you have the chance to pitch something fresh.

The sponsor page lets you see which brands advertise with the podcast while the people page shows:

• Each guest's name and industry role
• A link to their episode
• The episode's focus and relevance—i.e., why listeners would find them an interesting guest.

Feedback and Charts

Use Rephonic’s Feedback and Charts sections to see what listeners are saying about the show and its guests. Are they interesting? Entertaining? Helpful?

You can spot key themes at a glance and follow the link to full listener reviews from the Feedback page, while Charts shows the podcast's ranking on the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Add podcasts to a campaign

Keep all your podcast opportunities organized with Rephonic’s Campaigns feature. You can:

• See all the campaign’s podcast titles and essential details at a glance
• Click a link to see the page data
• Note where they are in the pitching process (warm, cold, pitched, booked etc.)
• Share the campaign with your team or export it to your own computer
• Easily add more podcasts
• Track your next steps for each podcast opportunity using shared notes

If regular podcast guesting is part of your strategy, create a Saved Search by hitting “save” when you have searched for a keyword and applied the filters. Your saved search automatically updates as podcasts meet the search criteria, so you can return to it anytime — saving you hours of repeat research.

Be the best podcast guest

Great podcast guests don’t just show up and hope for the best. There’s a lot you can do before, during and after a podcast interview to make sure you’re the most memorable guest they’ve ever had. Fortunately, the Rephonic blog is packed with helpful articles to get you interview-ready.

1. If you’re doing remote interviews, start by prepping your recording space and equipment. Record in a quiet place with a stable internet connection.
2. Prepare for a vetting interview with the host to ensure a good fit and explore topics you might discuss.
3. Decide which stories and anecdotes would work best for this topic and podcast audience and practice telling them. Make sure your voice is clear and engaging so hosts can hear your personality shine through.
4. Prepare some soundbites—super useful for you and your host on social media.
5. Decide on a relevant call to action.
6. Engage in pre-show and post-show chat and conversation with the host to build rapport, make friends, and foster ongoing talk beyond the recording.
7. Promote your interview before and after it goes live to gain the benefits of more exposure, networking and credibility.
8. Lead with value and provide advice to listeners during your appearance.

Measure the impact and success of your podcast guesting campaigns—you need to know what’s working and what to change up.

Final thoughts

Why Rephonic is the best way to find podcasts to be a guest on.

The best podcast guest appearances start with the right fit — and that starts with Rephonic. It’s hands-down the best way to find podcasts to be a guest on, especially when you want to save time and pitch shows that actually make sense for your message.

If you're looking to get on podcasts as a guest, try Rephonic free for 7 days and see how much easier podcast outreach can be.

Article credits

Written by Lyn McNamee, podcast-PR writer with four years of experience transforming podcast insights into practical, results-focused playbooks.

Edited by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist who frequently analyzes Rephonic’s data across 3 million podcasts.

How to Choose Podcasts with High Sales Potential for Podcast Guesting

Podcast guesting builds brand awareness—but not every show will bring in customers. This article shows you how to find podcasts with real sales potential, so your time behind the mic pays off.

How to Write a Podcast Outreach Email With AI (And What to Avoid)

Can AI help you write an effective podcast outreach email? Yes, but it won't give you a winning email at your first attempt. Be smart and use AI for research first. Here's how you do it.

Follow us:

Getting podcast contact information is a vital part of the outreach process for any PR or ad campaign. However, most PR and marketing professionals don't have time to search Google manually.

More often than not, a podcast contact database such as Rephonic will help save you a lot of time and frustration. In this article, we explore how you might currently be searching for contact info — and how to find the same information much faster with Rephonic.

How to find podcast contact information

There are a few ways to find the right email address and contact a podcast host. The easiest and fastest way is to use Rephonic, but you can also do it by searching on Google.

1. Make a podcast email list the old-fashioned way

It used to be time-consuming and somewhat frustrating trying to find a contact address and build a podcast email list for outreach.

Here's how it used to go:

1. Search for relevant podcasts on Google or in the podcast apps.
2. Find the website link in the podcast show notes.
3. Search the website or trawl through the social media pages for a contact address.
4. Repeat the process.

2. Search Rephonic's contact directory

Rephonic has all the online tools you need to make that valuable first contact with podcast hosts.

When you're ready to contact a podcast host as a guest, sponsor or partner, here's how to find their email address:

1. Search for the podcast using Rephonic's search tool
2. Tap on the podcast name
3. Hit the Contact Button in the top right corner of the podcast page. You'll be able to see all the podcast's contact information, including email address, web pages and social media accounts.
4. Verify the email address

Using an established industry database like Rephonic is the fastest way to access verified contacts, show metrics, and audience demographics.

3. Get researchers to find alternative contacts

Sourcing the best contacts across our database of more than three million podcasts is complex, and sometimes the automatic system can't find good information for a particular show. But, if your chosen podcast's info doesn't show a contact address, don't panic.

You can ask our team to research the best contacts for you for those cases. Just tap the Contacts button while viewing any podcast and then tap Find Contacts for Me to request the concierge service.

Our team of researchers will go out and try to find the correct contact info so that you can save time and focus on pitching. You'll get a notification when your request has been processed.

Your team gets a monthly quota of concierge credits to use as needed.

If you're pitching a lot of podcasts, this could save you many hours of manual research time every week.

How do I contact podcast hosts?

Podcast hosts generally prefer to be contacted via email, as it allows for personalized outreach and tracking of communications.

We’ve made the process of reaching out to podcasts straightforward and hassle free. Here’s how to contact podcasts using Rephonic:

1. Select the podcast contact

Choose the email address of the person (such as the host, producer, or guest booking agent) who is responsible for guest bookings or sponsorships, ensuring your pitch reaches the right individual.

2. Edit your pitch

Select your sequence and edit your pitch emails. We cater for a wide variety of purposes in our templates, e.g., pitching as a guest, pitching as a sponsor, or cross-promoting your show. You can even create your own sequence from scratch.

When editing your pitch, make sure it’s a good match for the podcast’s audience and topics—this increases your chances of a positive response and successful booking.

3. Choose your inbox

Connect your inbox if you haven't already done so (you can connect multiple inboxes), and select the inbox you'd like your pitch to be sent from.

4. Choose your sending window

Choose the days and hours when your pitches will be sent for this campaign.

That’s it! Review and send your pitch directly within Rephonic.

What else do you get from Rephonic's podcast contact directory?

Rephonic provides incredible value to anyone planning to use podcasts as a marketing tool or their public relations strategy.

• Discover three million podcasts in our database
• View listener numbers, audience demographics, social follower count, engagement rates, chart rankings and more
• View previous guest and sponsor insights
• Get email alerts when shows discuss your brand or keyword
• Build podcast contact lists for your favorite shows and export their data as a CSV
• Easily find host names, email addresses and social links
• Listen to any podcast episode straight from our platform

Final thoughts

Rephonic is the most complete podcast contact database for PR teams, marketers, and founders looking to book and promote high-impact guest appearances and ad spots. Teams use podcast databases to find podcasts that accept guests or sponsors and reach out directly, reducing time spent on unresponsive shows. Access listener numbers, contact info, audience demographics and more for over three million podcasts.

Find out more and start a free-trial today.

FAQs

How do I find a podcast host's email address quickly?

• Use Rephonic's podcast contact database
• Click Contacts when viewing a podcast page
• Use the Concierge Service if you can't find the contact info you're looking for - Rephonic's team of researchers will try to find better contacts for you.

How do I find a podcast's email quickly?

The easiest and fastest way to find a podcast's email address is with Rephonic. Rephonic provides reliable contact info for three million shows.

Can I verify a podcast's email address in Rephonic?

Yes. Just hit "Verify Email" when viewing a podcast's email address within a Rephonic campaign.

What should I do if I can't find a podcast's contact info online?

