The latest episode of B2B Podcasting is with Reena Friedman, host of “Better Call Daddy” podcast and podcast consultant for entrepreneurs. 
We HIGHLY encourage you to check out the latest episode. 
Perfect your podcast strategy as you evolve your hosting style Learn how to find a good story and grow as a host How you can train yourself as a host to better guide your guests Asking questions that will generate genuine conversation Find the premise of your show that will speak to your interests
00:00-04:34 | Discover how to get into the world of podcast consultancy 04:34-10:55 | How COVID thrust us into a digital, remote work space 10:55-13:55 | Research your guest so you can speak their language 13:55-19:13 | Companies greatly benefit from employees having a personal brand 19:13-29:40 | What is the formula that makes a great host? 29:40-36:21 | Find the specific premise for your show to be successful 36:21-43:34 | How can a video podcast grow your personal business? 43:34-49:23 | Why you should start your own video podcast
“Creating a really valuable show is knowing who's my audience, what do they care about, and being okay with “hey, it's not going to be for everybody”.“ - Kap Chatfield “When you're interviewing somebody, give space for them to say everything they need to say.” - Reena Friedman “A really good tip for a host is to think about what you've covered in the interview, be able to wrap it back around and paraphrase what you want us to remember, because sometimes the audience needs that.” - Reena Friedman “If you can be a great host and learn how to mine the gold out of your guests and move that show in a specific direction—you're going to have a knock out of the park show.” - Reena Friedman “A successful show is about the energy level that you create, the stories that you tell, how you tell the stories, how well-researched they are, how creative you are and how you make the audience feel.” - Reena Friedman “In order for someone to tell their story and their voice, you have to use the words that they use and you have to know what they're passionate about.” - Reena Friedman “I think the reason that businesses need to have B2B podcasts is because we want to know the leaders that we're working for.” - Reena Friedman “When people feel a part of a vision, they don't even have to have a vision of their own—if they're aligned with the company's vision and where they're going, that will get them to stay.” - Reena Friedman “You are going to be a better host if you research the person that you're going to talk to.” - Reena Friedman “If you have a show that makes the entire world your audience, you're probably not going to deliver any value to that audience.” - Kap Chatfield- Rveal’s website: rveal.media
- Rveal’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rvealmedia/
- Rveal’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC69p14R2ccMdyUbbmdlWCEw
Full transcription:
Kap Chatfield 00:20
Hey gang, welcome back to B2B Podcasting, the show to help B2B CEOs, brand leaders, sales leaders and marketing leaders skip ads and be the show. I'm your host, Kap Chatfield, the CEO of Rveal Media. Today we have Reena Friedman Watts, she is the host of a very unique show, which I'm really excited to go deep into called "Better called Daddy". It's got an amazing premise to it. I'm not seeing, I'm not seeing this type of creativity done in shows anywhere and so I really love that she's just been really innovative with her show strategy. But also, on top of that she is a consultant for entrepreneurs to help them launch their own shows and use those shows to grow their business. And so we're gonna talk a lot about show strategy today. But specifically, she's gonna help us understand how to be an effective host for your show. So Reena, we are so pumped to have you on B2B Podcasting today. Thank you for joining us.
Reena Friedman 01:14
Thank you for having me. I'm pumped to be here.
Kap Chatfield 01:17
So let's talk about your your consultancy a little bit, talk about, you kno,w what got you. Let's just yeah, let's get the history. What got you into the world of consulting entrepreneurs, particularly in regards to helping them launch their own shows?
Reena Friedman 01:30
That's a great question. So before I started my own consultancy, I had built a lot of blocks up into doing that. So I have co-hosted another podcast where that even started where I was booking guests for that show. So I was using some of my reality TV experience where I used to cast people on reality TV to help people get on to other people's shows. I had done it for influencers, I had done it for a smaller show. And that led to me co-hosting a show that led to me working in the event space where I would get people to come to events, market events. And when the pandemic happened, I was like, "How can I use all of these things that I've done in my former lives?" And podcasting just exploded. And so I had always wanted to do a show of my own and it felt like the for the perfect time. And so I decided, like a lot of people, I think decide to create a show, in order to show other people that I could do that. That was honestly, how my show came about was I was like, "I can book the guests, I can write the scripts, I can find really interesting stories. I know how to market". And by showing other people that I can do all of those pieces, then I can help others do that as well.
Kap Chatfield 02:52
I didn't know that you were used to cast for reality TV shows. That's awesome. So you have like this entertainment background and that translated into podcasting. I want to go a little bit deeper into the entertainment world, which shows did you help cast for?
