Questions, answered

CastGhost is a do-it-yourself, end-to-end podcast search, match and pitching tool for anyone with real expertise to share. You set up your profile once from your LinkedIn, your website and your own writing. CastGhost then searches podcast directories live for shows that interview guests like you, checks what each show actually airs, finds how to reach the host, and ghostwrites a pitch from your own experience. You review and edit every pitch and send it from your own Gmail, and CastGhost drafts follow-ups when a show goes quiet.

Three things set it apart:

• A live search, not a fixed list. Most platforms work from one database of shows, shared by every client and only as current as its last update. CastGhost searches Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and other directories every time you look, so it finds new and niche shows a fixed list never includes.
• Fit judged from real episodes. A directory tells you a show exists. CastGhost reads each show's recent episodes to confirm it has guests and really covers your subject, and it merges the same show listed on several platforms so no show is duplicated or host pitched twice.
• No templates. Each pitch is written for one show from your own material, with nothing invented. No two pitches read the same unless you tune your profile to.

It also sits between the options on price. Placement agencies do the work for you and charge like it; many pitching platforms charge a monthly fee to send the same template to every show. With CastGhost you run it yourself and pay per pitch.

Yes! Platforms like PodMatch and Talks.co match you with shows whose hosts have signed up to them. CastGhost scans podcast directories live, so it also finds the many shows that aren't registered with those platforms, often new and niche ones. Use CastGhost alongside PodMatch or Talks.co to widen your search: there's no monthly subscription, so you only pay when you pitch a show. See how CastGhost compares with PodMatch and Talks.co, and how to use them together.

Experts, founders, authors, artists and storytellers who want to be a guest on podcasts and would rather run their own outreach than hire an agency. You don't need a big audience or past podcast appearances: CastGhost builds your pitches from the work you've already done. Publicists and assistants can use it too, pitching a client in the third person (see Can someone else pitch on my behalf?).

No. CastGhost runs in your web browser, on a computer or a phone, with nothing to install and no API keys to manage. Your profile, matched shows and pitches are private to your account.

Setting up your profile and finding podcasts that fit you are free. When you're ready to pitch, you add prepaid credit:

• $2 per pitch, which includes one free redraft and all of that pitch's follow-ups. Each redraft after the first is $0.25.
• Editing a draft yourself is always free.
• Add any amount from $10 to $1,000, or save with a pack: 27 pitches for $50 or 55 pitches for $100.
• You only pay when a pitch is drafted. A show with no contact found costs nothing, and a draft that fails costs nothing.

Adding credit also unlocks show contacts, connecting your Gmail and a second pitch niche. See Pricing for the details.

Watch Adding credit and how it's used 2:28

Credit never expires. It isn't refundable, except where the law requires it. You pay by card on Stripe's secure checkout, so CastGhost never sees your card number, and Stripe emails you a receipt. Prices are in US dollars. See why CastGhost has no subscription.

Everything up to pitching is free, so you can sign up, set up your profile and see exactly which shows fit you before you spend anything. If CastGhost has given you a credit code, redeem it under Have a code? in your Profile or in Settings > Usage & credit.

Watch Adding credit and how it's used 2:28

You choose a pitch niche, the subject you want to be booked for, and CastGhost suggests one from your profile if you'd like. Each niche has its own search keywords and podcast categories. When you press Find 10 Shows That Fit, CastGhost:

1. Checks the CastGhost catalog of shows other users have already researched.
2. Searches Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and other directories live.
3. Merges the same show listed on several platforms into one.
4. Drops shows that are plainly unrelated to your bio for that niche.
5. Reads each remaining show's recent episodes and judges the fit (see the next question).
6. Looks up how to reach the host of every show that fits.

It keeps going until it has 10 shows you can pitch. A batch takes a few minutes. Already know a show? Paste its Apple Podcasts, Spotify or website link under Add a podcast and it gets the same checks.

Watch Finding podcasts 3:19

Every show is judged against your profile for that niche, from its recent episodes and not just its description. It asks three questions, in order of weight:

• Topic: is your subject core to the show, or does it come up regularly?
• Guests: does the show actually interview guests?
• Activity: has it published recently?

Each show gets a confidence score out of 100. Strong fits land in Ready to Pitch, possible fits in Needs Review for you to decide, and misfits in Not a Fit, kept so they're never researched again. Every show has a Why It Scored This Way explanation, so you can see the reasoning.

You stay in control: you can set your own "no thanks" rules in plain English (for example, "no shows aimed at teenagers"), change the scores a show needs, and move any show by hand. A show that doesn't book guests can still get a one-off story pitch instead.

Watch Finding podcasts 3:19Show matching settings 1:24

It looks where hosts publish them: the show's podcast feed and episode notes, its Apple Podcasts and Spotify pages, its website and the contact and About pages it links to, and a web search. Before an address becomes the one your pitch goes to, CastGhost checks that it accepts mail. Addresses a host has replied from are marked Host verified and chosen first.

Every search also grows the CastGhost show catalog, a list of show contacts that gets better as people use it. The public contact details found and checked for each show are kept, so the next person matched to that show starts with its contact already found. When a host replies to a pitch, or someone finds an address by hand, that address is marked verified for everyone, and an address that bounces is never used again. Only public show details are shared: your pitches, replies and the shows you choose stay private.

Some hosts only list their email on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube, which don't allow automated reading. Those shows go to Needs you, with links straight to the right page and what to look for, so it takes about a minute. You never pay for a show without a contact.

Watch When a contact needs you 2:06

Yes. Each topic is its own pitch niche, with its own bio, talking points, search and pitch rules. You start with one niche, and adding credit unlocks a second. Need more? Ask from Profile > Pitch niches and we'll reply by email.

Watch Pitch niches and talking points 2:18

Each pitch is written for one show, from what's on file for you: your approved bio, your talking points, your published work, and the show's description and recent episodes. CastGhost finds the angle that suits that show and writes a short email, about 150 words, on why you fit it, who you are as far as it matters, and two or three things you can discuss. It's written in the tone of voice you approved in your profile.

It follows strict rules:

• Nothing invented. Every fact about you or the show is checked against your material.
• No copying. It never lifts wording from the show's own description.
• You can see the sources. Beside each draft, Built from shows the episode, post and talking points it drew on, highlighted in the email.

Each pitch gets its own subject line, and you can edit any draft, ask for a redraft with a note on what to change, or schedule it to send later.

Watch Drafting and editing pitches 3:29Writing settings and your link library 2:39

That's the point. CastGhost studies your own posts, transcripts and answers to describe how you write: your rhythm, your openings and closings, the words you use and avoid. You edit and approve that description, and every pitch is written in it. Your talking points come from your own material too, so a pitch makes the points you actually make.

Watch Setting up your profile 3:12Pitch niches and talking points 2:18

No. A pitch is sent only when you press Send on a draft you've reviewed, or at the time you scheduled it. Sending always shows you the recipient and asks you to confirm first. Follow-ups are drafted for you to review the same way.

Watch Drafting and editing pitches 3:29

If a host hasn't replied after 7 days, the show appears under Follow-ups. CastGhost drafts a short follow-up with one new angle, sent in the same email thread as your pitch. If you set up reply tracking, a host's reply marks the pitch Replied (or Denied for a no) and stops its follow-ups automatically. Follow-ups are included in the price of the pitch.

Watch How follow-ups work 3:43

Yes. In Settings > Writing > Pitch voice, choose representative: pitches are written in the third person by a publicist, agent or assistant, who signs with their own name and signature. Switch back any time; it applies to new drafts.

Watch Writing settings and your link library 2:39

No tool can promise a booking: hosts decide who comes on their show. What CastGhost does is put the odds on your side: it pitches only shows that fit you, with a pitch written for that show, sent at the right time and follow-ups tracked and drafted for you. When a show says yes, record it in Follow-ups and CastGhost allows you to track it through recording and publication.

Watch How follow-ups work 3:43When your episode is recorded and published 2:11

Yes. You connect your Gmail account (including a Google Workspace address) in Settings > Sending, once you've added credit. Pitches then go out from your own address, so replies land in your own inbox and the relationships stay yours. Outlook support is coming.

CastGhost asks Google for one narrow permission: sending email on your behalf. It cannot read, search or download your inbox. Disconnect any time from Settings or your Google account settings.

Two short setup steps follow: paste your email signature (CastGhost can't read the one in Gmail), and, if you'd like replies tracked, create one Gmail filter. The app walks you through both.

Watch Connecting Gmail, your signature and reply tracking 3:12

Through one Gmail filter that you create. It forwards replies to your pitches, and nothing else, to your private CastGhost address. CastGhost then marks the pitch Replied (or Denied) and stops its follow-ups. You decide what the filter forwards, and deleting the filter stops it. Without the filter, you can record replies yourself.

Watch Connecting Gmail, your signature and reply tracking 3:12How follow-ups work 3:43

There are three places to go:

1. The Help menu in the app. Press Help at the bottom of the menu (the question mark on a phone). Its Health check lists anything that needs attention on your account, each with a button that fixes it or takes you there. Ask a question answers from the CastGhost guide, and Report a bug sends us what went wrong.
2. Tutorials. Short videos of the real app, from setting up your profile to sending pitches and follow-ups.
3. Email us at simon@castghost.com. A real person replies.

Your profile also guides you step by step: each step says what it needs, and the next one opens when you finish.

Watch The Help menu 1:03Setting up your profile 3:12

No. CastGhost never uses your data, or anything from your Google account, to train AI, and never sells it or uses it for advertising. The AI providers CastGhost works with don't train their models on data sent through their business services. The Privacy Policy lists every provider and what each one receives.

Email simon@castghost.com. You can ask for an export first. We delete your account's data within 30 days, except payment records, which tax law requires us to keep. Disconnecting Gmail deletes your stored Google access immediately.

Email simon@castghost.com and we'll remove your details for every CastGhost user, and they won't be added again. Replying to any pitch asking not to be contacted does the same.