The best thing to do if you're struggling to find contact info for a podcast is to try Rephonic, a podcast contact database that offers a 7-day free trial. If you're still struggling, use Rephonic's Concierge Service. Their team of researchers will try to track down better contact info for you.

Article credits

Written by Lyn McNamee, podcast-PR writer with four years of experience transforming podcast insights into practical, results-focused playbooks.

Edited by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist who frequently analyzes Rephonic’s data across 3 million podcasts.

How to Get Booked on Podcasts: Full Podcast Guesting Guide

This in-depth guide explains what you can expect to gain from podcast interviews, how to find the right shows, pitch effectively, prep for the interview, and follow up afterward.

Monthly Podcast Appearances or Intense Bursts: Which Is Better?

Podcast sprints or a spaced approach—which guesting strategy works best? Or should you try a hybrid? We break down the pros and cons of all three.

Follow us:

Rephonic is the most complete podcast database for PR teams, marketers, and founders looking to book high-impact guest appearances and ad spots.

Rephonic provides detailed insights and supports data-driven decisions, helping users make informed choices without manual research. From a productivity standpoint, Rephonic saves significant time and effort compared to manual research. Let’s see how Rephonic makes the process of finding and getting featured on the right shows a whole lot easier.

What is Rephonic? (Quick answer)

Rephonic is a database of over three million podcasts, primarily used for podcast outreach. The search tool allows you to discover podcasts in any niche by simply entering a keyword. Apply up to 25 filters to narrow down the search results, then access comprehensive podcast data and listener data to evaluate each podcast's suitability, including metrics like listener numbers, demographics, and geographic locations.

Once you’ve found relevant shows, you can add them to a campaign so you can easily find them later. When you’re ready to start pitching, connect your inbox and start sending emails (and managing replies) from within the platform.

Key features of Rephonic

Rephonic offers a robust suite of features designed to streamline podcast research and outreach for PR teams, marketers, and founders. With data for over three million podcasts, it is the most complete podcast database available, making it easy to find and pitch relevant podcasts.

Key features include:

• Search tool & advanced filters to quickly narrow down millions of podcasts by topic, audience size, listener demographics, and more.
• Listener numbers and demographics to help you target podcasts with the right audience for your brand or client.
• Contact details for podcasts, making outreach fast and efficient.
• Built-in pitching so you can pitch directly from your own email address without leaving Rephonic.
• Shared messaging workspace so you can collaborate on outreach with your team.

How does Rephonic work?

Rephonic lets you manage your entire podcast outreach workflow in one platform. You can find, qualify, and pitch podcasts all within one platform. Here’s how it works:

Find podcasts

Rephonic’s search tool and 25 advanced filters helps you identify relevant podcasts quickly.

You can enter a keyword and choose whether to search by topic, title, publisher, or episode. From there, apply as many filters as needed, including especially useful ones such as listener numbers, guest format, and active status.

Rephonic also offers a range of audience demographic filters, which makes it easier to narrow the search further and find stronger-fit podcasts.

Qualify podcasts

Vetting podcasts manually is time-consuming work, and the success of an appearance relies largely on how well the show’s audience matches that of the guest or sponsor. Rephonic helps you increase your ROI by providing lots of qualifying data for every show.

The information we provide includes:

• Listener numbers
• Audience demographics, e.g. gender skew, location, age group, professions, interests, income level, relationship status, parental status, education level.
• Previous guests & sponsors
• Social reach & links
• Engagement score
• Related podcasts
• Chart rankings
• Reviews & ratings

By examining a podcast's stats, you can determine if the show is worth reaching out to.

Pitch podcasts

Rephonic has a built-in pitching tool, which lets you connect your inbox and pitch podcasts from your own email address without leaving the platform.

You can also set up multi-step sequences with automated follow-ups. Every email is tracked in Rephonic, so your team can see what has already been sent, what is scheduled next, and when.

Replies no longer have to sit in one person’s inbox either. Conversations appear in a shared messaging workspace, where team members can view and reply directly.

Who is Rephonic for?

As we mentioned, Rephonic is used by PR teams, marketers and founders looking to book podcast guest appearances or ad spots.

The goal is usually to increase exposure. Some brands are aiming to generate leads or sales whereas others are establishing themselves as thought leaders. PR and marketing agencies are looking to create an impact for their clients by getting them booked on the most suitable podcasts.

How accurate is Rephonic?

We base our listener figures on hundreds of publicly available data points that we gather about podcasts from all over the web. We estimate the number of listeners per episode and per month for every podcast and believe our figures are the best in the industry, however they should be considered a ‘best guess’.

We recommend contacting the publisher for the most accurate numbers. Our estimates are best used to compare the audience size of shows so you can find the most suitable ones to reach out to.

Can I try Rephonic for free?

Absolutely! Get started with a 7-day free trial.

Rephonic offers subscription plans to fit different needs. The Light plan is $99 per user per month, ideal for individuals and small teams. The Standard plan is $149 per month, and the Business plan is $299 per team per month, ideal for large agencies and teams.

Article credits

Written by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist who frequently analyzes Rephonic’s data across 3 million podcasts.

How to Choose Podcasts with High Sales Potential for Podcast Guesting

Podcast guesting builds brand awareness—but not every show will bring in customers. This article shows you how to find podcasts with real sales potential, so your time behind the mic pays off.

How to See How Many Listeners a Podcast Has (& More Podcast Stats)

If you're researching a particular podcast, or looking to book podcast appearances, you'll likely want to know how many people are listening to it.

Follow us:

PR teams use Rephonic’s podcast search tool because, unlike consumer platforms such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts, it is built specifically for outreach and makes it much easier to find the right podcasts to pitch.

Rephonic is the go-to tool for teams who want in-depth discovery and qualifying data and reliable contact info. And because teams can keep their outreach process on one platform, it’s easy for all members to collaborate.

This article takes a closer look at Rephonic’s podcast search engine. Built for professionals doing outreach, Rephonic is designed to solve the shortcomings of traditional podcast search tools. We explore why those tools fall short for PR teams and how Rephonic helps them find relevant shows.

What is a podcast search engine?

A podcast search engine is a tool that helps you find podcasts or episodes related to a topic, keyword, person, or show name.

A podcast search engine is a tool that helps you find podcasts or episodes related to a topic, keyword, person, or show name.

Some are built for listeners who want to discover new shows or find a specific title or episode. Others are built for PR teams and marketers and function more like a podcast media database or podcast intelligence platform, helping them identify the right shows to target for guesting, sponsorships, and advertising.

What are the traditional podcast search engines?

Apple Podcasts

Apple Podcasts is a massive podcast directory and listening app where listeners can browse, search, follow and play episodes.

Podcast creators submit their shows to Apple Podcasts, often using their podcast’s RSS feed. Apple then pulls in the show information such as the title, artwork, description and episodes, and displays that in the Apple Podcasts app and on the web.

It acts like a search engine by helping listeners find shows by title, episode and category. Apple Podcasts includes tools like podcast charts, curated playlists and “you might also like...” Each tool helps listeners find new shows or ones similar to podcasts they already enjoy.

Spotify

Spotify is quite different. It’s a streaming platform and describes itself as a place to access music, podcasts and video content. Spotify’s search function covers podcasts, songs, artists, playlists and more.

It acts as a podcast search engine because users can search for podcasts and browse featured and recommended shows. However, they can also save the ones they like and stream or download episodes in the Spotify app.

Like Apple Podcasts, Spotify also includes podcast charts, which help users discover popular shows.

Listen Notes

Unlike Apple Podcasts or Spotify, Listen Notes is a dedicated podcast search engine, and is often referred to as 'the best podcast search engine' due to its comprehensive search capabilities. Its own home page describes it as “like Google, but for podcasts.”

Listeners can search Listen Notes for podcasts by people, topics or podcast name. There's also a button directly below the search bar that lets you toggle between two search scopes: episodes or podcasts. You can order the search by relevance or date or select "only match titles" to get an exact match.

You can also discover podcasts and some information via several Listen Notes lists including:

• Trending -  links to ten top podcasts
• Real Time - episode titles that people are listening to right now
• Explorer - enter a podcast title and receive a list of similar podcasts
• Best - select a region and subcategory to see a list of top podcasts
• Hot - based on user activities that day
• Curated - lists from online resources like articles and discussion groups
• Playlists - curated by the Listen Notes community.

PodSearch

The PodSearch home page describes this tool as “an interactive directory for podcast discovery.” PodSearch allows users to discover podcasts by their favorite topics, making it easy to browse content that matches personal interests.

Listeners can use the search engine to look for podcasts by title, publisher or keyword to bring up a results page with a list of podcast icons and links. PodSearch offers additional browsing options beyond keyword searches, such as searching by category, filtering by genre, ratings, and topics for efficient podcast discovery, or using lists such as “Top Podcasts.” PodSearch also includes a newly launched list to help listeners find brand new shows.

Open a link to bring up the podcast's PodSearch page. This gives brief information about the podcast and its host, links to social media and a discover other podcasts section.  It also includes the podcast's categories and an episode sample.

Challenges PR teams face with these platforms

The problem with each of these traditional podcast search engines is that they're built for people trying to find podcasts to listen to. Many major listening apps, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, perform poorly for topic-based searches. They simply don't have the discovery and research tools that marketing and PR teams need to find and qualify the right podcasts for guest appearances and advertising.

Teams often start their podcast outreach efforts using these platforms. However, they quickly find themselves going around in circles, trying to get information that listener-focused search engines don't supply.

Teams end up spending hours going back and forth between traditional podcast search engines, Google and ChatGPT. Then they cobble it together in a way that Julie Fry of 'Your Expert Guest' describes as the highly inefficient "Frankenstein method" a process that "took hours of research."

Eventually, many PR and marketing teams realize they need a specialized tool that caters to the entire podcast outreach workflow.

That's when they reach for a tool like Rephonic.

The podcast outreach workflow

The podcast outreach workflow goes like this:

1. Find relevant podcasts
2. Qualify podcasts
3. Pitch podcasts
4. Manage the campaign

Now, we've simplified the workflow here, I know.

But search engines like Spotify, Listen Notes etc. can really only help with #1, i.e., podcast discovery. Even then, they're missing lots of functionalities that PR teams need.

Why PR teams need a specialised podcast search tool

PR teams need a podcast search tool that goes beyond basic keyword matching. They need:

🔎 Better discovery and qualifying data

Clients deserve to be booked on the most relevant show possible, especially those that align with their specific industry or niche. At the same time, they may ask why you've chosen that show, so teams need to provide the data that supports those decisions.

🔎 Efficiency

You're often working at scale, managing multiple clients and campaigns. Copy-pasting from several sources into spreadsheets may work for one client, but quickly becomes very inefficient when you try to scale it up.

🔎 Reliable contact information

Listeners don't need podcasters' contact information, so traditional podcast search engines don't supply it. PR teams need a reliable way to reach out to podcast hosts and producers without having to search the web or go through multiple social media accounts to find it.

🔎 Easy collaboration

PR teams need the easiest way possible to collaborate on their podcast outreach: shared spreadsheets can work but they're not the ideal solution.

Why PR teams use Rephonic

Rephonic focuses on audience analytics and demographic data, presenting information in charts and graphs useful for reporting.

That means PR and marketing teams can use Rephonic as a podcast media database to find and qualify relevant podcasts, pitch the hosts, and manage their outreach campaign from one platform.

Here's how teams use Rephonic to:

1. Find relevant podcasts

Search by topic, title, publisher, or episodes

Rephonic's search engine has four ways to find podcasts. These include entering a topic or keyword, using a specific podcast's title, searching for a publisher or using Episode Search.

Simply toggle the relevant tab above the search bar on your Home screen.

Apply advanced search filters

Use any number of Rephonic's 25 advanced search filters to narrow down the results list, depending on your search goal.

For example, apply the Active and Guests filters when searching for guesting opportunities. That way, your results won't include podcasts that have not uploaded an episode in the past 45 days, or shows that don't accept guests.

Or you might apply the listener numbers filter to specify larger or smaller podcasts. Or, you might decide to zero in on audiences with a specific age range, location or education level. Rephonic's filters allow all that and more.

Monitor podcasts for keywords

Create an alert by entering a keyword, phrase or name and Rephonic will check new episode titles, transcripts and show notes for that word. We'll then send you a daily or weekly email containing any relevant new episodes that match your alert.

Easily find related podcasts

You may have a podcast in minds and want to find similar shows. Rephonic gives you two ways to do that.

1. Scroll down the podcast Overview page to find the Related section which lists podcasts that listeners also subscribe to. You can select specific podcast titles or click to copy the entire list to your campaign.
2. Use Rephonic's 3D graph tool to see similar podcasts and understand how closely their  subscribers overlap.

2. Qualify podcasts

Rephonic  gives PR and marketing teams many ways to narrow down their podcast lists to the most relevant shows that suit their client or campaign needs. Each podcast's data is split amongst six tabs on their podcast page. These are labeled Overview, Audience, People, Sponsors, Feedback and Charts.

Teams can qualify podcasts by their:

• Listener numbers: See these numbers in the Key Facts section in the Overview tab or use the Listeners filter during your search.
• Audience demographics: Select podcasts that closely match your client's target audience by checking the Audience tab of their podcast page. This tab starts with a typical listener profile, then goes into more depth, analysing the audience's likely age range, education level, interests, professions, income levels and more.
• Previous guests: Use the People tab to scroll through previous guests on the show. Tracking guest credits is important for managing outreach and research, as it helps you see who has appeared before and identify potential opportunities. Rephonic also lets you search for specific guest names and jump straight to that guest. First you’ll see an analysis of typical guests booked by that podcast. That’s followed by guest’s names, together with episode titles and link and a note on the interview’s focus and relevance.
• Reviews and ratings: The Feedback tab gives you an overview of the ratings and reviews gained by the podcast and links to the actual reviews on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, and other podcast apps, such as Castbox. The AI summary of the sentiments expressed in the reviews lets teams gauge listeners overall feelings and opinions.
• Chart rankings: You might also want to see where the podcast stands in the Apple, Spotify and YouTube charts. You'll see those standings under the podcast's Charts tab. Search these by overall standings or dig into categories or regions.
• Recent topics: It can be useful to see what topics hosts and guests have recently discussed, so Rephonic analyses podcast transcripts and lists recent topics in a section of the Overview tab.
• Social following: The Social section (Overview tab) shows the social media accounts and other places where a podcast appears around the web. Rephonic shows the Total Social Reach number followed by a breakdown of follower numbers on each platform and links to each account.

Once your team starts finding relevant shows, you can group them into a campaign so they stay organized in one place. Start by tapping the Build a campaign button at the top of a podcast page. This will prompt you to Build a new campaign. Tap the blue Add button beside any other podcast in the search to add it to the list. Alternatively, on your home page select Build a campaign from the Quick Steps section and follow the prompts.

3. Pitch podcast hosts and producers

Busy PR professionals need an easy way to pitch their clients to podcasts.

With Rephonic, team members can send pitches directly from the platform. It centralises the whole conversation so all members of your Rephonic team can see what the podcast host replied and reply without relying on one person’s inbox

This is especially useful if you’re running campaigns for multiple clients, and need to collaborate with other members of your team.

Here's how Rephonic enables effective podcast outreach.

• Contact info: Tap the blue contact button from any tab to find email addresses and social media links.
• Concierge service: Request help from our team to research other contact details or to report wrong information.
• Connect multiple inboxes: This allows you to send emails from your own email address, or your team member's, directly within Rephonic.
• Pitch podcasts within the platform: Use Rephonic's pitch templates or create your own for your whole team to use. Controlling every word in your pitches sent from Rephonic ensures professionalism and effectiveness.
• Create sequences to automatically send follow-ups: Select an existing sequence, create a new one with premade templates or customize it to suit your team's outreach strategy.
• Manage replies within the platform: Conversations move into a shared messaging workspace where your team can search and filter threads, view queued and scheduled messages, and reply directly within campaign feeds.

4. Manage campaigns

Create and manage multiple outreach campaigns within Rephonic. Add podcasts the campaign with just one click, then see each podcast's pitch status in the campaign pipeline.

• Update status: Assign each podcast a status of Prospect, Pitched, Followed-up, Warm, Lost and Booked. Update each podcast as it moves through the sequence so that everyone on the team can see what's happening in each campaign.
• View campaign statistics:  View the campaign as a list or as a board. Use the Boards view to see the pipeline overview and to check the activity history. At the top of each campaign, your booking rate updates automatically as podcasts move into Booked, so you always have a quick read on performance.

Final thoughts

Consumer podcast apps like Spotify and Apple Podcasts are not designed for PR professionals seeking to find shows that take guests.

That's why Rephonic founder James Potter built a dedicated podcast database, comprehensive search tools and a place where all the search and outreach activity can stay in one place.

In 2020, I realised that those serious about podcast guesting needed solid data and contacts to book more podcast interviews and maximise the impact of their appearances. My mission is to help you grow your business through podcast guesting, by providing you with the tools you need.

James Potter

If you and your team want to run successful podcast guesting campaigns at scale, you need Rephonic.

Sign up for a free 7-day trial

Article credits

Written by Lyn McNamee, podcast-PR writer with years of experience transforming podcast insights into practical, results-focused playbooks.

Edited by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist who frequently analyzes Rephonic’s data across 3 million podcasts.

How to See How Many Listeners a Podcast Has (& More Podcast Stats)

If you're planning to pitch yourself (or someone else) as a guest or sponsor, you probably want to know how many people are listening to it.

How to Maximize a $500 Podcast Guesting Budget

For entrepreneurs & marketing teams wanting to grow brand visibility, a podcast guesting budget of just $500 can set up a high-quality campaign.

Follow us:

This article describes how to see how many listeners a podcast has. If you're planning to pitch yourself (or someone else) as a guest or sponsor, you probably want to know how many people are listening to it.

Or maybe you host your own show, and you're dying to know how similar shows are performing. You might even want to reach out to a podcast host with a similar audience size and suggest some cross-promo opportunities.

But can you see how many listeners a podcast has in 2026? Surely finding that info will be a piece of cake?

Well, it is if you use the right tool.

If you're a podcast publisher, jump to the part where we explain how to see your own listener metrics. Otherwise, we’ve laid out a few ways to look up valuable podcast stats and figure out how popular a show is that's not yours.

TL;DR: Find out how many listeners a podcast has

1. Only the podcast publisher knows their actual number of listeners, subscribers and downloads.
2. Rephonic's podcast database is a popular way to get podcast listener numbers.
3. You can cross-check public signals if you don't want to pay for a tool, but insights are limited.

Six ways to see how many listeners a podcast has

1. Get podcast listener numbers using Rephonic

Rephonic's podcast database is the easiest way to tell how many listeners a podcast has. Rephonic aggregates data from multiple sources to provide a more complete picture of podcast audiences. It offers comprehensive podcast statistics for 2.5m+ shows, including listener numbers per episode and monthly listens. The numbers are front and center on each podcast's page.

We collect hundreds of publicly available data points for each podcast to come up with our metrics. Of course, it is a "best guess," so if you're determined to know the actual listener numbers, you'll have to contact the podcast host or publisher directly.

James Potter, Founder of Rephonic

Get started with a 7-day free trial

2. Check ratings and reviews

When sizing up a podcast, many people often turn to platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, two of the leading podcast players, particularly in the US and the UK. They aggregate the most listener feedback, allowing users to check the average rating, number of ratings, and even read reviews on Apple Podcasts.

You could try to guess that a podcast has a large audience by the total number of ratings it has. But this is a somewhat flawed approach because there's not always direct link between the volume of listener feedback and audience size. Additionally, ratings and reviews do not provide further details about listener demographics or trends.

Also, to get a full picture of its audience, you’ll have to check each of the podcast apps where you can listen to the show. It's important to consider other platforms beyond the major ones to get a more accurate sense of audience size.

The best apps to check are:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Castbox
• Podcast Addict
• Podchaser
• Amazon / Audible

How many stars do fans give, and what are the reviews like? Enthusiastic? Excited? Are their superfans raving, or are the comments short and boring or even non-existent?

Rephonic collects all of this listener feedback and makes it available for free. Here's an example for The Daily (scroll down to "Reviews").

3. Inspect chart rankings

Similarly to ratings and reviews, Apple Podcasts and Spotify are the best places to look for the most comprehensive podcast chart rankings. If a show is ranking high in its category — or perhaps across all categories — then that's a pretty good indication that they have a sizeable audience.

The charts are not an ideal measure of popularity, though. It's thought that they are calculated by looking at the number of new followers (previously 'subscribers') each podcast has added over a recent time window.

If a show's listeners skew towards another platform, or another country where Apple or Spotify is less dominant, then they won't perform so well in the charts.

Rephonic collects podcast chart rankings for:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• YouTube

Here's an example (scroll down to "Charts" - if it's missing then that show is not ranking at all).

4. Investigate podcast stats revealed by some apps

There’s no official way to see a podcast’s global number of listeners across every app, and precise listener counts are not publicly available for third-party analysis due to the decentralized nature of podcast distribution. However, a few podcast apps have data about their own users.

• Castbox – shows subscribers and total streams (Castbox ≈ 2% of all podcast listeners).
• Spotify followers – now visible inside Rephonic for quick one-click checks.

Although subscriber numbers do not always directly correlate with listener numbers, they give you a clue as to the size of a show's listenership. One way to use them is by comparing the stats between shows on the same platform.

Only the podcast host or publisher has access to how many listeners or streams a show has.

5. Check social media presence

Checking a podcast’s social media accounts can tell you something about their listenership figures and how engaged their listeners are. Analyzing social engagement can also reveal listener trends and provide further details about podcast audiences.

Usually you can go to the podcast's official website (often listed in podcast listening apps) to find links to their social accounts.

Check out their Instagram feed or X account. Are they active on TikTok? How many followers do the hosts have? Can you see a lot of positive listener engagement on these accounts?

See total YouTube podcast views with Rephonic.

If you're looking for the number of podcast views, you can do a quick search on YouTube and scroll through their videos to get an idea of how many views each episode has. You can see the total number of YouTube views for each podcast on Rephonic's database.

A lot of people watch podcasts on YouTube now, so knowing a podcast’s viewership numbers can help you get a better understanding of its total reach. However, while YouTube viewership is important, considering other platforms is necessary to get a complete picture of a podcast's total audience.

6. Ask the publisher directly

To find out the most accurate podcast numbers, you need to go direct to the source. That means reaching out to the host, owner or publisher. Finding the right person is not always easy, so we’ve put together a guide to help you find podcast contact information more efficiently.

Once you've sent your email, there's no guarantee that they'll respond. But the likelihood depends on your intent. If you're looking to spend money on sponsoring their show then you may get a quick reply! On the other hand, if you're looking to research your competitors before you launch your own podcast, you’re probably not going to be so lucky.

Watch out for publishers giving you their all-time number of downloads, i.e. the number of times all combined episodes have been downloaded since the podcast was founded. It may sound impressive, but it doesn't tell you a lot about how many listeners they're currently pulling in per episode.

Can you see how many downloads a podcast has?

Finding podcast download numbers is a common approach you might use to make decisions about which shows to reach out to.

As a listener, you can't see download numbers in any of the podcast apps. However, if a podcast host adds an OP3 prefix to their URL, they'll see all their podcast's performance across all the platforms and this data is automatically made public via the API.

Unfortunately, download numbers are somewhat misunderstood in the world of podcasting. They seem to indicate how many listeners a podcast has, but in fact, they show how many times the podcast was downloaded onto a device.

Listeners can choose to subscribe and automatically download every episode, or download it on the go, which is known as user-initiated episodes. So, download numbers don’t tell you how many listeners a podcast has because you don't know when or even if they actually heard that episode.

That's why Rephonic gives you listener per episode numbers instead of downloads, to provide a more accurate idea of the size of an individual podcast’s audience.

Get started with a free trial.

Can you see how many subscribers a podcast has?

Podcast subscriber numbers are often used as a guide to understanding a podcast's popularity.

However, finding the total podcast subscriber count is notoriously difficult, for the same reason that it’s difficult to find the number of listeners and downloads. Podcast distribution is decentralized - in other words, podcasts publish in many different places so you can listen to episodes and subscribe to shows wherever it suits.

This is how podcasts become available:

And therein lies the problem when it comes to finding out podcast subscriber numbers.

There are piles of platforms out there. Spotify, Apple podcasts, and iHeartRadio are three of the largest, but there are many smaller players too. Buzzsprout lists a large number of podcast apps in its Definitive Podcast Directory List for 2026.

Spotify is now the #1 or #2 podcast app, and although it's impossible to view figures within the app itself, Rephonic is able to pull Spotify subscriber numbers for every podcast and make it available on its platform.

Remember - just because someone follows or subscribes to a podcast doesn't mean they will actually listen.

How to see how many listeners your own podcast has

Analyzing your metrics helps you grow your show’s popularity by improving your content.

Spotify and Apple Podcasts are two of the largest podcast apps, so let's see how they help you analyze your own podcast statistics.

Spotify

Spotify analytics measure many data points:

• Starts: logged whenever someone presses play on your podcast
• Streams/play counts: how many people listen for 60 seconds or more
• Listeners: unique listeners who have started at least one episode
• Followers: shows your subscriber numbers.
• Reach: Aka impressions, reach is counted at podcast and episode level and measures how many times your podcast is shown in Spotify Home, Search and Library over 30 days.
• Duration: The total time your audience listened
• Retention graphs: These show how people engage with your episode by tracking where people start, stop, or drop off
• Geographic distribution: Where your listeners where when they heard your podcast.

You get these analytics and more through for free at Spotify for Creators (formerly Spotify for Podcasters.)

Apple Podcasts

Apple podcasts analytics look at similar stats to Spotify's, but you access them through Apple Podcasts Connect. A podcast host or publisher can see their stats by episode or over all time.

Engaged Listeners is possibly one of Apple's most important metrics for measuring podcast success, because these are unique devices that played at least 40% of an episode with a single session. Understanding how many listeners actually heard that much or more of your podcast can be a game changer, revealing listener behavior as well as the content and guests they enjoyed.

Watch Grow Your Podcast By Doing This for an interesting overview or see Apple's Support Resources for further information.

OP3 prefix

But how can you see how popular your show is without going into every single app that plays it? That's where the OP3 prefix comes in.

OP3 (Open Podcast Prefix Project) works by adding a small piece of tracking information to the beginning of the episode file URL. This means that podcast episode downloads can be tracked across all platforms.

Discover how popular a podcast is with Rephonic

The easiest way to look up podcast stats is with Rephonic, the most complete podcast database for PR teams, marketers, and founders looking to book high-impact guest appearances and ad spots.

For any podcast, see how many listeners it has, its chart rankings, social followers, YouTube viewership, reviews and more so you don’t have to waste valuable time searching the web.

If you're looking for podcasts to pitch as a potential guest or sponsor, Rephonic is a great way to find the right shows in any niche, get their contact info, and pitch them - all in one platform.

Get started with a free trial today.

Article credits

Written by Lyn McNamee, podcast-PR writer with years of experience transforming podcast insights into practical, results-focused playbooks.

Edited by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist whose data-driven insights on the podcasting industry have been featured in Podnews.

How to Write a Podcast Outreach Email With AI (And What to Avoid)

This in-depth guide explains what you can expect to gain from podcast interviews, how to find the right shows, pitch effectively, prep for the interview, and follow up afterward.

Monthly Podcast Appearances or Intense Bursts: Which Is Better?

Podcast sprints or a spaced approach—which guesting strategy works best? Or should you try a hybrid? We break down the pros and cons of all three.

Follow us:

With 2700 episodes in the bank, and a vast audience tuning into every episode, the Joe Rogan Experience is possibly the biggest podcast on the planet.

Unsurprisingly, there are many people angling to be guests on the podcast, so what does it take to win a coveted spot?

We examined 50 Joe Rogan Experience episodes and found some fascinating insights into the kinds of guests welcomed onto the popular podcast.

How to get on Joe Rogan podcast: Understanding what type of guests he accepts

Checking the show notes, we found guests are most often described as podcast hosts or co-hosts, comics or comedians or authors (sometimes, all three.) To put some numbers on that, we found that 62% of Joe Rogan’s guests are podcast hosts with over 93k listeners on average, 46% are comics and 46% are authors.

Standout guests on JRE often build massive credibility in their fields and are frequently recommended by past guests, which increases their chances of being invited.

They also have diverse specialties. At the time of writing, the most recent episodes include scientists, intelligence (CIA, UAPs, counter terrorism), philosophy, entrepreneurs, music and investigative journalism and the occasional megastar actor (Adam Sandler and Russell Crowe.) However, being a celebrity alone is not enough to secure a spot, as Joe Rogan prefers guests with compelling stories or expertise.

You’ll probably have more luck becoming a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience if you can claim similar titles, or you’re a podcast host, and your show draws in a lot of listeners.

How to become a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast

Qualify yourself - are you a good fit?

What's your claim to fame?

Do you have a fascinating view point or an interesting career? Are you a standup comedian? Do you host a podcast with a massive audience? Do you have a large following on Twitter, (sorry, X?)

Can you have a conversation lasting several hours? Not everyone can talk for hours at a time. The Joe Rogan Experience is a long form podcast and episodes are rarely under 2 hours. Many go past the three-hour mark. In fact, episode #2171’s discussion with Eric Weinstein and Terrence Howard lasted 4 hours, 3 minutes and 25 seconds.

Joe Rogan has a diverse range of interests, reflected in his choice of podcast guests. For example:

• Martial Arts is a recurring theme. Joe Rogan is a former taekwondo champion and holds black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In fact, there’s a whole subset of 160+ MMA episodes slotted in between the show’s regular episodes.
• Space exploration and science are well-represented, with in-depth conversations on a variety of these subjects in many episodes.
• Hunting - many guests over the years have been hunters, guides and hunting show hosts.
• Politics and political commentary. For example, recent guests include Tulsi Gabbard (former United States Representative), Tucker Carlson (described as “the leading voice in American Politics) and Konstantin Kisin (political commentator and author of “An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the West.)

Rogan’s guests come from a wide range of backgrounds, including scientists, authors, comedians, athletes, and public figures. Rogan's team likely screens potential guests by reviewing their previous media appearances.

Be relevant

For those hoping to land a coveted spot on the Joe Rogan Experience, building a strong online presence is essential. Potential guests should focus on creating engaging content across social media channels like Twitter and YouTube, showcasing their expertise and unique perspective.

Joe Rogan and his team often discover interesting personalities through their digital footprint, so being active and authentic online can significantly increase your chances of being noticed and invited onto the podcast.

Sharing your ideas, participating in thought-provoking discussions, and demonstrating hard work and dedication in your field will help you stand out to both Joe and his massive audience. By consistently producing valuable content and engaging with your followers, you not only grow your own platform but also become a more attractive guest for high-profile shows like the Joe Rogan Experience.

Remember, it’s not just about having followers—it’s about offering something unique and being prepared to contribute to the kind of open dialogue that defines the podcast.

Have a unique perspective

Joe Rogan chooses guests with controversial opinions and unconventional perspectives.

The podcast encourages candid, thought-provoking conversations and Rogan’s willingness to air different perspectives has sparked both praise and criticism.

So, consider how your ideas and personal anecdotes can enhance (and maybe provoke) the discussion.

Pitch the show? Probably not!

Joe Rogan has been one of the biggest podcasters in the world for a long time. Cold emailing and traditional publicist pitches are generally ineffective for securing a guest spot on shows as big as JRE.

His email address is not freely available on the internet and his social media accounts are likely managed by a team, not by Rogan himself. That’s why it’s necessary to get yourself noticed. You might think about sending a message on social media, but unless you’re someone like Elon Musk, it probably won’t even get opened.

You need to look for alternative routes.

Consider alternative options

If you want to expand your reach, there are so many other podcasts you could reach out to. Not only do podcast guest appearances boost your profile, they're great examples of your style and the value you bring to a show.

Here's how you do it:

Find suitable podcasts with Rephonic

Rephonic offers several routes towards finding suitable podcasts.

Search for podcasts on the Topic search bar and filter by audience demographics, audience size and active status.

Perhaps you already know the podcasts you want to target? In that case, use the Title search bar option to bring up all Rephonic’s information about each show, including whether they offer video content to attract viewers.

Another option is to search for podcasts that are somehow related to the Joe Rogan Experience. Use Rephonic's 3D graph tool or Related section to find podcasts with connections and listeners in common with Rogan's podcast.

Check their stats

Rephonic brings all a podcast's info and stats onto one page to help you qualify whether an interview on that podcast would suit your needs. You can also check if the podcast releases new episodes every week, which can help you time your outreach for maximum impact.

That information includes audience numbers, demographics, engagement, links to episodes, social media, ratings and reviews, and lots more.

Contact target shows

Pitch podcasts directly within Rephonic. First, connect your inbox so you can send emails from your own address. Then select the recipient, choose and edit a sequence with your pitch and automated follow-up, review everything, and send.

The best part is that replies come straight into Rephonic, so it is easy to keep track of every conversation.

Final thoughts

It’s difficult to become a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience. For potential guests, the path to a JRE appearance involves building a strong online presence, developing a unique perspective, and sharing your ideas with authenticity and passion.

Build up your guesting experience and you’ll have a better shot at the big shows. A spot with Joe Rogan might be out of reach for now, but keep working on it and you never know your luck.

Article credits

Written by Lyn McNamee, podcast-PR writer with years of experience transforming podcast insights into practical, results-focused playbooks.

Edited by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist who frequently analyzes Rephonic’s data across 3 million podcasts.

How to Use Podcasts for Link Building [Full Guide]

Quality backlinks should be a vital part of your SEO strategy, and in our opinion, building links via podcast guesting is a highly underrated tactic.

How to Spy on a Competitor’s Podcast Guesting Strategy

In this article, we break down why piecing together their competitor’s podcast guesting strategy matters and how to use Rephonic to get a clear view of what’s happening behind the scenes.

Follow us:

You’re here because you’ve heard that podcast guesting is a powerful way to get noticed — and it is. But finding the right shows manually using Google and Spotify takes more time than most people can spare.

Perhaps you’re looking for a shortcut, something like PodPitch, to help generate outreach at scale and land interviews without the usual hassle. But there's one burning question: how much will it cost?

PodPitch requires you to schedule a live demo before revealing any pricing details, which means there’s no upfront transparency about their plans or costs. This article reveals the monthly price of PodPitch and offers an interesting alternative.

What is PodPitch?

At Rephonic, we like to think of ourselves as PR and marketing’s leading podcast database, so we’re always curious to see how new podcast pitching tools stack up. PodPitch is a database of approximately 3.85 million podcasts, used to automate podcast guest outreach.

Users start by searching for a keyword or topic, and the platform then generates pitch emails in their preferred style and sends them from their own inbox.

So, let's see what using PodPitch will cost you each month.

PodPitch pricing

PodPitch's pricing structure isn't immediately available on their website. You have to book a 15-minute demo of the system to find out what it costs.

Like many other tools and competing platforms, PodPitch does not display transparent pricing upfront and requires a demo before revealing costs. A reliable source mentioned $299/mo per guest profile but some customers also report they’ve been offered a special discount of $199/mo. It’s unclear how widespread that offer is.

PodPitch reviews

If you’re looking for PodPitch reviews, you may not find much. The company does not currently appear to have a G2 or Product Hunt profile, and there is limited feedback from real users, as the company lacks profiles on major review sites. While there are a few Reddit threads about it, the feedback there is mixed.

Some real users praise its time-saving capabilities, while others express concerns about the accuracy of its contact database and the quality of its automated, AI-generated pitches.

Rephonic is a PodPitch alternative

Rephonic is the most complete podcast database for PR teams, marketers, and founders looking to book high-impact guest appearances and ad spots.

What sets Rephonic apart is its depth of data and emphasis on quality, making it ideal for teams that need precise insights to identify and pitch the right opportunities.

Rephonic is intuitive and easy to use, letting you find shows, send pitches, and manage responses—all in one place. Here's how it works:

Find the right podcasts

Let’s say I’m a nutritionist promoting my coaching program through podcast guesting. I need to find podcasts about nutrition, then pitch talking points related to that topic.

I’m not a big-name nutritionist, so I’ll focus my search on smaller, niche podcasts with audiences that love health and fitness.

Vet podcasts with data

Rephonic arranges its podcast data across six tabs:

• Overview: Find listener numbers, contact details, episode links, topics, socials, etc.
• Audience: Shows demographic filters - location, gender, professions, etc.
• People: Host and guest profiles
• Sponsors: Advertiser info and links
• Feedback: See how listeners rate and review the show
• Charts: All charts or filter by country and category to get a more targeted view.

Pitch podcasts straight from Rephonic

Connect your own email account (or multiple accounts if you work as part of a team) and send pitches directly from Rephonic.

You can automate follow-ups and manage replies without leaving the platform, which means you can handle the full outreach workflow in one place while keeping full control over which podcasts you pitch.

Comparing PodPitch pricing to Rephonic

If you’re flying solo, go for Rephonic's Light option—$99 is unbeatable value. A small team pays just $149 per month for up to five people and access to all features.

$299/mo gets you everything: up to 10 team members, make as many searches and campaigns as you want, connect up to 5 inboxes, and we’ll send your help requests straight to the head of the queue.

When considering PodPitch pricing, it’s important to compare Rephonic and other tools for both features and costs before making a decision.

Final thoughts

Whether you’re a solopreneur taking your first leap, or a team of PR professionals working to get your company or clients noticed, Rephonic is the tool you need to book the right podcast guest appearances.

Sign up to try every feature for free with our 7-day free trial.

How to Choose Podcasts with High Sales Potential for Podcast Guesting

Podcast guesting builds brand awareness—but not every show will bring in customers. This article shows you how to find podcasts with real sales potential, so your time behind the mic pays off.

How to Write a Podcast Outreach Email With AI (And What to Avoid)

Can AI help you write an effective podcast outreach email? Yes, but it won't give you a winning email at your first attempt. Be smart and use AI for research first. Here's how you do it.

Follow us:

Podchaser Pro is a premium subscription service within Podchaser, aimed at industry professionals, marketers and PR teams.

It offers ways to find podcasts, view audience and performance stats, and get contact details. It also provides campaign management and team collaboration tools. However, if you're interested in a subscription, chances are you're struggling to find pricing information on their website.

Podchaser Pro pricing

If you've tried digging around online, these four dollar signs on their G2 profile are probably as much information as you've found.

Instead of providing a pricing page on their website, Podchaser will prompt you to request a demo and discuss prices based on your needs and goals. However, we consulted a reliable source and here are the ballpark figures we discovered.

• Access to the Podchaser Pro database would be around $5000 per year for up to three users.
• Solo users can access the database at a slightly cheaper yearly rate—either $3K (including a dedicated Client Success Manager) or $2.5K ($500 less) if you don't want a CSM.

Of course, pricing escalates if you have a big team, so in that case you'd be looking at good deal more than $5K a year.

Key features of Podchaser Pro

Podchaser Pro offers a range of features aimed at podcast research, and outreach. These include:

• Large database: Access to a large collection of podcasts and podcast episodes.
• Sponsorship intelligence: Data on brands and ad spend to help identify potential opportunities.
• Listener demographics: Data on listener age, gender, location, and interests to assist with targeting.
• Export data: Options to export podcast data in formats such as CSV, XLSX, and PDF for sharing or integration.

Where Podchaser Pro lacks

Podchaser Pro is useful for finding and vetting podcasts, but its functionality stops there. It doesn’t support the broader podcast outreach workflow, leaving teams to manage outreach and follow-up elsewhere.

Rephonic is a Podchaser Pro alternative

Rephonic is the most complete podcast database for PR teams, marketers, and founders looking to book high-impact guest appearances and ad spots.

Rephonic's depth of data is unmatched, however, its key advantage over Podchaser Pro is its built-in pitching tool, which allows users to send outreach from their own email address and collaborate on replies—all within the platform.

Rephonic's industry-leading podcast data includes podcast listener numbers, audience demographics, guest and sponsor insights, and lots more.

Rephonic is ideal for:

• Agencies of all sizes that need to research and pitch podcast guesting or sponsorship opportunities on behalf of clients.
• Marketing and PR teams looking to book guest or ad spots on shows that align with their brand..
• Podcast producers researching the competitive landscape, leveraging podcast networks for cross-promotion and collaboration.

Comparing Podchaser Pro pricing to Rephonic

Podchaser Pro seems to start at $2500/year, rising to $5K for three users and more for larger teams.

Rephonic plans start at $99/month (Light) with a maximum monthly cost of $299/month for teams of up to 10 users. Better still, if you opt for the yearly plan you get two months free!

Final thoughts

Podchaser Pro and Rephonic both offer PR teams, marketers, founders and podcast professionals valuable insights into podcasts.

Rephonic offers every subscription tier access to all its data and insights, but even at its maximum $2990/year for teams, Rephonic's pricing plans seem considerably more affordable than those at Podchaser Pro. Plus, you get the added bonus of being able to send pitches straight from Rephonic.

Need to make smarter podcasting decisions? Explore Rephonic today.

How to Get Booked on Podcasts: Full Podcast Guesting Guide

This in-depth guide explains what you can expect to gain from podcast interviews, how to find the right shows, pitch effectively, prep for the interview, and follow up afterward.

Monthly Podcast Appearances or Intense Bursts: Which Is Better?

Podcast sprints or a spaced approach—which guesting strategy works best? Or should you try a hybrid? We break down the pros and cons of all three.

Follow us:

There are many vital considerations to consider when you're planning a podcast advertising campaign strategy, one of which is cost. Your budget only goes so far, so you need to investigate podcast advertising rates before running ads.

Unfortunately, there aren't any hard and fast rules about standard podcast advertising rates. You may have heard about CPM, but when you're doing direct buys, this doesn't help you as much as you might think.

Podcasts set their prices depending on several factors, which we'll cover in this article. But that means there's no easy answer when someone asks, "how much does it cost to sponsor a podcast?"

What is the average podcast CPM?

Podcast CPM stands for Cost per Mille or cost for every 1,000 listeners and it's how many publishers calculate podcast ad rates.

The average CPM for podcast advertising is between $18 and $25 depending on the ad length and placement in the podcast. Or, to put it another way, you'll pay between $18 and $25 for every 1,000 listens of the podcast for the duration of your ad.

Estimated podcast advertising costs

So, you have a list of podcasts to contact, but how will you know how much their ads are likely to cost?

You can't know for sure until you speak to the podcast hosts or ad spots team but you can use Rephonic to work out whether it's worth approaching a podcast, or whether the cost simply won't fit your budget.

Libsyn estimates a $25 CPM for host read podcast ads and around $15 for Pre-Produced Programmatic ads so we'll use those figures in our calculations.

First, check Rephonic for the podcast's estimated listener numbers. These are our best-guess download numbers (we base them on hundreds of publicly available datapoints) but don't include YouTube numbers .

So, if a podcast with those CPMs has 1000 listeners, baked in ads should cost $25 and dynamic ads $15.

Libsyn offers a podcast CPM calculator to help with the math. So, in theory, here's how the pricing might look in 2026.

These give you a rough idea of what you can expect to pay if you know how big the show's audience is. BUT actual costs can vary wildly. Most podcast websites don't directly state their ad rates and instead, invite prospective sponsors to contact them.

Here's how Rephonic estimated listener numbers can help

Suppose you're a founder keen to test podcast advertising but can't afford to spend more than $500. You can rule out podcasts if you see on Rephonic that they've got 20,000+ estimated listeners because they're likely too expensive. If you plan to run multiple ads, you might prefer shows with smaller audiences.

To summarize, you'll have to reach out to the publisher to get accurate numbers and costs. But when you're first scoping out potential opportunities for podcast sponsorship, our listener number estimates will help you see which podcasts will likely suit your budget.

Estimated listeners per episode is one of the many vital data points Rephonic supplies for almost every podcast on the planet. Don't just take our word for it, though. You can try Rephonic out for free right now.

While listener numbers significantly affect podcast advertising rates, they're just one factor that affects how much it costs to sponsor a podcast, whether you want an entire season or just one podcast ad.

Here's the full list of considerations that can influence podcast hosts when setting the rates for podcast ads.

Fixed rate - the most common pricing model for direct buys

Flat fee/Fixed rate ― A podcast may have fixed ad rates or packages. They may also be open to negotiating a deal.

But while listener numbers significantly affect podcast advertising rates, they're just one factor that affects how much it costs to sponsor a podcast, whether you want an entire season or just one podcast ad.

Here's the full list of considerations that can influence podcast hosts when setting the rates for podcast ads.

What factors affect podcast advertising costs?

Listener numbers

We've just explained this. 🙂 (You might also like to read our advertising on podcasts beginners' guide.)

Ad placement

Podcast ads have different names depending on where they're placed in an episode.

Pre-roll ads run for 15-30 seconds at the start of a podcast episode. Sometimes they're placed before the intro; sometimes, they come just after. Either way, pre-roll ads come before the host introduces the guest and gets on with the show.

Post-roll ads run last and are the cheapest because they only catch those audience members who listen to the very end. (Many people tune out before then, but marketers sometimes argue that your ideal customer is the one who listens right till the end and is more likely to pay attention to your ad.)

Mid-roll ads are typically longer and run during an episode. Many advertisers prefer to pay more to secure a mid-roll ad because fewer listeners bother to skip ads once they're into the meat of the content. In contrast, listeners often miss pre- and post-roll ads, hence the lower price.

Don't be fooled into going for the cheapest ad placements, though. You should also consider your podcast ad campaign goals to see which placement fits them best.

Ad length

Ad length is closely tied to ad placement. You can buy podcast ads that last anything from 15 seconds (typically a post-roll) to a 60-second ad (usually mid-roll ads) or an even longer branded segment in a podcast episode.

It makes sense that longer ads will cost more than shorter ones. Longer podcast ads include more talking points and can address the listeners' problems and benefits. Faster ads only have time for a brief statement and a call to action, so think carefully about your copywriting when planning your podcast advertising campaign.

Niche

Not all podcast categories or niches are created equal. Some are more popular (and therefore more crowded) than others. And we've conducted plenty of research about the podcasting industry through our database to find fascinating facts about niches.

You need podcast listeners who will identify with your brand or message, so you'll want to choose podcasts in the right niche.

For example, the Get Sleepy Podcast operates in the Health & Fitness niche and targets people who have difficulty sleeping, so this podcast is a perfect partner for brands like BetterHelp and Helix Sleep. You can see how these two businesses fit perfectly with a meditation podcast aimed at helping listeners get restful sleep.

