Bad Podcast Pitches

Another podcast promoter reaching out in my Facebook messages. We're going to look at the pitch, talk through some red flags. And I'm thinking of taking this one in a little different direction.Subscribe & FollowFountain | TrueFans | Podcast Guru | Other apps Download the Podcast Promotion Stress Test[AI Assisted Content]I analyze a typical copy-and-paste pitch from a "professional podcast promoter" that claims to offer 100% real organic growth, large audiences, guaranteed downloads, and ratings and reviews. I break down the red flags: Lack of personalizationOutdated platform claims (SoundCloud and the iTunes Store)Vague “expert in Apple/Spotify/YouTube” assertionsVanity metrics that don’t reflect true audience fitI’ll explain why these offers are risky. “Guaranteed” downloads often depend on controlled or incentivized behavior, and claims of being “100% safe” are misleading—platforms can and will penalize manipulation. I also share practical guidance for legitimate growth:Focus on content that meets a real audience needPrioritize genuine discovery over flimsy SEO winsConsider ethical cross‑promotion and paid adsAvoid hockey‑stick growth schemes until you know your show is solid (or maybe just avoid them altogether...)I plan to (respectfully) engage the pitcher to learn what’s happening behind the scenes—without naming or shaming—and invite you to contribute your own bad pitches or share the show with someone who’ll find it helpful.Support & ConnectSupport with traditional currencySupport with Bitcoin/Lightning: bdentzy@getalby.com Send in your bad pitches: pitches@badpodcastpitches.comMastodon @BadPitches@mastodon.socialListen Live in the Pitch RoomThe Pitch Room (Live) | ChatCreate Your Own Show:How I create this show, including tools, software, and the gear I use.https://badpodcastpitches.com/tools/ (00:00) Opening and show premise: Bad Podcast Pitches(00:39) Reading the scammy pitch: bold claims and emojis(01:41) Spotting copyandpaste scams and lack of personalization(02:58) Debunking expert in Apple, SoundCloud, Spotify(03:43) What really grows a podcast: content and basic SEO(05:15) Organic audience, vanity metrics, and misaligned listeners(06:31) Promised downloads, ratings, reviews: how they fake results(07:31) Why 100% safe is the biggest lie(09:39) Value for value: contributions and sharing the show - Bryan Entzminger

This was a fun one... "Other podcasts aren’t beating you on quality.. they’re stealing your audience because they rank on YouTube. With over 70% of podcast listeners now discovering shows on YouTube, it’s the #1 growth channel, whether you publish audio, video, or both."Subscribe & FollowFountain | TrueFans | Podcast Guru | Other apps Download the Podcast Promotion Stress TestEpisode Page:https://podcast.badpodcastpitches.com/episodepage/3[AI Generated Content Below]In this live-recorded episode of Bad Podcast Pitches, I unpack a cold outreach email aimed at my dormant show, 1,000 Podcasters, and use it as a teaching moment. I walk through why addressing a host by their show name misses the mark, why context about a show’s current status matters, and where bold claims about YouTube discovery and growth metrics deserve scrutiny. We examine the nuances behind stats like “70% discover on YouTube,” the ambiguity of percentage lifts without baselines, and the real work involved in picking meaningful keywords—especially when optimization is pitched as a quick fix.I also invite you to weigh in: should I follow up with the sender, and what questions would you want asked on a discovery call? If you’ve received a questionable podcast pitch, send it my way for a future breakdown. Thanks for being part of the value-for-value journey—if this episode helped, share it with a friend who’s navigating the murky waters of podcast promotion and YouTube strategy.Support & ConnectSupport with traditional currencySupport with Bitcoin/Lightning: bdentzy@getalby.com Send in your bad pitches: pitches@badpodcastpitches.comMastodon @BadPitches@mastodon.socialListen Live in the Pitch RoomThe Pitch Room (Live) | ChatCreate Your Own Show:How I create this show, including tools, software, and the gear I use.https://badpodcastpitches.com/tools/ 

We've all gotten bad pitches from services trying to book guests on our show (usually to sell their most recent me-too leadership book). This time, the bad pitch is from a service that wants me to hire them to pitch me as a guest. And it's clearly just a scrape, copy, and paste with a bit of AI dust.Subscribe & FollowFountain | TrueFans | Podcast Guru | Other apps Download the Podcast Promotion Stress TestEpisode Page:https://podcast.badpodcastpitches.com/episodepage/1I got an email congratulating me for being featured on The Audacity to Podcast® with Daniel J. Lewis and recommending another show to consider. It was definitely structured as a "Complment, Value, Offer" format (I made that up). But there are a few things wrong.I've never been on The Audacity to Podcast® and, to my knowledge, Daniel doesn't take guests.The show they recommended is absolutely not a fit (and, to my knowledge, not really a podcast).If this is how well they pitch, I don't think I want them representing me.I received a follow-up a couple days later, and I will likely reach out. I'm not sure exactly how I want to do that yet. But I think it might be interesting to know what they would do differently if they were actually representing me.Also... this is a bit of an experiment. I'm streaming live (audio only) and publishing without editing. As a podcast host and editor, I don't really do that very much. But I want to try this out to see if I can make things easier for other podcasters who are struggling with either cost or time.Support & ConnectSupport with traditional currencySupport with Bitcoin/Lightning: bdentzy@getalby.com Send in your bad pitches: pitches@badpodcastpitches.comMastodon @BadPitches@mastodon.socialListen Live in the Pitch RoomThe Pitch Room (Live) | ChatCreate Your Own Show:How I create this show, including tools, software, and the gear I use.https://badpodcastpitches.com/tools/