How To Tap Into The Power Of Podcast Guesting ...with Jessica Rhodes

Summary

In this episode of Digital Dominance, Jeffro interviews Jessica Rhodes, founder of Interview Connections, who shares her expertise on podcast guesting as a marketing strategy. They discuss the importance of having a clear goal for podcast appearances, the strategies for monetizing these appearances, and the significance of post-interview networking. Jessica emphasizes the need for consistency in visibility and nurturing leads to convert them into clients. She also shares success stories and insights into the future trends of podcasting, highlighting the growing respect for podcasts as media outlets.

Takeaways

• Podcast guesting is a powerful marketing strategy.
• Consistency in podcast appearances is crucial for success.
• Building relationships with podcast hosts can lead to business opportunities.
• Lead magnets are essential for converting listeners into clients.
• Post-interview networking is a hidden goldmine.
• Nurturing leads through email and SMS is vital for conversion.
• Podcasts are becoming mainstream and respected media outlets.
• Niche podcasts can be just as effective as larger shows.
• Understanding your audience is key to effective podcast guesting.
• Success in podcasting requires a long-term commitment.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Podcast Guesting
02:35 The Strategy Behind Podcast Guesting
06:15 Monetizing Podcast Appearances
09:47 Post-Interview Networking Strategies
11:00 Nurturing Leads After Podcasting
16:11 Success Stories in Podcast Guesting
20:10 Future Trends in Podcasting

Links

https://interviewconnections.com/
https://interviewconnections.com/prep-checklist/

Free Website Evaluation: FroBro.com/Dominate

Transcript

Jeffro (00:01.155)
Welcome back to Digital Dominance. Today, I get to introduce Jessica Rhodes, founder of Interview Connections, the world's first and leading podcast booking agency. Since 2013, Jessica and her team have booked over 30,000 podcast interviews for more than 800 clients, helping entrepreneurs amplify their voices and grow their businesses through genuine human connections. With a focus on monetizing podcast interviews and leveraging them for post-interview networking.

Jessica is here to share her expertise on turning conversations into sales and generating warm qualified leads. Jessica, welcome to the show.

Jessica Rhodes (00:35.128)
Thanks for having me, Jephro.

Jeffro (00:36.951)
Yeah, I'm excited because like we were saying before we started recording, we haven't really talked about podcast guesting as a marketing strategy on this show yet. So I think there's going to be a lot we can cover and I think it'll be pretty fun.

Jessica Rhodes (00:48.418)
Yeah, yeah, I'm excited.

Jeffro (00:50.452)
So you founded Interview Connections back when podcast booking agencies were virtually non-existent. So I'm curious to hear what inspired you to start that.

Jessica Rhodes (00:59.968)
Yeah, so I started Interview Connections. First, I was a virtual assistant really because I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. have an 11-year-old and a nine-year-old and wanted to be at home. And this was 2013. And my dad is a business coach, and he's had an online business since the early 2000s. So when I talked to my parents about wanting to be home with the baby, my dad recommended that I start an online business, start a virtual assistant business. And he became my first client. And my dad started a podcast in 2012.

Jeffro (01:06.455)
Okay.

Jessica Rhodes (01:28.908)
He was podcasting even before me and yeah, he asked me to book him as a guest on podcasts and help get people booked as a guest on his show, just as a virtual assistant for him. So that's kind of how I started podcast booking and it was through reaching out to podcast hosts to recommend him as a guest and to invite people onto his show that these entrepreneurs were like, nobody's ever pitched me before. I've never had anyone recommend a guest on my show. Who are you? What do you do? And that was what kind of sparked the like,

Jeffro (01:30.507)
Okay.

Jeffro (01:55.499)
You

Jessica Rhodes (01:57.94)
huh, maybe there's something here. Maybe I could do this more as a company, have a business that does this versus just like offering it to clients one-on-one as a VA.

Jeffro (02:06.252)
That's awesome. And I think that, you know, having a podcast is great because you make all kinds of connections. Like it works on so many levels, expanding who you know, what you're, who you're introduced to, what's possible. And of course you can get clients out of it. It improves your authority, your brand building. Like so many ways you can use a podcast. So we'll focus on kind of how to use it, not just as a hobby, but you know, turning it into business results. Cause you know, you can appear on a podcast that

might be fun, you can talk about something. And there's lots of non-business podcasts. But if you want business results, what are some of the strategies that you've seen that consistently will turn those podcast appearances into actual business results?

