Podcast Guesting That Actually Builds Your Business with Alex Sanfilippo

Andréa Jones: Podcast guesting sounds simple enough. You get picked on a show, you have a great conversation, you share all of your beautiful expertise, and then hopefully somebody finds you and gives you money for the thing. But once you actually sit down to make it happen, sometimes those questions start piling up. Which podcast do even pitch?

What do I even say in the pitch? How do you avoid sounding like some outdated robot when you actually get on the show? And then after the show, How do you that podcast guessing opportunity? Well, I'm really excited to have this conversation because today I have, okay, hold on.

I forgot to ask you how to say your last name. ⁓ Alex Sanfilippo: I was waiting for that to happen. was like, she, she got ⁓ Andréa Jones: I was putting into that very confidently. Okay, hold on.

Sanfilippo? Alex Sanfilippo: You should not have doubted yourself. That's perfect. That's better than I say it.

Good job. Just keep all this in by the way. Alex Sanfilippo. Just, just keep all this in.

Y'all don't even edit this. This is perfect. Just keep it all there. You did so good.

Andréa Jones: Okay. You say okay, you say it, say it real quick. Okay, good. I should Yes.

Today I have Alex Sanfilippo on the show. He's the founder of pod match and we're going to talk about how to approach podcast guesting in a way that feels strategic and human and actually drives your business forward. But first a word from our sponsor. welcome to the show.

Alex Sanfilippo: Andrea, thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited to be here today. Andréa Jones: I'm excited to kind of dig into all of the things, but what you don't know is that I follow you on LinkedIn and I have been with your LinkedIn strategy for a while now. actually, in my last LinkedIn challenge, use your profile as an example because you do such a great job of like talking about podcast guessing.

So got to give you props for that. Alex Sanfilippo: You totally just made my day, thank you. you, you're like an expert in field, right? So to me, that means a lot.

I feel like it's somewhat me just always trying and seeing what sticks, so it seriously means a ton. Thank you for including me in that. Andréa Jones: Yes, of course. And you know what?

That is what I'm all about here is, you know, lot of marketing is experimentation. let's talk about podcast guesting because it's one of those things that people know about. Maybe they hear their their friends, their favorite business owners on other podcasts. Maybe they're listening to this right now, but they're thinking to themselves, how does this work for me?

So can you give us a kind of like an overview of the benefits of podcast guesting and why business owners should seriously consider it. Alex Sanfilippo: Yeah, ⁓ I'll actually start off by just sharing a story of my own experience a podcast listener, which might sound a little weird, but give me a minute here, everybody. So at one point I was looking into this idea of SMS marketing, which I know you know what that is, but basically text message marketing. And I had no clue how to do it, was there services for it?

I knew nothing. And the first place I turned was podcasting. So I went to podcast app, I typed in SMS marketing tactics, tips, everything. Like I just started typing it all in.

And what I did is I queued up a bunch of different podcast episodes and it was maybe the first, I don't know if it was the first, one of the first two or three episodes I listened to, there was somebody sharing who I could tell like this guy knew his stuff. Like I could just tell, like I heard him sharing, I was like, he knows his stuff. So I went through all my other episodes and kind of, um, un queued them, I guess. There's probably a better word for that, but you know, like remove them from my queue.

That's how you say it. And, I found more that this same individual had been on cause I'm like, this person really knows their stuff. And so I listened to a bunch of them and a few things happened. Andréa Jones: Hmm.

Alex Sanfilippo: One, I learned what SMS marketing was, how to do it, and even found services that this individual is recommending to use for them. Turns out he was the CMO at one of these companies, and that's the one I ended up signing up with. And it happened because this individual developed no like and trust with me. I didn't need to go anywhere else.

I wasn't like, well, let me price out his service versus everybody else's. No, the person already did the work. They trained me. They educated me.

I was happy to sign up for their service and pay for it from day one. Andréa Jones: Mm. Alex Sanfilippo: I didn't do a trial or anything like that. Cause I was like, man, I believe in person's message.

They inspired me. They helped me. That to me is the power of podcast guesting. This person showed up on a bunch of other people's shows and I learned a ton from it.

Again, it's developing that know, like, and trust. And what I believe to be one of the most powerful ways online. And the reason for that is because when people click through to a podcast, instead of something like social media, I'm not saying anything bad about social media. has its place for sure.

But when someone's listening to a podcast, they're intentionally saying the next 45 minutes of my time, I am going to devote to hearing what this individual has to say. To me, it's the same as people sitting in seats with somebody on a stage. That's how I envision it. And because that, you need much smaller segments of people, right?

I might have been the only listener to that show, even if I was, he got business from it, right? To me, that is the absolute power of what podcast guests can do for somebody. Andréa Jones: Yeah, and I find it so intimate, too, because I know for me, I'm listening to my podcast while I'm like washing dishes or driving the car or going about my day. it's different than when I'm scrolling on social media, because I'm kind of like distracted by all the other possibilities social.

Whereas with a podcast, when I commit to it, pretty much listen to the whole thing. And then when I find what I like, then I'm going through and listening to the whole back catalog kind of thing. And so I love that example. that you shared.

So those business owners who are like, okay, Alex, I got you. Podcasting, great for my business. do I get on one? What do you suggest?

Alex Sanfilippo: I think that there's a lot of right and wrong ways to do this. So the very first thing I'll share is do your own internal reflection as to why you want to be on a podcast. then on top of that, it's okay, well, what am I going to talk about? Right?

What is my topic? And I think where a lot of people make mistakes. They're like, I know I just want to be on one. So get me on one.

It can be about anything. I'll give it a shot. But there's a lot of podcasts out there. And the thing is they're not all created equal for you, for me.

The show's I should go on or not the show's that somebody hearing this today should go on. And because of that, we've got to do our own internal reflection and saying, okay, is this going to be the right fit for me or no? The best way to this, once again, reflect internally on your goals, your perspective, then think your business. What are my business goals?

What is it? What is this going to do to drive more business? Who am I trying to develop that know, like, and trust with? And that's that next piece, that avatar, which I guess now we think of little blue, not little giant blue people when we talk about avatar, right?

But like avatar just means a fictitious listener that you say, this is the ideal person that I know that I can really speak to. So again, you kind of tie your internal purpose, your why and what your business is doing to this this fictitious listener that you create. And then you look at every podcast through the lens of that person saying, is person listening? In my case, my avatar's name is Adam.

And so I asked myself before I go on any podcast, if they reach out to me or I'm going to reach out to them, either way, I always say, is Adam a listener of this podcast? If no, it's not the right fit. If yes, proceed. Andréa Jones: Mmm.

Alex Sanfilippo: And so I always look at that. And so when, when, when you and I first got connected and I saw mindful marketing, it took me one episode listening to your show to determine the fact that yep, Adam is listening to this podcast. This is a good place for me to be. And by the way, great.

You have an incredible podcast. I'm a listener myself now, so great job with it. ⁓ but of course. So I think that that's the very first thing is starting off with saying like, okay, what are the right shows for me to be on?

And from there you can start an outreach process. But first and foremost, Andréa Jones: ⁓ Thank you. Alex Sanfilippo: Don't just let it be random because you'll end up on a bunch of random shows. One about golf, one about surfing, one about podcasting, right?

Like you end up on all of them and you'll be like, this didn't do anything for me. Well, unspecific goals yield unspecific results. You've got to have something specific in mind if you want to win as a podcast guest. Andréa Jones: Yeah.

Yeah. ⁓ my gosh, that's so good. It kind of reminds me of, so I have a client who I think about all the time when I'm creating content. Robin, if you're listening to this, it's you.

She's like my ideal client. Like when she got on the first console call with me, she was saying all the things that I would want to hear from an ideal client. And so when I go to create content, record podcasts or pitch for podcasts, I think about would Robin listen to this. And interesting thing about that is for me, my ideal client ⁓ interested in marketing.

And so a lot of times I have to kind of subvert their ⁓ results to get in front of them because they're kind of either tired of marketing or they feel like, you know, there's this stereotype about what marketing is. And I kind of try to break that down. And for me, like, I go on marketing podcasts. I go on like podcasts about business coaching or living a better life or to streamline your business if you're a busy mom.

And so those are the podcasts that work for me. It's interesting that you said that too, because that specific goal can get you a better outcome. So want to follow that up with a question about how do we then approach this? Because I've been on both sides as a podcaster and a podcast guest.

I've pitched podcasts and I get a lot of pitches in my inbox ⁓ from And frankly, a lot of them are terrible. So Alex, tell us what we should be thinking about as we're going into kind of pitching a podcast. Alex Sanfilippo: Yeah, I got to go back on something you just said, Andrea, that was super insightful. I used to think the only shows I should be on are podcasts about podcasting because everything I do is in the podcasting space.

And weirdly enough, that's not really the best show for me to be on. Typically a marketing show is better for me to be on than a podcasting show. And so I think that what you just said again, so insightful. So hope everyone thinking about, these are the shows I should be on.

Think about the adjacent vertical to the one that you know you're going to help with business growth. Okay, great. Business growth podcast. Well, Andréa Jones: Mm-hmm.

Mmm. Yeah. Yeah. Alex Sanfilippo: What else does that contribute to?

Right? Where else do those people hang out? What else do they do? Right?

Like thinking a little bit strategically about that. interestingly enough, there's a bunch of podcasts about being a millionaire, millionaire podcast, right? There's also podcasts about Porsches. If I'm not mistaken, Porsches are the number one car that millionaires like to drive.

