How to never apply to be on a podcast again
Most podcast guests are begging for slots they don't deserve.
They're sending cold emails, DMing hosts, and hiring PR firms just for a chance to speak into someone else's microphone. It's desperate. It's ineffective. And it's completely unnecessary.
The guests you actually want to hear on podcasts? They never applied for those spots.
Truth is, there's a fundamental difference between those who chase podcast appearances and those who attract them. One group is playing defense, the other is playing offense.
I've been on both sides of this equation – desperately seeking opportunities and eventually having them seek me out. The shift didn't happen by accident. It was systematic.
Here's the brutal reality: if you have to apply to be on podcasts, you haven't built enough leverage yet.
But that can change faster than you think.
In this letter, I want to discuss:
Why chasing podcast appearances signals weakness
How to create a mental monopoly that makes you the obvious guest
The framework for developing modular, high-impact content blocks
The systematic approach to strategic visibility that works
Why most podcast appearances are a complete waste of time
A special announcement
The exact system to build leverage that brings opportunities to you
Own a Specific Territory, Not Just a Subject
When most people hear "own a subject," they think about being knowledgeable. That's surface-level thinking.
Owning a subject means creating a mental monopoly around a specific territory in the minds of both your audience and podcast hosts. It's not just about what you know – it's about how you frame what you know.
The specialists getting on Diary of a CEO aren't just good at their craft. They've built a unique lens through which they view their domain. They've stacked unusual combinations of expertise. They've developed frameworks that make complex ideas digestible.
Articulation Is Your Ultimate Currency
Having good ideas isn't enough. The marketplace of attention rewards those who can package good ideas into unforgettable delivery systems.
Most people confuse having an opinion with having a perspective. An opinion is what you think. A perspective is how you frame what you think in a way that creates immediate value for others.
Top podcast guests aren't just sharing thoughts – they're delivering packaged insights that hosts can build entire episodes around.
This requires systematic practice:
Identify your core insights and arguments
Restructure them into 5-10 minute delivery packages
Test these packages on social media, newsletters, and your own content
Refine based on engagement data
Create memorable analogies, metaphors, and hooks for each
I've found that the sweet spot is creating modular content blocks – ideas that can be delivered in 30 seconds, 2 minutes, or 10 minutes depending on the context. This makes you infinitely more valuable to podcast hosts because you can adapt to their format effortlessly.
The brutal truth is that most people's ideas aren't nearly as original as they think. What separates the magnetic guests from everyone else is how they structure and deliver those ideas.
Become Undeniable Through Strategic Visibility
"Getting the podcast to come to you" sounds passive. It's not. It's an active strategy built on becoming unmissable in the right places.
Most podcast research teams aren't doing deep investigative work – they're looking for signals of relevance, authority, and entertainment value in places they already frequent.
To leverage this reality:
Map the ecosystem around your target podcasts
Who do they follow?
What platforms do they monitor?
Which communities do they engage with?
Create content specifically designed for those environments
This isn't about volume; it's about strategic placement
One viral thread in the right community > 100 posts in the wrong one
Build relationship bridges with previous guests
Past guests are the most efficient pathway to new bookings
Collaborate with them on content before asking for introductions
Create content in podcast format before being on podcasts
Launch a short-form podcast or YouTube series
This proves you can hold attention and articulate ideas clearly
One strategy that's worked exceptionally well for our guests: Create "guest episode concepts" for specific podcasts, where you outline exactly what value you'd bring to their show. Share these publicly on platforms where their research team is active.
This isn't pitching – it's demonstrating value before being asked to provide it.
The Guest-to-Host Pipeline
Podcast appearances aren't the end goal. They're stepping stones in a larger visibility ecosystem.
The real power move is transitioning from guest to host – even if only temporarily.
Top podcasters are constantly looking for fresh content and strategies to engage their audience. By positioning yourself to guest host episodes or segments, you create a natural pathway to invitations.
I've found three approaches particularly effective:
The "Preview Episode" Strategy
Create content that serves as a natural preview to what you could offer their podcast
Package it so well that it feels like a missing episode from their show
The "Audience Overlap" Play
Build a highly engaged audience that overlaps with theirs
Make your value proposition about bringing new listeners, not just content
The "Format Innovation" Technique
Develop a unique content format that would fit their show
Demonstrate its success on your own platforms first
The system is simple: Build enough leverage that saying no to you costs them more than saying yes.
Build Your Magnetic System
Most people approach podcast guesting as a one-off tactic. The magnetic approach treats it as a systematic process of building leverage.
Your leverage comes from three primary sources:
Intellectual Capital - Your unique frameworks and perspectives
Audience Capital - The engaged community you've built
Media Capital - Your proven ability to perform on various platforms
Each of these compounds over time, creating a flywheel effect that eventually makes podcast invitations inevitable.
The secret is consistency and deliberate practice in public. Every LinkedIn post, every comment, every newsletter is an audition for bigger stages.
Most people won't do this work. They want the shortcut, the hack, the warm intro that bypasses the system. But those shortcuts lead to appearances that don't convert to actual opportunities.
The irony is that by building a system to never have to apply for podcasts again, you're also building a system that ensures every podcast appearance actually delivers value to your business.
The Reality Check
Let's be honest. Most podcast appearances do absolutely nothing for the guest's business. The hosts get content, but the guests often walk away with nothing tangible.
This is because most guests haven't done the foundational work:
They haven't built a clear value ladder for new audience members to engage with
They haven't developed a memorable point of view that listeners can attach to
They haven't created systems to capture and nurture the attention they receive
Before you worry about getting on podcasts, ask yourself: "Am I actually ready to convert that attention into something meaningful?"
If the answer is no, focus on building your foundation first. One podcast appearance with the right foundation will outperform 50 appearances without it.
The Final Word
I just got asked to be on yet another podcast and people keep asking how I "networked my way in."
I didn't.
The truth? I didn't send a single cold email. I didn't apply through their website. I didn't pay for a "podcast booking service."
I just... created content that didn't sound like it was written by a corporate AI bot having an existential crisis.
The podcast found ME because I spent two years writing posts that made people actually stop scrolling for 7 seconds before continuing their mindless LinkedIn doom scroll.
Here's what nobody tells you about getting on podcasts:
The hosts are DESPERATE for guests who won't bore their audience to tears.
They don't want another "visionary disruptor" who will spend 45 minutes explaining why their SaaS platform is "revolutionary" while the listeners contemplate whether deleting Spotify entirely is an overreaction.
They want someone who will say something memorable. Or funny. Or controversial. Or just... human.
So stop crafting the perfect cold outreach template and start crafting an actual personality.
Stop optimizing your pitch and start optimizing your thoughts.
The best podcast strategy isn't having a strategy at all. It's being genuinely interesting enough that they can't afford NOT to have you on.
And if that sounds hard? Good.
It should be.
The future belongs to those who build systems, not those who chase opportunities.
Stop applying to be on podcasts.
Start building the authority that makes you the obvious choice when hosts are looking for their next guest.
The best podcast guests aren't chosen – they're discovered.
And discovery happens by design, not by accident.
— Justin
P.S. If you're ready to build your own personal brand but not ready to pay for it yet, join my next free Unforgettable Masterclass, where I'll be teaching you exactly how to create the kind of magnetic content that makes podcast hosts come to you.
P.P.S. Yes, this is really my email. Yes, if you hit reply, I will read it.