How Podcasting Can Grow Your COI Network
By Daniel Keever
A lot of people think about guests on podcasts the wrong way. Or at least, they’re missing one of its most valuable uses.
Guest driven formats are common for a host of reasons.
Unique expertise
Cross marketing to new audiences
It’s just less boring than talking to yourself
But if you have a podcast—whether it’s primarily guest-based or not—you actually have an incredible opportunity to build, strengthen, and expand your COI relationships by using that podcast strategically.
Here is how we guide our clients on how to use media–like podcasts–to win new, valuable COI relationships.
Build Relationships First
The best explanation is a real example from one of our clients. One of our advisors wanted to make more inroads into the CPA space. The firm was multigenerational, and the younger advisors were looking to expand their relationship networks.
One of the things we talked about was how do you actually get an inroad with a good CPA? Someone who probably already has referral relationships? Because it’s hard to just go up, knock on the door, and say, “Hey, want to grab coffee and refer me clients?” That’s not how any of this works.
So, in this podcast situation, we set it up with one explicit purpose: let’s use this as a relationship builder with the COIs we want to do more business with.
It’s way easier to go to a smart CPA—or estate attorney, realtor, lender—and say, “Hey, I’d love to have you on and talk about this topic. I think my audience would really benefit from what you have to say.” That’s a much easier ask.
Our clients have done this across the board—for Medicare specialists, hospice care, estate attorneys, you name it—and it works.
You’re more likely to get a yes to an interview offer than you are to a generic coffee ask, especially when it’s clear you're trying to get referrals out of it. These kinds of interviews—whether it’s a podcast, a webinar, whatever—are win-win moments for what I’d call early relational momentum.
One, it's a great way to get to know each other, talking shop in a comfortable setting.
Two, you’re adding value right out of the gate, with almost nothing you're asking for in return.
And side note—when you work with a marketing team that has a process in place, like ours, every time one of our advisors brings on a COI for an interview, we send those guests a full marketing kit to promote their appearance. So now you're also equipping them with something valuable to share with their audience.
Why This Works So Well
This is what we like to call digital hospitality.
When you have a podcast, you have a space you can invite people into. It's like buying a house with a great hosting setup—you’re excited to bring people in because you know they’ll enjoy the experience.
And when it comes to building COI relationships—either deepening the ones you already have or branching into new ones—creating these win-win marketing moments makes the process feel more natural, more valuable, and a lot less transactional.
So ask yourself: who are the people in your world where you’d love to say, “Let’s get on camera or audio together and create something worth sharing”? If you already have a podcast, especially, is that a format that could work?
Take the swing. Worst case, someone says no. That’s fine. But for a number of our clients, that first invitation opened the door to something bigger. It became one of the core ways they built relationships—and built trust—through their marketing.
High-leverage. Low-pressure. Purposeful and personal. Use your podcast—and your digital hospitality—to grow your COI network.
