finding-podcast-hosts-for-outreach

Finds podcast hosts for PR and guest outreach using apidojo's Twitter scrapers on Apify. Triggers when the user asks to: find podcast hosts to pitch for a guest spot, discover podcasters in a niche for PR outreach, build a podcast outreach list from Twitter, find podcast hosts who cover a specific topic or industry, identify podcasters who interview guests in a business niche, find B2B podcast hosts for thought leadership placement, or compile a list of podcast hosts for a media relations campaign. Returns podcast host handle, show name, topic focus, follower count, and audience size signals. Ideal for PR agencies, executives doing thought leadership, authors, and startup founders.

Discovers podcast hosts on Twitter by episode announcements, guest mentions, and show promotion signals.

Prerequisites

• APIFY_TOKEN environment variable set
• Optional: Apify MCP server installed

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Notes
startUrls	array	Optional	[]	Twitter profile or tweet URLs
twitterHandles	array	Optional	[]	Twitter usernames (without @)
twitterUserIds	array	Optional	[]	Twitter user IDs
getFollowers	boolean	Optional	false	Extract follower lists
getFollowing	boolean	Optional	false	Extract following lists
getRetweeters	boolean	Optional	false	Extract retweeters of a tweet URL
includeUnavailableUsers	boolean	Optional	false	Include unavailable/suspended users
maxItems	number	Optional	Unlimited	Maximum users to return
customMapFunction	string	Optional	—	JavaScript function to transform each output object

Workflow

text

Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Search for podcast announcement tweets
- [ ] Step 2: Collect unique host handles
- [ ] Step 3: Enrich host profiles
- [ ] Step 4: Score outreach priority
- [ ] Step 5: Deliver podcast outreach list

Step 1: Search Queries

Recommended — run_actor.js (handles waiting, output, and file saving automatically):

bash

# Quick answer (prints table to chat)
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~twitter-user-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}'

# Save as CSV
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~twitter-user-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_results.csv --format csv

# Save as JSON
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~twitter-user-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_results.json --format json

APIFY_TOKEN must be set in environment or .env file.

If Apify MCP is available:

text

Tool: apify:run-actor
Actor: "apidojo~tweet-scraper"
Input:
{
  "searchTerms": ["[TOPIC] podcast", "new episode [TOPIC]", "podcast host [TOPIC]"],
  "maxItems": 300
}

REST API fallback:

bash

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/apidojo~tweet-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"searchTerms": ["entrepreneurship podcast", "new episode startup"], "maxItems": 300}'

Step 2: Enrich and Filter

Run apidojo~twitter-user-scraper on handles. Keep profiles where bio contains "podcast", "host", "show", "episodes".

Guest format: bio or tweets mention "guest", "interview", "this week's guest" → has_guest_format = true

Step 3: Score Outreach Priority

text

outreach_score = (has_guest_format ? 1 : 0.3) * 0.35
               + (tweeted_episode_in_last_30_days ? 1 : 0) * 0.25
               + (followerCount in 1000..100000 ? 1 : 0.6) * 0.25
               + (topic_alignment: strong=1, weak=0.5) * 0.15

Step 4: Edge Cases

• Account shares content but is not host: Verify bio says "host" — some accounts share show content without hosting
• Show name not findable: Note as show_name_unknown; LinkedIn search needed
• Large media company podcast: Flag as PREMIUM_PLACEMENT — A-list guests only

Output Format

text

# Podcast Host Outreach List: [TOPIC]
Hosts found: [N] | Guest-format: [N] | Active: [N] | Date: [DATE]

## Priority (Guest-Format + Active + Mid-Tier)
| Host | @Handle | Show | Followers | Last Episode | Score |
|------|---------|------|-----------|-------------|-------|

## Small Shows (Easier to Land)
| Host | @Handle | Followers | Last Active |
|------|---------|-----------|------------|

## Personalization Tip
Reference the host's most recent episode topic in your pitch — hosts receive dozens of pitches, relevance is the strongest differentiator.

Troubleshooting

Results include listeners not hosts: Require "podcast host" OR "host of [show]" in bio. No show found on Twitter: Supplement with Spotify/Apple Podcasts search. Host inactive > 60 days: Flag as potentially on hiatus; verify before pitching.