Stories With Traction
The Stories With Traction Podcast was created to empower leaders to elevate their businesses through the art of strategic storytelling. By engaging clients and inspiring team members, leaders can significantly impact the world around them. Each episode offers insights into storytelling, marketing, sales, company culture, and leadership, providing practical tools to drive growth and influence positive change. Tune in to transform your approach and lead with purpose.
Stories With Traction
#177: Beat Obscurity: Podcast Interviews That Build Trust (and Profit)
Show Notes:
In this high-impact episode, Matt Zaun sits down with Tom Schwab, Chief Evangelist Officer & Founder of Interview Valet, to unpack how leaders can use podcast interview marketing to beat obscurity, earn trust at scale, and convert ideal clients, and how to repurpose one 45-minute conversation into a month of authoritative content.
In this episode, they cover:
✅ Obscurity is the real enemy — Why trusted conversations (not more funnels) drive the best partners, clients, and hires
✅ “Crowded space”? Good. — Most shows are inactive; focus on the active, right-fit podcasts your ideal buyers already follow
✅ Leader-as-evangelist — Your CEO’s personal audience is ~10× the brand’s; don’t abdicate storytelling—lead it
✅ Quality over quantity — Don’t “create crap at scale.” Clarity, stories, and specificity beat generic content every time
...and much more!
BIOS:
Tom Schwab is the Chief Evangelist Officer & Founder of Interview Valet, the category leader in podcast interview marketing. A former naval officer and engineer, Tom built Interview Valet’s US-based, remote team (many are military spouses) on one core belief: "our success is proportional to our systems." His firm places thought leaders on targeted podcasts, optimizes topic strategy for human listeners and AI discovery, and turns interviews into revenue-driving content engines.
Matt Zaun is an award-winning speaker and strategic storytelling expert who helps leaders inspire action and drive results through the power of story. He’s the author of The StoryBank, a practical playbook for using strategic storytelling to build culture, boost sales, strengthen marketing, and become a dynamic public speaker.