Turning Cold Outreach Into Warm Conversations: Our Podcast Prospecting Play
Wanted to share the cold outreach motion that's been working unreasonably well for us. We run a full-service digital agency for toy and game brands, and this is now our main top-of-funnel. The play: Podcast Prospecting Instead of pitching prospects, we invite them onto our podcast. Same target list, completely different response rate. Founders rarely turn down a chance to talk about their company on a show — the ask is generous, the friction is low, and the conversation happens on our turf (recorded, structured, ours to follow up on). This works in any industry. Toys is our niche, but the mechanic is universal — find the events your ICP attends, build a show around the conversations you already want to have, and use it as your door. SaaS, ecom, agencies, professional services, hardware, B2B services. If your buyers attend a tradeshow, this works. Where it gets really good: pairing it with industry tradeshows. The event creates the deadline, the guest list, and the in-person payoff. Framework: 1. Pick the industry-leading event your ICP attends. For us that's ASTRA (toy industry), GAMA Expo, Origins. 2. Build the guest list from the attendee/exhibitor roster. Brands going to the show = brands worth a podcast slot. 3. Reach out with the podcast invite, not a sales pitch. One link → intake form → auto-redirects to booking. 4. Record before the show. The episode becomes the relationship. You already know each other when you meet on the floor. 5. Use the recording as the warm intro on-site. "Loved our episode — let's grab 15 min at your booth" lands completely differently than a cold booth approach. The numbers (per tradeshow, on average): - 40–50 Podcast Intro calls booked - ~30% convert into a strategy session → 12–15 strategy sessions - ~30% close rate on strategy sessions → 4–5 new clients per show One tradeshow = a full new client cohort. Run 3–4 events a year and you've built a meaningful book of business off a "podcast invite." Why it compounds: