Is Your Brand Reputation Referral-Ready?

Yesterday I came back home from Orlando after having been there for the eleventh annual Podfest Multimedia Expo.  I was a speaker during the event but certainly attended lots of other sessions and, yes, participated in lots of networking, both formal and informal.

Of course, these are also opportunities to reconnect in-person with people that you already have relationships established with.  While lots of pleasantries are exchanged there is also a big opportunity to do business.  Those valuable one-on-one conversations can often lead to some powerful collaborations.

They could also lead to introductions, which are similar to referrals.  And that’s where it’s vital that you have your house in order.

Three days ago, during the lunch break at the event, instead of eating I sat down with an Orlando area songwriter, producer, mix engineer, and musical artist to record an interview for my “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast.  He wasn’t a conference attendee but, rather, had been referred to me by a mutual connection.  On the surface that sounds like no big deal, but let’s take a closer look.

The invitation meant that the guest had to rearrange his schedule.  Plus, he had to drive to the hotel and navigate the parking options.  Furthermore, walking inside and trying to make his way to the designated area is trickier than it sounds, especially given the enormity of the hotel.

All that and more for someone you’ve never even met.

There is always the chance that he checked out the podcast first.  Perhaps he listened to an episode or two and possibly looked through the guest list.  But more so is the importance of the referral.

When our mutual acquaintance referred this guest to me, he was putting his own reputation on the line.  I know that because when we finished recording the podcast interview, the guest said that he figured that if the other guy said it would be a good match, he knew he should do it.

If I hadn’t warmly welcomed him and/or if the interview itself was boring (or maybe too short, as in, “I drove here just for that?  We’re done already?”), he might’ve followed back up with, “Why did you refer me to that show?  Man, that was no fun at all.”

One of the days of Podfest I was walking through the hotel atrium and spotted a fellow podcaster.  As I stopped to say hello to him, he was chatting with another attendee.  He asked me if we knew each other.  When she and I said No, he formally introduced us and, being a publicist just like I am, she and I hit it off and proceeded to talk at length.  I finally stopped and looked at him and apologized for hijacking their conversation and he said, “No, that’s fine.  That’s what I do.  I’m a connector.”  Still, however, he was putting his reputation on the line by telling her that she should meet me.

Now that she and I are connected, we will do some follow up and the reputation of both me and Now Hear This, Inc. will be on the line to show her that I/we talk the talk and walk the walk, meaning that I know my stuff and we’re getting results for our clients.  In other words, I’m not just a good hotel lobby conversationalist.

Two days ago, on the last full day of the event, I reconnected with someone who I hadn’t seen since my November 2023 trip up to New York.  He and I had first met earlier that year at Podfest.  Now it was time for us to catch up.

Our conversation on Saturday was wide-ranging.  As we continued talking, someone he knew walked by and he introduced me.  That turned into a meeting I’ll have a week from today while I’m out in Los Angeles.  In other words, he trusted me enough to put his endorsement behind recommending that this acquaintance of his should get to know me.

Here is where I stop to say that both of the above introductions are with significant people whose time is valuable.  Understand that when I say that I realize that we’re all significant and time is valuable to all of us, but the definition here is ‘movers and shakers.’

This is all very similar to a referral that came my way after I’d had lunch at the end of September in Los Angeles with a PR colleague.

Someone’s name is on the referral and their reputation is on the line just as much as yours is when you’re on the receiving end of that introduction.  When you’re fortunate enough to get those, will your brand reputation be referral-ready?

For more than twenty years I have been helping indie music artists, authors, actors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, filmmakers, small business owners, and more.  What challenges are you having in your creator career that I can lend some insight to?  Drop me an email and let’s chat so you can take advantage of all my experience, and I can help and keep you moving forward.