Your listener does not need you. That is the part nobody says out loud.

They found your show, they gave you a few minutes, and then they left, because every fact in that episode was already sitting in a search bar. Five seconds. They did not even have to type it.

Want your show handled so it can actually feed the business? https://propodconcierge.com

Sara Lohse runs a podcast production company and wrote a book about storytelling, and her whole argument is that the only thing you own is the part that cannot be searched. In this conversation she proves it on a client who told her flat out that nobody needed her story, then changes that client's mind in about two minutes, on a call, with a story about her dad.

In this episode:

• The five doors a podcast can open, and how to pick the one your business actually needs
• Why a podcast is an employee, and what happens when you never give it a job
• The relationship play instead of the pitch slap when your ideal client is your guest
• Never answer a yes or no question with a yes or no, the fix you can use in your next recording
• How to add context to a fact in thirty seconds, without a dramatic story
• The client who said "we don't need my story," and the two minutes that changed her mind
• How one embarrassing story got Sara booked on a top finance podcast over a credentialed expert
• The one thing to do differently in your next episode

About the guest, Sara Lohse: Sara Lohse of Branded helps founders turn their own stories into podcasts that build the business behind them. She is the author of Open This Book: The Art of Storytelling for Aspiring Thought Leaders, and the host of First Stage. She learned to tell her own story live on air as a guest on Stacking Benjamins, and that host later wrote the foreword to her book.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralohse/

Company, Branded: https://workwithbranded.com/about-us/

Podcast, First Stage: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDZtipQcht8r25g9jEit66mWAWtG9oIOV

Book, Open This Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D11KRP2X

Okay, quick one. Founder or business owner, the story is the part only you can tell. Nobody can do that for you. But the descriptions, the clips, chasing the guests, the editing, the posting, all of it after you stop talking, stop that now. That is not your job. You're supposed to be working on the business. The podcast is supposed to feed the business. You record, we handle the rest. Apply here to see if there's a slot open: https://propodconcierge.com

She was ready to shut the show down. Then Megan asked her two questions.

How many of your new clients last year mentioned the podcast as how they found you? Two or three. What is your average deal value? Ten thousand dollars.

Thirty thousand dollars. From a show she was about to kill. She had no idea.

Want your show handled so it can actually feed the business? https://propodconcierge.com

Megan Dougherty studies the top 100 business podcasts every year. She is the one who tells you not to copy them. In this conversation she makes the case that most founder shows are not broken, they are just being measured against the wrong job. Then she gives you the way to find the money your show is already making.

In this episode:

• The two questions that surfaced $30,000 in revenue nobody had counted
• The sales enablement podcast, and how sending two or three episodes before a call took one company from a three month sales cycle to six weeks
• Why treating your podcast as your main top of funnel is the biggest mistake founders make, and what it should do instead
• Why copying the top 100 shows will not work, and what actually separates them
• The honest timeline for deciding when to keep going, change course, or kill the show
• The one highest leverage move to make this week

About the guest, Megan Dougherty: Megan Dougherty of One Stone Creative helps businesses design podcasts that do a specific job inside the company. She is the author of Podcasting for Business and runs the annual State of Business Podcasting Report, which has studied the top 100 business shows every fall since 2020. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doughertymegan/ Book, Podcasting for Business (free): https://podcastingforbusiness.com/ Company and the annual report: https://onestonecreative.net/

Okay, quick one. Founder or business owner, if you are recording and then doing all of it yourself, the descriptions, the clips, chasing the guests, the editing, and you still cannot tell whether any of it fed the business, stop that now. That is not your job. You're supposed to be working on the business. The podcast is supposed to feed the business. You record, we handle the rest. Apply here to see if there's a slot open: https://propodconcierge.com

This has been the Founder Podcast Lab. See you in the next episode.

"Posting on social media only is a billboard to people who already know you're doing this."

That is Ande Lyons, 800 plus episodes and 14 years into this, answering the founder whose podcast is not bringing in any business. Her point is blunt. All that posting is reaching the people who already found you. Nobody new is discovering the show, and no amount of clips fixes that.

We get into what does fix it. She makes the case that a founder podcast is a lead magnet and a brand awareness asset, not a direct sales channel, and that expecting it to convert on its own is why so many founders quit around episode ten. She also gives the proof that the long game is real: she stopped publishing Startup Life in June 2023, and last week the archive still pulled 245 downloads.