Jessica Rhodes (02:48.416)
Yeah, great question. I'm, I love talking about this, especially on like business and marketing podcasts like yours, because so many entrepreneurs are drawn to podcasting. hear about the value of podcasting and podcast guesting, but without the correct strategy in place, you do all these interviews and you're like, well, that didn't work. And it's not that that podcast don't work. It's not that podcast guesting doesn't work. It's that there's aspects of the strategy that need to be done.

Jeffro (02:57.665)
Mm-hmm.

Jessica Rhodes (03:13.144)
correctly. So kind of the blueprint that I walk people through is number one, know what your goal is for podcast guesting because you know, this is a brand awareness strategy and brand awareness is top of funnel. It's people meeting you and hearing you for the first time. And sometimes people hear you, it's the right time and place and they become your client right away. They're like, great, this is exactly what I was looking for. And then I found you. But a lot of people who hear you on a podcast,

They don't need what you have today. Maybe they need it next year or next month or in six months. So you need to be consistent with your visibility, with your guesting so that you can capture people at the right time. My dad always taught me buyers buy when they're ready to buy. So you need to be consistently visible so that you are catching people at the right time. But the first step is knowing what your goal is because that really will determine the whole strategy. It'll determine what type of podcast you should be a guest on. It'll determine who your target audience is. It'll determine

what should you be interviewed about? Because like I'm on this podcast with you, we're talking about the strategy of monetizing your podcast interviews and using them as a marketing strategy. I could also be on podcasts like sharing my journey as a mom entrepreneur. Like that wouldn't really help me meet my goals to get clients because it doesn't really like, it's a part of my story, but it's not like the main thing I need to be interviewed about to like build trust and to attract ideal clients to my business. So you want to think about like,

what should you be interviewed about to best connect with your dream clients who are in the audience of the show that you're a guest on?

Jeffro (04:44.897)
So let's dive into that a little bit. How important are lead magnets? Are having a gift for the listeners? Some people come on and they have a book they're promoting. Is that a part of the strategy?

Jessica Rhodes (04:55.144)
Yes, And also there's really two main ways to monetize. And I'm sure we'll talk about both of them, but like, let's start with the lead magnet because that's what most people think of, right? Like I'm going to go on a podcast. I'm going to be in front of all these people and I'm going to get the listeners to become my client or to convert. And so to do that effectively, it's being interviewed about the right topics. And then at the end of the show, it's giving an offer, a free gift, something that converts people from that audience onto your email list so that when the

the time is correct for them, they can convert to become a client, to book a call or whatever that you have on the backend. So there are a lot of different lead magnets and it really depends on what your business is and who your ideal clients are to know what makes the most sense. For a lot of high ticket entrepreneurs, agencies, marketing agencies, certified financial planners, coaches, consultants.

Oftentimes just offering some type of free discovery call, a breakthrough session, an audit, a demo, like whatever is going to sound valuable yet free, that works very, very well. And then there's the kind of the gifts, the checklist, the quizzes, the, you know, just the downloadables where people can get a little bit more in a different format, right? They're listening to you speak on the podcast, but then they want to get maybe something that, you know, tangible that they can read and look through.

Jeffro (06:12.489)
So then what's the other strategy? Let's hear that one.

Jessica Rhodes (06:15.232)
Yes, yes, absolutely. So it's actually the relationship with the host. So I can't tell you how many case studies we have where our clients tell us that they got their return on investment because the host became a client or the host referred somebody to work with them. This is at its core and networking strategy. Like you're getting visibility, you're speaking.

But the most valuable thing that comes out of podcast casting for me and so many of my clients is the relationship with the host. It's the opportunity to network with you, Jeff Roe. It's the opportunity to get to know you and your business and your audience. Like it is that one-on-one conversation. You know, you have lists, like you're on a podcast and then you do a really great job. You give a great offer. And then the host stops recording. And then there's a little conversation that happens after the recording. A lot of times business opportunities come from that conversation.