Reena Friedman 03:07
Oh, my gosh, well, my the very first show that I worked on was Jerry Springer. And so when Yeah, little tidbit there. So I started as an intern on that show. And I went from intern to producer in one season. And so as an intern, you hang out with the guests, you bring them around town, you have petty cash, I was learning the city right alongside them. But then as an associate producer, I started listening, well, as an intern, I started listening to the other people on the phone and what it took to get those people to come to Chicago. And so I figured out what made a good story, who were the loudest people on the phone? What were the stories that that the show was getting excited to bring? And so that is where I learned how to cast a good story. And from there, I moved to LA, I worked on a VH One show where I was a field interviewer for this show called Motor Mouth. What's funny is it was kind of like a car karaoke show. And now that whole premise has really taken off. I worked on Nanny 911 for three seasons, I was on the post production side. So I saw what families were casted for that. I helped cast for Court TV for about five years, where I was going through all the small claims cases and finding the best stories there. Divorce court, I mean, just a slew of shows. So from all of those different experiences I knew what these shows were looking for.
Kap Chatfield 04:34
Gosh, that's It's so interesting. That first of all, all of those shows like those are those are big time shows. Those aren't just shows that you helped produce that never never got the green light, never came out of the can so to speak. Those are those are mainstream shows. So it's pretty cool that you got you have all that experience very professional experience in the entertainment industry. You said something that's so interesting though because I'm seeing it all over, in regards to people starting their own podcasts or getting into podcast production or podcast strategy. You said that it was because of COVID that you really kind of got thrust into this world. So tell us a little bit about how COVID kind of redirected how you were going to use your talents.
Reena Friedman 05:20
Yeah, so right before COVID I was working for a very well known podcaster, Kathy Heller, the host of Don't Keep Your Day Job. And that even started because I was co-hosting another show, I had booked a guest on that show, and I was like, this guest would be awesome for her show. So her show is all about taking a talent and turning that into a career. And so I had booked a guest, his name is Mihran Kirakosyan, and he was a backup dancer to Madonna, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, really well known people. And I was like, "that guy has turned his talent into a huge career where now he represents other artists and he teaches people how to dance. And he has his own studio". And I was like, "He's in LA, she's in LA, I should hook them up". And it was just I just had that as a thought. So I introduced them, she was pumped about him, decided that she wanted to film him in front of a studio audience. I was like, "oh my god, I haven't seen this chick in like 15 years, this never happens, I should fly out there for that". So she ended up shooting him at her house. I ended up reconnecting with her. She was like, "if you can book me guests like this, I want to hire you". So I was like, "wow, this is crazy". So I ended up helping her produce a 350 person event, book sponsors for her event, which is something else that I had done in my previous work history. And then that turned into me being a part of her seven figure coaching program, which was like a $900,000 launch. So I got to see her put together her first big course launch, be one of her coaches, and book her huge guests alongside that. So I was doing a lot of things for her. But then when the pandemic happened, I was like, "Oh, my God, I have four kids home", me and my husband had to do quite the juggle in even enabling me to work at all anymore. And so I decided to step away from working for her and do my own thing.
Kap Chatfield 07:21
One thing that I think is so interesting about this whole COVID deal is obviously you know, people had to start working remotely. And I can imagine for you and your world, you know, going from a world of working entertainment, where everything's live, in person, you're handshaking, real live events, to figuring out how to how to create meaningful content digital world, and do it remotely. I feel like there's a huge connection there with with the power of video podcasting. And so I'm curious for you. What was a, what was that transition like? Was it was it difficult or do you feel like it was a good fit? Or do you feel like it was more than a good fit, it actually expedited everything to be able to just run a show that was completely remote?
Reena Friedman 08:07
I'm truly taken aback that it works so well. Because when I started my television career, I was working 90 to 100 hour weeks. You always had to be there, like you were on call you were up against airdates, you were taking actual tapes to executive producers to their houses. That's what deliverables looked like, you know? Yeah, really crazy. And it's just truthfully amazing that you can produce an entire show remotely now. Like I reconnected with somebody that I worked on Nanny 911 with. I worked with her like in 2007 and she was hiring like, I think a supervising producer for a new show she's producing for the Own network. And I was like it's fully remote? Like people can be from anywhere? She's like, it's fully remote. I'm like that just would never happen when I was working years ago. I think it's amazing. I'm so glad that we've evolved to that because I do think that our capabilities are good enough. Like there's enough software, there's enough technology, there's enough good equipment to make it look good, sound good, feel good. All of that.
Kap Chatfield 09:21
It's, you know what's interesting? And I see so many B2B companies hesitate on doing a remote show because they wonder, "well, is the production quality really going to be good enough for what people want?" And what I'm hearing you say is even mainstream primetime television is embracing the remote production model. Is that right?
Reena Friedman 09:43
Exactly. They are.
Kap Chatfield 09:47
So it's really there's really no excuse like B2B companies should be willing to embrace this because, let me just, I want to hear from you first. Why do you think the bar for production has come down so low? Like is it, does it really matter that much? And if not, what's the what makes a successful show? Truly?
