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Email OutreachintermediateFree

AI-powered podcast guest research and personalized pitch machine

Find relevant podcasts, research hosts, match your expert to their audience, and generate personalized pitch emails that do not sound like mass outreach.

What you will have

Build a podcast outreach pipeline with researched show targets, personalized angles, and ready-to-send pitch emails.

Setup time
2-3 hours
Time saved
6-10 hours per 50 podcast targets vs. manual research and pitch writing
Estimated cost
$0 to $80 per month
Tools used
6 tools

Why this works

Most podcast pitches fail because they talk about the guest, not the show. This workflow researches the host, audience, episode history, and recurring themes before generating the pitch. The result feels like a relevant episode idea rather than a generic request to be featured.

Step-by-step workflow

Run the workflow

This workflow is fully available. Follow the steps below to build the system from start to finish.

1

Define the guest angle and qualification rules

30-45 min

Start with the expertise you can credibly offer, not a generic request to be interviewed. In Google Sheets, write one primary audience, three topics you can teach from direct experience, two proof points for each topic, and the business outcome listeners should leave with. Add disqualifiers such as shows that only accept paid placements, audiences outside your market, or formats that do not fit your spokesperson. Use Claude to turn this into a one-page qualification rubric that the person building the list can apply consistently.

Output

A guest-positioning brief and qualification rubric for evaluating podcast opportunities.

Google SheetsClaude
Pro tip

One sharp topic with real proof is more pitchable than a menu of everything your company knows.

Prompt template
Build a podcast guest qualification rubric from the information below.

Spokesperson expertise:
{{spokesperson_expertise}}

Target audience:
{{target_audience}}

Topics we can teach:
{{topic_options}}

Proof points and examples:
{{proof_points}}

Business objective:
{{business_objective}}

Hard disqualifiers:
{{disqualifiers}}

Return:
1. One recommended guest angle
2. Three supporting episode topics
3. The listener outcome for each topic
4. Must-have show criteria
5. Nice-to-have criteria
6. Disqualifiers
7. A 100-point scoring rubric with weights
8. Evidence the researcher must capture before approving a show

Do not invent credentials, audience fit, or proof. Mark any missing input as NEEDS REVIEW. A human owner will approve the angle and scoring weights before research begins.
2

Build a focused show universe in Listen Notes

45-75 min

Search Listen Notes using the buyer problems, job titles, category terms, and adjacent themes from the qualification rubric. Capture the show name, URL, host, description, recent episode titles, publishing frequency, episode length, guest pattern, and any available audience indicators in Google Sheets. Start with 40 to 60 shows so there is enough choice without creating a list nobody will review. Remove inactive feeds, broad entertainment shows, and shows whose last ten episodes do not match the intended audience.

Output

A cleaned longlist of active shows with enough evidence for fit scoring.

Listen NotesGoogle Sheets
Pro tip

Recent episode titles are a better fit signal than the show description, which is often outdated or overly broad.

3

Research each show's current editorial direction

60-90 min

Use Perplexity to research the top 25 to 35 shows from the longlist. Confirm the host, current publishing cadence, recent guest types, repeated themes, notable episodes, and any public submission instructions. Save source links and publication dates beside every finding in Google Sheets. When evidence is weak or contradictory, label the field as uncertain instead of filling it with a guess.

Output

A source-backed research record showing what each show is covering now.

PerplexityGoogle Sheets
Pro tip

Look for what the host has covered in the last six months, not what the show covered three years ago.

Prompt template
Research this podcast as a potential guest opportunity.

Podcast:
{{podcast_name}}

Podcast URL:
{{podcast_url}}

Our target audience:
{{target_audience}}

Our proposed guest angle:
{{guest_angle}}

Use current public sources to return:
1. Host name and role
2. Current publishing cadence
3. Five recent episode themes
4. Typical guest profile
5. Evidence of audience fit
6. Topics the show has already covered heavily
7. A credible angle the host has not recently covered
8. Public guest submission or contact instructions
9. Source URL and date for every factual finding
10. Confidence level for each section

Do not estimate audience size or contact details without evidence. Write UNKNOWN where the evidence is missing. End with a fit recommendation of strong, possible, or weak and explain the decision in three sentences. A researcher will verify the sources before scoring the show.
4

Find the correct host and contact route

45-60 min

For every show that still looks viable, use Apollo and Hunter to identify the host, producer, booking contact, or agency that actually handles guest decisions. Capture the person's role, verified work email, LinkedIn URL when available, verification status, and the source used. Prefer a public booking route over a guessed executive email. Do not add personal emails, scraped phone numbers, or contacts whose relationship to the show cannot be verified.

Output

A verified contact map for each viable podcast, including the safest outreach route.

ApolloHunterGoogle Sheets
Pro tip

A producer or booking manager often gives a faster answer than the public-facing host.

5

Score the shows and select the first outreach wave

30-45 min

Use Claude to apply the approved rubric to the research rows, then review the scoring manually in Google Sheets. Require evidence for audience fit, editorial fit, activity, contactability, and angle freshness. Select a first wave of 10 to 15 shows, a second wave to hold, and a reject list with a clear reason. The owner should override any score that looks mathematically correct but strategically wrong.

