Make It Visible
You’re full of amazing coaching skills, ideas, and a desire to make a difference, but marketing your coaching biz isn’t your thing?
Meet Michelle, your business bestie who knows exactly how to help coaches like you get seen, get heard, and get paying clients.
No more feeling invisible. Let’s make marketing easy-peasy and magical.
Make It Visible
#215: 5 Questions Before You Say Yes To The Next Podcast Invitation
Not all visibility is created equal.
If you’ve ever wondered whether saying “yes” to a podcast guest spot is actually worth it—or felt unsure about paying to be on someone else’s platform—this episode is for you.
I’m breaking down 5 must-ask questions before applying to be on any show… because real visibility isn’t just about being everywhere.
It’s about showing up in the right rooms with the right message for the right audience.
Plus—I’m sharing the backstory of two coaches from our community who recently got podcast guest invites (and weren’t sure whether to say yes), and I’ll also be giving you a sneak peek into my brand-new membership for coaches who want to get seen and paid as speakers.
Whether you’re pitching yourself for podcasts, speaking gigs, or just starting to build your visibility strategy—this episode will help you stop second-guessing and start making aligned moves.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- How to decide if a podcast guest spot is actually worth your time (or money)
- The 5 questions every coach should ask before saying yes to any visibility opportunity
- Why exposure ≠ clients—and what to focus on instead
- How to finally get clear on where to show up and how to pitch yourself with confidence
💡 Mentioned in This Episode:
🎤 Speak Your Way to Clients – My monthly membership to help coaches get visible, speak confidently, and attract high-paying clients
→ Join Us here: Speak Your Way To Clients
💌 DM me “STRATEGY” on Instagram @elevatelifecoach and I’ll help you map out your visibility plan.
🔁 Share the Love:
If this episode made you pause and think differently about visibility, share it with another coach or entrepreneur who’s trying to get seen and get clients—without burning out.
And don’t forget to hit “follow” so you never miss a weekly visibility boost!
Drop me a line and share your thoughts!
Meet Your Host:
Hey there! I’m Michelle Kui—Visibility Marketing and Speaker Success Coach.
I’m the founder of Elevate LifeCoaching, where I help coaches like you build a stand-out brand, attract high-quality 5-6 figure clients, and land paid speaking gigs—all by leveraging the #1 most important asset in your business (hint: it’s not JUST social media!).
My Journey into Public Speaking & Visibility
My speaking journey started early—at 9 years old when my dad voluntold me to enter a speech contest (thanks, Dad!). Since then, I became the go-to speaker whenever someone needed a voice on short notice.
From leading corporate workshops to running training sessions, I thrived where most people froze—grabbing the mic while others sat back, hoping not to get called on.
After working with hundreds of coaches, I realized a HUGE missing piece that most entrepreneurs completely overlook—and it’s the #1 strategy top coaches use to grow their business, attract premium clients, and get booked on bigger stages.
Are you using it? If not, let’s change that. 🚀
🐦 SOCIAL STUFF:
Instagram ➔ / elevatelifecoach
Facebook ➔ / coachmichellekuei
Linkedin ➔ ...
All right besties. Visibility is not about saying yes to everything and everyone. It is about showing up with intention, knowing that where you show up, the effort that you put in is going to have a predictable and measurable return. This week, on the Make it Visible podcast, I'm answering two questions that came from our coaching community about podcast visibility. One coach asked she came across an opportunity to invite her onto a podcast but she would have to put in $199 as an investment and she was asking whether or not this is an investment that's worth spending to be on that podcast. And then another member asked she actually got an invitation to be on a podcast and the whole reason for her being on the podcast is so that she can get free practice to be on the podcast for the podcast, which I wonder. How does that work? So in this episode we're going to talk about the five essential questions that you should be asking before you say yes to any podcast invitation or pitching to any podcast. You're also going to know exactly what to watch out for when the podcast asks you to pay to be a guest and how to decide if an invitation is actually fit within your visibility strategy. So if this is something that you would like to hear more about. Grab a chair, grab your drink and let's get started. Hey coach, welcome to the Make it Visible podcast. I'm your host, michelle Kui, your visibility and speaker success coach and your soon-to-be business bestie. Visibility and speaker success coach and you'll soon to be business bestie. If you're building a coaching business and wondering how to actually get clients to notice you, hire you and say yes, without feeling like you have to glue to the screen, watching out on your social media and posting and chasing and selling all the time, you're in the right place. This podcast is your go-to space for learning how to get seen, get paid and grow a business that you can wake up and you love, without chasing, without selling and definitely without exhausting Each week. I'm giving you simple strategies to show up with confidence, speak your message and attract high-paying clients without doing all the guesswork, so that you know exactly what is your next best dream. So grab a notebook, pour yourself a favorite dream and let's make your coaching business visible.
Michelle:All right, so let's talk about podcast visibility. Recently, one of our members inside our coaching community sent me a message and asked Michelle, I got this invitation to be on a podcast, but they're asking for $199 to be a guest. Is this worth it? And, honestly, this isn't the first time I heard a question like that. A few days later, another coach reached out and said I'm being invited to be on a podcast. It's just for practice. Should I say yes, for visibility?
