7 Tips And Tricks to Find Niche Podcasts To Be A Guest On

Being a guest on a podcast is a great way to build your brand, share your expertise, sell your product, or just sell yourself.

This article is all about tips and tricks to find that niche podcast to be a guest on. Finding the right one is half the battle, honestly.

Think of this guide as something you can keep coming back to. Here’s what we’ll cover:

Use active and has-guest filters
Add more keywords to narrow the search results
Use more specific keywords
Exclude categories to ditch certain topics
Include categories to zero in on certain topics
Filter by social followers to find popular podcasts
Use the results at the end of the page to tweak your filters

Getting Started

A podcast database tool can help you track down podcasts that fit your niche.

Podseeker is built for PR folks to discover, pitch, and get booked on top podcasts.

First, log in at Podseeker or sign up here if you don’t have an account. Podseeker has a free trial, so you can follow along with this guide without spending a dime.

Use Active and Has-Guest Filters

Since you’re hunting for podcasts to guest on, two filters will cut out about 70% of the noise: “Active” and “Has Guests.”

Podseeker search with active and has guests filter

Active podcasts have posted an episode in the last two months. If they’ve gone quiet, they’re probably on a break or done for good, so they’re not worth your time.

“Has Guests” means the podcast actually features guests. We check this by looking at their last five episodes. Some shows mix it up with guests here and there, and this filter keeps you in the loop.

Add More Keywords to Narrow Things Down

Say you’re working with a client in the “health” space. Health is broad—too broad. Search for it alone, and you’ll get stuff like this:

Podcast search for health returns very broad results

The Telepathy Tapes (About non-verbal autism and telepathy)

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg (A business/tech/politics roundtable)

Hidden Brain (Psychology and behavioral science for a mass audience)

Lots of podcasts cast a wide net with their branding. To fix that, toss in another keyword. Add “cancer” to “health,” and the results get way more relevant. Now you’re looking at:

Podcast search with health + cancer returns more relevant results

How To Be WellnStrong (Interviews with leaders in wellness and integrative medicine)

The YMyHealth Podcast (Health challenges for millennials)

MORTAL AND STRONG - The Podcast (Focuses on women facing life-changing or incurable health conditions)

See? Much better.

Use More Specific Keywords

If you know your field’s lingo, lean into it. Looking for energy work? Try specific terms like “reiki” or “qigong.” You’ll get a tighter list of podcasts that match exactly what you need. Here’s what “reiki” pulls up:

Podseeker's search can handle detailed keywords

A Psychic’s Story (Intro to psychic senses and abilities)
Reiki Radio Podcast (Covers energy healing and personal transformation)
DayLuna Human Design Podcast (Explores Human Design, energetics, and self-awareness)

These hit the mark for reiki and energy work. Other examples: “geriatrics,” “oncology,” whatever fits. ChatGPT can help brainstorm keywords if you’re stuck. Podseeker’s built to nail these niche industry terms with a high hit rate.

Exclude Categories to Cut Out Noise

Excluding entire categories is one of Podseeker’s best tricks. Say you want spiritual podcasts. Search “spiritual,” and you’ll get a lot of religious ones mixed in. First three results:

Spiritual search results includes a lot religious podcasts

Girls Gone Bible (Christian-focused)
Saved Not Soft (Christian lifestyle)
Conspirituality (Critiques new-age cults and conspiracy thinking)

Not quite right—too much Christianity. Exclude that and other religions, and it improves. Now you get:

Spiritual podcasts excluding Christianity

Conspirituality (Stays)
Passion Struck with John R. Miles (Life design and self-improvement)
Law of Attraction SECRETS (Manifestation, neuroscience, and abundance)

Spirituality’s still broad, so you might need to ditch categories like business or self-improvement too, depending on what you’re after.

Include Categories to Sharpen the Focus

You can also lock in categories to keep things on track.

Looking for cancer podcasts? Here’s what comes up:

Passion Struck with John R. Miles (again, broad, cancer survivor)
Dr. Jockers Functional Nutrition (Natural medicine, not research-focused)
Grief is a Sneaky Bitch (Emotional storytelling, not science)

Fine if you want general cancer talk, but if you’re after hard science and research, these don’t cut it. Add the “Science” category and exclude “Alternative Health,” and you’re golden. New top three:

Podcast search results for cancer with a hard science focus

GeriPal - A Geriatrics and Palliative Care Podcast (Geriatrics and palliative care)
Finding Genius Podcast (Interviews with cancer researchers and biotech experts)
Breast Cancer Update (Deep dives into clinical research and treatments)

Perfect for cancer science conversations.

Filter by Social Followers for Big Reach

Want podcasts with a shot at going viral? Filter by social clout—like over 1 million YouTube subscribers or Instagram followers. Shows that big are social media pros and can blow up on TikTok, Shorts, or Reels. Results might include:

Podcast search with over 1 million youtube subs and 1 million IG followers

The Joe Rogan Experience
The Mel Robbins Podcast
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Huberman Lab
On Purpose with Jay Shetty

These are heavy hitters. You can dial it back to smaller numbers for up-and-coming shows that might be more open to guests.

Check the End of the Results to Tweak Filters

Here’s a pro tip from using Podseeker myself: the results at the bottom of the page matter. Since they’re sorted by relevance, the tail end shows what’s slipping through. Use that to adjust your filters.

Say you’re after heart-to-heart talks and search “soul.” Results are decent, but the last three are:

Podcast search for soul has some music podcasts in it

Addicted to the Needle ((vinyl record collecting)
Brain-Soul Success Show ((mix of health and business)
Steep Your Soul (hit)

Addicted to the Needle is about soul music—off-topic. Exclude “Music,” and the bottom three shift to:

Podcast search soul excluding the music podcasts

SoulBiz BFF Podcast (Business meets spirituality)
Quick to Listen Podcast—Soul Care to Heal the World (For Christian leaders, focused on healing and rest)
Healthy Church Podcast (Church health and leadership)

Way better. If religion’s not your thing, exclude “Christianity” too. This is gold if you’re bulk-adding podcasts to a list for export—keeps the junk out.