And I could be wrong on that, but you should maybe go on a, on instead of millionaire podcast, go on a Porsche podcast because the people making the money that you want to have spend, right? They might be listening to that show. So again, you kind of brought that up and I think that's really insightful. to answer your question more directly, I and foremost always recommend reaching out.

Be willing to do the outreach. There are a lot of podcasts out there, but there are far more people trying to be a guest on a podcast. And many people, both of us included here today, we hear more people than we're able to reach out to. And often we get reached out to by a bunch of bad ones, right?

And we'll talk about how to not be that, but also some good ones. So we might not reach out to you who's listening today because we've already got someone reaching out to us. And so always tell people, put in the efforts, put in the effort to be able to actually yield the result that you're looking for. And so when we get out of life and business, whatever we put into it, right?

Being willing to put in the work. And so you want to be the one sending that first message, that first email, whatever it might be. And this is just known as a pitch. And if it's helpful, I've got a few steps on what I do every time I'm going to pitch.

And if you'd like, I can share that real quick here. Cool, okay. The very first thing is to keep it short. a podcaster and Andréa Jones: Okay.

Yes, please. Alex Sanfilippo: I've gotten some pitches that feel like an entire book. It's so long that I'm like, I can't read this today. You know, like, and you gotta remember, I'm getting 10 to 20 pitches per day.

So the really long ones, they ended up in the bottom of my inbox. But the one that's short, I can look at and say, ah, I can read this right now. I can devote the time to read this one right now. If you keep it short, it's going to get read almost immediately by a podcast host.

The next thing is to not use AI. And now listen, you can use a little bit of AI, but don't just go to AI and say, write me a short pitch. Andréa Jones: Yeah Alex Sanfilippo: because I'm telling you, us podcasters, we've seen it so many times. And actually, I want to call back up, we're not going to talk about AI, I know very much today, but I want to call back an episode of Mindful Marketing podcast right now.

It aired on, I wrote down the date, so I don't remember this, but the date was April 29th, 2026. And it was called My AI Rules Have Changed. So good, so insightful. I mean, there's like things I wrote down that...

Andréa Jones: Mm-hmm. Alex Sanfilippo: They're my new quotes I'm gonna use, know, but I'll give you credit, don't worry. But I encourage everyone, go back and listen to that episode when it comes to like your relationship with AI, especially when you're communicating directly, when they're human. I have chosen to use no AI when I'm pitching because I know that podcast hosts are fatigued by it.

They've learned to see it so many, they've seen it so many times, they've learned to like, okay, this is what AI always says, right? So I keep it short, I don't use AI. The next thing is to lead with value. Now, this is one of the things like, speaking of like rules of AI have changed.

Andréa Jones: Wow. Alex Sanfilippo: What used to mean leading the value is saying, hey, I really loved your podcast and listened to latest episode, stuff like that, right? But now that's the first tell that AI is making that up. so typically when you see that you already, a podcast host and you say, yep, right away.

Typically a podcast host says, okay, this is not a real person. What I found the best way to lead with value is actually listen. So listen for just a few minutes even, just enough to tell like, this is a good show, it's well done. And then go to Apple Podcast.

Andréa Jones: Yep. Alex Sanfilippo: leave a five star rating and review and attach a screenshot of that to the email that you're sending or the messages you're saying, say, hey, really enjoyed mindful marketing. I attached a five star rating review I left on Apple podcast. At the very least now you have that host's attention.

The host will look at that and say, ⁓ wow, this is probably a real human, right? Like that is super nice of them. And then after you lead with value, the next thing is to make a meaningful request. I don't just mean to say, hey, I'd to be on your podcast.

Meaningful request means that you've put in a little bit of effort. The way that I like to do this is go through the recent backlog of a show that you're pitching. and see if they covered your topic recently. So if mindful marketing, right, I could go back and say, you know what, hey, you haven't covered podcast guesting as a marketing strategy in a while.

I think that'd be really valuable for your listeners. I'd love to come on and talk about that. That's a meaningful request, because now the host knowledge is like, have me on your show, you figure it out. It's your job, host, right?

Like, it's not that. Instead of saying, hey, here's an approach that I've noticed you haven't taken, but I think it'd be really good. Now any host can say, wow, that's not a bad idea, right? Like, that's something I might be able to do.

Andréa Jones: You Alex Sanfilippo: And the very last thing is to offer credibility. And offering credibility looks a little bit different than many of us think. This isn't your credentials, it's not your resume. I do suggest linking to that.

But the best and highest form of credibility is who I know that you know, what I love that you love. Listen, if we both love the same movie or we've both shared the stage at the same conference or we've both been on the same podcast or we have the favorite celebrity in common, mention that thing. because that connection piece is what builds real credibility with somebody. Cause it's like, ⁓ man, we got to talk about that, right?

Like we got something in common or we shared the same stage or we've got the same best friend, right? Like whatever it might be, that's going to really make you stand out. And then again, link to more about you where they can learn. This is not the place to in your resume, to put in all your credentials.

