Get Heard, Get Clients: Podcast Guesting for One Person Businesses

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Have you ever wondered how to get in front of the right audience without constantly chasing leads?

In this episode, Christina Lenkowski shares how solopreneurs can use podcast guesting as a powerful tool to build credibility, attract clients, and grow their businesses. From pitching yourself with confidence to turning interviews into lasting opportunities, you’ll learn exactly how to make guest podcasting work for you.

Like the show? We'd love it if you'd leave a 5-star review!

Connect with Christina Lenkowski

• Visit https://www.publicityxchristina.com/

Favorite Quote About Success:

"Have the courage to suck at something new."

Episode FAQs

I don’t have a huge following. Can podcast guesting still work for me?

Absolutely. You don’t need a big audience to get results from podcast guesting, you just need the right audience. Focus on smaller, niche shows that attract your ideal clients rather than chasing big-name podcasts. Those intimate, topic-focused audiences are often more engaged and more likely to convert. Think quality over quantity.

How do I find the right podcasts to be a guest on?

Start by leveraging your network. Ask peers, clients, or your online community what shows they listen to. Then, use the Podcast Piggyback Method Christina mentioned: search for someone who shares your target audience, look up the shows they’ve been on, and explore similar ones. Tools like Apple Podcasts and ListenNotes make it easy to spot patterns and find aligned shows.

How can I measure if podcast guesting is actually helping my business?

Track results in a few simple ways:

• Add a “How did you hear about me?” question to your intake forms.
• Use a unique link or promo code when sharing your offer on shows.
• Review your growth quarterly (email list, website traffic, social followers).

   Remember, podcast guesting builds long-term trust and visibility, so results often compound over time as people hear you on multiple shows.

Being a solopreneur is awesome but it’s not easy. It's hard to get noticed. Most business advice is for bigger companies, and you're all alone...until now. LifeStarr Intro gives you free education, community, and tools to build a thriving one-person business. 

So, if you are lacking direction, having a hard time generating leads, or are having trouble keeping up with everything you have to do, or even just lonely running a company of one, click here to check out LifeStarr Intro!  

About Christina Lenkowski

Christina is a PR veteran and podcast pitch specialist who helps underrepresented entrepreneurs get visibility and bookings. With 15 years in public relations and hundreds of placements under her belt, she now focuses on getting clients booked on podcasts,  offering a guarantee: if you hire her, she’ll get you booked. She practices what s`he preaches by appearing on two podcasts a month.

Episode Transcript

Carly Ries: If you've ever wondered how to get your business in front of more people without spending every waking moment on social media, this conversation is for you. We sat down with podcast publicity pro, Christina Lenkowski, to talk about the power of podcast guesting. Why it's one of the smartest, most authentic ways solopreneurs can grow their audience and their credibility. From how to find the right shows, spoiler, a smaller niche podcast can be gold mines, to the biggest mistakes people make when pitching, Christina pulls back the curtain on everything you need to know to start landing guest spots. She also shares why your story, yes, your story, is worth telling and how being real beats being perfect every single time.

So if you're ready to step out from being the best kept secret and start showing up where your ideal clients are listening, this episode will give you the playbook. You're listening to the Aspiring Solopreneur, the podcast for anyone on the solo business journey, whether you're just toying with the idea, taking your first bold step, or have been running your own show for years and want to keep growing, refining, and thriving. I'm Carly Ries, and along with my cohost, Joe Rando, we're your guides through the crazy but awesome world of being a company of one. As part of LifeStarr, a digital hub dedicated to all things solopreneurship, we help people design businesses that align with their life's ambitions so they can work to live, not live to work. If you're looking for a get rich quick scheme, this is not the place for you.

But if you want real world insights from industry experts, lessons from the successes and stumbles of fellow solopreneurs, and practical strategies for building and sustaining a business you love, you're in the right spot. Because flying solo in business doesn't mean you're alone. No matter where you are in your journey, we've got your back. Christina, it's funny because we've talked about the topic of podcasting, like, on this show, but it's been Joe, doesn't it feel like it's been ages since we've talked about it? And I feel like the podcasting game has changed so much.

