You might have a knack for hosting but you lack the network or networking skills to secure guests for your podcast. Unless you’re someone like Bill Burr (who talks to himself on his own podcast), you NEED guests. And you need them consistently. Luckily we live in an information golden age and there are so many great resources for handling guest booking yourself. Plus, keep in mind you may want to be booked on other people’s podcasts. The good news is that you can use these same platforms for that, too. You can manually browse through directories of podcast contacts or simply hire someone to do the scouting/outreach for you. You can also sit back and receive “matches” (similar to dating sites) that fit your podcasting goals. And just like Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, etc., you can decide to pass or spark up a chat.
Here are the top sites we stumbled on and tried for ourselves to deal with podcast booking:
PodMatch
PodMatch is a podcast booking service that automatically matches ideal podcast guests and hosts together
MatchMaker.fm
Join MatchMaker.fm and connect with over 60,000 podcasters and guests ready to collaborate on compelling conversations.
Podcast Guests
With Podcast Guests, find guests or get booked today for free. Get booked as a guest on podcasts or find guests for your show.
Perfect Podcast Guest
An online searchable directory that puts you in front of thousands of podcast producers, hosts, and schedulers looking for the Perfect Podcast Guest!
So that’s the big answer on how to book or get booked with podcasts. But there are also smaller proven methods of achieving your booking goals. There’s always the “hire a publicist” route, or paying people, or holding contests to attract guests, or even just scouting Google/etc yourself and sending a friendly message to podcast prospects. Assess what works for you. Your time, budget and networking skills will dictate the best route. And don’t be afraid to consider it all.