In this episode:

• Why eight or ten episodes is not enough for anyone to find you yet
• Why download counts are the wrong number, and what to look at instead
• The biggest mistake founder podcasters make, and the three part structure that fixes it
• Why people need roughly eight touches before they act on anything
• The one word change that makes a listener feel spoken to instead of broadcast at
• How to keep the podcast from eating the time you should spend on the business
• Why guesting on other people's shows may be the highest return move available to you
• How to manage up so your three points land even when the host never asks
• The one thing to change going into your next episode

About the guest, Ande Lyons: Four time founder and host of Don't Be Caged By Your Age, a pro-aging podcast. She has produced more than 800 episodes since 2012, previously hosted Startup Life, and founded the New England Podcasters Group, a monthly in person and virtual meetup for indie podcasters. Podcast, Don't Be Caged By Your Age: https://www.dontbecagedbyyourage.com/ New England Podcasters Group: https://newenglandpodcasters.group/ LinkedIn: [ADD ANDE LINKEDIN URL]

If you're a founder or business owner running a remote podcast and you're the one writing the descriptions, doing the SEO, cutting the clips, chasing the guests, stop that now. That is not your job. You're supposed to be working on the business. The podcast is supposed to feed the business. At ProPod Concierge, you record, we handle the rest.

Right now we're taking on a handful of founders for a full, free month. Not a trial, the whole thing. This isn't for everyone. If your show is already handled and it isn't eating your bandwidth, skip this. A handful of seats for those that qualify, and once they're full you go on the waitlist.

Apply here to see if there's a slot open: https://propodconcierge.com

Tags (Buzzsprout tags field, comma-separated): Ande Lyons, Founder Podcast Lab, podcast SEO, founder podcast, podcast marketing, podcast lead magnet, podcast not getting clients, podcast guesting, brand awareness, done for you podcast production, ProPod Concierge, business podcast

This has been the Founder Podcast Lab. See you in the next episode.

Emily Aborn ran a podcast for four and a half years and her listeners had no idea she was a copywriter.

Apply for a full free month of done for you podcast production: https://propodconcierge.com

The show worked. People showed up, a community formed, the downloads came in. It just never sent anyone toward the thing she actually did for a living, because she never brought her own expertise to the table. She was always shining a spotlight on somebody else. So she made a call most people won't make. She sunset the show and started a new one built around what she sells.

That decision is the whole episode. If your show has listeners but the business behind it hasn't moved, this is the conversation that tells you why, and Emily is unusually honest about it because she lived it. She also gets into the part most founders skip entirely, which is tracking. She asks every single client how they heard about her, and she writes it down.

In this episode:

• The moment a podcast stops being just a show and starts growing a business
• Why misaligned guests and scattered topics quietly kill your conversion
• Why she shut down a four and a half year show instead of trying to fix it
• How to pull three real social posts out of every episode, none of them "go listen to my podcast"
• How new paid offers get born out of episodes, including the bio episode that became a service
• The tracking habit that tells her exactly where clients come from
• The one podcasting mistake she wants every business owner to avoid
• The 60 second move to make the minute an episode goes live

About the guest, Emily Aborn: Emily Aborn is a copywriter and podcast host who has been at it since 2018. She built her business around turning podcast conversations into content that actually sells, things like content banks, workshops, and new offers. She hosts Small Business Casual and co-hosts a client's show as a sales asset for his building company. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmilyAborn Website: https://emilyaborn.com/

Okay, quick one. If you're a founder or business owner also running a remote podcast, audio or video, and you're the one making the descriptions, doing the clips, editing, finding guests. Stop that now. That is not your job. You're supposed to be working on the business. The podcast is supposed to feed the business. At ProPod Concierge, you record, we handle the rest. Right now we're taking on a handful of founders for a full, free month. All it costs in exchange is feedback, or a testimonial if we knock it out of the park for you. This isn't for everyone. If your podcast is already handled and it isn't taking the time and bandwidth that should be going to the business, skip this. Once the seats are full, you'll be put on the waitlist. Apply here to see if there's a slot open: https://propodconcierge.com

Tags (Buzzsprout tags field, comma-separated): Emily Aborn, Small Business Casual, podcast strategy, podcast but no clients, repurposing content, podcast marketing, founder podcast, small business podcasting, podcast ROI, creating offers, Founder Podcast Lab, ProPod Concierge

This has been the Founder Podcast Lab. See you in the next episode.

A million views can get you zero clients. A handful of the right listeners can build your business. Richard Wilmore has seen both.

Richard has put hundreds of experts in front of borrowed audiences, and he is blunt about where founder podcasts go to die: the marketing stops the moment you publish. In this conversation he reframes guesting as lead generation instead of exposure, explains why familiarity and trust are what actually convert, and gives the real timeline before a show starts paying off. If your podcast looks successful on the surface but isn't growing the business behind it, start here.

