Why you haven't landed Lenny's Podcast

Answer: Only 5% of his guests come from PR - plus, you're probably pitching the wrong spokesperson. And later on, 11 (!) awards you apply for instead...

Let me start with a short personal (err, professional?) story. At the beginning of last year I was on Lenny’s Podcast. It’s a top 10 tech podcast globally with over 1M subscribers - more than many traditional publications.

Me, on Lenny’s. Not only do you get nice social graphics like this one, he sends you a professional mic and a fun swag bag after. I felt like a star!

After that, every single client, prospect and founder asks me if I can pitch them for Lenny’s. If I pitched them all, he’d probably block me. But that’s not the problem —just like so many top tier podcast hosts, he’s looking for something incredibly specific. Very different from mainstream media, where the more senior the exec the better. I spoke with Lenny to get into the nitty gritty of what he’s looking for. The TLDR is “not your CPO.” The nuanced answer? You’ll have to read on…

Let’s start with the basics. Tell me about what your ideal guest looks like.

I look for individuals that have useful insights, who have consistently built successful products which people love, and who haven’t done many other podcasts or interviews. My guests can contribute something new to the broader conversation—unique insights, incredible stories, or contrarian views. Big bonus points for diverse backgrounds.

I am not looking for CEOs or founders—I index towards less-known people further down the ladder, with two exceptions: