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How to invite a CEO to your podcast
A CEO gets a stack of interview requests, and almost all of them ask for the same generic conversation. The one that gets read is the one that proves you know their work and names a single thing only they can speak to.
The other quiet fear for an executive is the ambush, walking into a recording with no idea where it is going. Take that fear off the table and your odds change.
Part of the guide: How to book podcast guests
Make it yours
Fill these in and the invite below rewrites itself.
Subject
A conversation our listeners need to hear from you
Hi Priya,
I host The Build, and I have been following your work at Northwind for a while. There is one thing I keep wanting to ask you about: how you rebuilt the team after the layoffs.
Most interviews with you cover the same ground. I would rather have the conversation underneath that, the part you rarely get asked. The people who listen to my show are trying to make the same kinds of calls you have already made, and they learn more from someone who has actually made them than from anyone describing it from the outside.
It is one remote recording, about forty minutes, and I will work around your calendar. I am glad to send a few questions ahead so you can see exactly where we are headed.
Would you be open to it?
Thank you, Jordan
Why this one gets a yes
- It names their company and one real topic, so it cannot be mistaken for a mass email. Executives read the specific one and delete the rest.
- It ties their experience to a decision your listeners are actually facing. That turns the ask from a favor into something only they can usefully do.
- It offers questions ahead. For someone whose calendar is a battlefield, removing the risk of a surprise is often the whole reason they say yes.
Common questions
How do you get a CEO to say yes to a podcast interview?
Lead with one specific question only they can answer, keep the time commitment small and clear, and offer to send questions ahead so it never feels like an ambush. A CEO turns down vague requests and reads specific ones. The more your message shows you know their actual work, the better your odds.
Should I email a CEO directly or go through their assistant?
Either works if the message is short and specific. If you have a warm connection to them, use it, a mutual introduction beats a cold email every time. Going in cold, a tight message that names one thing you want to discuss often gets forwarded to the right person by the CEO themselves.
What is the best subject line for a podcast invite to an executive?
Name the value to their audience or the exact topic, not your show. A subject like the one above, or one that names the specific thing you want to discuss, beats "Podcast interview request" every time. Specific and warm gets opened. Formal and generic gets archived.
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