Reena Friedman 10:05
That's, that's why we're here, right? A successful show is about the energy level that you create. It's about the stories that you tell. It's how you tell the stories. It's how well researched they are, it's how creative you are. It's it's how you make the audience feel. And people are honestly, I feel like relating more to real. I mean, I can tell you some of my branded content does half as well, as when I just have a random moment throughout my day that I'm documenting, and I put it up there with no thought. Something that could have taken me hours to edit, and make look perfect will do half as well, engagement wise, when I just show you something that I'm doing throughout my day, people want relatable.
Kap Chatfield 10:55
Wow. That's so interesting. Yeah, I feel like people are hungry for authentic, genuine connection. And I think that's really what the power of this this podcast model or just shows in general allow you to do, is it allows you to build relationship with your audience. And it sounds like I mean, I'm sure the reason why you're so successful at what you've been doing in the entertainment industry in regards to like running a show, putting it together, casting the characters, and kind of crafting that narrative is trying to figure out what's going to connect best with that audience. And so I want to tee you up with this, let's talk a little bit more about your consultancy. Your that skill sets translating in the business world, it's not just for entertainment purposes. You're helping entrepreneurs connect with their audiences. I want to ask you, what problem do you do you find yourself needing to solve the most for your, for your clients that are these entrepreneurs? What problem are you solving for them and how are you leveraging that entertainment experience to help them out?
Reena Friedman 11:57
So not even just for entrepreneurs, this also applies to businesses, because I am working with some corporate clients as well. When you're like some of these shows want to be scripted, like when you're working with a corporate client, you know? Their questions have to be approved, they have content writers in-house. There's research that goes involved, and there's subject matters that need to be covered. You want the guests to speak in their language, you want the title to reflect how they would speak. You want to look at their YouTube videos, you want to look at the conferences they are attending, you want to look at what they're saying on social media. In order for someone to tell their story and their voice, you have to use the words that they use. And you have to know what they're passionate about. That is what the audience is going to connect to and that is what's going to make a unique story. So I do that for entrepreneurs and I do that for companies, like I'm working with a company right now that like said, they send me the questions, like they have an in-house content writer that sends me the questions. But then I make those questions flow easier and I also like go stalk, who is going to be interviewed, and I see does that person have a YouTube channel? Does that person post on social media? Is that person a parent? What are they commenting on posts of other people? And then I take their words, their thoughts, their comments, and I bring that into their corporate interview. It makes it better and it makes it more them. And it makes it less corporate-y. You know, I think the reason that businesses need to have b2b podcasts is because we want to know the leaders that we're working for. We want to know who they are, what opinions do they have? Who are they as people? That is what's going to even keep people at your company today.
Kap Chatfield 13:55
Wow. Let's go down a rabbit hole with that. Because I think one of the things that's so interesting in this world that we live in is, especially these days, the great my what's it called "the Great Resignation. The great migration, the great resignation. People are leaving their companies so fast, or it's so competitive. It's I feel like one of the biggest problems that these leaders have of these companies is how do you retain great talent, especially in a hybrid work setting or a fully remote work setting where you don't have you don't have people coming into your office and reading the vision on the wall every day. You're not, you're not seeing them in person, you don't have that personal touch. So how do you keep people engaged is what I'm imagining they're asking themselves. How do you keep them engaged with the corporate culture, even while being hybrid or fully remote? What would you recommend for these business leaders in order to help them keep that retention with their customer, with their employees?
Reena Friedman 14:55
I love seeing employee spotlights. I really love those pieces. I love to know what the leadership thinks about their team, and how they celebrate the other people that are involved in their company. I love those type of pieces. And they don't have to be video, they could even just be posts. But I notice companies who do that, I notice companies who celebrate women who just had a baby, or when employees talk about that, "Wow, I'm so grateful that my company, let me take an extended time off". And I like when I see people at companies recommending books that they're reading or podcasts that they're listening to, or "hey, I just read this article and this is what I thought about it". I like seeing cultures that are okay with their employees talking about things like that. There's some companies that don't even want their people to be on social media. I think it's cool when companies allow their employees to have a personal brand. And I honestly think that everybody needs a personal brand today.
Kap Chatfield 16:00
No kidding, especially today. And it's amazing how the personal brand, I mean, I feel like business leaders sometimes feel like it's it competes with the corporate brand, when you're building your own personal brand.
Reena Friedman 16:14
They feel threatened by it.
Kap Chatfield 16:15
Right! But what, have you seen, have you seen how the personal brand actually elevates the corporate brand rather than tears it down?
Reena Friedman 16:24
100%. And I feel like companies need to see it as if an employee is bettering themself. An employee is an ambassador of where they're at, that's only going to be good. You know, whether they're doing lunch and learns whether they're listening to podcasts, whether they're taking an hour for a run, whether they're sharing their weight loss journey, all of those things. They reflect well on the company, that you're allowing somebody to be a balanced individual and better themselves where they're at. They're gonna be like, "Oh, where are you working?"
