The Hustler Diaries Part 6: How to Pitch a Podcast Series

Awhile back, I created a pitch for a podcast series. It wasn’t that difficult. Or, I should say, it wasn’t as hard as doing a book proposal. (Tip: If you ever think something is hard, then think of something harder. Then you will feel like you are doing something comparatively easy. Emphasis on comparatively.)

Here’s how to do it:

Come up with a great concept

If you want to do a podcast series that’s not you conducting boring interviews with people or you nattering on about something that you think is interesting but no one else finds interesting, you should conceptualize a podcast series that’s about something smart, and compelling, and informative. (I won’t share my concept here, but it’s related to my nonfiction book project.) My series is a documentary series. Maybe yours is historical, or true crime, or science. Or all those things. Once you have a great idea, seek out five of your friends, but only reach out to friends who you consider to be your more honest and straightforward friends. Friends who blow sunshine up your ass are not helpful in this context. (Call them next time you get dumped or whatever.) You want friends who “speak their mind” or are sometimes told they are “cruel.” If the assholes you know find your podcast series idea interesting, you might be on to something. Remember friends are helpful. Lying to your face isn’t helpful. If you’ve shopped your ideas around to your crabby, smart friends and gotten the thumb’s-up, it’s time to move forward.

Bang out that podcast proposal

The best thing about podcast proposals is that they aren’t that long. Mine is maybe 12 pages. It includes a one-page overview, a one-page description of the format, several pages that outline what each episode will be about, and my bio. I includes an audio sample and a news article that pertains to my project. The two most challenge parts of the proposal are the overview and the outline. The challenge of the overview is making it succinct and engaging. The challenge of the outline is making it fresh (not just repeating whatever was in the overview) and telling a story that unfolds over the series’ episodes to deliver something new to the listeners by its end. If you spend more than like a month working on this, you’re taking too long. Don’t overthink it. This isn’t brain surgery. This is a podcast series.

Shove it out the door

Once I was done with my podcast series pitch, I delivered it, in PDF form, to my agent. She suggested some revisions, which I made. Then she sent the podcast pitch out to a couple of the biggest producers of podcasts. My first meeting with one of those producers is tomorrow. We’ll see what happens. At this point, you are the parent of a small, weird child you are attempting to give up for adoption—or at least co-parenting. Believe in the kid, and if you’re lucky, someone will love that four-legged, five-eyed, two-headed creature as much as you do.

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