Jeffro (07:04.916)
Yeah, and I've gotten to meet people that I would never have gotten to meet without hosting a podcast, which is great.

Jessica Rhodes (07:10.848)
Exactly. Exactly. And a lot of podcasts hosts, they're extroverts. They have a show and then they're also organizing summits or they're organizing conferences or events. Like I was just interviewed for somebody's summit who she had me on her podcast last year. And she's like, I loved our interview. I'm doing a summit. And she looks at who she had on her podcast because she knows she's already interviewed them. So she knows who would be a good speaker, what topics, who she really vibed with. So it is a really great way to get connected with other business opportunities.

Jeffro (07:17.066)
Mm-hmm.

Jeffro (07:37.619)
Yeah, and I can attest to that too. Basically same scenario. I was on another podcast and now she's coming back. She does an event. She's got one in April. Asked me to come be a speaker. So it works. Yeah. So I mean, I'm glad you mentioned the post-interview networking, because I was going to ask about that, because it's kind of the hidden goldmine. Can you share a little bit about what's the strategy for having that conversation so it's not either awkward or forced? you're like, thanks for having me on the show.

Jessica Rhodes (07:48.622)
That's amazing. Yes, it really does.

Jessica Rhodes (08:06.242)
Yeah.

Jeffro (08:07.347)
By the way, send me all your people that need my stuff, you know? How do you do that?

Jessica Rhodes (08:11.374)
Absolutely, no, it's definitely, you need to be able to read the room and you never wanna be pushing for it. So I always share about how the relationship with the host can lead to business, but you never wanna push for it because like a forced, like a forced relationship is like, people don't like that, right? So there's the green room chat at the beginning, that's really where the seeds can be planted. So before the interview starts, before the recording starts,

you can ask them some questions, like, me about your show, like, who's your target audience? Learn a little bit about the host and their business, what they want to get out of it, and then have a great interview, share really great stories, and then in the green room chat afterwards, I like personally to let the host kind of lead it, like, I'm in their house, I want them to kind of lead it. So be open to, it's kind of like a mindset thing and an energetic thing, like be open to receiving, be open to whatever they might say, because if they stop the recording and they're thinking about,

talking to you about like maybe how they could work with you, but you're like, okay, bye, thanks so much. Then you've just shut the door. Like you haven't let that be open. So when the recording stops, like my biggest advice is just to relax, like stick around, know, just be there to see how the host wants to take it. And not every podcast interview that you do is gonna be, I like to joke and say, it's not a love connection. Not every podcast interview is like this connection that's gonna lead to something amazing. You know, I've had interviews where the host and I like, it was a good interview, but it just, yeah, we'll see.

Jeffro (09:09.854)
Yeah.

Jessica Rhodes (09:35.958)
And then there's interviews where there's just like an immediate connection. You're like, my gosh, like we just vibe so well. And you just have to be open to exploring, you know, all those different dynamics.

Jeffro (09:47.282)
Yeah, and give yourself a plan ahead so that you have the time, you're not feeling rushed after the end. Because I definitely have had guests on who, as soon as we're done, they're like, wow, thanks, that was great. And they're like, bye. And they're like, sign out immediately. Or like, OK, thanks for coming. It's just kind of awkward. But I do try to connect on LinkedIn, or at least follow up to thank them for being there, and just make sure that that relationship is alive.

Jessica Rhodes (10:02.861)
Yeah.

Jessica Rhodes (10:13.014)
Yeah, and one tip that I also give is to post about the show that you're on the day of the recording. Like I was on a podcast this morning and afterwards Riverside, who I see you used to like, it'll give you some screenshots of the interview. And then, so I downloaded one of those pictures and then I uploaded it to LinkedIn and I was like, I tagged the host, like things around me on the show. And so there's little things that you can do to stay connected with that host. If you have your own podcast or even social media,

there was a good vibe, you could invite that host to be on your platform. So there's just different ways that you could see like, how could we do more together? And again, don't force it. Like, you don't have to do something after every interview, but just look for ways to keep that relationship going if it does seem like there's alignment.

Jeffro (11:00.51)
Yeah, and I think for a lot of business owners, you know, generating these warm qualified leads through a podcast guesting strategy sounds like a fantastic way to grow a business because it is natural, it is networking. But I think it would be helpful if you could walk us through the process of then nurturing those leads post interview to make sure that some people do convert into paying customers.

