When you start a podcast and host interviews, you’ll eventually be bombarded with pitches.. good ones, bad ones, and everything in between. After managing podcast pitches for clients for years, I decided that the best solution to this is to have a podcast guest application form. This allows for easy management with all of your applications in one place. Additionally, you can set response expectations in the thank you message regarding what and when to expect a response.
So what should you include in your podcast guest application form? Here are just a few fields I recommend:
Email Address: It’s important that you have all the contact information for your potential guest to connect with them if they decide to move forward.
Preferred Name: You want to make sure you get the correct spelling of their name, along with the preference for the podcast. Many guests may use an alternative name instead of their legal name (ex: first and middle name or first and maiden name).
Business Name: While many business owners have businesses associated with their accounts, they may not be as public about them. For example, most people refer to my business by referring to me, when in reality, my business is Gaffin Creative.
Social Media: I always like to have the guest provide the preferred social media links so that hosts can review their social media channels before reaching back out and knows that they’re the correct ones.
Topics the Guest Wants to Discuss: Asking your potential guest to provide you with the topic they’re hoping to discuss will allow you to know their expertise, especially if you don’t know them. That’s why I encourage you to include a field that allows the to describe their topic.
Note: Some applicants will suggest that they can talk about anything business related. If this happens, I highly encourage you to push back on this and encourage them to come up with topics that fit their brand. A great resource that you can share with them is Episode 150 of the Speak to Scale Podcast with Jessica Rasdall.
Takeaways to Implement: Have them list a few key takeaways that they would share related to their topic, as this will help guide the outline for the interview and the questions you’ll ask. Make sure that the guest can provide tangible takeaways that are beneficial to your audience. It is also important to make sure that is a topic that your listeners will be interested in learning about..
Now that you have each of the components to build your form, let’s talk about where you can host your form! Here are some websites you can use to create your forms quickly and efficiently:
Google Forms: Google Forms has a free form builder that allows you to capture responses and even put them into a Google Sheet for managing them.
Your CRM: Many CRM websites offer a place to create forms for your website. By utilizing your CRM, you’re also more likely to streamline the workflow of your podcast guest communication. If you’re looking for a CRM, I highlight recommend Honeybook. Feel free to use my affiliate link to get started and get a discounted rate on your subscription! If you use a tool like Honeybook, I encourage you to create a separate brand from your business so you can create distinctions between applications and inquiries.
Jotform: Jotform allows you to create forms and get responses sent directly to your email. Jot form offers a free and paid version depending on how much storage you will need.
Typeform: Typeform offers a way to create beautiful forms without having to know how to code.
I hope this has helped you create a podcast guest application. If you’re looking for more educational content around podcasting or want to build connections in the podcast space, come join Mic Check Society! Inside Mic Check Society, we periodically release new content, host virtual coworking sessions, Jump on monthly hot seat calls, and connect with the other podcasters inside our private Facebook group. Get more details about Mic Check Society below!
