Earned Media Outreach

When to Use

• Founder wants to get featured on podcasts as a guest
• Founder wants press coverage from journalists and tech publications
• Founder wants to build relationships with media for ongoing exposure
• Founder wants to identify which podcasts and publications reach their target audience
• Founder wants to write pitch emails that actually get responses

Context Required

• Founder's story and what makes it interesting (not just what the product does)
• Target audience — who are you trying to reach through media? (customers, investors, talent)
• Topics the founder can speak on with genuine authority
• Previous media experience (if any)
• Upcoming newsworthy events (launch, funding round, milestone, contrarian take)

Workflow

1. Define the media angle — journalists and podcast hosts don't cover products, they cover stories. Identify your angles:
   • Founder story: unusual background, pivot story, "I quit X to build Y"
   • Trend story: "Why [trend] is changing [industry]" — you as the expert source
   • Data story: original data or insights from your product/market
   • Contrarian take: challenge conventional wisdom in your space
   • Milestone: funding round, user milestone, revenue milestone, major partnership
2. Build the target list — research podcasts and publications that reach your audience:
   • Podcasts: search Apple Podcasts, Spotify, ListenNotes, and Podchaser by topic. Look for shows that have had similar-stage founders as guests. Check episode frequency (active shows only) and audience size (download numbers if available).
   • Publications: identify journalists who cover your space. Read their last 10 articles. Follow them on X/Twitter. Check if they have a tips inbox or preferred pitch method.
   • Newsletters: Substack writers, industry newsletter authors who feature startups
   • YouTube channels: tech reviewers, industry commentators
3. Tier the list — prioritize by reach x relevance:
   • Tier 1 (5-10): perfect audience fit, worth significant prep time
   • Tier 2 (10-20): good fit, standard outreach
   • Tier 3 (20+): adjacent audience, batch outreach
4. Write the pitches — different formats for different targets:
   • Podcast pitch: short, personal, focused on what you'll teach their audience (not what you'll promote)
   • Journalist pitch: newsworthy angle, relevant data, why their readers care, not a press release
   • Newsletter pitch: how featuring you provides value to their subscribers
5. Send and follow up — outreach cadence:
   • Initial pitch
   • Follow-up 1 (5-7 days later, add new context)
   • Follow-up 2 (7-10 days later, final touch — offer a different angle)
   • Move on after 3 touches with no response
6. Prepare for appearances — for confirmed bookings:
   • Research the host's style and past episodes
   • Prepare 3-5 talking points with stories (not bullet points)
   • Have a clear CTA for listeners (one thing, not five)
   • Send the host a prep sheet with your bio, headshot, topics, and any questions to avoid

Output Format

## Earned Media Plan

### Media Angles
1. **[Angle name]:** [1-2 sentence pitch hook]
   - Best for: [podcast / press / newsletter]
   - Timeliness: [evergreen / time-sensitive — why now]

### Target List

#### Podcasts
| Show | Host | Audience | Fit | Pitch Angle | Contact |
|------|------|----------|-----|-------------|---------|
| [name] | [host] | [who listens] | Tier 1 | [which angle] | [email/form] |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

#### Journalists & Publications
| Name | Publication | Beat | Recent Article | Pitch Angle | Contact |
|------|------------|------|---------------|-------------|---------|
| [name] | [pub] | [what they cover] | [recent relevant piece] | [which angle] | [email/X] |

#### Newsletters
| Newsletter | Author | Subscribers (est.) | Pitch Angle | Contact |
|-----------|--------|-------------------|-------------|---------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Pitch Templates

**Podcast Pitch:**
Subject: [subject line]
[Draft email — 150 words max]

**Journalist Pitch:**
Subject: [subject line]
[Draft email — 200 words max]

### Appearance Prep Sheet
- **Bio:** [2-3 sentences]
- **Headshot:** [link]
- **Talking points:**
  1. [Point + story]
  2. [Point + story]
  3. [Point + story]
- **CTA for audience:** [one clear action]
- **Topics to avoid:** [if any]

Frameworks & Best Practices

Finding the right podcasts:

Search Method	How
Topic search	ListenNotes.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify — search your industry keywords
Competitor appearances	Google "[competitor founder name] podcast" — they've already found shows in your space
Guest crossover	Find one good podcast, then check where their past guests also appeared
Podcast directories	Podchaser (has contact info), Rephonic (audience data), Matchmaker.fm (guest matching)
X/Twitter search	"[your topic] podcast" or "just recorded a podcast about [topic]"

Pitch principles:

• Lead with their audience, not your product. "I can teach your listeners how to..." beats "I'd love to share about my startup..."
• Reference a specific episode. "Your episode with [guest] on [topic] resonated because..." proves you actually listen.
• Make it easy to say yes. Include your topic, 3 talking points, and bio in the first email. Don't make them do research.
• Short pitches win. Podcast hosts get 50+ pitches/week. 150 words max. Journalists get 200+. Be brief.
• Timing matters. Pitch journalists on Tuesday-Thursday mornings. Avoid Mondays and Fridays. For podcasts, timing is less critical but avoid holiday weeks.

What makes a founder a good podcast guest:

• Tells stories, not features ("We almost ran out of money in month 3..." not "Our platform leverages...")
• Has a genuine point of view — agrees with the host on some things, disagrees on others
• Gives actionable takeaways listeners can use immediately
• Doesn't hard-sell — mentions the product once naturally, lets the host ask about it

Common mistakes:

• Sending press releases instead of personalized pitches
• Pitching the product instead of the story
• Not researching the host/journalist before reaching out
• Saying yes to every podcast regardless of audience fit (your time is limited)
• Forgetting the CTA — you get 1,000 listeners and they have nowhere to go
• Not repurposing appearances into social content, blog posts, and email

Related Skills

• founder-thought-leadership — media appearances amplify your personal brand
• cold-outreach — similar outreach mechanics, different audience
• content-strategy — repurpose media appearances into content
• launch-strategy — coordinate press with product launches

Examples

Prompt: "I want to get on podcasts to promote our developer tools startup. Help me find shows and write pitches."

Good output includes: 15-20 podcasts that feature developer tools founders (with contact info), tiered by relevance, 2-3 media angles based on the founder's story, and customized pitch drafts for the top 5 shows.

Prompt: "We just raised our seed round. Help me get press coverage."

Good output includes: List of journalists who cover seed-stage funding in the relevant sector, a pitch angle beyond "we raised money" (what the funding enables, the market insight, the founder story), and draft pitches referencing each journalist's recent coverage.