The State of Podcast Guesting in 2023

In the current media landscape, podcasting has become an increasingly popular medium for sharing stories and connecting with audiences. As more and more people turn to podcasts for entertainment, education, and other forms of engagement, the need for high-quality guests on these shows is ever-growing. As such, it is important to understand the current trends in podcast guesting in order to ensure successful programming.

This report explores recent developments in podcast guesting, focusing on topics such as audience size, days of week best suited to record episodes, and other considerations when booking guests. By gaining insight into this rapidly evolving field, you can determine is there value in being a guest on a podcast?

Recruiting high-quality guests for podcasts is a critical component of any successful program. When selecting potential guests, podcasters should consider several key factors, including the type of content they are hoping to create and their target audience. It is also important to determine the best days and times to record shows in order to maximize viewership and engagement.

Additionally, it is essential that podcasters have an effective strategy for promoting episodes featuring guest appearances. This can include the use of social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as email marketing campaigns and other digital promotions. Podcasts can also benefit from creating compelling promotional material such as mini clips or trailers featuring guest interviews prior to each episode’s release.

When it comes to podcast guesting, one of the most important considerations is the host’s ability to engage with the guest. Hosts should take the time to get to know their guests prior to recording and be sure that they have a strong connection before entering into conversation. This will ensure a better understanding of the topics being discussed and will make for more natural conversations.

Let’s dig into the guesting report which is based on real data over a period of time that brings out some insightful data…

The State of Podcast Guesting Report Insights 2023

• Spanish speaking countries are growing the fastest for Podcast Guest opportunities.

There is potential here to target fast growing countries with your offering who have a hungry receptive audience that are just starting to consume podcasts and on that initial journey of consumption.

• Over 63% of Podcasts now include video.

Be prepared for video as a guest, check with the host if they send you a pre interview check list so you can include branding in that interview, do you have branded items you can wear whilst being recorded, is the environment tidy, if in a corporate space are there messaging or posters you can include in the camera angle? 

Think of this as a news interview you can reach a targeted audience with your name/business name, don’t miss out.

• Over 70% of Podcasts take 8 weeks and more from invitation accepted to actually recording the show.

There is more data within the report which can be read below or downloaded from the link, reviewing the findings we can determine that if you are looking to target a launch or campaign then you need to prepare in advance with a lead time of 8 weeks to recording plus then time before the show goes live then larger shows have a long lead time, hence as a guest if you start to build a podcast tour plan then you can focus on a mixed strategy of short/long term interviews to drive awareness.

• What can you expect in terms of audience?

You are going to be targeting podcasts to appear on that have the audience you wish to hear your message or share your knowledge with, of course larger shows get more reach but smaller shows with average of 150 downloads in the first 30 days is a single figure, but what you need to think of is the evergreen effect that episode is out there for a long time and as the podcast builds its reach and moves upwards it will gain a long tail audience, thus ongoing reach over time, aside from the first 30 days.

This and more great data points to help you validate is Podcast Guesting can be found in The State of Podcast Guesting Annual Report 2023.