10 Best Tools for Podcast Guest Booking in 2026
Managing podcast guest booking manually is exhausting: tracking prospects in random spreadsheets, endless email back-and-forth for scheduling, losing track of follow-ups, and scrambling to remember who you've already contacted.
The good news? The right tools can automate most of this.
After testing dozens of options, here are the 10 best tools for podcast guest booking in 2026—from free scheduling apps to complete booking management systems.
1. Calendly - Scheduling Made Simple
What It Does: Eliminates scheduling back-and-forth by letting guests book time directly on your calendar.
Best For: Any podcaster who wants to stop playing email tag
Key Features:
Share your availability link in pitch emails
Automatic timezone detection and conversion
Integration with Google Calendar, Outlook, iCal
Automatic reminder emails to guests
Customizable booking questions
Buffer time between bookings
Pricing:
Free: Basic scheduling features
Standard: $12/month - Custom branding, multiple event types
Teams: $20/month - Team scheduling, round-robin
Why We Love It:
Instead of "What time works for you?" followed by 5 emails, you send one link. Guests pick a time, it's on both calendars, done. This alone saves 15-20 minutes per booking.
Pro Tip: In your pre-interview brief template, include your Calendly link so guests can easily reschedule if needed.
Alternative: Cal.com (open-source, free option)
2. Streak CRM - Email Tracking & Pipeline Management
What It Does: Gmail-based CRM that tracks email opens, manages your booking pipeline, and automates follow-ups.
Best For: Podcasters who live in Gmail and want simple tracking
Key Features:
Track when prospects open your emails
Pipeline view of all guest prospects
Email templates for common pitches
Automatic follow-up reminders
Mail merge for personalized bulk outreach
Integration directly in Gmail (no separate app)
Pricing:
Free: Up to 500 contacts, basic features
Solo: $15/month - Unlimited contacts, advanced features
Pro: $49/month - Team features, automations
Why We Love It:
You can see exactly when someone opened your pitch email. If they opened it 3 times but didn't respond, you know they're interested but need a nudge. The pipeline view shows all prospects at a glance: "pitched," "responded," "scheduled," "recorded."
Use Case: Track 20 prospects, see who's opened emails, set reminders for follow-ups—all without leaving Gmail.
Alternative: HubSpot (more robust but heavier), Mailtrack (simple read receipts)
3. PodcastGuests.com - Guest Discovery Platform
What It Does: Connects podcasters with people who want to be guests. Think of it as a dating app for podcast booking.
Best For: Finding guests who are actively seeking podcast appearances
Key Features:
Browse database of potential guests
Filter by topic, expertise, location
Guests create profiles with bios and expertise
Free for podcast hosts
Direct messaging within platform
Guest profiles show past podcast appearances
Pricing:
Free for hosts
Guests pay to create premium profiles
Why We Love It:
No cold outreach needed—everyone on the platform wants to be on podcasts. The challenge is vetting quality, but it's a great supplementary source.
Pro Tip: Use this for 20-30% of your bookings, not your primary source. Quality varies, so vet carefully.
Best Practice: Still personalize your outreach even though they're on the platform. Generic messages get ignored even here.
Alternatives: Podmatch.com, MatchMaker.fm
4. LinkedIn Sales Navigator - Advanced Guest Research
What It Does: Premium LinkedIn tool for finding and researching potential guests with advanced search filters.
Best For: B2B podcasters or anyone targeting professional guests
Key Features:
Advanced search filters (job title, company size, industry, seniority)
Save searches and get alerts for new matches
See who's viewed your profile (potential interest signal)
InMail credits for direct outreach
Lead lists and recommendations
Activity tracking on prospects
Pricing:
Core: $99/month - Individual use
Advanced: $149/month - More InMail, advanced features
Why We Love It:
You can create highly specific searches like "VP of Marketing at SaaS companies with 50-200 employees who post about content strategy." The saved searches alert you to new matches weekly.
Use Case: Search "Chief Marketing Officer" + "B2B SaaS" + "San Francisco" + "Posts about growth marketing" → Instant list of 50 perfect prospects.
Is It Worth It?
If you're booking 4+ guests per month and targeting professional/executive guests, absolutely. The time saved in research pays for itself.
Free Alternative: Standard LinkedIn with manual searches (just slower)
5. Airtable - Custom Guest Database & Pipeline
What It Does: Flexible database that you customize to track guests, pitches, and your entire booking workflow.
Best For: Organized podcasters who want complete control over their system
Key Features:
Customizable database fields (status, topic, contact info, notes)
Multiple views (calendar, kanban, list, gallery)
Automation triggers (send email when status changes)
Collaboration features for teams
Form integration for guest applications
Link to other tables (episodes, topics, contacts)
Pricing:
Free: Up to 1,200 records, basic features
Plus: $20/month - 5,000 records, advanced features
Pro: $45/month - More records, advanced automation
Why We Love It:
You can build the exact system you need. Track prospects, bookings, episode topics, follow-ups, guest ratings—all in one place with views that make sense for you.
