How to Gain Referrals and Grow Your Network Through Podcasting with Dr. Jeremy Weisz

Gray MacKenzie interviews Dr. Jeremy Weisz, co-founder of Rise25, a done-for-you podcast production service, and founder of the InspiredInsider podcast. Jeremy is based in Chicago and has been podcasting for over 10 years. His background as a chiropractor turned business owner gives him a unique perspective on using content to build professional relationships and referral networks. The core message of this episode is simple: the value of a podcast is in the relationships it creates, not the download numbers it generates.

Relationships Over Downloads

Jeremy challenges the most common misconception about podcasting - that success is measured in audience size. For agency owners, the real ROI of a podcast comes from the relationships built through guest conversations. Every episode is an opportunity to spend 30-60 minutes in meaningful conversation with a potential referral partner, client, or collaborator. That kind of access and relationship depth does not happen through cold outreach or social media engagement.

When you invite someone onto your podcast, you are giving them a platform and showing genuine interest in their expertise. That dynamic creates goodwill that translates into referrals, partnerships, and business opportunities far more reliably than download numbers ever could. Jeremy has seen agencies generate six-figure client relationships directly from podcast guest connections.

The shift in thinking is critical. If you measure your podcast’s success by downloads, you will likely quit after six months. If you measure it by the quality of relationships built and the business outcomes that follow, the math works out even with a small audience.

The Five Episode Types

Jeremy outlines a framework of five distinct episode types that serve different strategic purposes. Thought leadership episodes feature the agency owner or team members sharing expertise and perspective. These establish authority and give potential clients a window into how you think and work.

Referral partner episodes feature people who serve the same audience but offer different services. These conversations strengthen existing referral relationships and often spark new referral flows in both directions. Collaboration partner episodes focus on people you could work with on joint ventures, co-marketing campaigns, or shared projects.

Client profile episodes showcase the results you have achieved for specific clients. These serve double duty as case studies and as relationship-deepening touchpoints with existing clients. Industry authority episodes feature well-known figures in your space, borrowing their credibility and expanding your network into new circles.

Jeremy recommends a mix of roughly 25% internal thought leadership and 75% guest interviews. That ratio keeps the show relatable and relationship-driven while still building the host’s personal authority.

Guest Selection Strategy

One of the most counterintuitive pieces of advice Jeremy shares is about guest selection. The instinct for many new podcast hosts is to chase high-profile names - celebrities, bestselling authors, and well-known speakers. While those episodes can boost credibility, they rarely generate direct business outcomes.

Instead, Jeremy recommends prioritizing current clients, referral sources, and collaboration partners as guests. A conversation with an existing client deepens that relationship and produces content that naturally showcases your work. A conversation with a referral partner strengthens the referral channel and gives both parties content to share with their respective audiences.

The strategic approach is to view your guest list as a networking tool, not a booking challenge. Every guest should be someone where the conversation itself - regardless of the episode’s audience - creates business value.

Production and Distribution Best Practices

Jeremy addresses several practical production considerations. Recording video alongside audio is strongly recommended. Video content improves SEO through YouTube visibility, creates a stronger personal connection with the audience, and enables social media clip creation that drives discovery on platforms where audio alone cannot compete.

One of the most commonly overlooked steps is guest notification. Jeremy emphasizes that failing to tell guests when their episode goes live is one of the biggest missed opportunities in podcasting. Guests are your best promotional channel for each episode. When they share their appearance with their network, you reach an entirely new audience. But if you do not make it easy and timely for them to share, most will not do it proactively.

Rise25’s done-for-you model exists specifically to handle the production burden that causes most agency owners to quit podcasting. Editing, show notes, distribution, social clips, and guest coordination all take time that agency owners rarely have. Outsourcing those tasks lets the host focus on the highest-value activity - the conversation itself.

Resources Mentioned

• Dr. Jeremy Weisz on LinkedIn - Co-founder of Rise25
• Rise25 - Done-for-you podcast production service
• InspiredInsider - Jeremy’s podcast featuring business leaders