I once paid $12,000 to learn how to get booked on podcasts.
It was worth every penny. And no, I’m not going to cram a $12K program into a blog post… I’d butcher it, and it isn’t mine to hand out.
But there’s one thing I took from it that isn’t really podcast strategy at all. It’s bigger than that. And it costs nothing.
You don’t have to be ON podcasts for podcasts to grow your network (and your business).
It’s the simplest way I know to network without asking for anything, and it works on people you’d assume are way out of your league. Here’s the story, then the steps.
The short answer
Find a piece of content that actually helped you, tell the person who made it exactly what you took from it, and ask for nothing. Specific praise with no ask attached is rare enough that people remember it, and remember you.
The message I sent to Diary of a CEO
I listened to a podcast episode with someone very senior on the Diary of a CEO team. Yes, that Diary of a CEO… one of the biggest podcasts on the planet.
She said something about an experimentation award they give out internally every week, and I thought it was brilliant. So I told her.
That’s it. That’s the whole move.
I didn’t pitch. I didn’t ask for anything. I just told her exactly what I’d taken from the episode.
She replied within a day. Warm. Personal. And she went off to find my episode with Nathan to listen to it.
(And this works even if you’ve never been a guest on the same podcast… promise!)
I now have a real connection with someone I had absolutely no business being connected to. Total cost: 90 seconds and one specific compliment.
Why it works
Notice what made it work… it wasn’t just “love your podcast episode!” It was the experimentation award, specifically.
Generic praise is noise. Specific praise is a conversation.
Here’s the thing about people who put stuff out into the world: almost nobody tells them it landed. They get metrics… downloads, plays, follower counts. What they almost never get is a real human saying this specific thing changed how I think about my business.
People remember who made them feel seen.
That’s the entire strategy. There is no part two.
How to send a no-ask compliment, step by step
Step 1: Pick something that actually helped you
Someone whose episode actually helped you. Or a newsletter, a post, a talk or a free resource you used. It has to be real: if you’re reaching for something to say, pick a different person.
Step 2: Find the specific thing
Write down the one detail that stuck with you (the experimentation award, not “the episode”) and what you did with it, or plan to do with it. That detail is what turns a compliment into a conversation.
Step 3: Write two or three sentences
A message you can adapt:
Hi [Name], I listened to your episode on [show] and your point about [specific thing] stuck with me. I’ve already [what you changed or tried] because of it. Thank you for sharing it.
That’s it. No link to your website, no “would love to connect about…”, no mention of what you do.
Step 4: Send it where they actually are
Use the channel where that person shows up: a reply to their newsletter, a comment, a DM, or a personal note on a LinkedIn connection request. On LinkedIn, I’ll often connect with someone and send a note that has nothing to do with me. It’s thanking them for something.
Step 5: Leave the ask out (completely)
The no-ask part is what makes it work. The second you attach a request, it becomes a transaction and they can feel it.
With no ask, it’s just a person being generous, and those are rare enough to be memorable.
That goes for the follow-up too. If they reply, have the conversation. Don’t treat their warm reply as permission to pitch.
Step 6: Widen the circle
Once you’ve done it a few times, there are more places to use the same move:
- Past guests on the podcasts you’d love to be on. Listen to an episode and thank the guest. You’re building a warm connection with people one step away from the host, before you ever pitch the show.
- People featured in your industry’s publications. A short “I saw you in [publication], congrats” is a warm opener to someone you’d never otherwise have a reason to contact.
- A LinkedIn recommendation. Instead of asking for one, write one for someone whose work you admire. The recommendation itself is the reach-out.
The worst case is still a good case
90 seconds. That’s the whole investment. The worst case is you made someone’s day and nothing else happened… which is still a better use of 90 seconds than most of what’s on your list right now.
So today… send one message. Someone whose episode actually helped you. Tell them what, specifically, and ask for nothing.
This is Move 2 of six in Marketing for Introverts: 6 Visibility Moves That Don’t Require Performing. Its closest cousin is the 30-second voice note: same principle, talk to people instead of at them.
Want this message as a fill-in-the-blank template, plus the other five moves? Grab my free Visibility Pack: six visibility moves you can do from your inbox, each with the exact words to send.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you network without asking for anything?
Lead with something useful to the other person: a specific thank-you, a thoughtful comment, a recommendation. Ask for nothing in return. People remember who made them feel seen, and the relationship grows from there.
How do I reach out to someone much more successful than me?
Skip the pitch and the “pick your brain” request. Tell them one specific thing their work changed for you. It’s short, it costs them nothing to read, and it’s rare enough that many will reply.
Do I need to have been on their podcast to message them?
No. You only need to have listened. Specific praise of an episode works whether or not you’ve ever been a guest on the show.
What if they don’t reply?
That’s fine. You’ve made someone’s day, and they’ve seen your name. Keep sending one a week to different people, and some will turn into real connections.
