Jessica Rhodes, Founder and Co-owner of Interview Connections (Rhode Island)

Jessica Rhodes is Founder and Co-owner of Interview Connections, the first and leading podcast booking agency. The beginning? Jessica started working from home as a virtual assistant, booking her father on podcasts, so he could get exposure to his target audience and amplify his brand . . . without a lot of travel. Then added companies.

While many of her clients think they would like to be on "big-name" podcasts, Jessica feels it is important for them to be strategic about where they "spend their time" and about getting on the right shows. Rather than using a "shotgun" approach, entrepreneurs will be far better served if they can get on shows where they will be addressing 500 of their best potential clients. Most of her bookings are for mid-range shows . . . with a few hundred up to a thousand super-targeted listeners.

Jessica's co-owner, Margy Feldhuhn, started at Interview Connections as a contractor in 2016 and hired on as the first employee in 2017. A year later, on the occasion of Margy's first annual review, Jessica made her a co-owner. The "fit" was that good. The company hit its first 7-figure year in 2019.

Jessica notes that podcasts are not an effective marketing strategy if they are intermittent. Podcast interviews need be part of long-term marketing strategy – done with consistency and momentum. Jessica recommends doing an interview a week, 4 weeks a month, year over year.

Advantages of podcasting:

• Podcasts will "live" indefinitely – as long as people continue to search for what you teach.
• Backlinks between the websites of interviewers and interviewees boost SEO rankings.
• Interviews increase a podcast guest's credibility and help establish him or her as a leading expert.
• Podcasts attract qualified leads in a way very different from other marketing strategies

Effective podcasting is not about the ego. It's really about "relationship-building and getting in front of the right audiences."

Jessica believes it is very important to have clear, written systems in place before you hire someone for a new position. it's easy to train and onboard them. Interview Connections has a full-time staff of employees. Jessica believes the full-time staff is cheaper because contractors:

• Will constantly demand more money as they gain the skills you teach them
• Leave for another job or for vacation at will, providing no consistency for your clients
• Take the skills you taught them to your competition.

Podcasting is growing every year. Jessica recommends people guest on podcasts before they "start their own show," just to figure out where your podcast fits in.

Jessica can be reached on her agency's website at: https://interviewconnections.com/ or by texting the word "GROUP" to 38470. You will receive a link to Interview Connections' free Facebook group, Guest Expert Profit Lab.