And before we dive into all of that goodness, we wanna ask you our icebreaker question, which is what do you wish you had known before becoming a solopreneur?

Christina Lenkowski: I think the thing that I really wish I would have known, if I'm being honest, is be open to the ways people are willing to give you money. And what I mean by that is I was very closed off in what I thought, it had to look like, if that makes sense. I was like, when I start a business, this is how it's gonna be different, and this is what I want it to look like. And when it didn't necessarily go my way, I kind of dug in, and it wasn't until I realized, you know, listen to what people are are saying to you about how they wanna pay you, how they wanna give you money, etcetera, and see how you can kinda blend those two things together.

Carly Ries: Are you talking from an offer standpoint or, Venmo Offer

Christina Lenkowski: from an offer standpoint, specifically. No. No. No. Not in the specifics of, like, I wanna pay you via PayPal.

Ain't like that. Wanna take all the money. I would have been like, you I would have been like, you wanna send me cash? That's fine. No.

I would have been completely completely fine. No. It was more that I was so and we can get into this, but I was so burnt out from the experience that I had had, in the kind of in the agency world, typical, world that I was like, I don't wanna do it this way. Do you know what I mean? And so then when people came to me, and they're like, yeah.

But could we, like, a little bit do it that way? I was like, no. And it wasn't until I kind of, realized, hey. There's a way to make this happen that still works for you and is still gonna give a lot of value to your clients.

You know what I mean? I was, so stuck in that, like, it has to not be this way and it has to be my way. I think I just kinda stayed in that for a little too long.

Carly Ries: Got it. Yep. All makes sense. Well, let's dive in because we're gonna get a little meta on this conversation because we're talking about podcast guesting, and you are our guest on our podcast right now.

Joe Rando: Woah. My head.

Christina Lenkowski: I know. Right? There's layers. There's layers to this. Yes.

Exactly.

Carly Ries: Guys, why Exactly. is guessing so important for solopreneurs?

And, yeah. Just for solopreneurs, let's start there.

Christina Lenkowski: Let's start here. You don't have a whole marketing team out there doing this work for you.

Right? I was also a solopreneur for many years. And so I understand that, when you're a one person shop, you don't necessarily have someone out there who's spreading the word about you. It is just you.

And so by having the opportunity to get in front of so many new potential clients and customers, etcetera, by spending one hour of your time is a really good use of that marketing time, marketing budget if if needed, you know, etcetera for solopreneurs. I'm all about, and I think all solopreneurs are, working smarter, not harder. And podcast guesting is the epitome of that. You are gonna get in front of a whole bunch of new people.

They're gonna know, like, and trust you a lot more, and you're gonna be able to get that message out further than, you probably could have imagined.

Carly Ries: Well, and so from that point, you get spread up, you get put in front of new audiences, and some big audiences as a podcast. It can be. Yep. I mean, the millions that listen to every episode of ours. Yes.

But for solopreneurs, it's kinda weird. Joe and I, shameless plug, are just about to be finished writing Solopreneur Business for Dummies. And one of the things

Christina Lenkowski: Congrats.

Carly Ries: Thank you.

One of the things in our research and talking to all the people that we have in our community is that they have a hard time actually saying what they do and getting it out into the world. There's a vulnerability with it. There's a somebody's gonna steal my idea with it. And they kinda go from they're a best kept secret. And we're like, no no.

Tell people what you do. Get your message out there. how do you help people overcome that mindset shift of keeping it to themselves and then being like, I don't know, somebody in Timbuktu could hear this episode and I will never know.

Christina Lenkowski: Yeah. What I really like to say to people, if I'm being honest, is I'll look them just dead in the eye, and I'll be like, what do you think is the worst thing that could happen? What do you really think is the worst thing that can happen by putting yourself out there on podcast. Right, by spreading that message. And people will have all kinds of different things. you just mentioned some of them. Someone steals my idea. I say the wrong thing.

