The people you look up to will say yes to your podcast if you ask the right way.

AJ Waters is Field COO at Procore, and his podcast has nothing to sell. It still pays him back. He cold-messaged his heroes onto the show, and one of them is now a close friend. The show has earned him speaking slots, given him co-panelists, and made him better at his day job.

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3 THINGS YOU CAN DO AFTER THIS EPISODE

1. If you're inviting someone way above your level, don't ask for a favor. Tell them what they're great at. AJ's invite goes like this: "I think you're uniquely talented at X, and more people need to know about that." It's a compliment, and it gives them the topic, so they don't have to figure out what the episode is about. That's how he got his heroes on the show. One of them was Tyler Campbell from The Construction Brothers, and now they're close friends who meet every Friday. Pick one person you'd love to know. Write down the one thing they're great at and why your audience needs it, then send it.

2. Your past guests can be your next panel. If you speak at live events, bring them up with you as co-panelists. When AJ is headed somewhere to speak, he checks which past guests live nearby and know the topic, then asks them to do it live. His next panel in Phoenix grew out of an episode about whether you can trust AI in construction. Before your next event, look through your guest list and find who's close by and fits the topic. Ask them to join you on stage.

3. Your guests can tell you what your buyers really think. If the people you interview are the same people you sell to, use the show to hear it. AJ's guests give him straight feedback on Procore's software, and he says every conversation gives him at least one thing to take back to his day job. After you stop recording, ask your guest one question about the problem your business solves.

If your show isn't bringing in clients yet, that doesn't mean it's failing. AJ's whole show runs on relationships, and they keep turning into stages, friendships, and better work.

In this episode:
- Why AJ's podcast exists when he has nothing to sell
- The invite that gets people way above your level to say yes
- How a hero became a close friend
- Turning an episode into a live panel, and past guests into co-panelists
- How guests make him better at his day job
- Repurposing with blog posts, clips, and LinkedIn
- His one tip for your next episode: research your guest

About the guest, AJ Waters:
AJ Waters is Field COO for the public sector at Procore and host of TheEngiNerdLife Podcast. He's a former structural engineer, and his show spotlights people in construction whose superpower is a skill anyone can learn.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/watersaj/
Website: https://www.theenginerdlife.com
Apple Podcasts, TheEngiNerdLife Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/theenginerdlife-podcast/id1871540343

Booking guests, chasing the audio, cutting the clips, writing the blog, posting every day. 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.

ProPod Concierge runs your show for you. 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.