Sample Setup:
Prospects table: Name, email, expertise, status, last contact, follow-up date
Episodes table: Title, guest, air date, status
Topics table: Subject areas you want to cover
All linked together so you can see everything at a glance.
Learning Curve: Medium. Takes 2-3 hours to set up initially, but worth it.
Simpler Alternative: Notion (similar functionality, different interface)
6. Boomerang for Gmail - Email Scheduling & Follow-Up
What It Does: Schedule emails to send later and get reminders if people don't respond.
Best For: Podcasters who want to automate follow-up without a full CRM
Key Features:
Schedule emails to send at optimal times
Get reminded if no response after X days
Recurring email templates
Email tracking (know when opened)
"Send later" based on recipient's timezone
AI-powered send time suggestions
Pricing:
Basic: Free - 10 messages/month
Personal: $4.99/month - Unlimited messages
Professional: $14.99/month - Advanced features
Why We Love It:
Write all your pitches on Sunday, schedule them to send Tuesday at 10am. Set automatic reminders if no response in 5 days. No manual tracking needed.
Use Case: Batch write 10 pitches, schedule them across the week at optimal times, Boomerang reminds you who to follow up with.
Alternative: Mixmax (more features but pricier)
7. Google Sheets + Zapier - DIY Automation
What It Does: Combines spreadsheet tracking with automation between your other tools.
Best For: Budget-conscious podcasters who want custom automation
Key Features:
Free spreadsheet for tracking (Google Sheets)
Zapier connects different tools automatically
Create workflows: "When I add a prospect to Sheets, create a Calendly link and draft an email"
Hundreds of app integrations
Custom automations without coding
Pricing:
Google Sheets: Free
Zapier Free: 100 tasks/month
Zapier Starter: $20/month - 750 tasks/month
Why We Love It:
You can build a completely custom system with tools you already use. Example: When you mark a prospect as "ready to pitch" in Sheets, Zapier drafts an email in Gmail with your template.
Sample Workflow:
Add prospect to Google Sheet
Zapier creates a task in your to-do list
When marked "pitched," start a follow-up countdown
When marked "booked," create calendar event and send to guest
Learning Curve: Medium-high, but powerful once set up.
8. Hunter.io - Email Finding Tool
What It Does: Finds email addresses for people you want to pitch.
Best For: Finding contact info for guests who don't publicly list emails
Key Features:
Find email addresses by name and company
Verify email validity before sending
Bulk email searches
Domain search (find all emails at a company)
Browser extension for LinkedIn
Confidence score on email accuracy
Pricing:
Free: 25 searches/month
Starter: $49/month - 500 searches
Growth: $99/month - 2,500 searches
Why We Love It:
You found the perfect guest on LinkedIn but no email listed. Hunter finds it in seconds with 95%+ accuracy. The LinkedIn extension is especially handy.
Use Case: Click the Hunter extension while viewing someone's LinkedIn profile → instantly see their email → copy and paste into your pitch.
Ethical Note: Only use this for professional outreach. Don't spam people.
Alternatives: RocketReach, Clearbit Connect
9. Riverside.fm or Zencastr - Recording + Scheduling
What It Does: Remote podcast recording with built-in scheduling and guest management.
Best For: Podcasters who want recording and booking tools in one platform
Key Features:
High-quality remote recording
Automatic scheduling integration
Guest invitation system with calendar sync
Pre-interview brief delivery
Recording reminders
Cloud storage and backup
Video + audio recording
Pricing:
Riverside:
Standard: $15/month - Up to 2 hours/month
Pro: $24/month - Unlimited recording
Zencastr:
Hobbyist: $20/month - 8 hours/month
Professional: $40/month - Unlimited
Why We Love It:
Everything in one place: Send booking link, guest schedules, gets reminders, clicks link, you record. No juggling Zoom + Calendly + separate tools.
Bonus: Automatic local recording backups mean if internet drops, you don't lose the episode.
Which to Choose: Riverside for video priority, Zencastr for audio focus
10. Podcept - Full-Service Booking Agency
What It Does: We handle your entire guest booking process so you don't need to manage tools at all.
Best For: Podcasters who'd rather focus on content than booking logistics
What's Included:
Guest research and vetting based on your criteria
Personalized outreach and follow-up
All scheduling coordination
Pre-interview brief creation
Pipeline management
Dedicated account manager
Pricing:
Starter: $250/month - 1 guest/month
Professional: $1,000/month - 4+ guests/month
Enterprise: Custom pricing for high-volume needs
Why It's On This List:
Sometimes the best "tool" is letting experts handle it. Instead of spending 10-15 hours monthly managing tools and outreach, you spend 0 hours and get better results.
When to Consider:
You're spending 10+ hours/week on booking
Your DIY booking success rate is below 30%
You need consistent quality without ongoing time investment
Your time is better spent on content, promotion, or monetization
ROI Calculation: If your time is worth $50/hour and booking takes 10 hours/month, that's $500/month in time. Professional service at $1,000/month nets you 4+ quality guests with zero time investment.
