Who hosts Cheap Talk?

Cheap Talk is hosted by Jeff Kaplow and Marcus Holmes. They have published 130 episodes. The show covers government, with a history focus.

What has Cheap Talk covered recently?

Recent episodes include "Envoys of Friendship", "Humans Make Mistakes Too", and "The Lingo of Our AI Tech Overlords". The latest went out on 3 Oct 2026 and ran about 52 minutes. These are from season 7. Reading two or three of these before pitching is the fastest way to see what the show actually books.

How often does Cheap Talk publish?

Cheap Talk publishes weekly, a median of 7 days between episodes. Episodes average about 55 minutes. The back catalogue stands at 130 episodes. A show on this cadence plans ahead, so pitch earlier rather than closer to the date you want.

How hard is it to get booked on Cheap Talk?

For Cheap Talk, Booking Probability sits at 35/100, Listen Score at 30/100, and the guest bar is around 80/100. The show has not signalled guest openness recently, which raises the bar on relevance. A verified contact is on file.

Who should pitch Cheap Talk?

Cheap Talk covers international relations, geopolitics, diplomacy, foreign policy, so guests who can speak to those specifically fit best. The show carries an audience score of 5/100. Lead with a specific result you can describe in numbers rather than a job title, and tie it to something the show has already covered.

government

Cheap Talk

Hosted by Jeff Kaplow and Marcus Holmes · government · EN · 130 episodes

Audience: 5

Apple Podcasts Website

About this Podcast:

Cheap Talk is an every-week-or-so international relations podcast with Jeff Kaplow and Marcus Holmes, professors of government at William & Mary.

Pitch Analysis

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Contact path

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Booking probability

35%

Guest openness

Selective

Verified email on file

80/100

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What is Cheap Talk?

Cheap Talk is a government podcast hosted by Jeff Kaplow and Marcus Holmes, with 130 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

About the host

Jeff Kaplow and Marcus Holmes hosts Cheap Talk, a government show with 130 episodes published.

Verified host email: ████████@████.comSign in to unlock →

Recent episodes

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

Episode #7
Envoys of Friendship
Oct 3, 202652 minS7
AI agents are like middle schoolers; assessing progress from the Trump/Xi summit; combatting the security dilemma with summitry; creating new communication channels for AI incidents; panda diplomacy and overplaying one’s panda hand; some small movements toward AI governance; why AI resorts to deception; and Marcus is a summit optimist The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted. Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop . Please send us your questions or comments! Further Reading: Nicholas Wheeler and Marcus Holmes. 2026. “Trump and Xi face an AI security dilemma – but face‑to‑face diplomacy could be a start in mitigating it.” The Conversation , September 24. See all Cheap Talk episodes
Show Notes
Episode #6
Humans Make Mistakes Too
Sep 26, 20261h 4mS7
A big week for face-to-face diplomacy; the UN as a safe forum for high-level visits; the importance of side-meetings outside the General Assembly Hall; another Trump-Zelensky meeting; the logic of a post-election deal with Iran; China’s summit strategy; resolving the Greenland Crisis of 2025-2026; whether AI really almost caused a war with China; and Marcus supports hotline proliferation The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted. Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop . Please send us your questions or comments! Further Reading: Nicholas Wheeler and Marcus Holmes. 2026. “Trump and Xi face an AI security dilemma – but face‑to‑face diplomacy could be a start in mitigating it.” The Conversation , September 24. See all Cheap Talk episodes
Show Notes
Episode #5
The Lingo of Our AI Tech Overlords
Sep 18, 20261 hourS7
The public debate over AI and the end of humanity; proposals to slow down AI development and improve safety; the challenges of coordinating domestically and internationally; normal accident theory and the nuclear safety analogy to AI; positive and negative controls and the always/never dilemma; predictions for the end of humanity; and Marcus wonders whether aliens have AI and how that went for them The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted. Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop . Please send us your questions or comments! Further Reading: Dario Amodei. 2026. “We Must Pace the Frontier.” See all Cheap Talk episodes
Show Notes
Episode #4
Not Routine at All
Sep 14, 202651 minS7
The international security implications of the Hugging Face hack; rogue AI agents and cyberattack attribution; competing explanations for the CIA Director’s recent visit to Moscow; signaling to various audiences; worries about Russia expanding the Ukraine conflict into NATO; US domestic politics and the state of the Iran war; and Marcus has really enjoyed the US Open The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted. Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop . Please send us your questions or comments! See all Cheap Talk episodes
Show Notes
Episode #3
This Could Result in an International Incident
Sep 5, 202648 minS7
The fascinating story of OpenAI’s rogue models and the HuggingFace hacking incident; turning a mirror on our humanity; the natural inclination to cooperate and communicate; models sacrificing themselves for the greater good; models cheating on their benchmarks and the temptation to cover their tracks; conspiracy theories and misinformation in the world of AI models; and Marcus is tempted to go into the app development space The opinions expressed on this podcast are solely our own and do not reflect the policies or positions of William & Mary. Please subscribe to Cheap Talk on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or your podcast player of choice to be notified when new episodes are posted. Check out our online store at https://cheaptalk.shop . Please send us your questions or comments! See all Cheap Talk episodes
Show Notes

Guest Appearances

Recent guests on Cheap Talk. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Jared Kushner

Francis Fukuyama

Stanford University

Advertisers on this show

Sponsor detection runs nightly. Check back soon.

Best industries to pitch Cheap Talk for

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

governmentstrong

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.

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Every question we get asked before
someone starts their trial.

If you have a concern about deliverability, AI quality, data privacy, or whether this will actually work for your specific situation, it's probably answered below.

What is the difference between Founder Solo and Founder Pro?

How do agency tiers work?

What is a talent profile?

Can I switch plans later?

Yes, at any time. Upgrades take effect immediately; downgrades apply at the end of the current billing period. Contact support if you need help migrating between plan families.

Do you offer a free trial?

Every paid plan includes a 15-day free trial. Your card is saved at signup but you will not be charged until day 16. Cancel any time from your dashboard.

What happens if I cancel?

You keep access until the end of your current billing period. No charges after that. Your data is retained for 30 days in case you reactivate.

Is the 20% annual discount automatic?

Yes. Select Annual on the pricing toggle and the discounted price is applied automatically at checkout. The annual price shown is the full year cost.

What if I have more than 50 profiles or 20 clients?

That is our Enterprise tier. Contact our sales team and we will build a custom plan with volume pricing, a dedicated account manager, and SLA guarantees.

Cheap Talk

About this Podcast:

Pitch Analysis

What is Cheap Talk?

About the host

Recent episodes

Envoys of Friendship

Humans Make Mistakes Too

The Lingo of Our AI Tech Overlords

Not Routine at All

This Could Result in an International Incident

Guest Appearances

Jared Kushner

Francis Fukuyama

Advertisers on this show

Best industries to pitch Cheap Talk for

Podcasts like Cheap Talk

Every question we get asked beforesomeone starts their trial.

Cheap Talk

About this Podcast:

Pitch Analysis

What is Cheap Talk?

About the host

Recent episodes

Envoys of Friendship

Humans Make Mistakes Too

The Lingo of Our AI Tech Overlords

Not Routine at All

This Could Result in an International Incident

Guest Appearances

Jared Kushner

Francis Fukuyama

Advertisers on this show

Best industries to pitch Cheap Talk for

Podcasts like Cheap Talk

Every question we get asked beforesomeone starts their trial.

Every question we get asked before
someone starts their trial.

Every question we get asked before
someone starts their trial.