School of Podcasting: Expert Tips for Launching and Growing Your Podcast
Episode Title: Building Authentic Business Relationships Through Podcasting
Host: Dave Jackson
Guest: Molly Ruland, CEO of Heartcast Media
Date: March 17, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode, podcasting veteran Dave Jackson explores how business podcasters can build authentic, powerful relationships through their shows. Special guest Molly Ruland of Heartcast Media shares her proven strategies for leveraging podcast interviews not just for content, but for sustainable business growth and networking. The discussion offers deep insights into intentional relationship-building, effective guest management, and key technical and marketing practices that turn podcasts into genuine business assets.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Power of Relationship-Driven Podcasting
[00:00–04:37]
- Dave introduces the episode’s purpose: how podcasts unlock unexpected business opportunities.
- Ralph Estep Jr. shares a success story (“because of my podcast…”), highlighting how the medium brought lucrative opportunities from recognizable brands.
- Quote:
"Because of my podcast, I'm getting noticed like that, and I think that's huge."
—Ralph Estep Jr. [02:33]
2. Intentional Guest Selection for Business Outcomes
[03:57–07:20]
- Molly’s approach: Interview people you genuinely enjoy and with whom you'd like to work, not just any possible guest.
- Avoid simply selling during the conversation; instead, foster authentic connections that naturally lead to referrals or business.
- Quote:
"I don't sell them anything. I don't have a pitch afterwards. But now they're gonna think in their... the next time they're talking to someone who wants to start a podcast, hopefully they're gonna think of me."
—Molly Ruland [06:04] - Focus your show on topics you’re passionate and knowledgeable about—demonstrate expertise organically.
3. Beyond Content: Building a Business Ecosystem
[07:44–08:45]
- Heartcast Media offers comprehensive services, from production to guest outreach, targeting businesses who understand the value of podcasting.
- Molly underscores the importance of clarity about your audience and being intentional about every touchpoint, ensuring guests learn more about your business through onboarding processes and thoughtful website design.
4. Podcast Guest Booking: Relationships Over Size
[09:03–10:41]
- Importance of aligning guest booking with personal and business goals (visibility, networking, thought leadership).
- Focuses on in-depth onboarding to understand clients’ goals and multifaceted personalities for strategic show placement.
- Relationship nurturing is vital:
"Whether it's somebody coming on your podcast or you're going on theirs, that's a relationship, and like, value it and take it seriously..."
—Molly Ruland [09:53] - Podcasting is a small world; your guest today could be your connector tomorrow.
5. Guest Management & Thoughtful Follow-up
[10:41–13:03]
- Post-interview, many hosts drop the ball—informing but not nurturing guests.
- Molly’s tip: Focus less on overwhelming social content and more on the personal touch (emails, direct introductions, genuine thanks).
- Quote:
"The relationship is not on social media. The relationship is in that person's email."
—Molly Ruland [12:10] - Intention trumps volume; mindless repetition (“just produce more content”) can cause listeners to tune out.
6. Building a Pipeline: Soft Selling and Process Design
[13:54–16:10]
- Molly rarely asks guests for referrals; instead, she focuses on a seamless, value-rich guest experience.
- Custom “invite pages” for potential guests give a polished, memorable first impression.
- Word-of-mouth and organic interest often outperform direct asks.
- Memorable Moment:
"The best way to show people how you work is to show 'em how you work."
—Molly Ruland [04:46] - Fill your pipeline with the right people by being intentional—Molly’s case study: 22 intentional episodes generated $60k in deals and ongoing referrals [16:32].
7. Podcasting Strategy: Are You a Podcaster or a Business?
[17:53–18:45]
- Podcasts for business don’t require pursuit of ads or wide popularity; measure success by business growth and relationships.
- Relationship = steak, SEO = potatoes, social proof = vegetables (“potatoes always come first. The vegetables is the social proof… but the relationship is the relationship, you know, and that's where all the value comes in.” —Molly Ruland [18:48])
8. Rethinking Content and SEO for Discovery
[19:54–23:36]
- Resist generic podcast lingo ("new episode alert," "rocket ships," "deep dive"); focus show notes and episode descriptions on keywords your audience actually searches for.
- Use the AIDA framework: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action for show notes and titles.
- Every episode should be framed as a proper blog post with unique metadata for SEO.