Kap Chatfield 17:03
Gosh, I think that's so true in this world of, especially the hybrid and fully remote world. I think one of the things that, that the pandemic really awakened the world to was, "Oh, my goodness, we have the ability to work online and to have autonomy in our personal lives in our work lives. Why haven't we been leveraging this sooner?" Like, I can go and take my son to preschool in the morning and not be worried about showing up late to work? I can still get my stuff done on time? I think it's people are hungering for that. And from what I hear you saying is companies that double down on communicating a message that celebrates that is going to be what attracts the right talent.
Reena Friedman 17:48
100% because people are not just going to stay for a paycheck anymore. Oh, and you know, it's a, there's so many companies, too, that are getting involved in politics. I think steer away from taking a stand on that, and focus on keeping your employees happy and balanced.
Kap Chatfield 18:15
Let's go, I'm like snap it up for that. That's so good. Yes. I think, you know, what's interesting, you talked about the employee spotlight deal and I think, you know, that's what companies that leverage content creation, not just to market their product or their services, but to communicate vision, to communicate corporate values to celebrate community. I think, man, that's, that's a game changer. And that's where I feel like employees that see a company that celebrates that and makes that their company narrative, the story that they tell, that's going to make it so much easier for an employee to see themselves in that story and want to be a part of and connected to that story.
Reena Friedman 18:57
Oh, my god, that is exactly what I was trying to say. Yes. When people feel a part of a vision, they don't even necessarily have to have a vision of their own. But if they're aligned with the company's vision and where they're going, that will get them to stay.
Kap Chatfield 19:13
Oh, snap, that's a Mic drop. Okay, make sure we make that a quote graphic. That's so money. Hey, I want to talk about I want to talk about B2B podcasting with within these companies. These companies, maybe they're like, "Okay, I want to create content. I want it I want to tell these stories. I want to leverage a show to be able to do that." People have been following along with this show, B2B Podcasting, they know what we're here to talk about. Using a show as like this amazing content flywheel to tell those stories a lot faster. It's efficient, it's effective, it's authentic. I mean, like this, this interview right now, it's hardly even an interview, it's more of a conversation. And so it's such a valuable medium to create that content. I want to hear from you specifically, as you're helping your own clients create their own shows. I'm sure a lot of people have the hesitation of, "well, could I actually be a good host on a show? Am I someone that's interesting to listen to? Do I have, can I ask the right questions? Can I keep the conversation flowing in the right direction?" I'd love for you to break down for us, someone who's in that place of "I want to do it, but I'm hesitant". How would you encourage them to, to that they do have what it takes to become a great host? Or what's the formula for being a great host?
Reena Friedman 20:28
So I would say the formula for being a good host involves a couple of things. One, you are going to be a better host if you research the person that you're going to talk to if you don't know them. So that involves listening to them on other podcasts, seeing if they have a YouTube channel, what are they posting on social media, reading their LinkedIn profile. If none of that is available, get a bio, have a conversation with them beforehand, see what they're passionate about. That that's one thing that's super important. You know, I don't think people do that enough. But I think research makes your conversation deeper. Also, when you're first starting out, I think it's a good idea to interview people who you know, who were already your fans, who are willing to have a conversation with you and give you a little leniency. You know? Is there someone who you've done business with before? Is there someone who has watched you evolve? Is there someone who's going to be generous with you in the conversation? That's going to have your back, that's going to see when you need them to jump in. So I think for someone who's newly getting into it, starting with somebody that you have good rapport with, until you get comfortable in your interview style, and you can just have a conversation, that's a really good way to start doing your research for when there's a guest that you want to have a conversation with, or a subject matter that you want to have a conversation around, do research, research is only going to make it better. And you don't have to stay on your script. In fact, I think improv training is a really good idea too. I've even recommended that for a host that I've worked with. Because one great thing about improv is that you just have to go with your idea. And if you go with an idea, and you say it like you mean it, other people will believe that you mean it too, even if you're not necessarily right. So just have an opinion. It's also like Toastmaster training, right? What does when you're, Toastmasters? It's where you learn how to give speeches and do public speaking. So sometimes you do like a round robin, and you've got like, a question that's thrown your direction and you just have to go with it, you have to give a response. And I think being a good podcast host involves being good on the fly, having good follow up questions, knowing when to interject yourself. But the more you do it, the better you get at it. So start with people that you know that like you that you have a good rapport with. Do your research for people that you don't know, have they been on podcasts? What are they talking about on social media? What are they passionate about? If you need to have a pre interview with them, 30 to 45 minutes prior, you can do that. I actually recommend that for people if that makes them feel more comfortable. And then the more you evolve as a host, you can get more creative, you can push your boundaries, you can lean into who you are, and people will like that, they'll like the evolution.
Kap Chatfield 23:45
Well, I am so I'm, I'm so interested in this topic about how to be a great host because I think you know, your your background, it makes it makes it so conducive for you being a great host, and you're an amazing host on your show. And you create such an interesting premise. And you ask such great questions. And you have that instinct to be able to guide a conversation, like through a specific narrative. And the improv training, I think is such an interesting concept too, because you got it like you want to go down rabbit holes, it makes things interesting, but at the same time, you still gotta like take them to their final destination. You got to know where you're going to go at the end of the day. And and that takes it takes a real skill set to do. And the point of this is not for me to talk, I want to interview you but I do want to share an idea just because as a host it's interesting because I'm more of a an introvert rather than an extrovert. And when I go to parties, I tell my wife this all the time, I would much rather sit and talk to one to three people for like 20 minutes, then talk to 100 people for 30 seconds each. And what I've, what I've learned is that I can talk to somebody, I can talk to anybody really about anything. It's not because I'm a subject matter expert about any of these things. It's just that I genuinely take an interest in people. And I just start asking questions as if I was the audience. And so I'd love for you to talk about that, in your role as a host, in and how to ask, like, how to ask great questions and how to how to kind of craft that that narrative through the conversation as you ask those questions.
Reena Friedman 25:31
Yeah, I love that. I would say that a key to some of my best stories has been curiosity. And it's also learning how to ask a question that you know other people are going to gonna want to ask too,
Kap Chatfield 25:46
That's good.
Reena Friedman 25:47
But saying it in a way that's diplomatic. And also don't
Kap Chatfield 25:53
I want you to explain that. What do you mean by that?
Reena Friedman 25:56
And I just want to add one other little point there too. But don't be so tied to a script. Like, don't be so tied to what you think you want to know. Be open to where the conversation goes and then know where your end destination is going. You might not get all of the questions out that you think you want to ask the person, be open to what they share and how to redirect. Yeah. So what was the point that you wanted me to elaborate on, sorry?
Kap Chatfield 26:27
On on being diplomatic?
Reena Friedman 26:29
Oh, yeah.
Kap Chatfield 26:30
When you're asking the question, like on behalf of the audience.
Reena Friedman 26:34
Yeah. So I have actually learned this a little bit the hard way. You know, there is a lot of information about people online, right? So if you're as good of a researcher as I am, sometimes you can find things that people might not want to talk about. But is there a way that you can bring those things up in the conversation? You kind of got you got to weigh that. Like, how good is your rapport with the person? Is the conversation flowing well? Would that fit in with what you're talking about? Have you heard them talk about it other places? Or is it something they're trying to bury?
Kap Chatfield 27:16
Yeah, for sure. I mean, you want to you want to, one thing we talked about a lot on the show is how the show marketing model, the podcast format, is such an amazing relationship accelerator. But think about this, like you and I, we had one pre show call before this, here we are, we're getting into like a 60 minute recording, this is a really great chance for us to begin a relationship. And so you don't want to, if you intend to continue a relationship, you want to make sure that you don't, you don't make it seem like you're just using their story for your own audience and you're willing to burn that bridge with them, you want to, you want to maintain that trust. And so I would even say, it's probably good if you have an idea of what you want to bring up, talk about that on the pre show call and say, 'Hey, I'd love to talk about this. But I don't want to expose you if that's not something you want to talk about". So just really being really considerate of of your, of your guest and where they would want to go and what light they would want to present themselves as,
Reena Friedman 28:18
But there's a balance there, because sometimes you want the shock value. And sometimes you want it to happen organically on the first time you talk about it.
Kap Chatfield 28:29
Sure. I hear that for sure.
Reena Friedman 28:31
So I've tested both. I've tested "Hey, I know your father passed away", or, "Hey, I know your daughter was sick and that's why you invented this product". Right? But I've also brought up situations in interviews, like, "Hey, I saw that you were in a bar fight and you got arrested."
Kap Chatfield 28:54
So that's, you know, it's funny. That's like, I see the reality TV show caster in you when it comes to that, because it's like reality TV is obviously this blend of real slash, somewhat scripted. And so how do you exactly, how do you move things in a direction so that it's entertaining and interesting? And it's kind of like, "oh my gosh, like, what's gonna happen now?" So,
Reena Friedman 29:17
Well, if someone's trying to be a life coach or an executive coach, and they've had little things on the record like that, I think that you should be able to speak to them.
Kap Chatfield 29:28
You know, that's also great for journalism. You know, you can't you can't be a great journalist if you're not willing to, you know, you can't.
Reena Friedman 29:36
Ask the right questions. Yeah, you gotta gotta go for him.
Kap Chatfield 29:40
Gosh, man, that's so interesting. Let's talk about your show, because you kind of alluded to some of it like you're hosting on your own show. You even said, you know, you learn some things the hard way, which I'm really glad that you're even willing to say, because who's going to be perfect on every episode? It's a learning process to develop a great show, and to develop those skill sets. But why don't you talk about your your show Better Call Daddy and the premise behind it. I think that's super interesting for people to hear.
Reena Friedman 30:05
Yeah, so even the premise behind it has totally evolved. The premise in the beginning was I have an amazing relationship with my dad, he is my cheerleader, my biggest fan, who I go to for all advice. And so I was like, I want to share that advice with the world. He was an entrepreneur for 40 plus years, he's who I call when I'm trying to figure out how to price my services, how to take more clients, how to vet vendors, how to, you know, manage four kids at home. I call him with all advice. And I was like, I feel like the generation of our elders shouldn't be thrown out. Like, there's so much good stuff from like our grandparents, our parents, even my kids, I learn from, and I wanted to encapsulate that wisdom, and I wanted to share it with other people. And then it was like, "hey, I can let people ask my dad a question", you know? And so now I feel like I'm trying to brand it as, "Are you a daddy's girl? Do you have an inspirational father? Do you have daddy issues?" All of that is involved in my show. So if you have any of those things come to me, I like those stories.
Kap Chatfield 31:11
That's, that is a really interesting evolution of a premise. Because number one I love, it's kind of like the, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, like, you know, phone a friend sort of thing. I think that's so interesting to get that outside perspective. But I also feel like what you're showing, kind of off the B2B Podcasting, you know, train of thought real quick, but super important. What you're showing is like, kind of restoring that honor back to the previous generation, like you said, and to, you know, to get their experience not to just write them off, like, "Oh, you're older, you don't understand." But no, actually, maybe you know a little bit more than I do, because you've been around the block. And so what's your vision for? For seeing,
Reena Friedman 31:59
Not only have you been around the block, but maybe you're willing to say it in a way that I'm not willing to say it. Like, maybe you're willing to be a little bit more straightforward, a little bit more blunt, a little bit more, not PC.
Kap Chatfield 31:59
That's true.
Reena Friedman 32:00
Here's another thing, there are a lot of business owners, that have now come into this. There are a lot of business owners that go into business, or go a certain direction in business because of their family members, because of their dad, because of an uncle, because of a mentor. So they've come to me with their stories, because they like that premise.
Kap Chatfield 32:34
That's so cool. How have you seen your relationship with your dad improve because of this show?
Reena Friedman 32:41
Oh, what a great question. Truthfully, that has been an amazing byproduct of the show is that, and I think my sisters are a little jealous, but I get special time with my dad. Yeah, weekly, daily. And we're talking about things that we've never talked about before. Like, I'm actually like on Twitter, I'm like, "hey, if anybody like has a subject matter that they'd like to push the boundaries on with my daddy, bring it." Like I like people that question my daddy's thinking. That's a fun conversation. And that's something that he can learn from. That's something that I can learn from. That's something that everyone can learn from.
Kap Chatfield 33:19
How'd you come up with this idea of phoning your dad and and getting his input?
Reena Friedman 33:25
Well, it first, so talking about the evolving of the show, I thought I would have him on, like listening to the conversation. But then I was like, "ah, that just I don't know if you've ever co-hosted a show with someone, but then either just like, when does he jump in? How much does he jump in? Is that going to take away from? Does he have the attention to listen to my entire interview?" So I only did one like that then I figured out really quickly it's better to me interview the guest, me have that conversation, cut it down to what it's actually going to be, send my dad that segment, and then he and I discuss the segment together and the question that they ask for the first time and we record it. So it's super organic, because we don't have any pre-discussion other than right when we record his reaction to the segment.
Kap Chatfield 34:11
That's super cool. I think I've just never even seen anything like that before. So I think I'm wondering how a B2B like brand leader, someone who wants to start their own show, how could they implement a a premise like that to like phone in an expert or phone in a consultant or something like that, but I'd love to,
Reena Friedman 34:31
They can exactly do that. And it's so cool. And it actually doesn't have to be a phone in or it even could be. I was even, I saw somewhere on social media the other day, like how cool would it be to have like a choose your own adventure podcast? Like you could phone in more than one expert like, "Hey, if you want it to go this way, talk to this guy, if you wanted to go this way, talk to this guy."
Kap Chatfield 34:50
You're oh, dude, you're a genius. That's like It's like one of those video games where you like decide like what direction you go or what path you go on. Gosh, that's,
Reena Friedman 34:59
You can have multiple endings, you can have multiple intros. There's so many things that you can do, just get creative.
Kap Chatfield 35:06
Oh, man, you need to write that down. That's a really, that's a really cool idea. Well, hey,
Reena Friedman 35:11
Wouldn't that be fun?
Kap Chatfield 35:12
That'd be so fun. I've never seen anything done like that. And that's one thing that I'm trying to, you and I need to just talk offline some time about, like, spitballing really creative ideas for the business world for podcasts, because I feel like people are, you know, I feel like it's so expected for like, "Hey, I'm a thought leader. Let's answer these questions". And that's great, because people still want to get answers to their questions. But the power of a strong premise like that, I think makes things super interesting. So you
Reena Friedman 35:42
I have to say too, it goes back to my Jerry Springer roots, like at the end of every Jerry Springer show, he gave a final thought.
Kap Chatfield 35:48
That entertainment background for sure.
Reena Friedman 35:51
So I was like, my dad could be the final thought.