Learn more about our process | Explore our services
How to Choose the Right Tools
If You're Just Starting Out:
Calendly (free) - Scheduling
Google Sheets (free) - Tracking
PodcastGuests.com (free) - Finding guests
Gmail (free) - Outreach
Total cost: $0/month
If You're Serious But Budget-Conscious:
Calendly Standard ($12/month) - Scheduling
Streak CRM ($15/month) - Pipeline management
Boomerang ($5/month) - Email automation
Hunter.io ($49/month) - Email finding
Total cost: ~$80/month
If You're Scaling Up:
Calendly Teams ($20/month)
Airtable Plus ($20/month)
LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($99/month)
Zapier ($20/month)
Riverside or Zencastr ($24-40/month)
Total cost: ~$180-200/month
If You Want Full-Service:
Podcept ($250-1,000/month) - Everything handled
Riverside/Zencastr ($24-40/month) - Just for recording
Total cost: $274-1,040/month, zero time investment
The Tool Stack We Recommend
For most podcasters booking 4+ guests per month, this stack gives the best ROI:
Core Stack:
Calendly ($12/month) - Eliminate scheduling back-and-forth
Streak CRM ($15/month) - Track everything in Gmail
PodcastGuests.com (free) - Supplement your guest research
If Budget Allows, Add: 4. LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($99/month) - Find better prospects faster 5. Boomerang ($5/month) - Never forget a follow-up
Total: $27-131/month depending on additions
When Tools Aren't Enough
Tools are great, but they still require:
Time to research prospects
Skill to write compelling pitches
Discipline to follow up consistently
Experience to vet quality guests
Coordination to manage logistics
If any of these are bottlenecks for you, consider whether professional help might be more efficient than juggling tools.
Questions to ask yourself:
Am I actually using these tools consistently?
Is my booking success rate where I want it?
Could my time be better spent elsewhere?
Do I enjoy the booking process or dread it?
If tools feel like adding complexity rather than solving problems, that's a sign you might benefit from a done-for-you solution like Podcept.
Free vs. Paid: What's Worth It?
Worth Paying For:
Scheduling software - Saves massive time, cheap monthly cost
Email tracking - Knowing when to follow up is invaluable
Guest discovery platforms - If you're struggling to find prospects
Not Always Worth It:
Expensive CRMs - Unless you're managing 100+ prospects
Premium recording platforms - Free options (Zoom, Riverside free tier) work fine initially
Multiple tools doing similar things - Pick one, master it
The Best Investment:
Your time. If a $50/month tool saves you 5 hours, and your time is worth more than $10/hour, it's worth it.
Tool Combination Strategies
Strategy 1: Free Starter Stack
Google Sheets (tracking)
Calendly Free (scheduling)
Gmail (outreach)
PodcastGuests.com (finding guests)
Best for: Brand new podcasters testing the waters
Strategy 2: Efficient Amateur Stack
Calendly Standard ($12)
Streak CRM ($15)
Boomerang ($5)
Best for: Consistent booking without breaking the bank
Strategy 3: Professional Stack
Airtable ($20)
LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($99)
Calendly Teams ($20)
Riverside ($24)
Best for: Established shows booking 6+ guests/month
Strategy 4: Delegate Stack
Podcept ($250-1,000)
Riverside/Zencastr ($24-40) for recording only
Best for: Podcasters who value time over money
Common Tool Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Tool Hoarding
Don't subscribe to 10 tools. Pick 3-4 that work together and master them.
Mistake 2: Buying Before Trying
Most tools have free trials. Test before committing.
Mistake 3: Not Actually Using What You Pay For
Paying for Calendly but still doing email scheduling? Wasting money.
Mistake 4: Choosing Complexity Over Simplicity
The best tool is the one you'll actually use consistently.
Mistake 5: Ignoring Integration
Tools that don't talk to each other create more work, not less.
Final Recommendations
For most podcasters, start here:
Calendly (scheduling) - Non-negotiable, saves hours
Streak or Airtable (tracking) - Pick one, stick with it
PodcastGuests.com (supplemental discovery) - Free option
As you scale, add:
LinkedIn Sales Navigator (if targeting professionals)
Boomerang (if you struggle with follow-up discipline)
When DIY becomes overwhelming:
Consider whether professional booking services might be more efficient than managing tools yourself.
The Bottom Line
The right tools can cut your booking time by 50-70%. But tools are only as good as the system behind them.
Best approach:
Start with free/cheap essentials (Calendly + tracking)
Add specialized tools as specific needs arise
Evaluate quarterly: Are you using them? Are they helping?
Don't be afraid to simplify or delegate when tools become the bottleneck
The goal isn't to have the most tools. It's to book great guests with the least friction.
Ready to streamline your guest booking?
Whether you choose tools or decide to delegate entirely, we're here to help.