I remember a conversation with a founder weeks agao that broke my heart a little.

She’d spent thousands of dollars on cold email campaigns in the last quarter.

The result? Two lukewarm leads and zero closed deals.

“I just need to get in front of the right people,” she told me, frustration evident in her voice.

I nodded, because I’ve been there.

We all have.

The constant hustle to connect with dream clients. The endless cycle of outreach that feels like shouting into the void.

But here’s what I’ve learned (the hard way) since launching my podcast agency in 2015:

The best door-opener isn’t a cold email.

It’s not another webinar.

And it’s definitely not a LinkedIn DM.

It’s a podcast.

"No duh, Harry", is what you're thinking, but hear me out.

When you invite someone to be a guest on your podcast, you’re not asking for their time – you’re offering them a platform.

You’re saying, “I value your expertise enough to share it with my audience.”

That’s powerful.

And it works.

I’ve watched founders use this exact strategy to land conversations with prospects who ignored their emails for months.

But the magic doesn’t stop with the interview.

One well-produced episode becomes a content machine that keeps giving:

• LinkedIn posts that showcase your guest’s brilliance

• Email newsletters that highlight key insights

• YouTube clips that capture powerful moments

• Blog articles that expand on valuable ideas

• Social snippets for every platform your audience uses

That’s weeks of content from a single hour of recording.

This isn’t theory – it’s a proven playbook I’ve seen work time and again.

The key is starting with clarity:

- Who do you want to talk to?

- What topics truly matter to your audience?

- What unique perspective can you bring?

Then, invest in quality. Bad audio kills trust faster than a suspicious email address.

Make every guest count by treating each episode as a relationship builder, not a sales pitch.

And please, please repurpose everything. That gold mine of content shouldn’t stay buried in a single audio file.

The founders who wait for “the perfect time” to start a podcast are the same ones still complaining about cold email response rates a year from now.

The best time to start was yesterday.

The second best time is today.

What conversation could you start tomorrow if you had a podcast to invite someone to?

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With gratitude,

Harry ‘Content Machine’ Duran

P.S. When you’re ready to transform your outreach from cold calls to warm conversations, here’s how I can help: