Whether you’ve just started your company’s podcast, or you’re a seasoned creator – sourcing guests is one of the most important parts of the creative process. But we all know that it’s not always easy to find an expert or someone who resonates with your listeners. 

That’s why in this article, we’re listing our top tips when it comes to sourcing your future podcast guests for your brand.Let’s get right into it.

1. Finding the right guest

One of our most important tips is finding the right guest versus just any guest. There are a few different steps you should take in order to ensure this:

• Be crystal clear on your podcast niche: Know exactly what your show’s focus is and ensure that you’re looking at guests that are going to be a good fit for your show and audience.
• Identify potential guests: Make a list of people who would make for great guests on your show. This can include experts in your field, authors, influencers and other thought leaders.
• Do your due diligence: Research  the potential guests by mining through their websites, social media handles to ensure they’ll be adding value for your listeners. Also be sure to keep an eye out for any major red flags, like problematic social media posts or anything that could be off-putting for your listeners.
• Reach out: When reaching out to potential guests make sure to introduce yourself, explain the premise of your podcast, why you think they’d be a good fit for the show and also what value they'll get from coming on. Be specific about the topics, questions and themes you’d like to cover. 
• Build an ongoing relationship with your guests: The relationship doesn’t end when the recording stops. Make sure you’re continually building a relationship with your guests pre, during, and post show by sending links, sharing their content on social and collaborating on future projects. 

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2. Start guest outreach in advance

Don’t wait until the last minute to start reaching out to potential guests. Reach out to them several weeks or even months in advance to give them enough time to prepare and schedule a recording time. 

This will also give you ample time to follow up, make any last-minute changes and ensure everything is set for a smooth recording. 

Remember your podcast guests being happy with how everything was handled and organized is as important as your audience being happy with your content because it’s essentially all linked to your brand’s reputation and how others will talk about your show in public. 

3. Partner with other podcasts

Partner with other podcasts or brands in your space and see if there are opportunities for cross-promotion or guest sharing. This can help you expand your reach and gain access to new guests. You can also share guests with other podcasts and benefit from the exposure they bring. 

You may be surprised by how open to helping you other podcast hosts will be when they see you are just as generous and living out the idea that “a rising tide lifts all boats.”

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4. Look within your organization

Sometimes the best podcast guests can be within your own company and organization. 

Take the time to see if there are experts and thought leaders in your company that might be a good fit for the show. This can be a great way to showcase your company’s expertise, diverse talent and create valuable content for your audience (plus your listeners will have extra incentive to tune in because it’s a colleague!). 

It’s common for branded podcast’s to focus all of their guests on leaders within the organization. It's effective in bringing a more human element to your brand, especially if it’s larger. 

5. Ask referrals from your guest

All the experts you’re inviting for interviews on your podcast should have a great reputation in their field. When they’ve been a guest on your show, it’s a natural ask to see if there are other guests they would suggest and can introduce you to that are in the space. 

Requesting references from guests is a great way to broaden your network and keep the pipeline of future guests full. 

Also, we all know that when someone refers someone, they’re sticking their neck out and vouching for someone’s credibility, so it often results in high-quality guests. 

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6. Use tools and platforms that do guest sourcing 

Of course, there are a lot of platforms and tools out there that can help with guest sourcing. You might already be using some of these but there might be some that you may not have thought of:

• LinkedIn and Twitter: These are both platforms that podcast hosts use to find guests who are experts in their field. On Twitter specifically, you can find people who are using specific hashtags around the topics you are interested in. 
• HARO: Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is a platform that connects journalists and podcast hosts with sources. You can sign up for free and receive daily emails with source requests from journalists and podcast hosts. 
• Podcast booking agencies: There are many agencies that specialize in booking guests for podcasts and tend to have a roster of experts and celebrities that are available for interviews. In addition, if you work with an agency for your podcast needs, such as Quill, the agency can do the heavy lifting around securing the right guests. 
• Podcast guest booking services: Similar to agencies, there are services that can help connect podcast hosts with potential guests. Some popular ones include Matchmaker.fm, PodcastGuests.com and Podopolo. You can also use PodMatch which helps connect speakers with producers based on what they’re looking for, how much they’re willing to pay and how long it will take them to find someone. It’s essentially a sophisticated but easy-to-use platform that streamlines the process of finding guests for your show. 

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7. Take suggestions from your audience

Once you've built a big enough podcast audience, you'll have a great opportunity to solicit suggestions from them. Begin by asking your audience if they have any suggestions for guests you should interview at the end of each show. 

To collect guest recommendations, you can use your website or social networking handles by putting out a poll. The benefit of this method is that your listeners already know who they want to hear from, ensuring that the episode will resonate from the get-go. 

Also, in some instances, someone from the audience can be one of the experts who may be right to come on your show. What’s more engaging for your audience than mining within your own listener network?

So, there you have it – our top 7 tips to sourcing guests for your podcast. Keeping your audience interested and engaged is part of building brand loyalty and so much of that is connected to the quality of the guests you are bringing on and the conversations that are being had!