If there is something that's absolutely key, you can mention it. But for the most part, it's better to link out to that stuff and that right there, again, keep it short. Don't use AI, lead with value, make a meaningful request and offer credibility. Andréa Jones: Yeah.

Alex Sanfilippo: Those are the steps that I've been using to pitch to be a guest on podcasts and it has worked extremely well for me. Andréa Jones: And y'all, it worked for this podcast, too, because even though I've been following Alex on LinkedIn, I didn't even consider him as a podcast to guess until filled out the form on my website saying he wanted to be a podcast guest. And I get so many of these, probably not as many as you, probably like three to five a day where someone's asking me on a podcast.

So it's it's still a lot. Right. And I don't do guests all the time either. I'm about to head into a series of.

solo episodes right now. So I'm not even I don't even have a lot of guests planned. And so I don't really pay that much attention to some of the kind of leads that come in. I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I mean, if it's a hot, sticky topic, maybe. But otherwise, it's someone else trying to promote their thing, right? It's not usually positioned as a benefit to me. And so I liked what you did, where you position it as this will benefit you and your audience.

and your listeners. And I think that's the key when it comes to pitching that you so beautifully highlighted, I love that you like walk the talk too, because this is such a good example of that. All so let's talk about after you get chosen. you've made it through, you've researched the podcast, you've pitched, and now you're sitting down to go on the show.

How do you prepare for show or how do you recommend people prepare to be on the interview, especially if newer to podcast guesting? Alex Sanfilippo: So I did a lot of research on podcast guesting. talked to top rated podcast guests, podcast hosts that have been really successful, new podcast guests and podcast guests that quit. So I talked to like those four different segments of people figure out like what makes a good podcast guest.

And it's very interesting that people that quit podcast guesting all the opposite stuff of people that were really successful in it, which is always funny to me, right? Like they're like, ⁓ no, it's not that. And I'm like, well, you quit, you know? And so I learned a lot from this, was 2,200 people.

Andréa Jones: you Alex Sanfilippo: that I did a poll with some people I did calls with to really learn and figure out what's going on here. And this should actually be really encouraging everybody here because there is one thing that stood out as the number one contributing factor to what makes a truly standout successful guest. And it's simply this, the time you put into researching before you show up. And so it's not like how well-spoken you are.

It's like, listen, y'all, like not the most well-spoken Like I fumble over my words a little bit. I know I talk too fast. I'm working on it. Andréa Jones: Hmm.

Alex Sanfilippo: Right? Like I, understand that like, not the perfect guest, but I'll tell you what, when I learned this, I started diving into the research and really showing up prepared. Like, so for me, I've listened to so many episodes of mindful marketing podcast at this point. Like I know it well, like, right?

Like, so I know the voice to show up with. And so if you just say, I'm to be on this show and you spend the time listening and you're looking for what's the host name, what is, what is their pet name for their listeners? If they have one, do they address their community? What are they working on?

What are they excited about? What is it? Something they always like to to kind of cover and go into? Do they have questions that they always ask their guests?

Because if they do, I don't want to say, good question. Let me think about that. Like know the answer already, right? Like these are the things that go a really long way.

And that again is the number one contributing factor. So to me, I always say, listen to a minimum of three episodes of the podcast, go look at their website, look at their social media. If they have a book, go look at their book, look at their book reviews, right? Like everything you can spend a little bit of time doing this.

And the reality is this, does take a little bit of time. Andréa Jones: Yeah. Alex Sanfilippo: but this separates someone that's a mediocre guest to the best podcast guest that's ever been on the show is spending your time really researching it. Now, beyond that, it is also important that you know your topic.

So again, finding that clarity with the host is important and don't be afraid to ask. I've never met a host that got mad at me for asking, hey, what is it that you're expecting of me? Now, in this case, Andrea, you were very clear. Like you spelled it out really well for me.

Like I could show up here and do excellent without having to ask you a single question, but sometimes podcasts are like, can't wait to have you on the show. And I'm like, hey, just want to clarify what is it that we're going to be going into? I want to make sure it's in my expertise. I want to make sure that I'm mentally prepared to share the points that I believe are going to add the most value on that day.

So again, show up prepared, but also make sure that you and the host are on the same page of what prepared actually looks like, and then deliver, show up and deliver. And I always like to add, don't talk too much. I'm also working on that one, but let the host talk a little bit. are there because they like the host.

You're the bonus. Andréa Jones: I like that that reframe the listeners are there because they like those, you know, and I also talk too much, but I feel like that's the beauty of a podcast. Like the listeners like to hear the talking. That's at least what I tell myself as an excuse, but really points all around to kind of showing up with preparedness.

But I say these days, I think the more you do it, the less you have to prepare. I don't know about you, Alex, but those first couple of podcast interviews I did, ⁓ man, I spent like hours and hours and hours preparing. Now, yeah, I can kind of like spend 10, 15 minutes and go, okay, I got it. And then kind of go from there.

And so I don't need as much time, but also, you know, I've been talking about content creation for 20 years now. So 22 new years now. So some of it just comes with like the repetition of it all. ⁓ you do have kind of a side question about that.

And this one's like a personal one because you've guessed it so much. Sometimes feel a little Alex Sanfilippo: Same. ⁓ Andréa Jones: like what I feel like stand-up comedy comedians feel like, where they repeat their jokes over and over again, and then they laugh at their own jokes. Sometimes I feel like that a little bit.

Is that normal? Are we all doing this? ⁓ Alex Sanfilippo: Yeah, that, I'm glad to hear you say that, that everyone's going to end up feeling that way. They're going to say, I've told my story so many times and it's super insightful to bring this up because I actually hear from people regularly being like, I think I'm going to stop podcast guesting because I've told that story so many times everyone's heard it.

But the reality is I bet that the listeners of this show have never heard me on another show before. I've been on over 700 podcasts as a guest, but I bet the overlap is absolutely minimal on all of those. And so yes, for me, it might sound repetitive. Andréa Jones: Mm-hmm.

Alex Sanfilippo: But for everyone else, it's not. I think that the more I've thought about this a little bit, because sometimes I've felt a little burnout or I felt like I'm showing up as a podcast guest and it felt like, okay, gotta be a guest on a podcast today. But I reframe this actually, that it was the beginning of 2026 is when I really sat down with myself and said, Alex, you used to love this. Like this was your favorite part of what you did.

What happened? What changed? And the reality is it wasn't podcasts that I'm being on that have changed. It's me that changed in a negative way.

Andréa Jones: Mm. Alex Sanfilippo: I once the thing that fueled passion for me and joy was no longer fun for me. And that's because my brain, reframed it as work as a chore. at the beginning of the year, I really sat down, did some self reflecting.

I took about a month off of podcast guesting completely to sit down and say, you know what, why isn't this fun anymore? It's my fault that it's not. And so I showed back up, like I've been amped up to be on this podcast all day. ⁓ to your point, like the research doesn't take as long anymore, but now it's easy.

What I did is I found a few episodes of your show that I wanted to hear. Andréa Jones: Mm-hmm. Alex Sanfilippo: And I just, that's all I've listened to. So this week I've only listened to your podcast instead of other people's podcast.

That's easy research now, right? So, and anyway, my point in answering this question is I think it's a gift to be able to answer and I'm just being fully transparent here. At some point we become our worst enemy and we get in the way. No one's tired of hearing me.

No one's tired of hearing you. It's us that gets tired of it, but if we can re-spark that joy and just have fun, let it be our creative outlet. You can re-spark that passion. I'm telling you, people can...

Andréa Jones: Mm-hmm. Alex Sanfilippo: People can feel that even if they're just listening to it, they can feel it. And so I urge everybody who hears this, like don't let yourself, don't grow weary of doing good, I think is the best way of saying it. Don't grow weary of doing good, show up right.

That starts with you internally. So I didn't mean to preach there, but I got into it a little bit. Andréa Jones: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Preach. No, I love it. And I think that that is one of the challenges with being repetitive in your own business.

It's a good thing because we're repeating ourselves to new people every time. But as the business owner, it can feel exhausting. So I love that you talked about how to like reignite that energy and just be excited that the opportunity that you get to talk to new people, which is beautiful. OK, so yeah.

Alex Sanfilippo: Yeah, if I could real quick, don't, sorry, I don't mean to cut you off. You've done this for so long as well. And like, those are some of my tips for how to show up well as a guest. I don't mean to turn on you, but as a podcaster myself, actually really curious to learn as well.

Like, what is something that you recommend to people to show up really well as a podcast guest when they're on a podcast? Andréa Jones: Yeah, so I think it does come down to practicing. like to ⁓ my podcast guesting on smaller podcasts. And I know people always try to aim high and go for, you know, the big whammy kabammy podcast.

But the way my nervous system is set up, that is too anxiety inducing for me. And what I do is I go on the podcast that, you know, maybe you're just starting out or don't have like the thousands of And then it feels a little less like I'm speaking to a room of 100,000 people. Maybe I'm speaking to 10 people. And it feels a little less overwhelming for me.

So that's how I start with my guessing. But then also, I still get nervous before going on a podcast guest. I just do some grounding exercises. I always have water by me because one time I choked on my own saliva and it was terrible and I couldn't survive after that.

And there are things like that that I do. But honestly, it's just a human experience as I just try to keep the humanity in all of it. You know, we're one person talking to another. everyone who's listening is a human.

mean, I guess AI is listening now, too. But ⁓ all humans here. And so if I just remind myself like we're all living a human experience, I can be helpful sometimes. The imagining everyone naked does not work for me.

