Getting featured on podcasts, blogs & speaking at events - Get started with outreach

Wouldn’t it be cool to see a piece you’ve written appear in a magazine, speak on your favourite podcast or at an event?

Well you can. It’s called outreach - getting featured on podcasts, in magazines, and speaking at events. 

But, lemmie guess - the thing that’s stopping you taking action is the fear? The fear of rejection, the potential tumbleweed? 

I mean, you’re telling yourself you don’t have time, but let’s be real here. It’s the fear that’s stopping you isn’t it? 

And maybe a bit of overwhelm around - where do I start with outreach? What do I write in an outreach pitch? That’s what I’m about to help you get started with.

What is outreach?

Outreach is about getting your brand in front of other people’s audiences - who happen to fit with your ideal clients/ customers. 

I’m talking about appearing on podcasts, writing pieces for magazines and guest blogging, speaking at events. 

Under this category I’d also include working with influencers and getting PR coverage, but they are slightly different beasts. 

Where to start with outreach?

Like I said, outreach is about getting in front of other people’s audiences (who happen to fit with your ideal customer/ client). I’m assuming that you already know your ideal client inside out and upside-down… right? 

Your first task is to build your hitlist

It’s best to use a spreadsheet for this (yep, really) because you’re going to keep adding to this and track your outreach in here too.

Building your hit list is a case of listing out all of the places your dream clients hangout. 

• First, ask your audience. What are their favourite podcasts, magazines, blogs, events 

• Have a scroll through your podcast app, what podcasts might your audience subscribe to? Have a search around and see if you can find some you’re not aware of yet. 

• Have a scroll through instagram - who are your audience following? Do they have a blog, magazine or email you could guest write for?

• Head to the supermarket and look at the magazines, which magazines might your audience be reading. 

Gather all of these ideas and add them to your hitlist.

Then, re-arrange your hit list, putting the places you’re most comfortable reaching out to at the top, building up to big magazines and podcasts further down, that feel a bit scary right now. 

Pick out 5-10 places you’re going to pitch to first and put them at the top of your list. 

Finally, add the contact details of the people you’ll need to get in touch with - names and email addresses. Or it might be that you start off with a DM or via a contact form. 

Brainstorm your ideas

Next to each of your first ten outreach hits on your list, add an idea of what you could talk about on their podcast/ write about on their blog/ speak about at their event. 

Think about the audience and themes of that podcast/ magazine/ event. Come up with a topic or idea that fits really well with the brand you’re pitching to, and is really impactful for their audience. 

Create your pitch template

It’s time to prep your pitch. It’s getting real now.

Here’s my biggest tip for you with outreach. DON’T get stuck at this stage. 

So many people get stuck on the pitch writing bit and never send their pitch (and never get any features as a result). So, create a pitch template before you create a ‘proper’ pitch. That way you’ve got a starting point for each pitch which makes it quick and simple to get pitches out. 

My tried & tested pitch structure  

• Paragraph 1: Say hi, show you know the person or brand you’re contacting. Make it genuine and show you’ve done your research or are familiar with the podcast/ magazine/ blog/ person. 

• Paragraph 2: Your pitch. Explain what you’d like to talk about in the piece/ at the event/ on their podcast. Suggest a possible title for the episode/ piece and detail out three or four more detailed areas you could cover or talk about. 

• Paragraph 3: About you. Share a short bio, just a couple of sentences, that explains who you are, what you do, and the all important WHY you do it. 

And done! Keep it short - people are busy, inboxes are overloaded and if you’re pitching to a podcaster or magazine, chances are they get a lot of pitches. 

Send your pitch

Bring everything you’ve done so far, together. Make a copy of your pitch, personalise it to the person and podcast/ magazine/ event you’re sending it to. 

Add a subject line (I tend to use the title of the piece I’m pitching or PITCH for XYZ podcast: [title idea].

And… hit send on your outreach pitch! 

This truly is the easiest bit when you’ve done all the groundwork. 

If you’re feeling a bit nervous about hitting send, remember this. Podcasters, bloggers, influencers, journalists etc - they ALL need content. If you have something great to talk about that meets the needs of their audience, they want to know about it.

So, hit send goddamnit! 

Follow up on your pitch

If it’s been a week and you’ve not heard back, follow up on your pitch. Forward your original email and ask if they’ve had a chance to take a look at it. 

Here’s the tea… you’re not annoying them. I have an inbox full of emails I’ve been meaning to reply to for weeks now. Often, when you follow up, you’re doing them service by bringing your pitch back to their attention. 

I would probably follow up 2 or 3 times after sending a pitch. If it’s still tumbleweed at that point, I would make a note on my hitlist rto come up with a different pitch idea and contact them in a few months. 

When you get a feature

Yay! They’ve come back and let you know it’s a yes? Great. 

Make sure you’re aware of the deadlines and ideal word count if it’s a written piece. If it’s a podcast, ask them to clarify what they’ve like you to cover from your pitch so you can prepare. 

When you send the piece over, or immediately after your podcast episode (or even before) make sure you send a link to some headshots for them to use, a short bio, and a list of handy links (eg your website, instagram, mailing list sign up, product or service you talked about in the piece).

Go get pitching!

I get SO many C.R.A.P. pitches for my podcast. You can tell they’re the same pitch, peppered out to hundreds of podcasters. I NEVER reply to these. It’s a case of immediately hitting delete.  

Honestly, when you write a good pitch, you will stand a mile out from all of the crap ones out there. So, go get pitching! 

Wanna tuck this in your pocket for when you’re freedom-friendlying-up your business? Pin it for later: