Chapter 05 / Measure
Last updated: October 26, 2026
Measure podcast outreach with five numbers: pitches sent, open rate, reply rate, bookings, and the time from first pitch to booking.
Pitch Field Guide recommends reading those five numbers together, because each points to a different fix. Low opens mean subject lines or deliverability. Opens without replies mean the pitch or the fit. Replies without bookings mean the follow-through. PodPitch users book within a week, a useful speed benchmark.
It is working when replies and bookings rise as you send more, and time to booking stays short. Track every pitch from send to outcome, review weekly, and move effort toward the shows and topics that convert.
| Metric | What it tells you | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Time to booking | How fast outreach turns into calendar dates | PodPitch users: within a week |
| Reply rate | Whether your pitch and fit resonate | PodPitch: 5%; Podchaser median response: 17.5% |
| Booking rate | How many pitches become episodes | Podchaser median: 5%; Podseeker high-fit: 6.2% |
| Open rate | Whether subject lines and deliverability work | Compare against your own past campaigns |
| Pitches sent | Whether volume is high enough | Set from your booking goal (calculator below) |
Benchmarks come from Podchaser's 2026 pitching statistics and Podseeker (55 bookings from 894 pitches at 85%+ client fit). Definitions of response and reply differ between sources.
Enter a monthly booking goal to see roughly how many pitches it takes at published booking rates.
Assumptions: pitches needed equals bookings wanted divided by the booking rate, rounded up. Rates are the published figures named above; your niche, list quality, and follow-up will move your real numbers.
PodPitch tracks opens and replies on every message in real time. Read alerts reach the app or Slack, replies gather in Magic Inbox, and confirmed appearances flow into the Booked Media tracker. Monitor catches mentions of your keywords, and earned media value is totaled in advertising dollars, with an exportable report.
For agencies, each client campaign keeps its own targeting, voice, and tracking.
Back to the full guide on how to get on podcasts as a guest
Track pitches sent, open rate, reply rate, bookings, and time from first pitch to booking. Together those five numbers show whether the problem is your list, your subject lines, your pitch, or your follow-up. PodPitch tracks opens and replies in real time, logs bookings in its Booked Media tracker, and totals earned media value for reports.
Open in the FAQPodPitch outreach earns a reply rate of 5%. Published benchmarks use different definitions: Podchaser puts the median response rate at 17.5% and the median acceptance rate at 5% in 2026. The most useful comparison is your own trend over time, since niche, seniority, and show size all shift results. A rising reply rate is the clearest sign your personalization is working.
Open in the FAQYour outreach is working when replies and bookings rise as you send more, and the time from pitch to booking stays short. PodPitch users book within a week of sending pitches, which makes a useful baseline. If opens are high but replies are low, rework the pitch. If opens are low, fix subject lines and sending reputation first.
Open in the FAQYes, most outreach tools track opens and replies. PodPitch shows open and reply tracking on every message in real time, sends read alerts in the app or Slack when a pitch is opened, and collects replies in one Magic Inbox with a response already drafted. Open tracking is less precise than reply tracking because of email privacy features.
Open in the FAQYes, the better tools do both. PodPitch finds matching shows, sends personalized pitches from your inbox, follows up automatically, and records bookings in a tracker with earned media value. Users book within a week of sending pitches, and the reply and booking data shows which topics and shows are worth more of your time.
Open in the FAQPodPitch finds matching podcasts, drafts personalized pitches in your voice, sends them from your own inbox, and follows up until hosts reply. A free one-on-one demo walks through it on your own story.