That that is terrifying. ⁓ That's So I want to talk a little bit about Alex Sanfilippo: Me neither. Me neither. Andréa Jones: the kind of elephant in the room when it comes to actually converting from a podcast because I think it can be tricky relate the conversation to your business.

And I know what I would do in that situation, but I'm curious about how you make sure as you're going into the podcast and you've got your notes and you've researched that you take the opportunity to ⁓ about your business as well, because obviously that's why you're here, right? So how do you do that? Alex Sanfilippo: Yeah, this is typically at the end of a podcast or nearing the end, the host will say, can listeners find out more about you or, Hey, can you tell them next steps?

Anything kind of like that. it typically comes up. I don't even know it comes up naturally. Sometimes it just, it kind of feels like it's just that part of the episode.

And if a, if a listener has been listening to a lot of the episodes, they tend to tune out at this point because they already, they feel they can go on autopilot cause they know what's happening. Right. It's like our intros and outros a lot of times if they're exactly the same. then people are just kind of like, if they've heard it before, they're kind like, okay, I don't need to hear this, which is fine for an intro and outro because that's, that's for the new listener, right?

Uh, but the person has been around, you don't want them doing that during this call to action portion of it. So you always, you've got to show up a little bit different. And I think it begins with what you talked about throughout the episode and going back to my original example of the power of podcast guesting, it all begins with you building that no like and trust with the people that are listening so that they continue to tune in. Cause they feel like, okay, Alex has something really insightful to share.

Right? Like because he's been sharing all this, this wisdom inside, he's given everything away. He's got something here. And so to me, it all begins with that.

And then being very intentional with that moment that you have, because you really only have a moment. The longer you talk, the more someone's mind is onto the next episode or onto the next thing. like, wow, have I cleaned this whole house? I was listening to this podcast, you know, like their mind is onto something else.

And so to me, I think that you gotta be really intentional. And if it's helpful, I've got some steps that I do every time. Andréa Jones: No. Alex Sanfilippo: to really, that I've done to dial in my call to action.

I'd to share those here if that's helpful. Cool, okay. First and foremost, it's gotta be singular. So I never suggest saying, oh, you can find me here, here, here, and here.

And I'll give you all real example. This is the first time I was a guest on a podcast. I didn't follow your advice. I went on a podcast, I didn't even know they had hundreds of thousands of people listening.

And in my defense, when I agreed to go on it, he had nobody listening. This guy just took Andréa Jones: Test please. Mmm. Alex Sanfilippo: off.

I mean, absolutely took off. And at the end, he's like, Hey, man, can everyone find it? He was like a young guy. I think he was like 18 at the time.

He's like, Yo, man, can everyone find out more about you? I was like, dude, thank you for having me. I'm on Instagram. I'm on tik tok.

I'm on YouTube. I'm here. I'm here. This is my website.

It's my email address. I gave my phone number as they call it. what was I thinking? Right.

And then the episode comes out and I'm getting texts, I'm getting emails, I'm getting DMS, I'm getting tagged everything. And I was like, I didn't even mention what I actually do for work. Andréa Jones: Wow. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Ha Alex Sanfilippo: in real, I didn't have pod match at that point, but I was still doing something in the entrepreneurial space and I just, I didn't even mention it. And I was like, ⁓ man, what a missed opportunity. And the reality is how many people did I miss out on versus ones that still decide to take action.

Cause we're telling people go everywhere. You're kind of telling them to go nowhere. And so for me, I've learned now it's gotta be one thing. And so that's the very first, the first point to have there is to ⁓ it one thing.

The next thing is make it relevant to the episode. I had somebody on my podcast and it was, they talked about being a, Andréa Jones: Yeah. Alex Sanfilippo: It was something about like repurposing your content as a podcast host around those lines. And then they're called action was about watching a golf video that they instructional video they did.

And I was like, see your answer was exactly. If you're listening, you're like, what? Like, that's not I'm here. It's gotta be relevant to the episode.

And again, part of that is choosing the right shows to be on. If that was that individual's real call to action that they're always wanting to use, they should not be on a podcast about podcasting. They should go on golf and golf related and adjacent podcast. So again, first has to be singular, has to be and relevant to the episode that you're gonna be on, which you talked about.

The next thing is make it simple to understand. And I mean by that is if I have to go into a five minute explanation, and first off, listen, if you're hearing this and you run some sort of medical company, you're in that field, I get that you might need more explanation. Your listeners are probably gonna be okay with that. But for someone like me that talks about podcasting, it better be really quick, right?

Like, ⁓ and for me, want to be simple and understand really fast. Like I don't need a lot of time. Andréa Jones: You Alex Sanfilippo: And then the next point here is to have, make it easy to follow. And what I mean by that is have a good URL.

