How to Make a Podcast Pitch Deck (Includes Template!)

Your podcast pitch deck is a valuable tool whether you want to get podcast sponsorship, pitch your show to a network, collaborate with other podcasters, or make your show more attractive to listeners. In this article, I’ll explain what it is, why you need it, and how to make one. Then, I’ll show you how to use it to grow your show. 

What Is a Podcast Pitch Deck?

A podcast pitch deck is a visual version of your media kit saved as a digital file. Each page explains an aspect of your podcast, using good fonts, images, and layout, so the information is engaging and easy to understand. It’s a companion to your trailer to get someone else to work with you toward a mutual goal. If your podcast were an investment opportunity, this would be the prospectus.

Why Do You Need a Podcast Pitch Deck?

Your podcast pitch deck sums up what your podcast can do for audiences, sponsors, and collaborators.

Yes, you can use your trailer, show description and episode descriptions to sum up your podcast. Your pitch deck includes this information, plus behind-the-scenes information that’s not necessary for a directory or podcast listening app.

The podcast pitch deck shows how you’ve been successful so far, and convinces others that they want to be part of your success. This way, you can use it to engage:

• potential sponsors
• collaborators
• backers in a crowdfunding campaign
• reviewers and journalists

Plus, making a podcast pitch deck helps you think objectively about your show. I love my podcasts like they’re my own children, too, but sometimes, I need to look at their report cards.

How Do You Make a Podcast Pitch Deck?

First, make an outline. You can write this out longhand (always a good idea) or type it (you’ll have to do this anyway). The following section will give you some blanks to fill in.

Next, you’ll need some presentation software. Google Slides is free, and Canva has presentation templates that are simple to use and look fabulous. There are plenty of good programs out there so don’t overthink it. Just pick one, and move on.

Use one palette of colors (consistent with your brand) and font for consistency. Don’t go crazy with animations and presentation software tricks. Keep it easy on the eyes and let the information take center stage.

You can fill out the outline in the next section separately, before putting it into the presentation software. Each point corresponds to a page or slide.

Your Podcast Pitch Deck Outline

If you’ve ever worked with slide presentation software, you’ll want to know all the information before dealing with colors, layout, and font sizes.

Most importantly, you need to designate who this pitch is for. For the moment, I’ll show you how to make a multi-purpose podcast pitch deck. Then, you can adapt your deck for the recipient. We’ll get back to this. 

1: What You Tangibly Have Right Now

• Title: Your podcast’s name.
• Category: What part of a directory do you publish your podcast in? Comedy? True Crime? Don’t forget about the sub-categories. There’s a big difference between Kids and Family >Parenting and Kids and Family > Stories For Kids.
• Summary and Description: What your podcast does, and how it does it. 
• Host: This person is the voice of the show. If you have a co-host, mention them as well. Their name, a photo, and a brief biography are sufficient.
• Product deliverables: What your podcast actually is, and how often it happens. This includes your release schedule, your overall production schedule (seasonal? Ongoing?), and roughly how long each episode runs. It also includes an estimate of how many downloads per episode to expect. Geographic data for those downloads is essential here, too. If you want sponsorship for your podcast, this helps potential sponsors determine how many impressions or how much exposure their information gets. 
• Reception: If you have genuinely well-written reviews, awards, press clippings, and so on, this is where they work for you. This is where your podcast pitch deck shows what others have said about your show.

2: Who You Reach and What You Give Them

• Target demographic: Your ideal listener or podcast avatar. Who is your podcast meant for? If you’ve done an audience survey, this is where you’d include a summary of the results.
• Ad placement: If you’re courting potential sponsors, this is where you tell them what their advertising budget buys. Does each episode have room for two pre-rolls, two mid-rolls, and two post-rolls? No mid-roll? Are these inserted pre-recorded ads, or are these host-read ads?
• Episodes: This is a brief description of each of the next five or so episodes. These episodes can be in the early planning stages. About a sentence each is fine. 

3: Summary and Potential For Your Podcast’s Pitch

What Can This Podcast Do For…? This slide tells whoever you’re pitching your podcast to. This is where, instead of saying, “Please help me,” you say, “Here’s how I’ll help you.”

For example, a fly fishing podcast can:

• help a bait and tackle shop get customers, through sponsorship and ads. 
• collaborate with a camping podcast to swap trailers and grow their audiences
• broaden the slate of shows for a sports podcast network, and help their overall audience expand
• work with the local chamber of commerce or government for regions where their audience is, to promote charities or events

These are just some examples. You can probably think of many ways your podcast can help others. Your podcast pitch deck clarifies those goals. Once you’ve got this outline all planned out, you’re ready to craft how your podcast pitch deck looks.

Add Your Podcast Information to Your Presentation

Inside your presentation software, make sure that your outline’s information is clear and fits on each slide. You don’t want each page to be crowded and difficult to understand. Likewise, you don’t want your pitch deck to be 400 slides long and make the audience wish it was over before it begins.

Each bullet point in the previous outline should be one slide. If you can’t fit all the information in any of those bullet points into one slide, condense the information. You may be able to fit several talking points onto one slide.  The more concise and clear your podcast pitch deck, the more likely your recipient is to want more.

Make sure your contact information is on the presentation. 

Again, your final slide needs to be flexible. This is where you summarize your podcast pitch deck and explain what your podcast can do for the intended recipient and how.  When you have a pitch meeting and need to send a copy of your podcast pitch deck to someone in particular, tailor the final slide to what your podcast can do for the specific recipient. With Google Slides or Canva, you can easily swap in a slide that’s meant for a new audience. 

Here’s an example of a podcast pitch deck. 

Use this template with your unique perspective, colors, images, and more, so that your pitch deck shows your podcast to your best advantage.

What Do You Do With a Podcast Pitch Deck?

Upload a copy to Google Drive or Dropbox and link to it on your podcast website. This way, if someone wants to read more about your show, they can do so at their own pace.

When you meet people who want to know more about your show, you can give them the link to your pitch deck. If you make a business card with a QR code, you can make a QR code that points directly to your podcast pitch deck.

If your podcast changes, update your pitch deck. That change could be anything from a fantastic review from The LA Times to your co-host leaving. Whether the change is good or bad, frame it positively and only update the one relevant slide. Keep the information consistent.

Show Your Podcast’s Value and Impact

It can be difficult to see how valuable your podcast is overall. Some days, it’s clear how many downloads you have or how many countries your show reaches. On other days, you get reviews or audience feedback that makes your heart grow in three sizes. And, some of the time, you get nothing in response to your effort. A podcast pitch deck shows what your podcast does, how, and for whom. This way, when you want to make that podcast part of something bigger, you can show them how valuable your show is. And, even if you don’t have someone to pitch, your podcast pitch deck is ready and waiting for that person who can help your show.

Next Steps

A pitch deck is one key part of any podcasting strategy. Our Monetization Mastery and Growth Essentials courses inside The Podcraft Academy will teach you everything you need to know about expanding your reach and growing your income. We do weekly live Q&A sessions in the Academy, too, so you’ll always get the help and support you need to keep you moving forward.