Podcast Directory Search

Search podcast databases to find shows that match your founder's expertise, target audience overlap, and guest booking format.

Tool Options

| Tool | API | Best For | |------|-----|----------| | ListenNotes | REST API (api.listennotes.com/api/v2) | Largest index (3M+ podcasts), keyword + genre search, audience size estimates | | Podchaser | GraphQL API (api.podchaser.com/graphql) | Rich creator data, guest cross-references, contact info | | Rephonic | REST API (api.rephonic.com/v2) | Audience overlap analysis, similar-show recommendations, listener demographics | | Spotify for Podcasters | Web dashboard (no public API) | Show-level analytics if you have your own show | | Apple Podcasts | RSS + iTunes Search API | Chart rankings, category browsing |

ListenNotes API (Primary)

Authentication

GET https://api.listennotes.com/api/v2/search
Header: X-ListenAPI-Key: {LISTENNOTES_API_KEY}

Free tier: 5 requests/min. Paid: starts at $9/mo for 300 requests/day.

Search for podcasts by topic

GET https://api.listennotes.com/api/v2/search?q={keyword}&type=podcast&language=English&len_min=15&len_max=90&genre_ids={genre_id}&sort_by_date=0

Parameters:

• q: Topic keyword (e.g., "B2B SaaS", "developer tools", "startup growth")
• type: podcast (find shows) or episode (find episodes where guests appeared)
• genre_ids: Comma-separated. 93=Business, 127=Technology, 67=Entrepreneurship, 94=Business News, 171=Management
• sort_by_date: 0 = relevance, 1 = date
• offset: Pagination (10 results per page)

Response fields to extract

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "podcast_id",
      "title_original": "Show Name",
      "description_original": "Show description",
      "total_episodes": 150,
      "listen_score": 45,
      "listen_score_global_rank": "top 5%",
      "website": "https://show-website.com",
      "email": "host@show.com",
      "rss": "https://feed-url.com/rss",
      "genre_ids": [93, 127]
    }
  ]
}

Key field: listen_score (0-100). For micro-podcasts (Smoke test targets), look for scores 20-50. For Scalable, target 40-70.

Get podcast details

GET https://api.listennotes.com/api/v2/podcasts/{podcast_id}

Returns: episode count, average episode length, last publish date (stale shows = skip), and RSS feed URL.

Search for episodes with guest appearances

GET https://api.listennotes.com/api/v2/search?q={competitor_founder_name}&type=episode

Use this to find which podcasts have hosted founders similar to yours. These are warm targets — the host already books founder guests.

Podchaser API (Contact + Guest Data)

Authentication

POST https://api.podchaser.com/graphql
Header: Authorization: Bearer {PODCHASER_TOKEN}

Find podcast by name

query {
  podcasts(searchTerm: "show name", first: 5) {
    data {
      id
      title
      description
      webUrl
      ratingAverage
      ratingCount
      episodes(first: 1) { data { id title } }
    }
  }
}

Get creator contacts

query {
  podcast(identifier: { id: "podcast_id", type: PODCHASER }) {
    creators {
      data {
        name
        socialLinks { url platform }
      }
    }
  }
}

Rephonic API (Audience Overlap)

Find similar podcasts

GET https://api.rephonic.com/v2/podcasts/{podcast_id}/similar
Header: Authorization: Bearer {REPHONIC_TOKEN}

Returns podcasts with overlapping audiences. Use this to expand your target list once you find one good-fit show.

Get listener demographics

GET https://api.rephonic.com/v2/podcasts/{podcast_id}/demographics

Returns: listener age, gender, interests, geographic distribution. Match against your ICP.

Qualifying a Podcast

For each podcast found, evaluate:

1. Active: Last episode published within 30 days (skip dormant shows)
2. Guest format: Check recent episodes for guest interviews (vs solo/co-host only)
3. Audience match: Topic overlap with your founder's expertise
4. Reach: ListenNotes listen_score or estimated downloads per episode
5. Accessibility: Contact info available (email, Twitter DM, website contact form)

Store qualified podcasts in a Clay table or Attio list with fields: show name, host name, contact method, listen score, topic fit score (1-5), last guest episode date, pitch status.

Error Handling

• Rate limited (429): Back off and retry after the Retry-After header duration
• No results: Broaden search terms. Try adjacent topics or search for competitor founder names as episode guests
• Stale data: Cross-reference ListenNotes data with the podcast's RSS feed for latest episode dates