Guest Applications — Season 1 Now Reviewing
✓ Editorial guest slots are always free, never pay to appear
We don't book guests.
We select cases.
Empire Talk isn't a promotional slot. It's a weekly conversation for founders, executives, and directors across the United States and beyond who've actually built something, and are willing to defend how, in front of an audience that will test it. If your story can survive structure, it belongs here.
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Read This Before You Apply
Two ways to be part of Empire Talk. Only one costs anything.
We get asked this constantly, so it's answered up front instead of buried in an FAQ.
Editorial Guest
A real interview. Selected on the strength of your story and argument, never purchased.
- No cost, ever
- Selected by application, reviewed weekly
- Full-length conversation, no brand pitch required
- Distributed on the public feed to the full audience
Sponsored Feature
A disclosed, paid brand placement, for companies who want guaranteed exposure, not an editorial interview.
- Purchased through a sponsorship tier
- Clearly disclosed as sponsored content
- Includes co-branded segments & logo placement
- Booked directly, no application review
The Filter
Most applications don't make it. That's the point.
Empire Talk's audience is executives who can spot a rehearsed pitch in the first ninety seconds. Every guest is chosen to protect that trust, not to fill a weekly slot.
What makes the cut
- ✓ You've built or led something with real structure behind it, not just an audience.
- ✓ You have a specific, tested point of view, not a rehearsed personal-brand story.
- ✓ You're willing to be challenged on-air, including on your own decisions.
- ✓ You have one structural argument an executive audience would restructure their week to hear.
- ✓ You can speak in specifics, numbers, decisions, consequences, not platitudes.
What gets cut
- × "I'm here to talk about my new book/course/launch" as the entire pitch.
- × A media kit instead of a point of view.
- × Unwillingness to be recorded live or answer follow-up questions.
- × A story that's really a highlight reel with no failure in it anywhere.
- × Anyone who treats this as a guest-post exchange instead of a conversation.
What to Expect
The format, in plain terms.
Runtime
45–65 min
Live conversation, lightly edited for clarity only
Format
Remote or in-person
Recorded on video, distributed as audio + video
Prep
One call
A short pre-conversation to align on the structural argument you'll defend
Publish
2–4 weeks
From taping to episode going live across all platforms
The Process
From application to on-air.
01
You Apply — Free
Tell us who you are, what you've built, and the one structural argument you'd defend on air. No pitch deck required, no fee to submit.
02
We Review
Applications are reviewed weekly. Most don't move forward, that protects the show's credibility with its audience, including yours.
03
We Talk First
Selected guests get a short prep call to align on the argument and format, not a script, a shared understanding of what's worth testing on air.
04
We Tape, Then Publish
Your episode is recorded, lightly edited, and published across every platform with a full transcript.
Apply to Be a Guest — Always Free
Make your case. We'll take it from there.
Before You Apply
Questions we get asked most.
Yes. Editorial guest interviews are always free and selected on merit, Empire Talk does not sell interview slots. Paid brand features are a separate, clearly disclosed sponsorship product, not a guest application.
No, and if that's your entire pitch, it's likely to get cut. What matters is whether you've built something real and have a tested point of view worth defending on air.
We'll align on the structural argument during the prep call, but there's no script. Empire Talk is a live conversation, including follow-up questions you didn't plan for.
You'll hear back either way. Some applications aren't the right fit for this season but may be reconsidered later as the show's focus evolves.
Not as a guest interview, those stay editorial and unpaid to protect the show's credibility. What you want is a Sponsored Feature, a disclosed paid placement available through Sponsor the Podcast.
Yes. While the show is built primarily for the US executive audience, applications are reviewed on the strength of the story and argument, regardless of location.
Season 1 Guest Slots Are Open — Free to Apply
If your story can survive structure,
it belongs on this show.
Most people pitch their highlight reel. Bring the argument instead, the one thing you'd defend even under pressure. That's what gets a seat on Empire Talk. No cost, ever.
Apply to Be a Guest — Free