People don't think I'm qualified to be up there. And I'm here to say that, yeah, I guess, maybe some of that stuff could potentially happen. But for most people, in no way is that gonna be the end of their business. Right? Is that going to be something that means they're not moving forward in their business?

I truly, truly think that the worst thing that can happen is you do not put yourself out there. People will not know about your business if you are not getting in front of new audiences. This is a huge mistake I see people make is they're just like, oh, I gotta post more on social media. I gotta be putting more out on social media. No.

No. Odds are you don't. That doesn't mean don't use social media. I'm not saying that at all. I'm just saying, though, that oftentimes isn't gonna get you in front of new audiences.

Okay? So the thing about podcast guesting is that that is gonna have the opportunity to get you out in front of more and more people. We all stutter over the things we were gonna say. We all say the wrong things sometimes. But guess what?

There are people that I know work with me and have come to work with me because they felt that I was real. Okay? And so please know that you, the realness, etcetera, is what the world wants. We are craving authenticity in our life. And so when someone comes on a show, they know what they're talking about, someone really relates to them, that is when they become clients, customers, etcetera.

Joe Rando: And those creepy AI generated videos now that you see, doesn't it make the authentic, you know, stuttering over a word just all the more endearing?

Christina Lenkowski: Exactly. That's who we are.

Joe Rando: Yeah. I just like, oh my god. It's just so much crap now. I can't even take it. And it's, so great to just see real people and hear real people.

Christina Lenkowski: You know, I asked Carly and Joe before we hopped on here. I was like, so what if I accidentally swear? Right? It's because those are real moments that happen. Like, we are in our everyday life. We're gonna say things. We're gonna do things.

Etcetera. And, of course, I'm gonna gonna try not to do that, and they would have to edit it out if need be. But just knowing that that's a real person where that real thing could happen, makes the conversation even better. We're just passionate about what we do.

So sometimes we get really excited about it. You know? But that again, people really feel that, they really hear that, etcetera.

Carly Ries: what if people are listening to this and they're like, yeah, I don't love posting on social. Maybe this is the best way to get in front of new audiences.

I'm gonna give this a shot. And they're like, I'm gonna reach out to call her daddy or whatever. And I'm gonna get on their podcast. What do you say to people that are really shooting for the moon on the shows that they should be on, but they're starting with a pretty small audience?

Christina Lenkowski: Yes. I would say that is a great goal to have, but it is not realistically the place where you should be spending your time right now. That doesn't mean that a year from now, two years from now, and beyond that that isn't going to absolutely be something that you should be pitching yourself to. But what I think makes a lot of sense is to look to your own network first. Look to the people that either you know, perhaps you're in a mastermind or a membership with, etcetera, and see if there are some opportunities there.

I will say this until I am blue in the face. I would always rather be in front of an audience of a 100 of my ideal clients than 10,000 people that don't give a rip about what it is that I have to say. I want you to remember that. My clients make so much more money on the smaller, more niched podcasts they are on and we've got our clients on some big podcasts as opposed to the bigger podcasts.

Okay? That doesn't mean that there's not value in those. That doesn't mean that at all. It just means know where strategically you should be spending your time, and that is where your ideal clients are hanging out no matter the size.

Carly Ries: Yeah. that's such a good point because, yeah. It's like if they're not gonna convert, who cares about the number?

Christina Lenkowski: Who cares? You know? Who really cares in the end? And is that more ego driven?

That's always the question that I ask when someone comes to me. because I will have people hop on Discovery calls with me just like that. Like, they've never been on A podcast. And they're like, I don't know. Maybe I could just get on, like, Joe Rogan or Oprah or something. And I'm like, yeah, no.

I mean, like, maybe down the road. you know what I mean? But the only thing that that comes to me is, a, those are the only names they know. Right? So they just kinda throw out what they know, and I understand that.

Or b, it's ego driven. They're kind of like, I think I should be on this caliber show or it's not worth me being on a show at all. And I tell you what, I'd rather have a fat bank account than be on a big show any day of the week.

Okay? So definitely look at it that way from a strategy perspective.

Carly Ries: Yeah. You just have to put in your reps and what you do. I mean, even from the podcast What's first set? One point. When we first started our show, we were kinda like, yeah.

If you wanna be on the show, come on the show. Oh, you're my next year. Come on show. Yeah. And now I'm very selective.

So feel very VIP, Christina.

Christina Lenkowski: Yeah. Well, I do. I do. I do.

Carly Ries: But you do you have to put in those reps at first on the on the guesting side as well.

Joe Rando: I gotta I gotta jump in because I just we also though, early in our podcast, had some really wonderful people that we happen to know personally that did us the favor. And I just don't want any of those people going back and say, hey. I was on episode seven or whatever, and I just got dissed by Joe and Carly.

We had a lot of awesome guests early. That's right. It was just we couldn't just go, then we wanna get that person. It was like, okay. I know him or her from before, and they'll do me the same.

Christina Lenkowski: Well, you were doing the opposite of what we talked about earlier. You were using your network. Right? And so that's never a bad thing.

Never does that mean that those people weren't of course, your audience learned from those. But your point was, hey, our audience might have still been small, but these were our friends. These were our networks, whatever that did us a favor and came on. That absolutely doesn't mean that there isn't value, in what they said and things like that.

Joe Rando: It was just that they were doing us a favor. Now we feel a little more like we're doing the guest a favor by giving them a platform.

Carly Ries: That's after 200 episodes and, like Right. Gonna work.

Joe Rando: 200 plus.

Carly Ries: Well, let's say people want they're like, okay. I get it. I'm not gonna be on, the top point 01% of shows right now.

Christina Lenkowski: Right now. That's important that Right you said now. That doesn't mean ever. Just means right now. Yeah.

Carly Ries: And just starting, how do they find the shows that they should be on? And how do they reach out to these shows? Is there a secret sauce to getting a yes from them or what

Christina Lenkowski: Let me answer that in two parts. So the first one is how do we find the shows that we think make the most sense for us to get on. Right? Now we already talked about kind of going to our network.

So seeing who are the people that we know that might have a show. That's a great way. Also, potentially, is there someone that maybe is in a mastermind with me that's been on a show that I wanna be on? Could they do an intro for me?

Those are some really great ways to, use your network like that. The other thing that I really recommend, and I would challenge everyone listening to this episode in the next forty eight hours to do this, is put a note up on your social media or put it in an e newsletter. Say, hey, what shows do you guys listen to? Let your audience tell you what some of these shows are that they listen to. Now there's gonna be some that don't make any sense for you and what you do. Like, I love true crime podcast.

Joe Rando: You don't wanna be on those if you can help it.

Carly Ries: Yeah. Like, I always say, I'm like, if I'm suddenly pitching true crime podcasts, something has gone really, really wrong,

Christina Lenkowski: You know what I mean? So, that's not necessarily gonna be one that works for my business, but the next person is gonna send me one that I've never heard of that looks like a very cool fit for me or for a client or something like that. So I think that's a really great place to start.

The other thing that I really recommend is doing what I call the podcast piggyback map method. And so what that means is I want you to think of someone that has a similar audience to you, similar ideal client, similar customer base, etcetera. They don't need to be a competitor. They might be. But it could just be someone that does something, where you guys have the same ideal client.

And then I want you to drop their name into Apple Podcasts or Spotify or whatever, and you're going to see what shows they have been on. I want you to look at the shows that they've been on. Those might be some good shows for you to pitch some different topic ideas to, but you know that that's the ideal audience. The other thing that you're gonna do is look at the shows they've been on, scroll down to the bottom, and see the shows you might also like. Or people that listen to this show, listen to... and then it's gonna have different shows down at the bottom. That is another really great spot to start doing some research and find some shows that could be a really, really good fit for you. But that's what I say at the beginning is, like, take people who you know have that ideal audience, see what they've been on. Right?