- Quote:
"Every single episode is a blog post with metadata and SEO content on it, period. Like, cram it, cram it, cram it."
—Molly Ruland [22:56] - Place your player on your own website to retain SEO benefits.
9. Becoming a Sought-After Podcast Guest
[24:01–25:13]
- Prepare: Use a real microphone and earbuds, have a clear and memorable CTA, and refine messaging for consistency.
- Know the value you bring and make it easy for listeners to connect with you with simple URLs.
- Quote:
"When you go on podcasts, you should be repeating yourself over and over and over and over again… you're talking to different audiences every time."
—Molly Ruland [24:38]
10. The Reality of Guest Booking Criteria
[25:13–28:36]
- When booking clients: Minimum standards include 1,000+ downloads per episode and 30+ episodes published.
- AI and database tools (like Refonic) can help with research but can't replace due diligence—many podcast emails are long abandoned.
- High-demand shows receive 100+ pitches a day; personal, persistent outreach is necessary.
- Memorable Moment:
"Now every jabroni in town who wants to talk about AI is pitching me because they think I have an AI podcast, because they used AI to search the database...and it's not." —Molly Ruland [26:21]
11. Post-Publication Relationship Management
[28:36–29:49]
- After airing, keep nurturing the guest relationship through ongoing gentle engagement—social mentions, LinkedIn connections, and authentic follow-ups.
- Strengthen your own network by focusing on relevant connections; LinkedIn is especially valuable for B2B podcasting.
12. Personality, Branding, and Attracting Your People
[30:06–31:47]
- Molly’s show “Camp Content” is designed to reflect her humor and personality, attracting like-minded guests and clients.
- Resonant branding and outreach (witty invitations, playful tone) draw in those you actually enjoy working with.
- Quote:
"Build the pipeline you want, you know, through your podcast, through everything about it, the outreach, the look of it."
—Molly Ruland [31:21]
13. Authenticity and Self-Selection
[Throughout / 31:05+]
- Being yourself unapologetically will attract the right clients and collaborators.
- Not everyone is your audience—and that’s OK.
- Memorable Moment:
"You attract the people that are like you… and I want to work with people like that because they're just easier to deal with..."
—Molly Ruland [31:09]
Notable Quotes & Moments
- "I just want people to think, 'Podcast—Molly got it.'"
—Molly Ruland [06:56] - "Podcasting is a small world. Value relationships; you never know who’s your next connector."
—Molly Ruland [09:33] - "[SEO is] always looked over in this industry."
—Molly Ruland [18:52] - "You only sound stupid if you leave the stupid stuff in."
—Dave Jackson [39:49] - "Are you creating a podcast for your business or are you trying to be a podcaster?"
—Molly Ruland [17:25]
Actionable Takeaways
- Intentionally build relationships every step of the podcasting process; focus on genuine curiosity, not transactional asks.
- Optimize all show content for SEO; treat every episode as its own blog post and always use keyword-rich language.
- Prepare and follow up with guests professionally, showing you value their time and contribution beyond social shares.
- Be brave with personality—let your authentic style attract your ideal network, even if it means some people won’t resonate.
- Choose shows and guests strategically, not just by size but by alignment with business goals and project quality.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:00 – Dave’s intro, Ralph Estep Jr. business story
- 03:57 – Molly Ruland joins: Building relationships via podcasting
- 07:44 – Heartcast Media’s approach and audience
- 09:03 – Booking guests: Criteria & relationship focus
- 13:54 – Soft selling and guest invitations
- 16:32 – Case study: 500 cold LinkedIn messages → 22 relationships
- 19:54 – The “dinner plate” analogy: Relationship/SEO/social proof
- 20:34 – SEO mistakes & AIDA for podcasts
- 24:01 – Advice for guest appearances
- 25:37 – Guest booking: Vetting downloads and longevity
- 28:36 – Relationship management post-release
- 30:14 – “Camp Content” and attracting like-minded people
Overall Tone and Style
This episode is conversational, candid, and at times, delightfully irreverent. The banter between Dave and Molly is peppered with humor and sarcasm, but always anchored in actionable, no-nonsense advice. Both host and guest emphasize authenticity, clarity, and the human side of business podcasting over mechanical tactics or mass-market chasing.
Listen, learn, and leverage your podcast for real relationships—and business growth:
As Molly says, “Just create an abundance of good stuff… let the relationships come organically.”