Ep 155 – Jessica Rhodes, Interview Connections – How to Land Agency Clients Through Podcast Guesting (Without the Spam)

Featuring: Jessica Rhodes, Interview Connections In episode 155, I sit down with Jessica Rhodes, founder of Interview Connections and the entrepreneur who launched the world's first podcast booking agency back in 2013—long before podcast guesting was on anyone's radar. Jessica shares how a door-to-door canvassing job and a virtual assistant gig for her dad turned into a company that's booked more than 50,000 interviews for over a thousand coaches and business owners. We get into her recent return to the CEO seat, why she eliminated the sales role entirely, and the uncomfortable truth that not everything in your agency needs to be scalable. For agency owners, this one is a practical look at guesting as a growth channel: how to pitch without sounding like AI spam, why being a guest beats launching your own show (at first), and how to turn a single interview into referrals, repurposed content, and the occasional short-cycle six-figure client. Key Bytes • The best pitches aren't scalable—AI blasts fill spots but burn bridges with the hosts worth knowing. • Podcast guesting moves buyers past price-comparison paralysis by letting them hear your story and personality. • Nobody else has your story, your values, or your personality—that's what makes you a category of one. • Be a guest for a few months before launching your own show; they're two different strategies with different payoffs. • The shortest sales cycle comes from listeners who show up already ready to hand over their money. • Not everything has to be scalable—know your goal and your timeline before you optimize for growth. • Get outside your own industry, and you'll be the only marketing agency on that HVAC or manufacturing podcast. • People hire agencies they're referred to, and podcast hosts make powerful referral partners. Chapters 00:00 Meet Jessica Rhodes and the first podcast booking agency 00:54 Right place, right time: from stay-at-home mom to founder 05:11 Stepping back into the CEO seat after eight years 07:34 Why she eliminated the sales role (and why not everything scales) 09:40 What makes a great podcast guest in the age of AI pitching 11:56 Turning guesting into education, authority, and new business 15:27 Own show vs. guesting: which to start with and why 19:32 Keeping a podcast fresh 12 years in 23:22 A final guesting strategy for agency owners 25:06 Rapid fire: ChatGPT, thriller novels, and "follow the money" Jessica Rhodes founded Interview Connections, the world’s first and leading podcast booking agency in 2013, back when no other agencies like it existed. Since its founding, Interview Connections has booked over 50,000 podcast interviews for over 1000 coaches! Jessica is passionate about helping coaches who feel like the best-kept secret grow their business online through genuine, human-to-human connection. The podcast interviews Jessica and her team have booked have helped their clients generate millions of dollars in sales, sell thousands of books, and transform countless lives. Contact Jessica on LinkedIn or on their website.