How to Get on a Podcast Before Your Cookbook Deal

Photo by Elevae Visuals

You’ve spent months trying to grow your social media and email list. Posts have become regular, and you feel like you're finding your flow, but numbers aren’t increasing. The main concern is growing your author platform, so you can land a good literary agent and get a book deal. But you have no idea how to find more people.

Let’s make it easy: You need to be a podcast guest. 

Think of how many podcasts you listen to, or how many your friends listen to—it’s probably more than a few. You learn things from people you’ve never heard before and are able to go deep into topics you’re curious about. And podcasts are always looking for guests. They need compelling stories of people from all different backgrounds. 

“But I don’t even have a cookbook deal yet. Why would anyone want to talk to me?”

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Your cookbook deal won’t be the most interesting thing about you. 

It can’t be. And think about it. Even people who regularly publish their books, cookbook writing or not, don’t just appear when their books are about to come out. They’re consistently in the media talking about their ideas and perspectives. 

And you need practice before your cookbook comes out, so once it does, you already know how to handle it. 

Now, let’s look at how to get on a podcast as a guest before your cookbook deal. 

Make your dream podcast list

Your first step in getting on a podcast as a guest is to know where you want to go. You don’t want to be on just any podcast. So, if you could be on 5-10 podcasts, what would they be? Write them down until you’ve run out of ideas. Next, think of your food media idol—who do you admire who seems to be on all the shows you want to be on? Search their name in Apple Podcasts for a list of shows they’ve been on. From there, write down the podcasts you haven’t heard from and add them to your list. 

There are so many podcasts now, and they need dynamic guests that make their jobs easier. And while you want to be on food podcasts, think of non-food podcasts too. Career podcasts are great because most culinary people don’t have linear paths, and listeners can’t get enough of hearing those unique stories. Or maybe, it’s a regional podcast of local creatives and entrepreneurs. Give yourself the chance to dream outside of the cookie-cutter because the podcast you really want to be on may be one you haven’t even heard of yet. 

Support your dream shows with reviews and follows

Before you ask to be on a show, please be a fan of someone’s work. You don’t have to know every episode, but you do need to know a little about what the heck the show is and isn’t. This goes for pitching any show or publication because people know when you’re not familiar with what they do. And if you want to get on a podcast as a guest, people want to know you’ll give their audience heaps of value that aligns with their brand.

Once you have a good grasp of their recent content, leave a 5-star review with a meaningful comment. Let people know why you love the show, how it’s different from other shows, and how it’s helped you personally. Podcasts rely on downloads and reviews, and most hosts read those reviews. It’s a very simple and kind way to stand out.

And wherever the show has an online presence, like, follow, subscribe! Comment on their posts and share their content when you’re excited about something. Even folks with large followings will notice authentic fans of their work because those fans show up again and again—not just because they want something.

How to get on a podcast with a killer pitch

You don’t need to create a random pitch to get on a podcast as a guest—the show does a lot of the work for you. Choose a recent episode or theme you’re pumped about and pitch an idea around it. For example, if a guest shared how they accomplished a lot at an early age, you might pitch a story about the benefits of being a late bloomer in your own career. It doesn’t have to be a direct contrast, but it should relate to something recently talked about because it’ll also be top of mind for the host.

So, how exactly do you get on a podcast as a guest? First of all, you’ll want to check the submission guidelines. Some shows will ask that you fill out a form or send bullet points of your story idea. Don’t submit anything outside of what the show asks you to. Real talk: It’s annoying when you spend time mapping out how to submit something for people to just ignore it.

If there aren’t strict submission guidelines, you’ll send a three-paragraph pitch plus a screenshot of your 5-star review of the show. And the pitch will be broken down like this:

• 1st paragraph is the connection piece. You’ll share what you love about a recent episode and how it inspired a story idea for you. Avoid introducing yourself right away. It’s overwhelming for the host, and it immediately reads as “this is about me, not you”.

• 2nd paragraph is the pitch. Keep it to 3-5 sentences with the hook aka why people should care and the benefit for listeners. You can sprinkle in some of your experience and background here, but it’s not a bio.

• 3rd paragraph is for your credentials. This is where you’ll add a short bio and links to where they may have seen or listened to your existing work. Please hyperlink the text instead of adding a long URL. And you’ll only want to include links to work that aren’t part of gated or paid content. 

Always say thank you and that you’re open to discussing additional episode ideas. As far as the subject line, I like to say something about how I love the show or even use another connection point, like being in the same professional group. 

From there, you’ll want to follow up in a week or two if you haven’t heard anything. After that, it’s okay to send a final follow-up email in another week or two. Be kind and gracious and assume positive intent. Inboxes get full, and sometimes, people need time to think about your pitch. 

What to do after the podcast pitch

After you send one pitch, move on to the next. You’ll likely be pitching different story ideas (or tweaking ones you’ve pitched elsewhere), so it’s okay to put a bunch of pitches out at the same time. It also helps when you don’t hear from people or you’re told no. Because the more you do it, the more you’ll learn. Just by doing it, you’ll find your own method. 

You don’t need a cookbook deal to get on a podcast as a guest; you’re enough as you are. So, lean into the stories and perspectives you have now, so you’ll be ready to pitch when you finally land that book deal.

And if you need help with pitching podcasts and media, join my coaching waitlist here. As someone who’s worked for regional and national magazines, I believe every cookbook idea is in a magazine pitch. It’s the first thing I work on with my clients, so they can home their book proposal and get media clips in the process. Plus, by joining my waitlist, you’ll also be the first to know when new classes or offerings are available. 

Let’s make this the fun part of the cookbook writing process. Grab your spot on the waitlist now.