Jessica Rhodes (11:16.748)
Yes.

Yes, I love that you asked this because this also, I wanted to make sure we really shared with your audience that this is a way to have a strong organic marketing strategy. you know, I know you do episodes about like Google ads and, you know, different types of digital marketing and digital advertising, but if you're not effectively nurturing your leads, there's going to be a lot of leads that convert, but then drop off. And so after

people convert onto your email list, they book a call or they opt into your list, you do wanna have some type of way to stay in touch with them. So I always ask for a phone number as well because we do SMS marketing and I know that the open rate of like, know, who reads their texts and opens their texts is so much higher than who's, you know, the number of people opening an email. So find ways to keep engaged. If you send people, for example, to your LinkedIn, like some people wanna just say connect with me on LinkedIn.

Make sure that it seems so simple, but I have to say like, accept your LinkedIn connection requests. I was guiding a client to, know, we thought, oh, okay, connecting on LinkedIn would be a good strategy for her. And she shared her screen. I'm like, you haven't accepted any LinkedIn requests in so long. Like you're going to, there's people just hanging out there. So, you know, know who your leads are, know how you're capturing them and then stay in touch with them. You can also, you know, when you're getting leads from other sources, like paid ads,

Use your podcast appearances to nurture your existing leads. Like let's say you convert a lead, hopefully multiple leads from Google ads, and maybe they're kind of cool. Like we run Google ads and YouTube ads, and so we get these like active buyers, people looking for our service, but they just found us through an ad. So the trust is kind of low. They're kind of cold, they're qualified, but they're like, I don't know you guys yet.

Jessica Rhodes (13:05.464)
But if I say, listen to this podcast appearance, now all of sudden they know me. They see me as somebody who's out there as an authority, not just somebody who's running ads, trying to like get them to buy what I have, you know? You wanna build that trust with your audience and podcast appearances are really great way to do that.

Jeffro (13:21.03)
How often do you send those emails when you're nurturing? Is it more frequently at first or is it just spaced out?

Jessica Rhodes (13:27.598)
So I email a lot. I'm a pretty frequent email sender. yeah, so I mean, I think you have to kind of read the room with your actual audience, but I send like a few emails a week and then sometimes I'll like kind of rest to the list and give people some space. If we're promoting something, I'll email a lot. It just kind of depends.

Jeffro (13:35.324)
Mm-hmm.

Jessica Rhodes (13:54.978)
That's kind of how I go. know that some entrepreneurs and marketers are like, they have a very clear like schedule. I don't have like a pre-written nurture sequence. I write everything kind of live and then send it like within a day of writing it. That's kind of how, like that's my content style.

Jeffro (14:12.613)
What does that apply to the text as well?

Jessica Rhodes (14:15.264)
Yeah, pretty much. I don't really, yeah, I don't have any like pre written like batch produced content. I pretty much am like responding to what's going on. And I, I mean, I'm sure there's other people that are like, yeah, you have to like pre write a nurture sequence. And I'm not saying that's not a good idea. I just like, when I'm inspired to write something and send something, I just want to get it out.

Jeffro (14:16.901)
Okay.

Jeffro (14:36.604)
Right, now that makes sense. I can see the benefits of both or even a hybrid strategy like, you have some regular ones scheduled that you're constantly reviewing. You go back periodically and be like, okay, this is kind of outdated now. Maybe I need to rewrite this or blah, blah.

Jessica Rhodes (14:48.694)
Yeah, yes. And it's probably also because I'm the founder and I do all my own marketing. think as you grow a marketing team, that just fly by the city or pants like doesn't really fly. I'm fully, I'm self-aware about that.

Jeffro (14:57.454)
Yeah. Okay, good. I'm also curious, what's the opt out rate of the SMS messages? Because I know there's definitely people that just stay subscribed because they're lazy. If it's too much effort to type stop, I don't know.

Jessica Rhodes (15:10.582)
Yeah

I don't know what it is off the top of my head. It's pretty, I feel like it's pretty low, like maybe one to 3%. It's not that high. Yeah. Same thing with the, yeah, with the unsubscribed rate of emails. It's pretty low and then yeah, it's worth it. And then we're constantly adding people to the list too. So yeah.