Kap Chatfield 35:55
Boom.
Reena Friedman 35:55
You know? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's the thing too, like, if you think about commercials that you like, or youtubers that you like, or what is trending on Quora, there are so many ideas there. Take that and apply it to you. You don't have to reinvent the wheel completely, right? See what's trending and make a you-version of it.
Kap Chatfield 36:21
That's that's the content flywheel, it's like this feedback loop that really just becomes infinite eyed content ideas that you can play off of. I want to talk about your show and like how it's helped your business because clearly, like you're doing it from this perspective of its, you know, you're not talking about how to run a great show. You're it's there's a lot of different, you know, you even mentioned like the evolution of the premise of it. That's not necessarily tied to your your business. But have you seen this show that you're doing? Have you seen it attribute to the growth of your consultancy, or just new business opportunities?
Reena Friedman 36:58
Oh, my god, last year, I literally had more clients than I've ever had. And I did zero outreach. By yeah, I did. Yeah. Like, I don't go after people, like they come to me in my DMs from stories that I've covered, or things that I've posted that I've also, yeah, like I honestly had the best year. And the most new clients I've ever had, right alongside launching my own show.
Kap Chatfield 37:26
So how does that work then from a marketing standpoint? Do you like, are you is that from LinkedIn? Is it from different social platforms?
Reena Friedman 37:31
It's still happening, like it's still happening. I'm like,
Kap Chatfield 37:34
So, where's it happening?
Reena Friedman 37:38
Recently, I had somebody reach out to me, and you know, he wants to get on podcasts. And he's a CTO. And I was like, "Oh, cool. Like, I haven't really reached out to podcasts in that space". But the thing is, is like once you do it in another space, you can like I did it for somebody in health and wellness, I had a bestselling author reach out to me, and she was like, "Hey, I'm writing a new book, I'm looking for five to seven endorsements from hard to reach people, is that something you can help me with? And I'm like, yep, give me a list of 20 people that you'd love to have and I'll guarantee you five to seven of them". And boom, I did it. So it's just being open to using your strengths in new ways. And I took that CTO too, I was like, "hey, I can get you on 10 podcasts, and they'll be around entrepreneurship and technology".
Kap Chatfield 38:25
Come on.
Reena Friedman 38:26
And I'll help you tell your story and I'll coach you to do it.
Kap Chatfield 38:29
Yeah, you provide the full package, like you're you provide, you know, strategy, interesting show premise, you also have the administrative background. So you can actually get things moving. It's not just ideas, it's actual execution, too. So you're really a full package, anyone just anybody that needs help putting together a show definitely reach out to Reena, we'll put your your LinkedIn profile in our show notes so that people can get connected with you. I'm curious about the I want to go back to your like 100%, inbound, you know, opportunities coming inbound for you because of your show. Why do you think that is? Why do you think your show is such an effective tool to create demand for your services?
Reena Friedman 39:14
I think and I was even thinking about this recently. I show a wide variety of people. So there's really honestly something for everyone. One of the shows that I was producing last year was a healthcare podcast. I was supervising a three camera shoot, supervising the web team, supervising the editor, and it was scripted. I was working with the host, I did all the pre-interviews, I selected the guests, I was there during the shoot, I I put it all all together and some of the guests from that show that were some of the best guests I've now had on my show too. You know? If if your clients done with them, and you still have a relationship with them, and you see that they're following you on social media and engaging with your content, why can't they be on your show as well? So I never thought that I would work with owners of nursing homes or, you know, real estate developers of nursing homes, but turns out one of them, who just went from, I think he was CFO to CEO, his dad is a big part of why he's in his role. He said that his dad taught him how to care. And I was like, "Oh, how awesome is that? Considering you're running a caring healthcare facility." I was like, let's talk about your dad, let's talk about how he cared about people. Give me some examples of that, and how that propelled your career. So I was able to meet somebody on set of another show that I was working on, establish a relationship with them, and then bring them in to my fold. So I'm just open to all different stories. And and they've been a wide range. Like I said, you know, I've definitely tapped into my reality show background, I had a 40 year old virgin on, I had a guy that was a sperm donor to 25 children, I had an owner of a nursing home, I will say one thing that I've learned is by using the word controversy, because I call my show the safe space for controversy. I have had some people judge me by that and not want to be on my show, and not like how open I am to everyone. But that's okay. And maybe they'll change when they see where my show goes. But I have had to be true to myself in the show that I'm producing for me. And it's separate from what I do for my clients. I can be corporate, and I can be react reality show star.
Kap Chatfield 41:53
I think there's a there's a really important principle in that though, and it's that if you have a show that makes the entire world your audience, you're probably not going to deliver any value to that audience. Because the reality is, you know, you're not going to please everybody. If you try to please everybody, it's just going to be bland and vanilla. And so you, you've come to this place of realizing, which is so important when you're creating a really valuable show is knowing who's my audience, what do they care about, and being okay with hay, it's not going to be for everybody. But as long as it's, I'm reaching the people that I'm trying to reach that I'm serving them, then we're winning here.
