Some of the advice you hear as a podcaster is likely repeated over and over for a good reason. For instance, one of the best ways to grow your podcast is by having notable a notable podcast guest for each episode.

Having buzz-worthy guests willing to help promote their appearance gives you reach to their audience and gives you a shot at showing up for any searches in their name. In addition, if a listener comes across your episode and recognizes the podcast guest, they’re also more likely to give the episode a listen.

That being said, it can take considerable time and effort to build the guest list you want and get in contact with the necessary folks for your show. While there are many approaches you can take from many different mediums, one thing you’ll need before you start reaching out to anyone on any platform is a solid outreach template.

So I’ve compiled a list of five simple podcast invitation templates that you can use next time you’re itching for a particular podcast guest to appear on your podcast. The first template is for email, and the other four are tailored to various social media platforms.

Template 1: Invitation to Podcast via Email

This template is great when you’re reaching out to a guest over email as it’s a bit longer and more formal than how you might want to approach someone on social media, for instance. Many times, when you’re looking for the contact information of your potential guest, you’ll only be able to find their email (ahem… YouTube).

This template also works great if you’re sending an invite via a contact form.

Subject:

Invitation to Appear on (Podcast Name)

Message:

Hi [name],

I’m the host of [podcast], a show about [show topic].

We think you’d be great on the show and that your appearance would be beneficial to both you and our audience because [why you think they’d be a good fit].

You can learn more about our podcast and listen to episodes here[add link].

If you’re interested, let me know, and we can get you scheduled right away.

Take care,

[Your Name]

Template 2: Invitation to Podcast via Twitter Direct Message

To some, it might not sound like the best idea to invite a guest to a podcast via social media. Still, the amazing thing about Twitter is that you’re much more likely to get a response than email because messages’ character limit makes it easier for people to read and respond to.

I literally cannot count how many times I’ve had the chance to interact with potential podcast guests over Twitter where I would’ve never been able to otherwise.

There are two approaches to inviting a guest to your podcast via Twitter, but generally, I think using DMs is better than tweeting them directly as there’s less pressure, and feels more authentic.

Here’s our template:

Hi [Guest Name], I’m the host of [podcast], a show about [show topic]. We think you’d be a great guest on the show and that your appearance would be beneficial to both you and our audience. If you’re interested in interviewing, let me know. I’m happy to share more info. Take care.

This template is great because it’s short and to the point. There’s no need to link to your website because your Twitter profile should already do that. There’s also no need to give any more information at this stage because if they’re interested in doing a podcast interview, they will let you know.

This approach is respectful to your potential guest while likely garnering a better chance of response than an email. If you really want to improve your chances of success here, it’d be wise if they’re already aware of your existence to some degree, meaning hopefully, you’ve interacted with them on Twitter in the past.

Template 3: Invitation to Podcast via LinkedIn

LinkedIn is highly suited for connecting with industry peers or people already in a position of power in an industry, making this a great option for business-related podcasts.

However, LinkedIn can be tricky because the number of cold-messages people receive on the platform can be quite high, especially for more notable individuals.

Therefore, you’ll need to be direct but respectful and aware of the amount of time you’re taking up. Here’s what I’d recommend as a general LinkedIn template:

Hi [name], My name is [name] and I am the host of [podcast]. I’m writing because I greatly admire the progress that you’ve made at [guest work] and I’d love to have you on my podcast. Let me know if this opportunity interests you and I can share more details. Thank you for your time.

Template 4: Invitation to Podcast via Facebook

Facebook generally isn’t the best place to reach out to potential guests, except if you are sending an open invitation to apply within a Facebook group.

This is generally when you know what topic you’ll want to talk about but don’t have a particular speaker in mind and want to get some options.

I’ve perused many Facebook groups and have made this template based on what I’ve seen tends to work the best: being direct and motivational in your approach and being clear about what type of person exactly you’re hoping to get in front of your audience.

So without further ado, here is the template:

I’m looking for [type of person] who have [stories/insight] about [topic] to be on my podcast, [Podcast Name]. My passion is to [Podcast Mission] and for [Year/Month/episode] I want to focus on [Topical Focus for the year].

If you are interested in sharing, I’d love to hear your [story/perspective]. I’ll set up time for a pre-interview and if you’re a good fit, we’ll go from there.

Template 5: Invitation to Podcast via Instagram

Invitations via Instagram are similar to Twitter, but you’re much more likely to find niche guests here than netting large guests per se. The same rules about being respectful but direct apply here:

Hi [name]. My name is [your name] and I am the host of [podcast], a show about [show topic]. We think you’d be a great guest on the show and that your appearance would be beneficial to both you and our audience. If you’re interested in doing a podcast interview, let me know. I’m happy to share more info. Take care.

What To Know Before Inviting a Potential Guest

Don’t forget that there can be a lot of nuance to having these conversations, but overall the more you reach out to people, the better you’ll get at responding, respectfully following up, and landing the guests that will help your show grow.

It never hurts to add in a link to your apple podcast listing, including the apple podcast rankings for all of these templates. You can also link to a podcast episode you’re particularly fond of, or your audience loves.

Read more: Do Podcast Guests Get Paid?