What to Do After Guesting on a Podcast to Get More Referrals and Clients | Sam Brake Guia

Most people think landing the podcast guest interview is the win. It's not. If your podcast guest appearances end with a thank-you email and a social media post, that's exactly why they never lead to more clients, referrals, or repeat invitations.

In this episode, Sam Brake Guia is back to share the follow-up strategies that turn a single guest appearance into repeat invites, referral partners, and long-term business relationships. You'll learn how to stay top of mind with podcast hosts and the simple habits that transform one interview into a network of future collaborators.

If you want a practical roadmap for turning every guest interview into the start of your next opportunity, hit play and let's dive in.

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3:44 – What Great Podcast Guests Never Do After the Interview

8:13 – Why Most Podcast Guest Appearances Produce Zero ROI (and How to Fix It)

11:01 – Why Your Next Guest Appearance Might Come From Your Last One

12:48 – Why Podcast Guesting Rewards Patience

14:33 – The Follow-Up Strategy That Turns Hosts Into Referral Partners

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Episode Links:

Meet Sam Brake Guia: PodWritten.com | LinkedIn

Listen to Sam’s Podcast: Mics to Millions 

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Other Episodes You'll Love:

What Top Hosts Look For Before They Say Yes to Your Guest Pitch

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Most people think that landing the podcast guest interview is the win, but it's not. And if your podcast guest appearances have ended with a thank you email and maybe a social media post, that's exactly why they've never led to more clients, referrals, or repeat invitations. And that is why I invited Sam Brake back to show you his follow-up strategy that will help you turn a single guest appearance into a network of referral partners and long-term business relationships. So if you like podcast guesting, but you want more RY from those guest appearances, this one's for you. Welcome to Insider Secrets to a Top 100 podcast. I'm your host, Courtney Elmer. Let's make your podcast binge-worthy. We are back in the studio with the amazingly talented Sam Breakier, the host of Mike to Millions, the co-founder of Podwritten, and just an incredibly knowledgeable, passionate person about podcasting. Sam, welcome back. I'm so glad we didn't scare you off and that you're here to hang out with us some more.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Hey, I I'm I will come back as many times as you invite me, honestly.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

I would love to have you. Well, you were just a wealth of knowledge on podcasting and particularly from the guesting side. And in the episode right before this one, we talked about some of the top things that after sending over 2,000 pitches to help land your clients on top podcasts that you know now for a fact that top hosts look for when they get pitches from potential guests and some of the takeaways that you've learned from there. And as far as how can we get more out-of-the-guest interviews that we are doing and helping to fix some of those common mistakes that people make when guesting that causes them to get zero ROI from their guest appearances. And so something that you have spoken about that I really am wanting to dig into and learn more because I do a terrible job of this. So this is myself wanting to learn from you as much as I know all of our listeners here are wanting to learn this too, is what to do with all the connections that you make from podcast guesting. You know, most people do the interview, maybe they share it on social media, and that's it. What are they missing out on when they let the relationship end when the interview ends?

SPEAKER_01 2:05

So, number one, I would say if you are active on social media, specifically Instagram, go for an Instagram live as the natural next step. And what that would look like is you say, let's continue the same conversation we had. Maybe we do a different topic, maybe it's the same thing. Because you know, not all Instagram users are podcast listeners, so you might be able to tap into a different audience with the same conversation, get creative with it. I'm sure you've got things to talk about. We actually did this with one client, she had a fantastic, fantastic conversation with um a show called the Luke Mindpower Podcast, and the client was Anna Ray. She went on to do multiple Instagram lives with him, and he has a social media following of more than three million. I think he's got 800,000 Instagram followers, and within one hour her following went up by 5% uh on social media, and that is an example of just how well this goes if you do have that connection, you know. Not every host you're gonna gel with. I know that uh Courtney, you're someone that I'm uh excited about collaborating with in the future. You're definitely one of those people, but like sometimes you might get on a show and it's just it's not like that. You're not you don't have that kind of like I like this person energy. It's just like you know what, this is a one and done thing, and I think it's important to recognize that because you don't always you don't want things to feel force. People can pick up when you're not being genuine. So I think just find those connections and when you do find them, hold on to them. Suggest the Instagram live, absolutely go for that. Another thing that you can do is ask if they are looking for anyone for their show, certainly if you're podcasters.

What Great Podcast Guests Never Do After the Interview

SPEAKER_01 3:44

One of the things that I always like to offer my guests is just to say, like, hey, if you do go and you look back through some of my past episodes and you see any guests that you like or you would like to connect with, just let me know and I'll connect you. I'll at least reach out. And I always say to every host that I speak to, every guest that I have on Mike's to Millions, to ask them, like, is there anyone in your network who you feel would be a good fit for this show? And a lot of the time, them connecting me with someone strengthens our relationship. Even though they're connecting me with someone valuable, I usually go back and I'll thank them and be like, hey, thank you for connecting me with that guest because it turned out to be a great episode. And you know, psychologically speaking, that makes them feel valuable, that makes them feel like they've done something really like worth that being thanked for. And I'm not doing it for the sake of like I want to give them a reason to feel happy about that specifically. I'm doing it because A, I want great guests in my show. I'm speaking with great people with fantastic networks. So I will I get the benefit of that, and they also get the benefit of like connecting, and it works vice versa. Like, hey, if there's someone in my network, let me connect you. I know lots of people, uh, I'm happy to do that. Another thing as well is just thinking about people. It might be strange, but seriously, I was listening to this show the other day, and it said, engineers make great entrepreneurs. I have a podcast friend who is an engineer, now working in the health and wellness space, and I'm gonna shoot a message. This is a reminder, good reminder, being like, Hey, I listened to this show and it reminded me of you. Like, you're an entrepreneur, you're an engineer, keep up the good work. And it's it's just small stuff like that. Another thing, if you do blogs, um, that can be fantastic because you could collect a ton of guests that you've had on or a ton of hosts that you've spoken with and be like top women in the health and wellness space who are pioneering the conversation around menopause, for example. And if you make a listicle like that, then that is going to just really put a spotlight on them, bring them more like visibility, and we know that it works well for AI search. So just those sorts of things as well. One thing that I always do with all the people that I connect with when I do pitch someone, I will offer to share the MP3 of our recording when they guest on my show and say, Hey, you can use this as a bonus episode if you like. And we find that a lot of people will use that to take a week off where they'll be like, you know what? This week I'm gonna share an interview that I did on Sam's podcast, and then I'm getting free promotion on their channel. So that works two ways. Also, in the past, I've pitched my episodes to outlets like Pod News is an example. I've been featured on Pod News many times for Mike's Millions and Podwritten, and sometimes those are guest interviews. So the guest is also getting interviewed, and those are just a few of the ways that I really try and add value beyond once the episode goes live. And don't forget this you don't just have the opportunity to share an episode when it goes live. You can share it a year later, six months later, you can share it whenever you want, anytime you want. As long as it's evergreen content is still just as valuable.

SPEAKER_00 6:54

Wow, these are great ideas and also just the cross-pollination of your audience with that other person's audience. It's so funny because thinking back to the earlier days of my business, one of the things that I have done to grow my audience is by borrowing other people's audiences. And it's something now that I have grown an audience that I don't do as much. And so I am very guilty of going on a podcast interview and then they say, Hey, it's live. And I'm like, great, I might share it out, and then that's it. And so I need it, this is a reminder for me, Sam, that I need to do a better job of this too. Really, really leaning into the long game of podcasting. And this is one of those things that people tend to resist because it's like, well, I want results from this yesterday. I know it's a long game, but I still want results yesterday. And so I'm curious for someone who might be listening to this and go, okay, this sounds cool, but it also sounds like a lot of work. What really is the return for me? Is there a particular ROI that I can expect? Or, you know, what's the point of doing this? Essentially, in so many words, what advice would you give them?

SPEAKER_01 7:51

Well, I would just say, how long do you see yourself doing this for? Because if you have a retreat next month that's coming up, I I would not suggest podcast guesting. Like go pay for ads or do something along those lines. Because podcast guesting is and uh getting featured on podcasts is not something that's going

Why Most Podcast Guest Appearances Produce Zero ROI (and How to Fix It)

SPEAKER_01 8:13

to bring you to your goals next week. But if you're someone that is invested in what you're doing, you see yourself in this line of work, running your business for the next five years, then it's going to be incredibly valuable. And the best time to get started is now. The best time to take action is now. So I would say that yes, it might seem like an investment of time and energy. And I know sending out pitches, high-quality pictures, does take a lot of time and a lot of energy to make sure that they are good and it's done well. So you can find the time in your day to do it, even if you just take carve out an hour, absolutely. Alternatively, you can hire a company like ours to do it, but it's worth it in the sense that you will develop those connections, you will create that content, you will reach those audiences, you will improve your speaking skills, and you will have so many more opportunities to grow your business in ways that you never could have imagined. So absolutely, like if you are invested in your business, if you have a long-term vision for what you want to achieve, then those are the entrepreneurs and podcasters who it's really going to benefit.

SPEAKER_00 9:28

I can vouch for this because with my podcast, there are so many people that I have met who I would have never met had I not had my podcast. And so many of those people who have become a guest on my show and then become a friend, a longer-term friend and colleague in the space where it wasn't just the one interview that we might have done together on the show, but it did turn into collaborations down the road. It turned into really interesting partnerships. And none of that would have been possible without, as you say, putting in the time, doing the reps, putting in the effort, and really just knowing that you got to be patient. It's going to take some time. And I think that is very important to acknowledge because so many of us want a result right away. We're instant gratification type of people, all the social media apps, you know, that we that just trigger all those neurochemicals in our brain to say, like, oh, are there more notifications? I want notifications. I put out a post. I want likes immediately. I want comments immediately. I want a million views. And we live in this very instant gratification type of world. Podcasting is not an instant gratification game, but it is one of the most gratifying games that I feel like we can play in the creator space because of the depth that we're able to create with our relationships. Which actually, this is something that popped to my mind as we're chatting here about what about the connections that from shows you've guested on maybe a year ago or more. Is that old news and not worth rekindling or is that low-hanging fruit?

SPEAKER_01 10:48

No, you can absolutely um use that again. Uh, I gave an example previously, Zach Brittle. He's someone who's been working with us for a while. And he has a book coming out in April next year, April 2027.

Why Your Next Guest Appearance Might Come From Your Last One

SPEAKER_01 11:01

So that's still a while away. And the shows that we're lining him up for now are going to be incredibly fruitful when his book comes out because we can be like, hey, do you want to have him on as a repeat guest? And we've done this before. Dr. Maria Sophocles, she this year reached out, oh, she this year launched her book, The Bedroom Gap, and she came to us a year before, and we got her booked within the first six months on a ton of shows, and then in the second six months, we got her booked on those shows again. Uh, so I know there's not that same space, but certainly with Zach, for example, where he came to us two years before his book launch, we can absolutely do that, and that's something that we always focus on. You can be repeat guests, you can collaborate again. And another thing that I like to do, and I'm definitely gonna be I'm adding you to my collection of uh contacts for this, but I like to sometimes just ask podcast experts, podcast marketing experts. Lauren Passell is on my list as well, and I'll just reach out to people and be like, I did one previously actually. I was like, to what extent do ratings and reviews actually grow your podcast? And I'll just be like, Can you record yourself with a short clip uh just telling me your opinion on this subject? And that's something that I really enjoy doing with those that I'm close to. So you might even find that you have people you've connected with previously, and you can reach back out and say, like, hey, I'm putting this episode together where I'm collecting the opinions of people I really value on this subject, and I'd love it if you could just share a quick clip and I'll just edit into the episode. So I think just showing people that you you remember them, you value their opinion, you want to work with them again, you want to give them value and you want to make it a win-win situation. And as long as you're always keeping that top of mind, then I think that's it's gonna work out really well.

Why Podcast Guesting Rewards Patience

SPEAKER_00 12:48

Yeah, and the big thing to underscore there is for the clients that reached out to you, a year ahead of time or two years ahead of time. If you got a book launching next month, it's okay, launch the book and then go on your podcast guesting tour. But this is the long game that we're talking about here, that this kind of stuff takes time. And yet, this is one of those things that I feel like, Sam, is it's it's the small actions that you don't see that one day compound. And then all of a sudden, this person seems like they're everywhere. Next thing you know, it's like they've got all these guest appearances and they've got media appearances and they're writing articles different places, and their book is at the top of the bestsellers list. And there's just things that are happening for them in their business that they've become very prolific. But it's all these little reps along the way that, you know, for years people didn't even notice were happening behind the scenes of the work that they were putting in to now suddenly be an overnight success. And it's interesting too, because I saw a stat recently from Fame, which is a B2B podcasting agency who, and I quote, said 80% of B2B podcasts generate zero leads because they treat episodes like content instead of conversion opportunities. And then they went on to say that 90% of B2B podcasts generate zero attributable revenue because they optimize for downloads instead of conversions. But then they went on to say that companies who professionalize their podcast operations see average deal sizes increase by 40% as relationship depth improves. And like that's the key phrase right there. Like we all know the age-old metaphor of like, well, you're never gonna marry someone after the first date. At least I hope you wouldn't. But it takes time to build these relationships. So, Sam, for someone listening right now who let's say they've just finished a guest interview, you know, I just interviewed on your show. What

The Follow-Up Strategy That Turns Hosts Into Referral Partners

SPEAKER_00 14:33

advice would you give to me then to make the most of that interview in terms of the conversation that we're having here? Is there a a one next step or a couple of next steps that you would recommend that I take after that interview in order to capitalize on that relationship?

SPEAKER_01 14:46

Okay, yeah. Well, first of all, definitely send a follow-up. I send a follow-up to everyone. I mean, most of the time I end up like chatting about what we're gonna do next in the call and what we're gonna do next, like I mentioned there, I will ask them if they have anyone that they can recommend, if there's anyone that they think would be a good fit for my show. Also, I'm for a long time I was too nervous to ask this because I felt pushy. But sometimes when I connect with people, I'll just be like at the end, like, is there anyone in your network who is interested in being a guest who might be interested in our services? And lots of people say, like, yeah, actually, I I do have someone, EJ and Tara Kerwin, they were guests on my show, and I just like asked them this, and they were like, Yeah, we actually would like to explore that, and they've been with us for almost two years now, or at least a year and a half minimum. And that's something which for a long time I was a bit nervous about asking. I had this hesitancy of like, are people just going to think that I'm pushy? Are people going to think that I'm like salesy? And I have this kind of real fear of coming across that way. But I realized if you don't ask, then no one else is gonna maybe like potentially ask for you or even bring up the conversation. Saying what you want to say, but doing it in a way that shows that your authenticity and always trying to give value back. And it's something where I think if you, for example, you've been on someone's show, put it on your page as part of your press. Because people like to see, like, hey, that like that's exposure for them. Maybe strike up an affiliate relationship, maybe afterwards be like, I really trust you and your services. You're someone that's I can recommend to my audience, and I think that we could strike up something really good here, especially because my offer doesn't conflict with your offer. Let's set up an affiliate program. So I suppose just always thinking about like in what ways can we work together. And like I mentioned, if you see something come up naturally, go for it. But uh you also don't need to force it. Like I would say it's okay if a year goes by and you don't connect with them because I think the most important thing is like I said, authenticity, because people can tell when you're you're kind of being pushy or just out to make a relationship for the your own self-benefit. So it's okay if you don't necessarily have some contact for some time, but just make sure that when you do speak with them, it's memorable, it's valuable, it's authentic, it's genuine. I think that's the most important factor to remember.

SPEAKER_00 17:30

Yeah, and I agree that remembering that this is a long game, this is not something that you can just artificially speed up the process. If you're in podcasting, be in podcasting, be committed to this, be patient, know that. And I explained this to a client recently who was like, you know, I feel like my downloads haven't increased. You know, I'm like, okay, first of all, you know you've worked with me long enough that we're not just gonna look at downloads, we're gonna look at all these other aspects of the podcast. We're gonna look at the true health of your podcast from these levers and these metrics and these angles because downloads are not gonna tell us the full story. I said, but at the same time, I can understand that you feel like you're putting in a lot of work and you're not really reaping the return yet because she was in a season in her business where her business had really taken off. She was speaking on stages, she was doing lots of different things outside of her podcast. So her podcast had taken a bit of a back seat. She was consistent with the content, but she wasn't putting as much energy into the marketing of the show. And I said, Can this just be a season where you're okay with that? Can you just accept that? Can you just say, all right, you know what? I'm in this podcasting game and I'm gonna have fun with it. And I'm gonna reach out and I'm gonna nurture those connections with the people that I really do feel connected to. And I'm not gonna overthink this, and I'm gonna enjoy the aspects of this that I enjoy, and I'm just gonna do it because I love it. And Sam, you've reminded us of that today. And I think that that is a really great note to end on here because podcasting is a long game. It is going to stretch your patience, but it is certainly rewarding. So thank you for being here. Thank you for teaching us how to get more out of our guest interviews and out of what happens after the interview. I so appreciate you and the work that you're doing in this space.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

Thank you so much. Once again, thank you for having me here. It's uh yeah, it's such a joy.

SPEAKER_00 19:08

And if this was helpful for you and you enjoy learning from Sam, go follow his show and let him know. You can find it anywhere you listen to podcasts. Just type in Mike's to Millions and hit the follow button. And then stay right where you are. Because after launching more than 70 top 100 podcasts and helping hundreds of serious podcasters optimize their show's performance, I found that podcast performance is not driven by better tactics. And it is not driven by better strategies. It is driven by one thing, and that is making better decisions. And better decisions start with understanding your listeners' psychology. So in the next episode, we're gonna go deeper than tactics or strategy to look at the psychology behind how humans, your listeners, process information. And I'm gonna hand you three frameworks that you can use inside of your episodes or during your next guest interview to make it easier for listeners to take whatever step it is that you want them to take next. All that's coming up next to help you make your podcast bingeworthy.