Episode Summary
Most podcasters overcomplicate the guest booking process. In this episode of Content Logistics, Baylee Gunnell from Motion shares a simple, repeatable system for finding the right guests—no large network required.
She explains how to define what a good guest looks like, why it’s smart to start with familiar contacts, and how to branch out using LinkedIn, events, and speaker lineups. With a few clear examples, she shows how personalized outreach makes a bigger impact than cold, generic messages.
The episode wraps with a practical template that helped her book eight guests in a single day. Whether you’re launching a show or looking to fill up your calendar, this episode offers a framework you can apply immediately.
Guest Profile
Baylee Gunnell
Key Insights
Start with “Friendlies” to Build Momentum
Your first few podcast guests don't need to be high-profile experts. They need to be people you trust—friends, colleagues, or collaborators who align with your audience and goals. Starting with “friendlies” lowers the pressure and increases the chances of a smooth, natural conversation. These guests are more likely to say yes and promote the episode when it goes live. That gives your show early traction, helps you refine your format, and builds confidence before reaching out to strangers. Instead of waiting to grow your network, use the one you already have. It's the fastest way to move from planning to publishing.
Cold Outreach Works Better When It's Personal
Generic DMs get ignored. Personal, relevant messages get booked. If you want someone to join your show, show them why. Reference a recent post, article, or talk that connects with your podcast theme. Then offer a clear, friendly invitation with a specific topic that fits their expertise. When people feel seen and respected for their work—not just selected to fill a slot—they're more likely to say yes. This approach isn't just polite. It increases your response rate and builds better long-term relationships with guests who actually care about the conversation.
Don't Scale Until You've Nailed the Basics
It's tempting to automate outreach before you've recorded a handful of strong episodes. But without a clear idea of your ideal guest, your message, and your format, automation leads to noise—not results. Once you've validated your process and built a backlog, then tools like HeyReach and AI personalization can help you contact hundreds of prospects without sounding like spam. The key is timing: you should only scale when you've proven the process works. Automation makes a good system faster. It doesn't fix a broken one.
Episode Highlights
Defining What a “Good Guest” Actually Means
Before reaching out to anyone, it’s essential to define what makes someone a good fit for your show. A clear guest profile helps you filter contacts and build a lineup that supports your podcast’s strategy. This isn’t about credentials—it’s about alignment with your audience and goals. Are you targeting founders, subject matter experts, operators? Are you looking for practical insights, stories, or thought leadership? Getting clear upfront makes it easier to evaluate who should be on the list and reduces wasted outreach. Without this clarity, even the best outreach message won’t land well.
“Before you send a single message, get clear on what a good guest actually looks like for your show… they should align with your theme, speak to your target audience, and support your overall podcast goals.”
Using LinkedIn to Find Relevant Guests
Once you’ve moved beyond your network, LinkedIn becomes a powerful tool for guest discovery. It’s not about sending mass connection requests—it’s about watching who’s already sharing useful content. When you spot someone posting on a topic that fits your show, it creates a natural opening for outreach. LinkedIn also lets you verify that the person has relevant experience and an active voice, making them more likely to deliver a solid episode. It’s a modern form of guest prospecting that puts visibility and content alignment front and center.
“I like to start on LinkedIn. If someone shares something relevant to your theme, reach out […] They likely already want visibility, and your podcast just gives them another stage.”
Leveraging Events to Source Quality Guests
You don’t have to attend an event to benefit from it. Baylee outlines how conference speaker lineups and industry meetups can act as a guest sourcing list. These speakers have already signaled they want visibility and often speak on topics aligned with specific industries or challenges. Even local meetups or networking dinners can surface strong candidates. This offline-to-online pipeline gives podcasters another channel to fill their calendar, especially with guests who are already creating content and comfortable speaking publicly.
“The same goes for speakers at industry events. Most events post the speaking lineup beforehand, so even if you aren’t planning to attend the event, you can reach out to these people.”
Why Familiar Faces Make Better First Episodes
Launching a show is stressful enough—there’s no need to add difficult guest dynamics to the mix. Baylee encourages podcasters to begin with familiar contacts. These “friendlies” reduce friction, help build confidence, and lead to stronger early content. They’re more likely to be patient with any hiccups, and they often help share the episode once it’s live. These low-pressure interviews set the tone and rhythm for your show. Starting easy isn’t just a time-saver—it’s a smart strategy for early traction and improvement.
“These early episodes should feel easy, low pressure, familiar faces make that possible. Plus, they’re more likely to say yes and likely to help promote the episode when it goes live.”