Want the show handled for you? ProPod Concierge, done for you podcast production for founders: https://propodconcierge.com

In this episode:

• Why some guests walk away with business and others just get a nice clip
• Guesting as lead generation, not just exposure
• The publish-and-stop mistake that kills the payoff
• The one guest spot that turned into almost a decade of work
• Why you are not the only one who can talk about your business
• Views vs clients: why views matter but should not be the focus
• The compounding asset: why it clicks around 80 episodes

About the guest, Richard Wilmore: Podcast producer, host, and guest-booker who grew his own show to roughly 100,000 views a month and helps founders turn guest appearances into real business. Podcast, Make Your Day Richer: https://www.youtube.com/@MakeYourDayRicherTV Website: https://www.makeyourdayricher.com

Quick one from the host. Founder or business owner: if you are recording and then also making the descriptions, cutting the clips, editing, and chasing guests, stop that now. That is not your job. You are supposed to be working on the business. The podcast is supposed to feed the business. ProPod Concierge: you record, we handle the rest. We are taking on a handful of founders for a full, free month, not a trial, for those that qualify. Apply here to see if there's a slot open: https://propodconcierge.com

That's ProPod Concierge. You record, we handle the rest. Apply here to see if there's a slot open: https://propodconcierge.com

A digital download is worth about two cents. The person sitting in front of you is worth up to 500 times more.

Jeff Revilla, podcaster since 2010 and the founder who bought an actual brick-and-mortar theater to do live podcasting, joins the Founder Podcast Lab to run the math most founders never do. Why 20 people at a live show can out-earn a podcast with 16,000 downloads, why live is the gravy and not the whole meal, and where the real value of a founder podcast has been hiding.

We get into the biggest mistake Jeff sees business owners make on the mic, the "I-I-I syndrome," where you talk about yourself instead of solving your listener's problem, plus the open-house blueprint for turning your own business into the venue, using a live taping as a networking and lead-gen event, and turning a client interview into the best business card you'll ever hand out.

If your podcast looks successful on the surface but isn't growing the business behind it, this episode shows you where to look first.

In this episode:

• The math: why 20 people in a room beat 16,000 downloads
• Live is the gravy, special events, not every episode
• The "I-I-I syndrome" that kills founder podcasts
• Turn a client interview into your best business card
• The open-house blueprint: make your own business the venue
• A 40-seat room with Madison Square Garden capacity (virtual tickets)

About the guest, Jeff Revilla: Podcaster since 2010, creator of a trivia show now airing on local television, and founder of a brick-and-mortar live-podcast theater in Tarentum, PA. He also runs the Pittsburgh Podcast Meetups. Podcast, Pod Duty: https://poduty.com His Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@podutylive

Running live events and still trying to keep the feed going, the clips, the descriptions, the editing, the guest booking? Stop that now. That's not your job. You're supposed to be working on the business. The podcast is supposed to feed the business.

This has been the Founder Podcast Lab. See you in the next episode.

You don't need more downloads. You need the right ones.

John Taylor, podcast marketer and founder of ACT3 Agency, joins the Founder Podcast Lab to explain why a business podcast that looks successful on the surface often isn't growing the business behind it, and why that's a strategy problem, not a podcast problem.

We get into reaching your ideal client instead of chasing vanity metrics, treating the show as one asset inside your funnel rather than the finish line, building a call-to-action that offers the next layer of value, and rotating that CTA so it never becomes closing-credits noise. John also breaks down LDO (Listener Discoverability Optimization), why AI can't hear your podcast and only reads the words you give it, and why the title and first line of a description carry about 90% of the decision to listen.

If your podcast feels like it's going nowhere, this episode shows you where to look first.

In this episode:

• Right downloads, not more downloads: reaching your ICP
• Your podcast lives inside the funnel, not above it
• The next layer of value: designing a CTA that converts
• Rotate the CTA every episode so it stays alive
• Teach AI who you are (the LDO approach)
• Why the title and first line decide almost everything

About the guest, John Taylor: Podcast marketer, founder of ACT3 Agency, and creator of the LDO framework. Website: https://act3agency.com/ PodAgain AI (launching soon): https://podagain.ai/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ACT3Agency

Too busy to handle everything after you hit record? That's ProPod Concierge. You record, we handle the rest. Apply here to see if there's a slot open: https://propodconcierge.com

This has been the Founder Podcast Lab. See you in the next episode.

You can be found and still not get chosen. That's the gap most founder podcasters never close.

Attorney and licensed mental health professional Andrew E. Colsky — founder of Sleep Science Today and creator of Be-Picked / CredGen — joins the show to explain why visibility doesn't equal clients, and what actually makes someone decide to hire you (sometimes before you've ever spoken).

We talk about the trust signals that make a listener feel understood, how AI search is already deciding who gets the call, why trying to be the expert at everything can quietly weaken your authority, and why a handful of the right viewers beats a viral video full of the wrong ones. If your podcast looks healthy but isn't producing business, the fix usually isn't better gear — it's a clearer strategy.

What you'll learn:
- Why credentials get you considered, not chosen
- How to speak to your audience instead of at them
- Getting picked through AI search before the first conversation
- Why specificity beats versatility when buyers compare you
- "Thirsty horses": building a pull business instead of a push one
- Measuring the right audience instead of the biggest one

Connect with Andrew Colsky:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewecolsky/
- Website: https://www.be-picked.com
- Book (Left of Trust): https://academy.be-picked.com/left-of-trust-book
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxQfcZh84zQQX1vP2iWJ9zg

Watch the full video episode: https://youtu.be/uYbjTqEKuGs