Jeffro (15:19.045)
Okay.

Jeffro (15:29.371)
What do you use for your platform? I know there's a lot of options. HubSpot, okay.

Jessica Rhodes (15:33.4)
Yeah, I use HubSpot. So I use HubSpot for email, CRM, all of the things. And then we use a software called AloeWare, A-L-O-W-A-E-R, wait, A-R-E, AloeWare. It's like, why am I spelling it? It's pretty straightforward. And so we use AloeWare for texting and I love it because it integrates with HubSpot. like all the, you you can see everything. And then we also use that for dialing. So I have a salesperson that will dial our list and it's really great for that too.

Jeffro (16:02.875)
Okay, makes sense. Can you walk us through kind of a success story where a client's business was significantly transformed through podcast guesting?

Jessica Rhodes (16:11.976)
Yes, absolutely. So let me think about who I want to share about. Our client, Jonathan Porter-Wissman comes to mind. He is a serial entrepreneur. He has an AI. He has a couple of AI companies, like AI software for recruiting and the home services business. And so we got him on a whole bunch of podcasts in his target market of plumbing and HVAC and all these home service companies.

and his business totally blew up. I interviewed him to do like a case study style, like how did this all work for you? And I will tell you, he kind of broke some of my rules, but they worked for him, which is why I always say it's not one size fits all and feel free to prove me wrong. But for his call to action, he would, you know, do a great interview and just tell people like, you can Google me, cause he has a bunch of stuff, he has a bunch of businesses, he has a book. So it worked for him to just say, Google me. Cause when people heard him, they went to kind of wherever they were called to go.

He got a lot of leads and clients and then he had somebody in the audience of one of the shows had known him before. They hadn't talked in years, but it's like a former client type of thing. And then they reconnected because he heard him on the podcast and he invested over six figures in one of his companies. And he had multiple podcast hosts book him to speak and connect them with other CEOs. So that was one of those just like, wow, it all popped off.

Jeffro (17:28.164)
Nice. What kind of podcast did you put him on though? Because when you come and say, I'm a plumber, I want to be on podcasts, I don't think of homeowners sitting around listening to plumbing podcasts, obviously. So how do do that?

Jessica Rhodes (17:32.46)
Yeah.

Jessica Rhodes (17:41.024)
Yeah, well, he was on a plumber. So I wanted to distinct that, that, know, yeah. But yes, there are a lot of business podcasts for plumbers and for HVAC companies. So we booked him on like mid tier podcasts that were, you know, hosted by business owners like you and I who have a really specific focus. So these were small to mid tier. They weren't huge podcasts by any stretch of the imagination. And he,

Jeffro (17:44.643)
Well, sure, sorry. Just an example.

Jeffro (17:52.44)
Right.

Jessica Rhodes (18:08.48)
One of the things I like about him as a client is he really made the most of every podcast he was on, even a show. Cause when you're going on mid-tier podcasts, especially by business owners, like you're an awesome host, Jeff Roe, but like some hosts are better than others, right? Some hosts are kind of fumbling or maybe not the best interviewer. and he just saw that as an opportunity to like sharpen his skills as a guest. And that's how I look at it too. Like if a host isn't the best interviewer, I'm like, that's an opportunity for me to like,

bring a lot of value into the conversation.

Jeffro (18:37.645)
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And yeah, just not taking anything for granted. You never know. Afterwards, they might decide to introduce you to someone like, okay, even if they weren't a good host, right?

Jessica Rhodes (18:42.317)
Yeah.

Jessica Rhodes (18:47.854)
Exactly. Right, I know that's what I tell people. I'm like, these are business owners. They have clients. have experience. Like you never know who they know because the thing about podcasting is it's open for everyone, which means most podcasters never went to school to learn how to be a broadcast journalist. So.

Jeffro (18:59.544)
Mm-hmm.

Jeffro (19:04.418)
Yeah. Yeah. And I'm also curious, what did you, do you have him do the lead magnet strategy at all? Or was it pure networking?

Jessica Rhodes (19:12.608)
It's really our, you know, we advise our clients to have a call to action. We give them the best practices, but ultimately it's up to them to decide what makes the most sense for their business, which I like to run my business that way where I give you the best practices, but it's your responsibility to implement the aspect of the strategy that you think makes the most sense for your audience.

