How to Make a Podcast Pitch Deck: Show Off Your Greatest Hits

A podcast pitch deck can help you get support for your podcast. Whether you want to get sponsorship, pitch your show to a network, collaborate with other podcasters, or make your show more attractive to listeners, your pitch deck is a valuable tool. In this article, we’ll explain what it is, why you need it, and how to make one. Then we’ll show you what to do with it.

What’s a Podcast Pitch Deck?

Some people would call this a PowerPoint presentation. It’s a visual version of what’s in your media kit, saved as a digital file. Each page has an explanation of part of what your podcast is about, with 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.

Why Do You Need a Podcast Pitch Deck?

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

True, your trailer sums up your podcast. So do your show description and episode description. Your pitch deck includes this information, plus some 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 to think objectively about your show. I love my podcasts like they’re my own children too, but sometimes I have to lay all my podcast information out flat and find out why they’re not performing the way I want them to.

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). I’ll give you some blanks to fill in.

Then, pick out a presentation software to use. Google Slides is free. You may have a favorite presentation software. Many word processing programs have presentation templates.

Each point in the outline corresponds to a page.

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.

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 layout and font sizes. Ready? Here’s what you need to know in advance.

Part 1: What You Tangibly Have Right Now

• Title: Your podcast’s name.
• Category: What part of a directory do you publish your podcast in? Arts? Business? 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. For example, the summary for Organic Life is: “for those interested in living a healthier, more ethical, and sustainable lifestyle. One that helps protect ourselves, our communities, and our planet.” The description, though, would be, “You’ll hear from health practitioners, growers, and various other specialists, to help you educate yourself and make more informed choices going forward.” This is more specific. If this part said, “Each week, a different comedian tells us about their favorite vegetable,” this would be a very different show.
• Host: This person is the voice of the show. The host, creator, and producer aren’t always the same person, though they can be. if you have a co-host, you can mention them as well. Their name, a photo, and a brief biography are sufficient.
• Product deliverable: What your podcast actually is, and how often it happens. If your podcast were a meal kit, this would be what’s in the box and how often it arrives. This includes your release schedule (weekly? monthly? every new moon?), your overall production schedule (seasonal? Ongoing? Produce in September, release in October?), 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.
• 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.

Part 2: What You Plan To Have or Do

• Target demographic: Your ideal listener or podcast avatar. Who is your podcast meant for? You might not be able to see the audience (unless you have live episodes), but this is where you’d describe them. 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 5-10 episodes. To use the meal kit subscription metaphor again, this is where you’d show what recipes and meals to expect in the future. These episodes don’t have to be episodes you’ve produced yet; they can be in the early planning stages. About a sentence each is fine. Again, don’t write checks you can’t cash. It’s one thing to say that your third episode is about fishing on public land, and another thing to say you’ll definitely have an interview with the Secretary of The Interior.

Part 3: Summary and Potential For Your Podcast’s Pitch

• What Can This Podcast Do For…? This part is for you and whoever directly helps you produce your podcast. By this point, you should be able to see your show more objectively. For example, a fly fishing podcast can help a bait and tackle shop get customers. This show can also collaborate with a camping podcast to swap trailers and grow its audiences. It can round out a sports podcast network’s slate of shows and complement their canoeing and hiking podcasts. If you have a hyperlocal podcast, maybe your podcast can help the local chamber of commerce promote their food bank or annual street fair. This is where, instead of saying, “please help me,” you say, “here’s how I’ll help you.”

Add Your Podcast Information To Your Presentation

Google Slides or a dedicated presentation software has templates you can depend on. This way, you ensure 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.

If you’re really good at condensing your information, your title, category, and summary can fit on one slide.

Each of the bullet points 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. Make sure your contact information is on the presentation as a backup.

Your final slide needs to be flexible. This is where you summarize your podcast pitch deck. You explain what your podcast can do for others and how. The copy of this presentation in Google Drive or Dropbox and the link on your website should have an open or relaxed version of what your podcast can do for others. When you have a meeting and need to send a copy of your podcast pitch deck to someone, in particular, you can tailor the final slide to what you can do for them.

Here’s an example of a podcast pitch deck. Don’t simply fill in the blanks: use this template to put 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?

Keep a backup copy in Google Drive or Dropbox, and link to it on your podcast website. This way, if someone is interested in reading more about your show, they can peruse it at their own pace.

When you’ve conversed with 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 radically, update your pitch deck. That 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

As an independent podcaster who makes audio drama, I often feel outside looking in on a big podcast growth party. Making a pitch deck shows me that I have a valuable property, a success story that sponsors and collaborators would want to share. A podcast pitch deck isn’t asking for help; it’s a statement of your podcast’s greatest hits, what it does really well, and how. This is where you wave your magic wand, finish strong, and make the person feel good about this beautiful new relationship.