Number of episodes sponsored

It helps to know whether the show you're interested in is new to podcast advertising or if they often work with advertisers. And seeing who is advertising is just as interesting.

For example, if your competitors advertise on a podcast it may indicate that audience is a good fit for your product or service, too. Conversely, if you can't relate to the current advertisers at all, that may indicate an audience that may not be receptive to your products.

You can easily see recent podcast advertisers by checking their podcast page on Rephonic.

Each page includes a Sponsors tab. There you'll find a list of recent sponsors, a link to the ad, the episode and its transcript. A long list of sponsors may indicate that this podcast has been accepting sponsors over many episodes. A short list may mean they're new to podcast advertising, or have stuck to just a handful of trusted advertisers.

Other things to think about

There's a lot to think about when devising a podcast advertising strategy. As well as the ad costs, types of advertisement and niche podcast audiences, you should be very clear about the podcast campaign you're running and what kind of ads will work best.

Delivery mechanism

There are two ways of delivering podcast ads: dynamic ads and baked-in ads. Naturally, there are pros and cons no matter which you choose.

Baked-in ads

These are pre-roll, mid-roll or post-roll ads recorded or edited into the podcast file as part of the episode content. They stay with that episode forever and are difficult (but not impossible) to change.

Benefits: With a baked-in ad, your content will probably be there for the life of the episode unless the podcaster manually edits it out. It works well if your ad placements contain evergreen information or content.

Cons: Don't use time-sensitive or short-term promotions for baked-in podcast advertising. For example, I recently heard a podcast episode advertising tickets for a live show that had run months earlier. That would have been much better as a dynamic ad placement and removed once the show had taken place.

Dynamic ad insertion

These podcast ads are inserted when podcast listeners either download or stream an episode. In other words, they are separate from the podcast episode and can be changed anytime. The podcast producer marks where a podcast ad should appear, and DAI tools insert the current sponsor's material.

Benefits:

• Your podcast ad can be put into all episodes at once. So when new listeners discover the show, they will hear your ads from that sponsor no matter which episode they click on. You buy X ad impressions, and when that number is reached, you can either pay for more or the podcast can insert a new sponsor's ads in their place.
• Time-sensitive offers are great for dynamic ads. You know the sort: "Today's episode is brought to you by... for a limited time, my listeners can get $100 off their first month with this promo code.

Cons: Your ad spots are not permanent. Once your time is up, they'll disappear. (They may even be taken by competing brands who've heard your podcast ads and decide that's the right podcast for them, too.)

Host-read ads vs. pre-recorded advertiser-supplied ads

Many podcast hosts read ads in their own styles. That's effective when listeners feel that the voices of their favorite hosts make the ads seem more genuine, especially if they include a personal story about using the product or brand. Brands usually give the podcast host a list of points to cover and leave them to choose the actual words. (Check out this episode of the Bigger Pockets Real Estate Podcast for an example of a host-read, story podcast ad.)

Some brands and businesses prefer to supply the ad ready-made. That can sound more professional than some host-read ads, but it loses that close association with the hosts. Listeners often tune into popular podcasts because they like and trust the host, so supplying ready-made ads (or supplying too many points to cover and leaving no room for personal stories) could defeat the purpose.

These audio samples from The Podcast Exchange include examples from different podcasts with both host-read ads and pre-recorded ads, while Spotify gives a supplied-ad instance in this case study. Finally, here's an interesting article that reveals the thought process of a new podcaster who aimed to gather podcast ad revenue before his first episode even aired.

Final thoughts

Rephonic can't tell you the exact ad rates for each podcast, but you can use our extensive database to find your business's best podcast matches.

We help you search for podcasts using filters like categories, listener numbers, audience demographics and many more. Then we allow you to dive in deep with all the relevant stats, social media numbers, reviews, email addresses, and links to podcast episodes and websites.

When you want to reach out to a podcast, you can send pitches from your own email address directly within Rephonic.

What have you got to lose? Take your podcast knowledge to the next level with a free trial on Rephonic today.

Article credits

Written by Lyn McNamee, podcast-PR writer with years of experience transforming podcast insights into practical, results-focused playbooks.

Edited by Becca Butcher, marketing specialist who frequently analyzes Rephonic’s data across 3 million podcasts.

Podcast Intelligence Engine for Discovery & Insights

If podcasts are part of your PR or sales and marketing strategies this year, you'll want the best insights and information on exactly which podcasts are right for your advertising campaign.

Joe Rogan Podcast Sponsors List

We examined the list of Joe Rogan sponsors on the podcast's Rephonic page to analyze nine recent sponsors This article gives ad examples and discusses why they're a good fit for the JRE.

Follow us:

Podchaser's API is a tool that lets developers connect to Podchaser’s podcast database and use that data inside their own software to build integrations, apps and custom workflows.

It uses GraphQL, which allows users to get as little or as much data as they need.

In this article we'll look at the main features of the Podchaser API, how much it costs and introduce Rephonic's API as an interesting alternative.

Podchaser API features

Podchaser's API (Application Programming Interface) gives developers access to a comprehensive podcast database to find podcasts.

It also:

• Provides creator and guest information, including ratings and reviews
• Gives insights on podcast audiences using demographics and psychographics
• Lets you create and integrate lists of podcasts and episodes to create playlists and collections
• Supports integration of episode transcripts
• Provides access to podcast analytics such as reach, listens, popularity (via Podchaser's Power Score™) and effectiveness metrics
• Finds similar and related podcasts
• Supports developers with documentation and dedicated API support teams.

How much does Podchaser's API cost?

Podchaser's API has three tiers: Free, Plus and Enterprise and works on a Query Points system.

On the Free Tier users get "the essentials" and can use up to 25,000 points per month. The Plus and Enterprise tiers have custom pricing and need an upgraded service. Users must create an account and login to learn more.

According to Podchaser API rate limits documentation, the "total cost of a query is the sum of all the fields returned. So, the more complex a query is, the more points it will use."

For example if you made a simple query for metadata about an individual podcast, it's likely to cost around 9 points. However, if you wanted to find popular podcasts about marketing and asked for "a list of 10 podcasts about marketing sorted by follower count" that could cost around 100 points.

Podchaser API reviews

The Podchaser API appears to have just one review. We found it written on G2 in 2023.

As you can see, this user thinks the Podchaser API is a great way to get contact information and learn about similar podcasts, but questions the data accuracy.

Rephonic's podcast API is an alternative

Rephonic API features

Rephonic's podcast API has access to Rephonic's extensive database of over 3-million shows. So teams that use it can tap into:

• Comprehensive podcast metadata (each Rephonic podcast page sorts info under 6 tabs— Audience, People, Charts, Ratings reviews, Sponsors and Overview
• Search capacity across topics, titles, episodes and transcripts
• 25 search filters—including language, category, country, audience demographics and psychographics and more
• Full-text episode transcripts (with speaker identification)
• Contact email addresses, social media links and website URLs
• Topics, guests and sponsors, key moments in episodes and more
• Easy tracking of keyword and brand mentions
• REST API and structured JSON responses
• Quick integration with 25 endpoints and 40+ filters

How much does Rephonic's API cost?

Rephonic's API deals with requests rather than queries and it's pricing is very straightforward.

It costs $299 per month (includes 10,000 requests/month). It doesn't lock you into a contract and has no minimum commitment time.

Final words

Teams can easily build podcasting features into an app, agent or AI workflow with Rephonic's API. Here's how:

1. Create a developer account
2. Pay the first monthly fee
3. Start

Ready to build your next podcast-powered app, AI agent or integrations? Get started with Rephonic's podcast API.

How to Get Podcast Transcripts & Search for Keywords

Learn how to get podcast transcripts with Rephonic and get a competitive advantage. Search transcripts for keywords and make better, more accurate decisions.

How to Search Podcast Episodes With Rephonic

Our new episode search gives you better podcast data, advanced filters and search operators. Because we know podcast listener numbers by episode, Rephonic opens up all kinds of new possibilities.

Follow us: