How to ethically ride the coattails of an A-List colleague

I’ll be speaking primarily from experience in my own preferred publishing medium – podcasting – in this email, although I think it can apply to any interaction with a so-called “influencer” either online or offline.

A common fallacy of podcasters is that the guests are what make the show attractive to listeners. “If I get such and such guest on my show, then people will want to listen to it.” Get enough “influencers” on your show and you’ll be successful.

On the surface, this makes sense, and it is true to a certain extent that any influencer needs to rely on those who are better established than them to make connections when they’re just starting out.

The problem with this strategy (if you can call it that) is eventually you’re going to run out of influencers to feature on your show, and you’re going to need to stand on your own two legs to make it work.

When I interviewed the great John Lee Dumas for my This Is What We C.R.A.V.E. show last month, I had a list of questions I wanted to ask him. Guess what? I didn’t consult him on what is fair game and what isn’t. I know he’s up for pretty much anything, so I asked him questions that resonate with the main message of my show. Community, family, moral consequences of artificial intelligence and such.

Most important, I treated the show like it was my own. I politely interrupted when I wanted to change topics, or have my guest expound on something that would benefit my audience. I also went on a little rant of my own to really emphasize a point that the guest made more than once.

The thing to remember, and that you can use to your advantage if you plan properly, is that the more well-known people who agree to do an interview for your show don’t have an agenda. They just want a bit of exposure, maybe the good feeling of helping out a budding influencer.

Most folks who interview a well-known influencer in their niche are in awe of the person. They regard them as their superior, put them on a pedestal. But when you elevate someone, they have no choice but to look down on you. Regard this person as your colleague, even if they’ve forgotten more information than you’ll ever learn, or acquired more wealth than you might ever have in your life.

Imagine an interview where the host says something like, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but you mentioned something I think is worth unpacking; would you mind sharing more about _______ topic?”

That’s quite different from having a list of questions, asking them verbatim, and then letting the guest just say whatever they want, which is how these things go about 99% of the time.

That is a host who is using this person with authority and credibility in their niche to establish their own authority and credibility with their audience. It’s perfectly ethical, and in all likelihood the A-list guest is going to be really impressed by the person who has the chutzpah to do this.

By simply taking control of their own show, the host has earned the respect, perhaps even admiration of both the guest and the folks who listen in. Soon enough that host will be an influencer in their own right. Those less bold will continue to mooch off the notoriety of others to mask their own insecurities.