Example, my name is Alex Sanfilippo. Nobody can say it. Nobody can spell it. And so I'm not going to tell you to go to a domain that I do own, which is alexsanfilippo.

com. I'm not going to tell anyone to go there because it was Alex something or Alex, I spelt it wrong and I'm on some totally weird website, which will probably happen. Right. And so I keep it a really simple URL.

And my suggestion there is if you have one that's a bit, bit difficult to understand, then buy a simple one and you can buy a domain for under $10 at this point. So it's just a redirect to maybe a more difficult domain to understand. But again, something that's easy to follow. Perhaps it's a phone number that you want people to text, not your personal phone number.

I learned from experience, right? Use SMS marketing tactics, something like that, right? But how something that's easy. And the last thing here is when they land there.

So people would say at this point, they're like, cool, this is great. It flowed with the episode. I'm gonna go there. Make it feel like a continuation of the conversation you just had by adding even more value.

So it shouldn't just be a page that says click here to purchase, right? There should be something, it can have that, but first it needs to be something else that reinforces it or says, yes, I'm in the right place. ⁓ I learned even more by going here. I can feel the value that's involved in this.

So it doesn't go straight from podcast episode to hard sell. It goes podcast episode to very top of funnel to learn a little bit more about you and let them come in from there. This has worked so well for me. It's taken me so many years to figure out what I just shared with you, but I...

I feel I've got it dialed in at this point and now it converts very well for me to do something just like this. Andréa Jones: Yes, I love this, the URL tip, because like I said, I'm usually listening to my podcast on the go. So make it easy for me ⁓ find the thing that I want to find. And so, yeah, I love that.

I love that advice so much. So my question is really about like, what do we do after the show? This is a question I get a lot because sometimes, like you said, you get on a podcast, it does really well. And maybe you do get increased.

But then that's kind of a short burst of energy. then afterwards, we're sitting there with this asset that we don't know what to do with. So what do you do after you have a really great podcast interview? what do you do with that asset?

Alex Sanfilippo: So first and foremost, I add the host to a CRM. So I have my CRM that I use and I add them because I want to keep the relationship going. What I've learned out podcasting, even after hundreds of episodes, is this is a meaningful experience that you and I have had today. And so meaningful experience is the foundation of all relationship, all friendship.

An example, I live in Jacksonville, Florida, that's super flat. There's no whitewater rafting here. So if I ever go whitewater rafting, I remember those adventures very well. It's a meaningful experience.

And I know everybody who I was with each time. Right? And so for me, this is that foundational element for you and I to do more things together in the future. And so I want to be very intentional with that by nurturing our relationship as well.

Not because I have something to sell to you or I want to come back or I do want you on my podcast, but it's a different story for a different time. Right? But the thing is I want to make sure that I'm not just like, cool, good to see you. Bye.

And then I'm gone. We never talk again. That would be a shame. First and foremost, nurture the relationship with that host.

Andréa Jones: you Alex Sanfilippo: The next thing you wanna do, and this is just from an SEO tip, is I wanna make a full blog post for the podcast I was a guest on. wanna write it myself, I wanna link to wherever you like people to go listen to the show, if it's a blog post on your website, or you wanna send people to Apple, Spotify, YouTube, wherever it might be, right? I wanna make sure I'm linking to that to honor the host, but I also want it to live on my domain as well, saying, hey, this was a great episode, on, we got into this, I've never been asked this question before.

If you're interested in podcast guesting, Andréa Jones: Mmm. Alex Sanfilippo: and you're a marketing expert or feel like you need to level up as a marketer, this is where you can go. I want to be able to call people to that. And then beyond that, I want to periodically share the episode.

And so for me, I tied to my CRM. So when I reach out to the host, typically I'm like, hey, by the way, I just to remember your episodes. I shared it with some people today. Hope you're doing well.

To a host, that means so much. And the thing is, this content is mostly evergreen. Yes, the world changes, things change, but for the most part, what I've shared here is pretty... Andréa Jones: Mm-hmm.

Alex Sanfilippo: in years from now, this is going to be good for people to still hear and still apply in their lives. And so for me, I believe it's about one, making sure that we get out there and we share it. We post about our own domain that we own as well. And then you keep that relationship going to see like where else does this go and how else do we serve together?

Those are some things I do that have worked really well for me. I don't know if you have anything to add to that, but me, this is what I've learned to dial in and it's helped me as a podcast guest a lot. Andréa Jones: ⁓ yeah, think for me podcast guesting, the most valuable thing that I get out of it is the relationship with the host. get to have interesting conversations with people who would never just down and have an hour long conversation with me about the thing that I'm an expert in, right?

And so it is a unique but have a nosy follow-up question, if I may. You mentioned that you've done over 700 podcasts and now you're saying you have a CRM and my brain instantly thinks that's a lot of people to follow up with. So frequently ⁓ are kind of sure you follow up with your your host that you've been on their show? Alex Sanfilippo: This is no one's ever asked me this question.