Output

A ranked outreach list with approved first-wave, hold, and reject decisions.

ClaudeGoogle Sheets
Pro tip

Do not let a famous show outrank a smaller one that reaches the exact buyer and regularly hosts practitioners like you.

Prompt template
Score these podcast opportunities using the approved rubric.

Qualification rubric:
{{qualification_rubric}}

Podcast research rows:
{{podcast_research_rows}}

For each show, return:
1. Score for every rubric category
2. Evidence used for each score
3. Total weighted score
4. Main fit strength
5. Main risk or uncertainty
6. Recommended tier: outreach now, hold, or reject
7. Best episode angle
8. Human verification needed before outreach

Rules:
- Use only evidence in the research rows
- Do not reward brand fame unless the rubric includes it
- Deduct for stale publishing, repeated coverage of our angle, or an unverified contact route
- Mark missing evidence instead of assuming it
- Keep the rationale concise enough to paste into Google Sheets

A human owner will approve the final tier and may override the model score.
6

Create an episode-specific pitch brief for each show

45-60 min

For each first-wave show, use Claude to build a compact pitch brief before writing the email. The brief should connect one recent episode or editorial pattern to one guest angle, specify what new value the spokesperson adds, and list two stories or proof points that can support the conversation. Include any wording that would sound repetitive, self-promotional, or unsupported. The marketer responsible for the pitch should confirm the referenced episode and proof before the brief is approved.

Output

An evidence-backed pitch brief for every show in the first outreach wave.

ClaudeGoogle Sheets
Pro tip

The brief should make it obvious why this guest belongs on this specific show, not merely why the guest is impressive.

Prompt template
Create a podcast pitch brief for one show.

Show research:
{{show_research}}

Recent relevant episodes:
{{recent_episodes}}

Host or producer:
{{contact_context}}

Guest angle:
{{guest_angle}}

Guest proof and stories:
{{guest_proof}}

Return:
1. Why this show is a fit
2. The exact editorial gap we can fill
3. One recommended episode title
4. Three talking points with listener value
5. Two stories or proof points to use
6. A reference to one recent episode and why it matters
7. Claims or wording to avoid
8. Facts the sender must verify
9. A one-sentence pitch thesis

Do not flatter the host, invent familiarity, or claim an audience size we cannot verify. If the angle overlaps heavily with a recent episode, recommend a different angle or reject the pitch. The sender will review the cited episode and all proof before outreach.
7

Write and review the personalized pitch

45-60 min

Use Claude to draft one concise email from the approved pitch brief, then have the spokesperson or campaign owner edit it. The opening should reference a real editorial signal, the middle should explain the listener value, and the close should offer the guest without pushing for a calendar immediately. Keep the note short enough to scan on a phone and remove generic praise. Record the approved subject line, body, contact, and pitch angle in Google Sheets before loading anything into Apollo.

Output

Approved, show-specific pitch emails ready to load into the outreach sequence.

ClaudeGoogle Sheets
Pro tip

If the first sentence could be sent to another podcast unchanged, the pitch is not personalized enough.

Prompt template
Write a concise podcast guest pitch from this approved brief.

Pitch brief:
{{pitch_brief}}

Recipient:
{{recipient_name_and_role}}

Spokesperson:
{{spokesperson_name_and_credentials}}

Approved proof:
{{approved_proof}}

Create:
1. Three subject lines
2. One primary email of 120 to 170 words
3. One shorter version under 100 words
4. A single follow-up line for seven days later

Requirements:
- Reference one verified editorial detail
- Explain the value to listeners before describing the guest
- Offer three concrete talking points
- Use a low-pressure close
- Do not use generic praise, fake familiarity, or unsupported audience claims
- Do not attach files or ask for a meeting in the first email
- Mark any fact that still needs human verification

The campaign owner will choose the version, verify the reference, and edit the final wording before send.
8

Send in small waves and learn from replies

Ongoing, first review after 2 weeks

Load only the approved first wave into Apollo and send from an appropriate individual sender. Track delivered, bounced, replied, interested, referred, declined, and no-response outcomes in Google Sheets, along with the show, angle, and contact route. Send one useful follow-up after seven to ten business days, then stop unless the recipient engages. After the first 10 to 15 pitches, review which topics, proof points, and show profiles produced real conversations before releasing the second wave.

Output

An outreach log and a tested pitch pattern for the next podcast wave.

ApolloGoogle Sheets
Pro tip

A polite decline with a reason is useful data. Capture it instead of treating every non-booking as the same outcome.

Expected results

Target list size

50 researched podcasts

Listen Notes and AI research make it practical to build a focused podcast list without agency support.

Time saved

6-10 hours per 50 targets

AI accelerates show research, angle matching, pitch writing, and follow-up creation.

Pitch quality

Show-specific outreach

Each pitch references recent episodes, audience fit, and a tailored episode idea instead of sending a generic guest bio.

Booking potential

3-8 positive replies per 50 pitches

Realistic for niche B2B podcasts when targeting is relevant and the pitch offers a clear episode idea, though results vary by guest credibility and category.

Related workflows

Continue with workflows that share a similar GTM motion, category, or tool stack.