June 19, 2025
Reader questions re: Basic Funnel Design for Solo Consultants
Long-time list member, Genevieve Hayes wrote in to ask three follow-up questions about yesterday’s message regarding funnels for solo consultants (shared with permission):
Hi J,
Really enjoyed this post, as it answers a question I have been contemplating myself, recently. However, it also raises a number of follow-up questions for me, that I’d love to hear your thoughts on:
Given where your podcast sits in this funnel, is it right to conclude that the number of listeners your podcast has isn’t really all that important (assuming it’s not so low as to suggest there is something fundamentally wrong with your podcast)?
Also, given your podcast’s role as a credibility-building tool, is it better to do a solo podcast than an interview podcast? I actually prefer interview podcasts - both as a host and as a listener, but I’ve heard it argued that as an interviewer, you’re building the credibility of your guest, not your own.
Should you be selling from your podcast (or your LinkedIn, for that matter), or just from your mailing list?
I think these are questions a lot of your readers might be interested in hearing your answers to, so perhaps these would make for a good follow-up post.
I hope you have a great weekend,
Genevieve.
My answers:
- Yes, that’s exactly right IMHO. The quality of the listeners is much more important than the quantity.
- Interviews are fine for building trust as long as you share your own insights, even if - especially if! - this means disagreeing with the guest. (Also, having an interview show offers other non-funnel benefits, so yeah... I’m a big fan of doing interviews on your podcast.)
- I think it can be useful to advertise your own stuff on your podcast, especially if it’s something that involves you speaking (e.g., keynote presentation, guest appearance, strategy call, half-day workshop, etc). Trying to sell consulting services directly on LinkedIn seems like a waste of time to me.
Thanks for asking, GH!
Yours,
—J