It’s something we hear all the time here at Podcast Ally.
“I’m not sure I can start pitching, I’m not really known in my field yet.”
“Can I book bigger shows? I don’t think they’d want to hear from me.”
There is plenty of mindset stuff to work through here, including why you think you’re not ready to share your message and what it means when you start to really make your brand (and yourself) more visible.
We won’t get into that today — there are more qualified mindset coaches out there. But we will say that you’re not too small to start pitching bigger podcasts. It’s just not the best strategy.
The best strategy for podcast pitch beginners
When someone is new to podcast pitching, we always recommend that they use a strategy we call “Spiraling Up.” When you’re spiraling up, you start pitching (and booking) smaller or newer podcasts first, before (you guessed it) spiraling up to larger podcasts with more reach.
A “Spiraling Up” approach to podcast pitching allows you to:
- Test your message, so you can be sure it’s resonating with podcast hosts Work on your interview skills
- Build momentum and your confidence
- Document proof to share with book bigger podcasts and audiences
All of that helps you build your pitching, message, and presentation skills. From there, you can walk into other potential guest pitches with more social proof and more confidence.
Why start with smaller podcasts?
Here’s the thing: smaller, less-known podcasts create a ton of value in the world. You get all the benefits of being on a podcast when you work with a less established show.
The key difference is that you will get responses back much sooner. Whereas those big shows everyone’s heard of are getting 100 pitches a day, a smaller podcast might get 20 a week. That means they’re much more likely to see your pitch and respond to it. You’ll be able to get more feedback from them on your interview topics, how they felt about the interview, and how their audience responded to the episode.
But most of all, the sooner you start appearing on podcasts, the better. The more podcasts you book, the faster you can build a wider reputation as a great guest. That boosts your likelihood of booking larger podcasts and speaking to more targeted audiences.
So instead of worrying about “not being big enough” to book your dream podcast, think about how you can get ready for the day you can finally pitch (and book) them. Start today.
Want to rock your pitches?
We have a few other resources on how to send your best pitches to your podcast pitch list, including our How to Pitch Series, our latest blogs, and even our weekly newsletter. If you’re not on our weekly newsletter, you’re missing out. We share some special tips and our subscribers are the first to know about exciting things happening here at Podcast Ally HQ.
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