See if there's an opportunity for you to also go on that show with a different topic, and then see what shows are like those shows. And get yourself a nice list from there too.

Carly Ries: That's smart. Okay. So they have the list. Time to pitch. Yes.

Christina Lenkowski: Well, we can get into, the pitch template and what I believe, you know, should kind of be on there. Or are you more wanting to know about how they find who they should reach out to?

Carly Ries: because I think people have their ways of finding people. We can get to that. But I just, like, do you say, I just listened to the last episode.

Christina Lenkowski: No.

Carly Ries: I was going with that because every time I see that in my inbox, I'm like, you're a robot.

Christina Lenkowski: Exactly. Exactly. Carly just said it, you guys. When you write that message, that host immediately knows you have not listened to their show.

You have not really taken the time to do some research on their show. So what I really recommend and what I teach and what we do for our clients is we create what we call a pitch template. Okay? For every client, and this is something you can do for yourself. And that is where 80% of your pitch is done. So meaning your credibility markers, all these really great topics so we can get into the importance of topics, are all written out. And then you're going to fill in that other 20% based on that specific show. Okay? You're gonna choose which topics make the most sense for that show, and then you are going to genuinely look at the show that you are pitching. I will go back sometimes quite a ways, to find a show that I am genuinely interested in listening to. Meaning, like, it might be an episode that's a month old, two months old. I've even gone six months back to find an episode that I am genuinely interested in. Then I listen to the first five minutes.

I listen to the last five minutes, and I listen to five minutes in the middle. Okay? This gives me a really good idea as to the vibe of the show, the type of stuff they talk about, the language that they use to describe their audience. That can all go in the pitch there.

So this was really important thing to do is mirror back how they talk about their audience. Okay? So meaning that, you know, for Joe and Carly, they describe their audience as solopreneurs. So make sure that you are using that verbiage all throughout your pitch. So that they are really clear, hey, I know who your audience is, and I know how I can provide value to them. That is the key. You are not on there to talk about yourself. You are on there to talk about how you can provide value to the listeners.

Carly Ries: As yeah. I feel like that's just the practical, actionable advice that I have to know, this is the world you live in. What mistakes do you see people make the most when they're pitching shows, on shows? Just what makes your like, you just cringe.

Christina Lenkowski: Yeah. For me, it's hearing from hosts how 95 plus percent of the pitches they get are trash. How they are just like you said, clearly, someone has not looked into their show. Right? They're sending a pitch.

We call it in the in the biz, we call it the spray and pray, method, you know, where they kinda write one thing. They send it to a lot of people, and then they kinda cross their fingers that some folks will write back. Okay? So when I see that, when I hear that, etcetera, that really makes my blood boil because we I obviously always want hosts to be receiving great pitches. Right?

I want them to know that people have been researching them, know that it's the right fit, know that they can bring the value to their particular audience. The other thing that I would really mention, I see a lot, and this is a little thing, but it is one thing that'll just really grind my gears.

that people will send pitches, and they won't include the first name or names of the hosts. This is a very easy thing for you to find. Okay? So they'll write like, hey, hosts, or they'll be like, hey, show name, you know, whatever.

They do not take the extra five seconds to grab the name of the host, which literally is in Apple Podcasts right under the name of the show a lot of the time. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes you have to listen. Oh my god. You have to listen and hear the name.

You know what I mean? And then put it in. But that to me, I have so many friends that are podcast hosts, and they're like, the second they haven't used my name, it's out. I'm done. You know what I mean?

So that's a very little thing that taking that extra literal ten seconds will make a big difference in how your pitch is received.

Joe Rando: Can I ask you a quick question? Just because this is great. But I wanna flip this on its head. So I'm somebody interested getting on podcasts.

What should I look for in the hosts? What's a good host? What should I be listening for as I listen to say I wanna get on that podcast versus probably worth skipping? Any opinion there?

Christina Lenkowski: I don't necessarily have an opinion on the host themselves. I'm very, very interested in the audience. like, that's what I'm more so focused on. I always say this about hosts, and I don't mean this in, a crass way at all, but it's a good way to describe it.

You will meet hosts that will be like a one night stand, and you will meet hosts that will be a long term relationship. Both have value, but you know, you're gonna have these, longer term relationships with certain hosts, and then some are going to be, thank you very much for having me on the show and getting me in front of your audience. I appreciate it so much. You're still gonna share the episode, etcetera.

But you might not have that same click or that same, like, hey. We really hit it off, in this way as with other people. So that's why I say I don't worry as much about the host. I'm definitely looking to, how engaged is their audience? Is this the right audience for me?

Carly Ries: And to just show appreciation for being on this show, it's funny.

Christina Lenkowski: Oh, absolutely.

Carly Ries: We've done 100 episodes now. And granted, some of them are Joe and I, some of them are repeats. Over 200 I've had a lot of guests. I've received three, maybe three follow-up thank you emails. And those three, now anytime I see them on LinkedIn, I'm like, I'm going to comment on this post.

Christina Lenkowski: I love this. Yes.

Carly Ries: I'm your biggest cheerleader, just a simple follow-up email. And it's funny I think if you're the guest, showing appreciation, be like, yeah, I'm gonna post it to my channel.

Christina Lenkowski: Oh, absolutely.

Carly Ries: Most will remember that and they may invite you back on in the future. They did do a favor for you. We one of our guests was lovely and she's helping us like, she's great with this book that we're writing and has been super helpful with that. She was a podcast guest.

Christina Lenkowski: Love that. I love that. Yes. I have had many hosts become clients. I 100% agree.

Carly Ries: Yeah. So anyway, just throwing that maybe I'm a little bitter, but I'm like, send me a Note.

Christina Lenkowski: No. No. No. No. You're not.

What if I was just like, yeah, you are. No. I think that, no. I think that how you feel about that is very natural because you put a lot of work into this podcast.

And that is something that podcast guests need to understand like, I think a lot of times podcast guests make the mistake if they go on shows and they're like, oh, they're lucky to have me. they're lucky to have me spending my time to be on this show. Right? No. That ain't it.

That ain't it. Like, that podcast host, they're doing most of the work. You're showing up as a host now you're preparing.

Right? Like I told you, I was listening to an episode before I hopped on here, etcetera. Like, you still need to be doing things as a guest. Don't get me wrong. It's not that you're just gonna show up.

But to put on a podcast is a lot of work, y'all. If you don't know, please believe me. It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of effort. Carly and Joe are showing up at the same time, which is, like, amazing when there's whenever there's cohost, I'm like, hats off to you guys, for coordinating your schedules in that way.

But my point of this is the least you can do is share that episode. Okay? And tag the show in that. Share it across your various channels.

Like you said, LinkedIn. Put it on Instagram. Put it in a newsletter. Talk about things that make my blood boil. That is, one of them is when people don't share, when an episode has aired.

Carly Ries: Yep. Okay. We have the same things that make our blood boil.

Christina Lenkowski: Yes. That's why I'm like, well, if you're bitter, then I'm bitter too.

Carly Ries: Yeah. I'm so glad you brought that up because solopreneurs or people in general just hear the importance of content. And for your business, you need to release content and social and content content content. And podcasts are a great way to repurpose.

Christina Lenkowski: Absolutely.

Carly Ries: which is so beneficial for solopreneurs because they're so strapped for time. So what are some ways that they can do that?

Christina Lenkowski: Yeah. I mean, there are a couple ways that I would definitely recommend repurposing the easiest way as possible. One of them is and I'm just gonna be honest. You can find people on Fiverr that will literally you can go, here's my podcast episode. Can you make a blog post?

Can you make four social media reels? Can you make whatever? And have them do that work for you at a lower cost. Right? So something that maybe isn't going to cost a lot.

On the flip side of that, I really love to use a tool that I recommend called Headliner. It's headliner.app is the name, and it is free for up to a certain amount per month. But, basically, the reason that I like this tool is there's a lot of really great, like, AI based tools if you have the digital file. Meaning, you have, the voice file.

But as a guest, you don't have that. I mean, you can always ask a host, but then you have to, do another set, etcetera. So the nice thing about Headliner is once it's published, like on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, they can pull that audio. And so it makes it really, really easy for you to go, hey.

Here's the episode I was on. And they actually have, a whole trouble like, a whole wizard that'll do so you can, make a clip directly in the app, download it, share it on your social media channels, etcetera. But that is a really, really nice tool, an easy tool to get some of those, like, social media clips and things like that out there.

Carly Ries: Don't mind me just muting myself over here so I could type in headline

Christina Lenkowski: Absolutely. And I mean, I will say, we were talking about AI a little bit earlier. You know, I'm not gonna lie. You can easily make a blog post from a podcast episode that you're on using AI. Right?

You can absolutely get a transcript of that show, ask, you know, Chatty G as I like to call her, you know, to create, a 300, 500 word blog posts, including backlinks. Of course, you need to go through it. You need to edit it. You need to make sure it has the stuff in there that you want. But that can really help save a lot of time for you or if you have, like, a VA, or a contractor or something like that that might be able to to help with some of that too.

Carly Ries: So let me ask,

because at the end of the day, yeah, you wanna repurpose content, get on the right shows, but this is all to support a business. unless they're just looking for fifteen minutes of fame through podcasting, people are doing this at the end of the day to support their bottom line.

Christina Lenkowski: Absolutely.

Carly Ries: How can they measure the success of their podcast guesting efforts? Is there a way to tie back to ROI or anything?

Christina Lenkowski: Yeah. I mean, how most of our clients tie back to ROI is a lot of our clients are service providers. Okay? So, someone needs to apply or hop on a call or something like that to be able to work with them.

Like, a lot of them are higher ticket offers. And so what they really do to track a lot of this is they just ask, you know, when someone signs up for discovery call or they apply, they're like, hey. How did you find out about us? And so one of the options that they'll have is I heard you on a podcast. They don't even necessarily like, a lot of times people don't remember what podcast it was because sometimes I'll get on a call and I'll be like, hey, I saw you heard me on a podcast. Like, what podcast? They're like, oh, I don't know. They might know, but sometimes, they don't.

And I'm like, it's okay. I just know that that is then working. Right? And so for me, that's definitely, an easy way that we track is just asking people where they heard about us, and just adding that question in. Some people definitely get more specific. They wanna have, a pretty link for each show that they're on, which you could absolutely do. Or what we really recommend for clients is, once a quarter, be looking at your numbers. So meaning look at your social media channels and see how they've grown. Look at your e newsletter list, see how they've grown.

I don't necessarily recommend, particularly for, a solopreneur that doesn't have a lot of time, you don't need to look at that after each episode. That's why, like, once a quarter or something like that could be a really great measurement for you to know that, hey. This is working. This is getting me out there. But also acknowledging that, like, someone might hear you a couple times before they make a move. People hear me on I'm on two podcasts a month on average. So that means over a year, I'm on 24 podcasts, what we do for our annual clients. Okay? Sometimes people hear me on more than one show.

You know what I mean? They'll hear me on a show, and then they might hear me a couple months later. This has happened many times. That's when they book a call.

So also know that sometimes it might take someone hearing you a couple times before they make that move, meaning that's never a waste of time for you to go on a show. It just means that, like, sometimes you might not be able to track something directly to, that first instant they heard you.

Carly Ries: Yeah. No. That makes sense. And but that also goes back to choosing the right shows so that they hear you. The repetition is there

Christina Lenkowski: Yeah. Because I'm like, you can't escape me. I'm here.

Carly Ries: You're doing manual retargeting.

Christina Lenkowski: Yeah. Basically. very very, intensive manual retargeting. Yes. Exactly.

