A podcast can become the place where a business builds relationships, develops authority and creates a steady stream of material that travels far beyond the original conversation. Jeremy Ryan Slate learned this through years of publishing, interviewing hundreds of guests and gradually turning his own show into the foundation for a media business. Our conversation explores what happens when podcasting is treated as part of a larger business system, with processes, deliberate guest selection, distribution and consistent work over time.
Jeremy is the host of the Create Your Own Life Show, which had reached almost 700 interviews and more than 2.5 million listens at the time of our conversation. He is also the founder of Command Your Brand Media, a PR firm working with people in the podcast industry, helping them get their message into relevant places, book podcast appearances and repurpose their content.
His route into this work was unusually varied. He studied Catholic theology and the Old Testament, continued with literature at New College Oxford and completed a master’s degree in ancient history. He taught high school, worked in network marketing, sold life insurance and products on Amazon, and eventually joined a friend’s marketing firm, where he built websites after teaching himself through YouTube.
Podcasting started as a side project. His first attempt lasted around 60 days. Six months later, he launched the show that eventually became Create Your Own Life. The experience gave him a different understanding of what a podcast can contribute to a business.
“A podcast is about developing a brand, getting seen, creating content, and actually raising your own standing, meaning you’re seen as more of a expert in your area.”
Jeremy Ryan Slate
One of the ideas we spend time on is the relationship between a podcast and the business around it. Jeremy sees the show as a branding and networking platform. Hundreds of interviews also mean hundreds of relationships with people he would have had little reason to approach otherwise. Over time, those relationships contributed to speaking opportunities, media exposure and eventually to the creation of Command Your Brand.
“I think a podcast is one of the best branding tools out there.”
Jeremy Ryan Slate
That perspective changes how we think about growth. Jeremy talks about building processes before trying to scale production. His approach starts with documenting every step in a Google Doc and recording the same procedure on video with Loom. Once the work is documented, another person can learn it and take responsibility for it. The same method applies to editing, guest booking and other recurring work.
Guest selection receives similar attention. Early in the life of his show, Jeremy created a list of 100 people he admired and began contacting them. The quality of those early guests helped the show reach 10,000 listens during its first month and gave him a growing portfolio that made later invitations easier. As the guests became harder to reach, he learned how to identify assistants, publicists and other contacts who could help him reach them.
We also talk about what Jeremy calls the “small pond” strategy: beginning with communities and publications where you already have a natural connection. A university, a regional newspaper, a local publication or a smaller podcast can provide an early opportunity to become visible. Jeremy used local press releases around milestones from his podcast. One regional newspaper feature was eventually seen by a New York television producer and led to his first television appearance.
The same gradual approach appears in his advice about becoming a guest on other podcasts. Smaller shows are more accessible, give a guest room to improve and create a portfolio of previous appearances. From there, the next level becomes easier to approach.
“Honestly, because they’re more attainable. They’re they’re more attainable because when a show is brand new, like they need content, they need guests. There’s not as much competition for that show.”
Jeremy Ryan Slate
Another part of our conversation is devoted to content distribution. Jeremy transcribes episodes, turns excerpts into visual material and writes stories based on what he learns from interviews. At the time of our discussion, LinkedIn had become one of his largest sources of traffic. His approach was to treat each interview as raw material for several pieces of communication rather than allowing the episode to live in a single feed.
Toward the end, we return to systems and outsourcing. Jeremy explains how his team uses Google Drive to organize responsibilities and give each collaborator access to the procedures associated with their role.
“I use Google Drive for literally everything, and I have folders for different Jobs in my company, and then people only get access to the folder that applies to their job, and that has what I talked about earlier, which is the written, how to do it, and then also the video of how to do it.”
Jeremy Ryan Slate
There is a useful connection here with The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber, especially its discussion of building a business around repeatable systems rather than keeping every recurring task dependent on the founder. Jeremy’s experience offers a practical version of the same idea: document the work, make it transferable and create enough structure for other people to carry it forward.
Our conversation with Jeremy Ryan Slate is ultimately about seeing a podcast as an operating asset inside a business. The episode becomes a starting point for relationships, media appearances, written content, social distribution and future opportunities. Over hundreds of interviews, that accumulation begins to matter far beyond the number of downloads attached to any individual episode.
Main Ideas
- A podcast becomes more valuable when it serves the business around it. Think beyond downloads and advertising revenue. Your show can help you build your reputation, create useful content and develop relationships with people you would otherwise have little reason to approach. Connect the podcast with an existing business and ask what each episode contributes to your broader work. Over time, conversations can lead to clients, collaborations, speaking opportunities and media exposure.
- Consistency requires a process you can eventually hand to someone else. Write down every recurring step involved in producing your work, from editing to booking guests. Record yourself performing those tasks and explaining what you do. This creates a practical operating system that another person can follow. When your work lives mostly inside your head, delegation remains difficult and growth keeps adding hours to your schedule.
- Choose the people you want to reach before you start reaching out. Make a list of people whose work you genuinely value and approach them systematically. Early relationships create credibility that helps with later invitations. As your portfolio grows, approaching people with greater visibility becomes easier because they can see the company you have already kept and the quality of conversations you have produced.
- Start where access is easier and build from there. Smaller publications, local media and newer podcasts usually have less competition for attention. They also give you opportunities to gain experience and assemble a body of previous appearances. Each step makes the next conversation easier. Instead of concentrating all your energy on large publications or established shows, identify communities that already have a reason to care about your work.
- One conversation can become several pieces of useful content. Treat the original episode as source material. A transcript can generate written stories and excerpts, while an audio segment can become a short video. An idea discussed during an interview can become a longer post for a professional network. This extends the life of the work you have already produced and gives people several ways to discover it.
Podcast Links
- Website Jeremy Ryan Slate
- Loom
- Hunter IO
- IMDB
- Contact Any Celebrity
- Chartable
- REV
- Headliner
- Jeremy on Linkedin
- OnlineJobs
- Zoom.us