The best places to find podcasts that accept guests are the ones that show you who already books guests. That means show websites with a guest page, podcast search engines, guest request newsletters, a couple of Reddit communities, a few smart Google searches and topic directories.
Finding the show is half the job. The other half is checking that it actually takes outside guests before you spend time on a pitch. This post covers both. The full booking process, from topic to follow-up, lives in our guide on how to get booked on podcasts.
Where do you find podcasts looking for guests?
Use more than one source. Each one finds a different slice of shows, and the overlap tells you which shows are most open.
Show websites with a be a guest page
The clearest signal is a show that publishes its own guest route. Look in the site menu or footer for words like guest, be a guest, apply, pitch or contact.
Here are two examples. Code Story, a startup show about technical founders, has an Apply to Be a Guest form that asks for your bio, photo and website. The Data Engineering Podcast has a guest info page that explains you propose a topic through a form, then get a scheduling link once the host agrees.
A page like that tells you three things at once. The show takes outside guests, it wants a pitch in a certain format, and it has a process you can follow.
Apple Podcasts and Spotify search
Search your topic, not your name. Try the problem you solve, the job title of your ideal listener, and the tools or industry you work in.
Then open each show and scan the last ten episode titles. If most of them have a guest name in the title, the show books guests. If they are all solo episodes or two co-hosts talking, move on.
Listen Notes and Podchaser
Listen Notes describes itself as a podcast search engine, "like Google, but for podcasts." It searches episodes as well as shows, so a niche phrase can surface a show that covered your topic once.
Podchaser keeps credits for hosts and guests. Its funding announcement described a database of creator and guest credits, so you can look up who has appeared where. That is handy for the next tactic.
Shows your peers have been on
Pick five people who do work like yours. Search their names in a podcast app or a credits database and list every show they appeared on. Those shows already said yes to someone like you.
Do not pitch the same story they told. Use their episode to see what the host liked, then bring a different angle.
People you already know
Ask around before you search. Friends who host a show, colleagues who have been guests, and former coworkers who now run a company newsletter or podcast all know shows that take guests. A warm intro from a past guest often gets a faster reply than any cold pitch.
Post once on LinkedIn or in a work Slack that you are looking for shows on your topic. Name the topic, not just "podcasts," so people can think of a specific show.
Guest request newsletters
Some services send lists of hosts who are looking for guests. PodcastGuests.com says it runs a free newsletter of podcasts looking for guests, sent twice a week, and also has a paid expert directory.
Newsletters are good for volume. Read each listing closely, because the fit varies a lot.
Reddit and Facebook groups
Hosts post guest openings in communities. On Reddit, r/PodcastGuestExchange is set up for podcasters to find guests and guests to find shows, and r/podcastguests is a smaller one. Read the posting rules before you post, since these groups remove posts that skip them.
Facebook and LinkedIn groups for your industry work the same way. Search the group for "guest" and "looking for" before you post a pitch of your own.
Google search operators
Google finds guest pages that directories miss. Try searches like these, swapping in your topic:
"be a guest" podcast fintech"guest application" podcast leadership"apply to be a guest" podcast nutritionpodcast "pitch us" OR "guest pitch" cybersecurityinurl:guest podcast "your topic"
Open the results that come from the show's own site. Agency pages and old lists are less useful.
Topic and language directories
Directories that group shows by topic save you the first round of searching. The Prends podcast directory lists shows by topic and language, with a link to each show's own contact source, for example startup podcasts. Some booking platforms also match guests with hosts. We compare them in podcast guest booking services compared.
How can you tell if a podcast accepts guests?
Run this quick check on every show before it goes on your list. It takes two minutes.
| Check | Good sign | Bad sign |
|---|---|---|
| Guest page | A guest form, application or pitch email on the site | Only a sponsor or advertising page |
| Recent episodes | Most of the last ten have a guest | Solo or co-host episodes only |
| Last release | An episode in the last month or two | Nothing new for months |
| Past guests | People at your level and in your field | Only celebrities, or a very different field |
| Rules | Clear format, like a topic proposal | "We do not accept pitches" |
If a show passes four of the five, it is worth a pitch. If the site says it does not take pitches, respect that.
Which source should you start with?
It depends on how much time you have and how niche you are.
| Source | Best for | Cost to you |
|---|---|---|
| Show guest pages | Highest fit, clear process | Free, takes time |
| Podcast app search | Finding active shows in your niche | Free |
| Peer appearances | Shows that book people like you | Free |
| Guest newsletters | Volume, new openings | Free tiers exist |
| Reddit and groups | Smaller shows, quick replies | Free |
| Google operators | Guest pages directories miss | Free |
| Topic directories | Skipping the first search | Often free to browse |
A good first week looks like this. Pull 20 shows from app search and peer appearances, add 10 from Google and directories, then run the check above and keep the ones that pass.
What should you do with the list?
Sort the shows that pass into two groups. Put the ones with a strong fit and a clear guest page on top. Put the maybes underneath.
Then pitch in small batches so you can personalize each message. Our podcast guest pitch templates give you a starting point, and the booking guide covers how many to pitch and how to follow up.
Start today. Open a sheet, add five shows from the sources above, and run the two minute check on each one.