Questions to Ask a Podcast Booking Agency

The best questions to ask a podcast booking agency test its judgment, not its sales vocabulary. Ask how it selects shows, who approves targets, what counts as a booking, how pitches are written, what the guarantee covers, what reporting shows and how you can leave. The answers should be specific enough to survive in the contract.

How do you decide that a podcast is right for me?

A useful answer goes beyond topic category and audience size. The agency should connect your experience and proposed angle with the show's audience, interview format, recent editorial direction and guest history.

Ask what research happens before a programme enters the target list. Does somebody confirm that the show is active? Do they check recent episodes rather than an old directory description? Do they distinguish an interview programme from a solo or panel format? Can they explain why the audience is relevant to your goal?

The provider should be comfortable showing its reasoning. A short fit note can reveal whether the target was selected thoughtfully or pulled from a broad database. The agency comparison guide offers a wider evaluation framework, but target-level judgment is where a service proves its value.

Be cautious if the answer centres on the size of a database or the volume of outreach. Inventory does not prove audience fit. A smaller, well-defended list is more useful than a large list nobody wants associated with their name.

Will I approve every target before you pitch it?

Approval protects both strategy and reputation. It lets you reject a direct competitor, avoid duplicating an existing relationship and stop outreach to a show whose tone or audience does not fit.

Ask when approval occurs and what information accompanies each target. A title and URL may not be enough. You should have a concise reason for fit and enough context to make an informed decision.

Convokast requires client approval for every target before pitching. Other agencies may use delegated criteria rather than individual approval. That can work when the boundaries are clear, but the proposal should explain how you can exclude shows and challenge a weak booking.

Also ask what happens when you reject a target. Does the agency replace it, count it against a quota or treat repeated rejection as a change of scope? A good agreement prevents the approval process from becoming either ceremonial or obstructive.

Who writes the pitch, and how is it personalised?

Personalisation should demonstrate editorial relevance. Adding a host's name and mentioning a recent episode is not enough if the proposed guest offers no clear value to that programme.

Ask how the agency turns your experience into interview angles. Who verifies factual claims? Can you review positioning before it is used? How does the writer adapt the message for different shows without inventing expertise or making every pitch sound the same?

Request a representative example, with confidential details removed if necessary. Look for a clear reason the guest belongs on that show, a specific conversation the host could imagine and proof that supports the proposal.

Find out which email identity sends outreach. Some agencies use their own domain, while others connect to a client inbox. Either approach can work well. You should know what name appears to hosts, who can see replies and how communication history is retained.

What exactly counts as a booking or placement?

Do not accept an undefined success term. A positive reply, host acceptance, scheduled date, recorded interview and published episode are different events.

Ask which event satisfies the agency's delivery obligation and triggers any placement fee. Then test the definition against awkward cases. What if the host cancels? Consider what follows when the client must reschedule. Check whether a recording that is never released still counts. Ask how the agency treats an opportunity that differs materially from the approved target.

An agency cannot control every host decision. Honest terms recognise that limit while assigning a fair remedy when the promised service is not delivered. The answer should be clear before outreach begins, not negotiated after a cancellation.

What does your guarantee cover if delivery falls short?

A guarantee needs a qualifying event, a time boundary, client responsibilities and a remedy. Ask the agency to explain each part in plain language.

The remedy might involve continued work, an extension, a credit or another written response. What matters is that the agreement says what happens. “We have never missed” is a sales statement, not a remedy.

Check whether the guarantee can be voided by broad cooperation language. Supplying accurate materials, approving suitable targets and attending confirmed interviews are reasonable responsibilities. A minor delay should not automatically erase the provider's entire obligation.

Convokast guarantees a minimum of one interview per month. Its service is month to month, and clients approve every target before pitching. Those fixed terms create a clear starting point, but a prospective client should still ask how interruptions and client responsibilities are handled.

What work is included before and after a host says yes?

Podcast booking contains more than sending emails. Ask whether the service includes positioning, target research, pitch writing, follow-up, reply handling, scheduling, prep notes and reporting.

Then ask about the edge of the service. Who prepares the guest for the conversation? Who follows up if a calendar stalls? What happens after recording? Does anyone request show-note links or provide guidance for sharing the appearance?

Production and promotion are separate work. Convokast does not provide audio or video production, clip editing or paid promotion. Its service overview covers positioning, target-list building, pitching, follow-up, scheduling, prep notes and monthly reporting.

Do not treat exclusions as a flaw when they are explicit and match your operating plan. The problem is an important task with no owner. Map each stage and decide whether the agency, your internal team, the host or another provider handles it.

How will I see what is happening in the campaign?

Useful reporting shows named targets and meaningful stages. Ask whether you will see which shows were approved, pitched, followed up, engaged, declined and scheduled.

Activity totals without context can be misleading. A rising pitch count says little about relevance, personalisation or host interest. Reporting should help you evaluate choices and identify changes, not merely prove that messages were sent.

Ask how often the agency reviews positioning and target criteria. If hosts repeatedly decline an angle, does the team reconsider it? If one audience segment responds well, does that change the next research cycle? Reporting should support those decisions.

Clarify how confirmed opportunities are described. A host request for more information should not appear as a booking. Clean stage definitions keep the sales promise, contract and monthly report aligned.

What will you need from me?

A serious provider will need founder input. Expect questions about experience, credible proof, topics, audience, exclusions and availability. The agency may also need a biography, headshot, calendar information and timely approval.

Ask how much review is expected and who should own it on your team. A campaign can stall when every target requires several internal stakeholders. It can also drift when nobody checks factual claims or approves positioning.

The agency should identify dependencies without transferring all responsibility back to the client. If you are writing every pitch, researching every show and managing every reply, you may be buying administration rather than a booking service.

How do fees, renewal and cancellation work?

Ask for the complete commercial model in writing. Identify the fee, billing date, initial term, renewal mechanism, notice process and treatment of work underway when the engagement ends.

For a retainer, ask what work continues during quiet periods and what delivery standard applies. With a placement fee, identify the milestone that triggers payment. Under a hybrid model, calculate what you would owe across realistic campaign outcomes.

Use the provider's pricing page to check whether public claims and contract terms agree. Convokast charges $499 per month and works month to month. A different model may also be reasonable, but it should be easy to explain and compare.

Ask who handles a late host reply after cancellation. Also ask which campaign materials and communication records you receive. A clean exit protects opportunities and prevents unnecessary dependence on the former provider.

What results do you control, and what remains uncertain?

A credible agency separates its work from host decisions and business outcomes. It can control research standards, pitch quality, follow-up discipline, coordination and reporting. It cannot force a host to accept, publish on a specific date or send customers to the guest.

Ask how the agency evaluates performance without pretending attribution is complete. Relevant interviews and a well-run pipeline are observable. Revenue may arrive through search, referrals or later contact, which makes a single source difficult to prove.

Be wary of guaranteed access to named shows or guaranteed sales. Ask what evidence supports any performance claim and whether the measurement method can withstand scrutiny.

The quality of the sales conversation is itself evidence. A provider that answers direct questions, names its limits and puts material promises in writing is easier to evaluate than one that relies on prestige, volume or urgency. Take notes, compare answers against the agreement and reject contradictions before they become campaign problems.

If you want direct answers about approved targets, scope, guarantees and month-to-month terms, ask Convokast about your campaign.