What We Do Results About Podcast Book A Call
Resource

Guest Invite
Email Templates

The invite that books a senior guest, the 2 follow ups, and what to say when they reply. Swap the details for something you actually looked up.

See How It Works

What Makes a Podcast Invite Work?

A podcast invite works because it asks for something the recipient is glad to be asked. It has to be short, it has to reference their actual work rather than a merge field, and it has to make the shape of the ask obvious: one conversation, about 45 minutes, about them. The templates below are the structure. The line that carries them is the one you write yourself, because it is the sentence that proves you read something before you hit send. A template with nothing researched in it is just a mail merge with better manners.

The Problem

Why Most Invites Get Deleted

Pain 01

They Are About the Sender

The whole first paragraph is who you are and what your show is. Nobody has agreed to care about either yet. The invitation has to open on them, because that is the only part they have a reason to read.

Pain 02

Nothing In Them Was Researched

A merged first name is not personalization and senior people can spot the difference instantly. One specific, accurate line about their actual work does more than 3 paragraphs of flattery.

Pain 03

The Ask Is Vague

If someone cannot tell how long it takes, what it is about and what happens afterwards, the safe answer is no reply. Name the length, name the subject, and make it a single decision.

The System

The 5 Structures

1

The Invite

Two lines about them, one line about the ask, one line about logistics. Under 90 words. The whole email should be readable on a phone without scrolling.

2

Follow Up 1, Four Days Later

Do not resend the pitch. Add one new specific thing you noticed, and make replying easier by naming a time. Most yeses arrive on this email rather than the first.

3

Follow Up 2, Eight Days After That

Shorter than the first two, and it gives them a clean way out. A stated last email gets more replies than another nudge, because it costs them nothing to answer honestly.

4

The Reply to a Yes

Move fast and remove every decision. One link, the length, the subject and what happens to the recording afterwards. The gap between a yes and a locked date is where bookings die.

how to use them

How to Use These Without Sounding Like a Template

1

Replace the Bracket, Not Just the Name

Every bracket in these templates marks a place where something researched has to go. If you can send the same email to 2 different people without changing that line, it is not doing any work.

2

Keep One Idea Per Line

Senior people read email on a phone between other things. One sentence per paragraph is not a style choice, it is what makes the whole thing readable in the 6 seconds you get.

3

Say What Happens Afterwards

Tell them where the episode goes and that they will get the recording and the clips. It answers the question they were going to ask anyway, and it makes the yes cheaper.

Copy These

The 5 Emails, Word for Word

Every highlighted bracket is a place where something you actually looked up has to go. Leave them in and the email will not work.

Template 01 The invite
Subject: Quick question about [the thing they built]
Hi [First name], [One specific, accurate line about their actual work. Not a compliment. Something you could only write after reading their site, their post or their episode.] I host [Show name], where I talk to [the kind of operator they are] about how they actually run things. I would like to have you on it. It is about 45 minutes, over Zoom, and it is a conversation about your work rather than an interview about mine. You get the recording and the clips either way. Worth a look at the calendar? [Your name]
The first 2 lines decide everything. If the bracketed line could be sent to anybody else in the industry, it is not researched enough to send to this person.
Template 02 Follow up 1, four days later
Subject: Re: Quick question about [the thing they built]
Hi [First name], Following up on this one. [A second specific thing you noticed since the first email. A new hire, a post, a launch, a number in their case study.] That is close to what I would want to spend most of the 45 minutes on. Happy to work around your calendar, including early or late if that is easier. [Your name]
Do not restate the first email. Adding something new proves you are still paying attention, which is the whole reason this one converts better than the invite.
Template 03 Follow up 2, eight days later
Subject: Re: Quick question about [the thing they built]
Hi [First name], Last one from me on this. If the timing is wrong, that is completely fine and I will leave it there. If you would still like to do it, reply with a week that works and I will send over times. [Your name]
Naming it as the last email gets more replies than another nudge, because answering honestly now costs them nothing. Some of these come back as a yes months later.
Template 04 The reply to a yes
Subject: Re: Quick question about [the thing they built]
[First name], glad to hear it. Here is my calendar: [booking link] Grab any 45 minute slot that suits you. Before we record we will do a quick 15 minutes to lock the topic, so you know exactly what you are walking into. We will publish it on [where the show lives] and you will get the full recording plus the short clips to use however you want. [Your name]
The gap between a yes and a booked date is where most guests are lost. One link, no decisions, and tell them what happens afterwards before they ask.
Template 05 The reply to what is this about
Subject: Re: Quick question about [the thing they built]
Hi [First name], Fair question. The show is [Show name], and every episode is a conversation with [the kind of operator they are] about how the work actually gets done. With you I would want to cover [the 2 or 3 things you genuinely want to ask about]. It runs about 45 minutes over Zoom, we publish it on [where the show lives], and you get the recording and the clips. If that sounds worth doing, I will send over some times. [Your name]
Answer it plainly and name the topics. Vagueness here is what turns a curious reply into no reply.

Key Terms

Podcast Invite
A cold email whose ask is an appearance on a show rather than a meeting. It reaches people who ignore sales outreach because the thing being requested is genuinely different.
Alignment Call
The 15 minute conversation between an accepted invite and the recording. It locks the topic and the date, which is what stops an accepted invite from quietly never happening.
FAQ

Common Questions About Invite Emails

How do you invite someone to be a guest on your podcast?
Open on them, not on you. One or 2 lines showing you know what they have built, then the ask in a single sentence, then the logistics: the length, the subject and where the episode goes. Keep the whole thing under 90 words and make replying a single decision.
How long should a podcast invite email be?
Under 90 words. It should be readable on a phone without scrolling. Long invites read as sales emails, and the length itself is a signal about how much of their time the rest of it will take.
How many follow ups should I send?
Two. One about 4 days after the invite that adds something new rather than repeating the ask, and one about 8 days after that which gives them a clean way to say no. More than that turns an invitation into pressure, which is the opposite of what makes it work.
Do these templates work without personalizing them?
No, and that is not a hedge. The templates are the structure. The line that gets the reply is the specific, accurate thing you found about their work, and there is no version of this that skips that step and still books senior guests.
Next Step

Or Let Us Send
10,000 of Them a Month

Researched, written and sent for you, with every reply answered. 15 minutes, no deck.

Book A Call

Guaranteed 30 recorded conversations with your ideal buyers in 90 days, or it's free, every dollar back if we miss it.

Last updated: September 5, 2026