This morning I had the pleasure of speaking to the South Shore Women’s Business Network at their Virtual Quarterly Breakfast. The topic was one I could talk about all day: how business owners can build real visibility through media without building any of it themselves.
If you missed it, here’s the heart of what we covered.
The confession I opened with
Six years ago I walked away from a 25-year broadcasting career, including a morning show on iHeartMedia, and started streaming one audio-only show a week from my house. No studio. No staff. No budget. One girl who used to have a whole radio station behind her, down to one microphone and one hour a week.
Today Lemonadio runs a daily show, produces more than 45 live events a month across Cape Cod, and has welcomed over 425 guests to the microphone.
I don’t share that to brag. I share it because watching 425 people sit down across from me has taught me exactly what separates the people who build visibility from the people who keep putting it off. And almost none of it is what you’d expect.
Nugget one: You’re not asking for a favor
Here’s the thing nobody tells you about hosting a show. The hardest part isn’t the equipment, the tech, or the money. It’s booking good guests. Week after week after week, the calendar has to be fed.
Every podcast host, every community access producer, every local radio show in your area has that same hungry calendar. So when you reach out as a prepared, interesting guest, you are not begging for exposure. You are solving the host’s biggest problem.
That one reframe changes everything. It’s why the barrier to entry is smaller than you think. It’s one email:
“Here’s who I am, here’s a story I could tell, and here’s why your audience would care.”
That’s it. Send that to one local podcast, one community access station, one radio show. Someone in your community is hoping a guest like you shows up.
Nugget two: Bring stories, not resumes
The weakest answer in any interview starts with “Well, we were founded in...” The strongest one starts with a person.
At our farmers markets, there’s a farmer named Dan who is a chicken farmer. Five years ago he was ready to quit farming altogether. I asked him to take a chance on the market instead. He found a community there. Customers became friends. When he had a fire, volunteers showed up to help him. Today his business keeps growing and his best days keep getting beaten and has found a new niche-Pickles!
I could have said “our farmers markets support local agriculture.” Instead, you just met Dan. And you’ll remember Dan.
Before your next interview, your next networking introduction, your next sales conversation, ask yourself: who is my Dan? What’s the one story about a customer, a turning point, or a failure that shows what you actually do? Walk in with two or three of those and you cannot have a bad interview.
And if you’re the person thinking “I don’t know if I have enough to say,” I’ve heard that from most of those 425 guests. Every single one of them did. The nervous guests are usually the best ones, because nervous people prepare, and preparation beats confidence every time.
The ecosystem hiding in plain sight
The opportunities are already all around you:
Community access television, with real studios and staff whose entire mission is putting local people on the air
Community radio and streaming operations like ours, far more approachable than commercial media
Podcasts, where niche beats big every time
Other people’s live events and video series, where a five-minute conversation travels further than you’d believe
And remember: everything gets recorded now. One 20-minute conversation becomes a video for your website, five social clips, a newsletter link, and a credential. The live audience is the appetizer. The recording is the meal.
Where to start
If this morning left you thinking “okay, but where do I start for MY business,” that’s exactly what my one-on-one Media Strategy Session is for.
In 60 minutes, we’ll map the specific shows, stations, and platforms that fit your business, figure out your Dan stories, and leave you with a plan you can act on that same week. You’ll walk away with named opportunities and exactly how to approach them.
Breakfast attendees get a special rate through the end of the month, and I keep only a handful of these slots open. Reply to this post or reach out directly and we’ll find a time.
Thank you again to the SSWBN board for the invitation, and to everyone who filled the chat with such great questions. This is why I love community media: every conversation builds a bridge that stays built.
Listen happier,
Stephanie