Reena Friedman 42:32
100%. And honestly, it's helped me get a little bit more bold with my corporate clients. Because a lot of times corporate clients, like just want their title to explain what the show is about. But you can really jazz them up, you can make it more interesting. And I even try, like I keep to what the scripted approved questions are, but I try to make them flow better. And at the end, and like, is there anything else you'd like to add? Like, is there anything you'd like to summarize there? Or is there anything that you could say, again, that you've said that maybe we can say just a little bit differently? Like, the more you can get these corporate-y business to business shows, to get off script, it might make a good sound bite, it might make a good piece of micro content. It's all that's why like, even when I'm recording my own show, like the moment we connect, I hit record, and I leave it recording till the end. Because the good stuff always happens when you're not sitting erect. Like when you're not feeling like you're on camera.
Kap Chatfield 43:34
So true. Reena, I want to ask your feedback. For you have such a strong entertainment background, you are clearly an expert at what you do. And I feel like that could be a cop out for people who are hearing, "hey, this is the B2B podcast model to create a show. It's such a valuable way to build an audience, to create a ton of content to build these relationships". You make it sound so easy, you make it sound so easy to be a host you make it so it sounds so easy to come up with a show premise and to kind of create a narrative on the fly when you're going off script. I don't know if I have what it takes to do what you're doing. So as we close out this episode, Reena I want to, I want you just to encourage that person out there, that that knows that they need to do something like this, but they don't have the experience that you have. How would you encourage that person?
Reena Friedman 44:26
I would say if all you're focusing on is being a good host, then you can do it. So outsource the editing, outsource the summary writing and the script writing, take the pieces off that you don't want to do and partner with somebody that can help you with those pieces. Because if you're just focused on becoming a good host, I really think that business leaders can do that.
Kap Chatfield 44:56
That, I cannot agree more, and you know what's funny is? I feel like if you're going to be in business and you want to serve your customers well anyway, you need to have the same skill set that a good host would have. Like, if you want to be a good salesperson, you need to be an active listener. One thing that we I don't know if you mentioned it on this on this recording, but I think it's so important for, for feature or for hosts, you said it, at least in our pre show call is when you're interviewing somebody, give space for them to say everything they need to say. And you know, don't jump the gun to respond right away. Because it's in those moments of giving a little bit of extra space, that you really start to mine out the really good stuff, when they feel like they've said everything and then they pause. And then they continue to still like to overflow. That's where you get some really good nuggets. But it comes from being an active listener, and not just wanting to share your own your own opinion.
Reena Friedman 45:56
100% I mean, honestly, even in the beginning, because I have a bad habit of wanting to interrupt people because I'm so passionate about like what I want to say, I would mute myself to make sure that they were done speaking, that they had gotten it all out, because it's almost better to have that pause, which can be edited out of you taking the mute off, and to get that overflow that you're talking about. So yes, becoming an active listener. Having good improv skills, also the ability to summarize at the end, like being able to paraphrase what people say, in your own unique way is such a beautiful thing at the end of podcasts. And if you forget to do it, you can always do it in the show notes or in a blog post. But I do think that that is another really good tip for a host is to think about what you've covered in the interview, be able to wrap it back around and paraphrase what you want us to remember, because sometimes the audience needs that.
Kap Chatfield 47:04
Yeah, yeah, I think I really believe that what you just said was a mic drop moment for so many people who are on the on the edge. I talked to people all the time, who reached out to me, who direct messaged me, and they just need help. They just need some direction of starting their show. And so we'll get we're gonna practice that little skill set right now actually, with this whole episode. Reena, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing like I mean, you have so much expertise so so much experience in the entertainment world, being involved in reality shows like Jerry Springer, Nanny 911. And, and seeing your evolution and moving from just doing the, you know, pre COVID entertainment world to taking that skill set and learning how to run a show through a remotely recorded show and then helping your your clients do the same. The mic drop moment for me was if you don't have all the systems in place, if you're not a great editor, if you're not if you can't make great graphic design from your content, if you're not even a great copywriter, if you can be a great host and learn how to mine the gold out of your guests and and move that show in a specific direction. You're going to have a knock out of the park show. So, Reena, thank you so much for dropping that dime on us today. This is a this is gonna be so valuable for our own audience. For those of you who want to follow Reena, I would totally recommend clicking the show notes, clicking the link for her LinkedIn profile, follow her on LinkedIn, see the content that she's putting out. She's got over 10,000 followers on LinkedIn. So she's clearly somebody that people want to follow, but also check out her show Better Call Daddy, we're gonna put the link for that show in the show notes as well. Reena I'm hoping that from this episode and from the micro content, you get a little bit more inbound demand as you deserve because clearly you know what you're talking about. So, Reena, thank you so much for joining us on B2B Podcasting today.
Reena Friedman 49:07
Thank you for being an amazing host.