Michelle:So today I want to talk about the difference between exposure and intentional visibility, and how to know what is actually going to grow your business. Bestie, you're going to want to hear about this. First of all, I truly believe that visibility comes with intention, and with intention it means that before you hopping on to a podcast or saying yes to an opportunity there's opportunity everywhere especially if you're somewhat introverted and you don't like the fear or the hesitation or the anxiety that comes when turning on your camera then being on a podcast is a great way and strategy for you to grow your audience and leverage other people, for you to grow your audience and leverage other people's audience, to grow your coaching business. I always come back to these five questions before I get onto a podcast or thinking about pitching myself to that podcast show, whether it's pay or free, or just being part of the network and exchange and collaboration. These are the five questions that you want to ask before you say yes to these opportunities. Number one is who is the audience? Are you aligned with their audience type? Are they aligned with your business goals? Are they your potential clients? Are they going to be your referral partners? Are they your potential clients? Are they going to be your referral partners? Are there any cross-similarity or future collaboration that you could see?
Michelle:Who is the audience is probably the most important and number one question to ask, regardless whether you're getting invitation to a podcast or to a conference or speaking engagement. This is number one key to making sure that the effort that you're putting in is going to have a return. Question number two that I would ask all the time is what is the topic? Can you speak on this topic with confidence, with clarity, or are you just trying to stretch it just so that maybe I can talk about it this way and maybe I can spin it this way? If you're doing that, then chances are you're stretching it too far just to say yes to that opportunity. So think about what is that topic that you're so passionate to speak on and how is that going to align to the podcast that invited you to and are they matching, and that's a good sign and indication whether or not the effort that you put in is actually going to send you the traffic that you need.
Michelle:One of the struggles that I hear a lot of my coaching clients say is that sometimes they get these invitations and they're not really seeing the value of being on their podcast and they don't quite understand why being on a podcast could be a visibility strategies or marketing strategies that get you paying clients. And the answer to that is when you have the audience aligned and your topic is aligned, chances are your audience is going to. They're already raising their hand and say, oh yeah, this is a topic I like. And so think about the time where you listen to a podcast and you heard a guest speaking and you decided, oh my goodness, that guest has amazing gift and I want to go and download. So you skip that podcast and you go to that person's lead magnet or freebie or resource and you started to download that person's resource. So, similarly, you want to apply that in your own business as well.
Michelle:So the first two questions are the key to unlock a lot of these opportunities and making sure that it is the right podcast for you to be on. So what are those two questions? Who is the audience and what is the topic? The third question is very important for you to ask before you say yes is what is the host, their energy, what is their value? Because that's going to determine whether your dream client will be sitting there and say yes. They're nodding their head along the way as you're going through that interview or they're kind of like wait, michelle, why are you on that show? This is just so not you. And, believe me, I have turned down so many opportunities just because when I go and do my research it turns out I'm just not vibing with that podcast host. And usually those opportunities I would not say yes, because we have different types of energy, different values and it's just not the way I do my business. So think of your business as a brand.
Michelle:When all these opportunities show up, you want to make sure that the person that you're collaborating with or being a guest on their show there's also some alignment there in terms of the value that you both share. So oftentimes what I'll do is I would invite my guests to a call to a coffee chat to make sure that we're actually vibing together so we're not sitting during a podcast show where I have to dig and dig in order to get that person to start saying something. So that's very important and hopefully that is going to help you to decide which show that you want to be on. Question number four that I would always ask is will you allow me to bring a gift or share a freebie or talk about my offer? Right, because if you're not able to talk about what you do or what you have to offer, the service that you're providing, then you're leaving the opportunity and you're leaving the lead and you're leaving the reason or the purpose and the intention behind being on a podcast. Yes, you definitely want to be there and provide value, but at the end, or the purpose and the intention behind being on a podcast, yes, you definitely want to be there and provide value, but at the end of the day, you also have a business to run. So are you able to talk about your offer or maybe even a free lead magnet that you can share, a giveaway that you can talk about on the show? These are important and you need to start asking that question.
Michelle:Last question that I always ask before saying yes to a podcast invitation or opportunity is always coming back to my own visibility strategy. If I'm doing and promoting something else, would I want to shift my direction and suddenly, oh, I'm going to go on to the podcast show and making that as my priority. If my current priority is creating my course, or maybe my current priority is focusing on the YouTube channel, what I want to do is put down everything away and just getting into a complete different direction. You have to sit down and think about what is my yearly goal and what is my quarterly goal. What do I want to accomplish in my business this year, this quarter and at this time in order to align that visibility strategy, to determine whether or not this is the right move for you?
Michelle:The truth and the bottom line is not every microphone is meant for you. Just because you can doesn't mean that you should. Not every microphone is meant for you and you got to be strategic. If you have a business and you would like to leverage podcasts as your visibility growth to get yourself out there, put yourself out there so that more people can hear about you and know about you and you would like to speak on the topic that you're passionate about, so know that not every mic is meant for you, and when you do that, you're actually creating this brand of hey, I don't serve everybody. I'm going to show up with intention for the people who actually need my help the most, and one of the key things that I wanted to leave before we go on to the next one is that I always like to think that the way that you're going to position yourself is going to allow you to make the money that you need to run this business, which also allows you to expand that impact so that you have more ways to serve and to accommodate all those in your world, including the one who cannot afford you. Maybe there's resources that you can direct them, and so, in the sense, if you're looking at a whole picture, you're not neglecting everybody by just saying yes with intention. Everybody, by just saying yes with intention. In other words, you don't want to trade your time just for the exposure.
Michelle:There's a difference between being visible and getting clients. You can be visible and you can be visible without a plan, but you're not going to be able to create that impact. You're not going to be able to inspire someone to, hey, think about, maybe I do need to work with someone in order to achieve my goal and to get there a little faster than if I were to do it alone. Visibility is about being known for something, and it is not just about being everywhere. So the more strategic you are, surprisingly, the faster you're going to grow. So write this down. If you have a piece of paper and pen, do write this down. Visibility is about being known for something and not just being everywhere, and the more strategic you are, the faster you're going to grow. Just think about that for a minute.
Michelle:So, when I reflected all the questions that I've been getting, what I have created is a new space for coaches who are serious about their visibility. That's going to lead into paying client. I saw the need because there's a lot of you out there and you're wanting to practice your workshop. You wanted to know, like, how do I structure this presentation and how do I invite people to engage me? What are some of the activities that I need to do, and is this podcast worth being on? If I'm just looking for a place to practice, can I practice that in Toastmaster? And there's so many places that you can practice, but they don't give you the expert feedback. They don't have that support that you're going to need in order to know exactly what would be my next move that would attract my paying client to come into my world, and which is why I created a new space for coaches who are serious about their visibility and they want to do it with intention. So I created something called the Speak your Way to Clients so that you can have more practice and feedback, plus the visibility that's going to get you to grow faster in your business and also getting paying clients.
Michelle:So what's inside this speak your way to client community? It's a membership community and inside the community, we have a visibility lab where you get to submit all the things that you want to pitch. You want to create your online presence, you want to position yourself as the expert and you get the real-time, real expert feedback so that you know exactly where to show up, how to show up, what to say when you show up. We also have a monthly speaker lab where you get to practice your talk every month and you'll get the real-time feedback about what to do better in your talk, how to bring in your offer. So you get a chance to practice your presentation, put together a workshop and you have audience to be there with you. We also have Visibility Marketing Roundtable, which we meet every month so that you can strategize right. Remember, the more strategic you are, the faster you're going to grow. So you'll have an opportunity to come and meet me every month. We'll strategize together to get you in front of the right people at the right time. You don't have to wonder exactly where should I show up and if this is worth my investment, time and energy. All this is inside our community. You have two live calls with me every month and access to opportunity to growth and also connecting with other members inside the community. If you're curious and you're ready to speak your way to a client, all you have to do is just head over to my Instagram at Elevate Life Coach and just DM me. Speaker S-P-E-A-K-E-R and I will share more detail with you. So go ahead and DM me on my Instagram at Elevate Life Coach. Dm me with speaker S-P-E-A-K-E-R and I will send you all the details. So that's recap real quick.
Michelle:This episode came live because I keep getting these type of questions all the time.
Michelle:Is this worth my investment?
Michelle:Should I go and say yes to it? It really comes down to knowing what type of question to ask, and I gave you five questions that you needed to ask before you say yes to any type of invitation. Number one is who is the audience? Number two is what is the topic? Number three is is the host have that energy that you can really connect with? Is it similar to yours? Is it going to elevate your brand? Is it going to be those awkward moments where both of you are sitting on the podcast in silence? That's not a good sign, whether or not this is a good energy that you vibe with. And number four is do they allow a call to action or can you talk about your offer while you're on a show? And also the last question is this aligned with your visibility strategy?
Michelle:Again, just because you can doesn't mean that you should, and I truly believe that every visibility effort that you put in should take you somewhere. Otherwise, you're doing a lot of hustling and there's not a whole lot of return and guess what? Your confidence levels start to drop. So start showing up where your message is needed and you can make the most impact, because your next client is out there waiting for you. And again, if you'd like to join me inside the Speak your Way to Client community, just go ahead and head over to my Instagram at elevatelightcoach and DM me speaker S-P-E-A-K-E-R, and I will share the members community information with you. Welcome you in with open arms. Until next time, keep coaching, keep showing up and I will see you in the next episode.
Michelle:Okay, coach, that's a wrap for today's episode. If this got your wheels turning, helped you to see things a little differently, or maybe you're feeling like, yes, I needed this, go ahead and send it to another coach who can use this too. And hey, if you're tired of wondering where your next client is coming from and you're ready to get visible with intention, come check out my monthly membership community. Speak your Way to Clients. It's where we meet for coaching, feedback and visibility strategies so you can land more speaking gigs, grow your audience and sign more paying clients with confidence. Head over to elevatelifecoachingorg. Click on the tab community to learn more. I'm so glad you're here, my friend. Keep showing up, keep sharing your message and I will see you in the next episode.