Jeffro (19:32.536)
Okay, makes sense. A little bit of responsibility there. Can't just put it all on you. All right, because you're not gonna be the one on the show for them, obviously.

Jessica Rhodes (19:35.854)
Yes, exactly.

Yeah. Yeah. And that's why I think that's an important note too, cause some people want this guarantee. know, am I going to absolutely get sales? Am I going to get, I think this is perfect for all marketers, all of your guests and audience members who do marketing. And when clients want that guarantee ROI, it's a two way street. You know, do you have a service that people actually need? Do you have a price point or do you do effective sales calls? Like the visibility in the marketing is one thing, but it's actually the conversion and the sales and the service delivery that plays a huge role.

Jeffro (19:52.279)
Mm-hmm.

Jeffro (20:10.24)
Yeah, and that makes sense. Do you think this is gonna kind of continue? mean, podcasting now has been around for a decent amount of time and for a while, a lot of new podcasts were getting started. That's kind of tapered off a little bit, but what trends do you foresee in podcast guesting and do we need to be aware of that or change what we're doing?

Jessica Rhodes (20:18.274)
Yeah.

Jessica Rhodes (20:28.822)
Listen, it is not slowing down anytime soon. Ever since 2013 when I started, more and more people have been listening to podcasts. Consumership is way, way up. It's just become so mainstream. One thing I mentioned on the show I was on this morning that I just read that even the White House press room is opening up for podcasters, for new media outlets. really is becoming, podcasts as a medium are becoming

just, I mean, I won't say just as, but they're getting to the point where they're just as respected as a media outlet to a traditional like talk radio show. I see podcasts moving way more into video, which case in point, we're here on video, but podcasters with a bigger budget are building out studios, you know, with the chairs right next to each other, like in person is becoming way more prevalent. It's a little bit of a barrier to entry for.

a lot of podcasters because you know when you need people in person guests are flying out there's a lot more expenses there but I do think that that is where the the industry is going ultimately.

Jeffro (21:32.888)
Yeah, and I think the smaller podcasters benefit from those larger ones kind of growing these audiences and kind of getting this more normalized essentially. And so in your Spotify feed or your Apple feed, you don't know which one is which, right? If it's

Jessica Rhodes (21:36.748)
Yes.

Jessica Rhodes (21:45.75)
Exactly. Yeah, totally. I mean, I'll tell you too, because even the very niche podcast, you don't need to have a huge budget big show for it to be effective because people are seeking out really niche content. You know what I mean? They're looking for information. I'll give you a personal example. We're getting my daughter diagnosed for ADHD and I found a parenting podcast for parents of ADHD kids. That is a very small, it's hosted by an ADHD parent coach.

don't care if that's a big show. It has the content that is relevant to me and a very specific question that I have. And so that is the value of podcasts. It speaks to a very specific, my brother points it out. He's like, pod, a pod of people versus broad. I'm like, yeah, I never thought about it that way, but it's true. Exactly.

Jeffro (22:19.148)
Right.

Jeffro (22:30.923)
Hahaha

It's like someone thought about the name. Interesting.

All right. Well, Jessica, this was a fun look into the world of podcast guesting. I really appreciate you being here today, sharing your thoughts. Like I said, this is the first time we really kind of got to dive into this. So for those of you listening at home, Jessica's links will be in the show notes, including she has a free prep checklist for those of you who are getting started with podcast guesting. So go download that and you'll be ready for when you start going on shows. One last question for you, Jessica, for someone who is new to podcast guesting, do you have one piece of advice that you wish you had received when you first started going on podcasts?

Jessica Rhodes (23:07.978)
Yes, stick with it long-term. It is not a strategy that pays off overnight. You really do want to stick it with it long-term. Consistency is everything.

Jeffro (23:16.715)
Yeah, agree with that. It's true. Well, thanks again, Jessica, for being here. Thanks to all you guys for listening. If you found this episode helpful, please leave a review on iTunes or Spotify. Now go get yourself on some podcasts and we'll see you back here soon. Take care.

Jessica Rhodes (23:19.529)
Hahaha