Carly Ries: Not the most efficient way to do retargeting. Yeah. So when I was come by coming up with the list of questions to ask you, was kinda proud of myself for this one. So if you think it's kind of fluffy, like, my head, I would But what's one belief you wish that every solopreneur had about their own story? And why are their own stories worth sharing?

Christina Lenkowski: I actually loved this, question when I saw it on the list that you that you gave me. And I really think that what it comes down to is you are valuable. You are worthy of being on these podcasts. You know, I talk to people a lot that are like, well, I don't have a book yet, or I don't know. I haven't been on a TEDx stage yet or whatever.

And I'm like, none of that really matters. We talked about at the very beginning, people wanna relate to something about you. They want that authenticity. They wanna know that you are the person that's going to be able to help them, and your story, whatever that is, is going to attract the right people. For the record, it's also gonna repel some people.

But I'm here to tell you, that's okay. Because those people aren't gonna be your ideal clients or customers anyways. We are trying to sift through to the people that we really, really want to get in front of.

But I just want you to know that your story, whatever that is, is absolutely worth it. Our clients, when they get on and they tell the stories of how they got to where they are, where they are in their life, you know, the things that drove them to to do what they do, that is really, really where the connection happens. That's where they get the DMs. That's where they get the emails, where they get the follow ups. Someone is like, hey.

I heard you on that show, and I really, really love what you had to say. And it doesn't have to be anything profound. It was just something maybe even one off that they said, but someone really felt that in their core.

Carly Ries: I mean, it's funny. One of our favorite episodes that we've done to date, it was interviewing a guy that runs a dog poop pickup company.

Christina Lenkowski: Oh, nice. Yeah. Hey, that's important. I know marriage is saved by a company like that.

Carly Ries: And it's like one of those things at first you're like, what an interesting person on the show. The story behind it and his storytelling were incredible.

Christina Lenkowski: love that. Yeah.

Carly Ries: You can do anything. So I think that's a good point. Thanks for entertaining that question.

Christina Lenkowski: Oh, happy to entertain that question. I thought it a great one.

Carly Ries: Thanks. Well, Christina, you help so many so many people find success through podcast guesting. So we have to ask you, what is your favorite quote about success?

Christina Lenkowski: So for me, this is the one that's actually in front of me when I work, and it says, have the courage to suck at something new. And truly, truly, for me, that is it. And I bet there are lot of people that are listening to this today that are perfectionists. They're like, if I'm not gonna be able to say it exactly how I wanna say it, I don't think I could ever do, you know, this podcast guest thing.

I don't think I could ever do whatever. But you said it at the beginning. It is muscle memory. It is repetition. It is getting out there, saying it, knowing you're gonna stumble over your first ones.

And by the way, for me, this applies to, anything as a business owner. Right? So it's not just podcast guesting. It's any part of being a business owner. But it takes a lot of courage to know that you are not going to maybe come out the the gate and be the best that there ever was.

Right? We have to get better at those things, but we have to start somewhere.

Carly Ries: So great. So so great. Well, Christina, if they want to learn more about you if they. If our audience wants to learn more about you, where can they find you?

Christina Lenkowski: You can find me over at podcastpublicityquiz.com. I have a really fun interactive quiz that'll help direct you whether maybe you're someone who wants to potentially start this and kind of DIY it, or maybe you're someone that's looking more for that done for you pitching service that we have.

Carly Ries: Awesome. We will include that in the show notes for sure. And thank you so much for coming on today.

Christina Lenkowski: Thank you both. I absolutely love what you're doing. Solopreneurs, you guys, you work the hardest, you're the best, and I can't wait to hear about more of those stories that get out there. Thank you.

Carly Ries: Thank you. And listeners, thank you so much for tuning in.

As always, please share this episode with a friend, leave that five star review, and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. And we'll see you next time on the aspiring solopreneur. You may be going solo in business, but that doesn't mean you're alone. In fact, millions of people are in your shoes, running a one person business and figuring it out as they go. So why not connect with them and learn from each other's successes and failures?

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