How to Find Podcasts You'll Actually Love (or Pitch!) - 2025 Guide

So, you're looking for podcasts. Maybe you need your next binge-worthy listen for your commute, or perhaps you're a PR pro hunting for the perfect stages to showcase your clients. With literally millions of podcasts floating around on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and countless directories, finding the right ones can feel overwhelming – like searching for a specific book in a library the size of a city.

Where do you even begin? How do you sift through the noise to find shows that genuinely match your interests, or more critically for PR outreach, perfectly align with a client's niche, audience, and goals?

There are plenty of ways to discover podcasts, ranging from simple app browsing to sophisticated search engines. Let's walk through the common methods, understand why typical approaches fall short for professional PR, and then dive into the strategies and tools PR pros use to find the right podcasts efficiently in 2025.

General Podcast Discovery: The Common Starting Points

Most people stumble upon new podcasts using these methods:

1. Podcast App Browsing (Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, etc.):
   • The Method: Opening your favorite podcast app and hitting "Browse" or scrolling through categories, "Top Charts," "New & Noteworthy," or personalized recommendations.
   • Good For: Finding popular, mainstream shows; casual listening discovery.
   • The Catch (Especially for PR): Search is basic, filters are minimal (if any), recommendations can be generic, and there's no easy way to tell if a show takes guests, is still active, or how to contact them.
2. Google Search:
   • The Method: Typing queries like "best podcasts about [topic]", "podcasts for [audience type]", or specific show names.
   • Good For: Uncovering recommendation lists on blogs, news articles, or forums.
   • The Catch: Often yields outdated lists, subjective picks, and requires significant manual clicking and vetting to see if mentioned shows are actually relevant or viable outreach targets.
3. General Podcast Directories & Search Engines (Listen Notes, Podchaser, etc.):
   • The Method: Using websites specifically designed to index podcasts, often offering slightly better search than standard apps.
   • Good For: Broader discovery than apps, sometimes including episode search.
   • The Catch: Data accuracy varies, the best features for outreach (advanced filtering, reliable contact info) might be behind paywalls, and they aren't always built specifically for the PR guest pitching workflow.
4. Social Media & Communities (Reddit, LinkedIn, etc.):
   • The Method: Asking for recommendations in niche groups, following hosts, searching relevant hashtags.
   • Good For: Finding passionate communities and niche recommendations.
   • The Catch: Very time-consuming, hit-or-miss results, not scalable or systematic for professional campaigns.
5. Word of Mouth:
   • The Method: Asking friends, colleagues, or your network for recommendations.
   • Good For: Often high-quality, trusted recommendations.
   • The Catch: Limited scope, relies entirely on your existing network's knowledge.

Why These Methods Aren't Enough for PR Pros

While the above methods work for finding shows to listen to, they create major headaches when your goal is strategic PR outreach:

• The Relevance Nightmare: You waste hours sifting through shows that don't match your client's specific niche or target audience.
• The Viability Guessing Game: You have no easy way to filter for podcasts that are actively publishing, regularly feature guests, and provide contact information. You end up researching dead shows or those that don't even do interviews.
• The Efficiency Bottleneck: Manually vetting hundreds of potential shows, digging for contact details, and tracking it all in spreadsheets is incredibly inefficient and prone to errors.

Finding Podcasts Like a PR Pro: Strategy & Tactics

To effectively find podcasts for guest bookings in 2025, you need a more targeted, data-driven approach focused on relevance, viability, and efficiency. Here are the key tactics:

1. Master Keyword Strategy:

• Go Niche: Don't just search "business." Search "SaaS marketing," "B2B sales leadership," "fintech regulations." Use the specific language of your client's industry.
• Layer Keywords: Combine terms for better focus. "Health" is broad; "health + cancer research" is much more targeted.

2. Leverage Essential Filters (Non-Negotiable for Outreach):

• Active: Filter for shows that have published recently (e.g., within the last 2 months). Don't waste time on inactive podcasts.
• Has Guests: Immediately filter out solo shows or formats that don't include interviews.
• Has Contact Info: Ensure there's some way to reach out, whether it's an email or a contact form link.

3. Utilize Category Filters (Include & Exclude):

• Zero In: Include specific categories to focus your search (e.g., Search "AI" but include only the 'Business' category).
• Cut the Noise: Exclude irrelevant categories (e.g., Search "Spiritual" but exclude 'Christianity', 'Islam', 'Judaism' if seeking non-religious shows). This is incredibly powerful for refining results.

4. Consider Other Smart Filters:

• Audience Size: Target shows with a listener base appropriate for your client's goals.
• Location: Crucial if your client's expertise or business is geographically specific.
• Social Following: Useful if maximizing social media reach is a key objective.

5. Refine Based on Results:

• Check the Tail End: Look at the last few results on a search page. Are they relevant? If not, what irrelevant themes are slipping through? Use this insight to add more exclusion filters. Refining iteratively is key.

➡️ Want a deeper dive into JUST these tactics? Check out 7 Tips And Tricks to Find Niche Podcasts To Be A Guest On

The Tool Built for This: Podseeker

Executing these targeted strategies manually across multiple general platforms is still incredibly difficult. That's why dedicated Podcast Databases & Search Engines built for PR pros exist.

Podseeker is designed specifically for this workflow:

• Massive Database: Access data on 3M+ podcasts.
• PR-Focused Filters: Easily apply all the filters mentioned above (Active, Has Guests, Has Email, Categories Include/Exclude, Audience Size, Location, Social, etc.). Find exactly what you need, fast.
• Verified Contacts & Form Links: We provide verified email addresses and direct links to guest submission forms when available, saving you hours of hunting.
• Efficiency: Quickly build targeted Media Lists (individually or in bulk) of viable prospects.
• Integrated Workflow: Move seamlessly from discovery to organizing lists to crafting personalized pitches with our AI Pitch Tool.

Instead of wrestling with generic tools, Podseeker gives you the specific data and filters needed to execute a professional, efficient podcast outreach strategy.

Wrapping It Up: From Broad Discovery to Targeted Outreach

Finding podcasts is easy; finding the right podcasts to effectively pitch for guest appearances requires a strategic, filtered approach. While general tools work for casual listening, PR professionals in 2025 need purpose-built platforms like Podseeker to efficiently identify relevant, active, guest-friendly shows with available contact information.

By combining smart search strategies with the right tools, you can cut through the noise, save countless hours, and build targeted outreach lists that lead to more successful bookings.

Once you've found your targets, the next step is crafting the perfect pitch. Learn how here: How to Pitch a Podcast (PR Guide 2025).

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