So thank you. Cause I wonder why this doesn't get questioned. Um, so over, over the years, this is over a very long period of time. It's probably been since 2018 was probably my first time being a podcast guest and some of these individuals they've, they've moved on at some point they've been removed from ICR.

I'm just like, I've been removed from, from them. Like not, not everything's forever. Right. And so I would say more than half of the people that's happened.

Now the podcast episode lives on, which from an SEO, Andréa Jones: you Okay. Alex Sanfilippo: we didn't even talk about like the SEO benefit of it, right? But from an SEO backlink perspective, like it's great that it still exists, people still hear it, they still find me, but me and the host have just gone different directions. A great example is somebody I was really close with for years.

Her and I like she flew down to where I live in Jackson, Florida, interviewing for the first time. That was like one of the things that we did, which was really cool. And she's moved fully into the automotive industry, like out of podcasting out of everything, which is really cool. And now we're just not in each other's CRMs.

If we ever see each other, if that ever happens, like right, we still have like a Andréa Jones: Wow. Alex Sanfilippo: We appreciate each other, but that's one of those people that's just like, okay, there's no reason for me to continue following up here. Just like for them, there's not, right? Like we've moved on to totally different things and that's okay.

So like right now I looked earlier today, I can't think exactly how many it is, but it's just under 365 people that are in my CRM. My goal is to follow up with two people per day. And so that's two touch points per year. And my goal is to try to keep around 365 people in there.

And so I'm always looking like who's here. Sometimes I follow up with people and every time I follow up with them, they try to sell me something. Andréa Jones: Mm-hmm. Alex Sanfilippo: And listen, that's fine if that's their thing, but I don't want to follow up and get remind them to try to sell me something every single time, right?

So that's another individual that might get removed. And so for me, I'm just kind of always carrying that list. And for me, two a day works really well in that 365 people, which means I have two touch points per year. For me, that works.

I don't know if that's a best practice. I'm not a communications expert by any means, but it seems to be the right cadence for me. It's not too much and it's not too little. Andréa Jones: Yeah.

Okay. Yeah, I like hearing what other people are doing too, because of the philosophies that I have here is that everyone uses a different strategy and something that works for them. And it does feel approachable the that you broke it down. If it me, see, I'm not that organized with my follow up.

So I would just be scrolling through social media and be like, ⁓ yeah, we were on that podcast that one time. So. That's the way I would do it. ⁓ But I also like to, for very specific people, I probably have a list about maybe about 30 people who we like to share resources with each other.

So I was on this podcast, I think you'd be a great fit, or I'm speaking at this event, are you attending that sort of thing? And so it does create kind of a micro network with some of the hosts that you've connected with, which I love as well. ⁓ Alex Sanfilippo: Right. I like, I mean, that's quality over quantity and I like that approach.

I have more of an inner circle as well that is more than two touch points per year. So I really admire the fact that you've done that. And it says a lot about you as a person as well. Andréa Jones: Mm-hmm.

⁓ thank you. Thank you. so ⁓ talked a lot about podcast guessing. I know our listeners are like, ⁓ need more information.

And you have the nine ideas to improve as a podcast guest freebie for our listeners. Why don't you tell us about it? Alex Sanfilippo: Sure, and by the way, this is my call to action on every podcast I go on. So you're hearing this, me practice what I preach.

If you go to podmatch.com slash free, that's podmatch.com slash free, give you nine quick ideas to help you level up as a podcast guest, whether you're new or experienced or you haven't even started yet, these nine ideas will work for you. It doesn't ask for your email address or anything like that.

It's just nine things that'll help you really kick up your as a podcast guest. And again, that's podmatch.com slash free. And that's exactly how do it every time, right there, every time.

But it really is, this is what I learned over years of podcast guesting myself. And I just put together my nine favorite things, because I'm like, man, this will help someone else, it'll save them a lot of pain. They won't give away their phone number their very first podcast episode, right? So.

Andréa Jones: I love that. And y'all, I'm looking at this page right now and it is so beautifully laid out for exactly finding exactly what you need. So go check it out. I'll also put that link in the show notes, onlinedry.

com slash 408. Alex, thank you so much for being on the show today. Alex Sanfilippo: Thank you, it's seriously an honor to be here today. Andréa Jones: And thank you to your listener for tuning into another episode of the Mindful Marketing Podcast.

you're feeling like social media is doing the absolute most right now, I gotta invite you to our third annual Social Media Day Summit happening live and free on June 30th. It a social media reset for busy business owners who want smarter strategies and clearer decision making for creating a marketing strategy that actually fits your real life. Get all the details on my website, onlinedra.com slash SMD.

That's SM as in Mary D. come hang out with me on June 30th live. Next I'm talking all about that. Social media is doing a lot.

And here's what actually matters. So tune in next week for that episode. I'll see you then. Bye for now.