Turning Meaningful Conversations Into Clients and Growth

One of the most powerful lessons I have learned in business is that conversations create connection, and connection drives growth.

In this week’s episode of The Amanda Kaufman Show, I sat down with Brooke Trometer, founder and CEO of Cypress Media Productions. Brooke is known for helping experts and professionals transform their podcasts from passion projects into strategic, revenue-generating assets.

Our conversation was full of clarity, strategy, and honesty about what it really takes to make a podcast profitable.

The Myth of the Big Audience

Brooke began by sharing a truth that might surprise many entrepreneurs.

“People view a podcast as the goal to build a big audience. That is the fastest way to burn out and decide podcasting just doesn’t work.”

Building a massive audience organically is incredibly rare. When you focus only on numbers, you miss the real opportunity of podcasting.

According to Brooke, a successful podcast is not about collecting listeners. It is about building relationships. When your podcast is designed intentionally, it becomes a tool for connection, trust, and business development.

From Hobby to Business Asset

Brooke explained that instead of chasing audience size, you should focus on:

• The guests you invite
  
  

• The conversations you create
  
  

• The strategy behind each episode
  
  

That is where the return on investment truly begins.

I loved this perspective because it aligns with how I approach marketing. The best way to show people you can help them is to genuinely help them. When you bring someone onto your podcast, you are not just creating content. You are creating a shared experience that delivers value for both of you.

When that interaction is rooted in authenticity, it naturally leads to aligned opportunities and long-term growth.

The Danger of “Salesy” Podcasting

Brooke also addressed a common mistake that breaks trust immediately. Some hosts invite guests under the pretense of an interview but then turn the conversation into a sales pitch.

That kind of bait and switch, she said, is the quickest way to lose credibility.

I completely agree. When someone joins you for a podcast, they are agreeing to collaborate and share value. The goal is not to sell during the conversation but to build a relationship that may grow into business later.

Authenticity Is Your Superpower

One of my favorite moments from the episode was when Brooke said:

“Authenticity is so important during these interviews. You are going to attract the people you really want to work with and naturally repel the people that you don’t.”

That message stopped me for a moment because it is so true. When you show up as who you are, you give others permission to do the same. You build trust, and trust becomes the foundation for growth.

Authenticity is not only about being genuine; it is also smart strategy. When you lead with transparency, you attract the right people and repel the ones who are not aligned.

When to DIY and When to Get Help

We also talked about how to decide whether to produce your podcast on your own or hire an agency.

Brooke shared that if your business offers high-ticket or high-touch services, hiring an agency can be a wise move. The time required for editing, production, and social promotion might be better spent serving your clients.

However, if you are early in your business or already have in-house marketing skills, starting on your own can also be valuable. The key is to be intentional about your goals and to treat your podcast as a strategic part of your business, not just a side project.

A Brilliant Example of Local Strategy

Brooke shared the story of a family law attorney who used podcasting in a creative way. Because no one plans to need a family lawyer until they do, he decided to make his show about his community.

He interviews local business owners, nonprofit leaders, and elected officials to spotlight what is happening in his county. As a result, he has built a strong reputation, developed valuable relationships, and expanded his practice into neighboring areas.

It is a great reminder that there is no single formula for podcasting success. The strategy just needs to align with your audience and goals.

Podcasting That Builds Real ROI

Throughout our conversation, one message stood out: podcasting is not about chasing trends. It is about building trust through real connection.

When you use your podcast as a platform for genuine conversation, you create a ripple effect:

• Your guests feel seen and valued.
  
  

• Your listeners gain real insights.
  
  

• You become the trusted expert they remember.
  
  

Those relationships are what ultimately drive results.

The Final Takeaway

As we wrapped up, Brooke reminded me that authenticity and honesty are not just nice traits. They are the foundation of every sustainable business.

If you have ever wondered how to make podcasting part of your growth strategy, this episode is for you. It is full of practical advice, inspiring stories, and encouragement to focus on what truly matters: connection, consistency, and authenticity.

Because at the end of the day, your podcast is more than a marketing tool. It is a bridge between who you are and the people you are meant to serve.

Chapters List

00:00 Introduction to Podcasting and Its Potential

02:02 Monetizing Podcasts: Beyond the Hobby

08:20 Building Authentic Relationships Through Podcasting

11:51 The Importance of Authenticity in Podcasting

14:08 Networking and Strategic Partnerships

16:27 DIY vs. Professional Podcasting: When to Hire an Agency

Full Transcript

Brooke Trometer (00:00)

you learn a lot from somebody when you sit down and have an open, honest conversation. And that's the goal behind using your podcasts, right?

Amanda Kaufman (00:26)

Well, hey, hey, welcome back to the Amanda Kaufman show. And today I am joined by Brooke Trometer. She is the founder and CEO of Cypress Media Productions, a concierge style podcast strategy and production agency. She helps experts, founders and high ticket professionals design and launch client landing podcasts that get them paid and positioned well in the marketplace.

then handles all the post-production to make them look like a million bucks. Love that. Through her signature Mike to money method, Brooke transforms podcasts from passion projects to revenue driving marketing assets that attract clients, collaborations and credibility. She's worked with attorneys, consultants and entrepreneurs across the country to turn their message into a magnet for business growth.

Known for her mix of strategy and authenticity, Brooke believes the best marketing starts with real conversations that build trust and connection. Couldn't agree more. And Brooke, welcome to the show.

Brooke Trometer (01:31)

Thank you, it's great to be here.

Amanda Kaufman (01:33)

So good. Well, I was was so stoked to see you join join us here on the show because I I've had a lot of questions about Amanda. How do you do the podcast? You know, you've got your podcast process and everything. Please feel free to judge me on the air of like anything I'm doing wrong. But I get asked all the time and it's not that's not my core business is to set people's podcasts up. So then when I saw, you know, that you wanted to talk about this, I was like,

Brooke Trometer (01:52)

out you're doing that.

Amanda Kaufman (02:01)

Yes, we're gonna answer some questions today. So good. Well, I noticed even in your introduction, you made this great distinction between a hobby podcast and something that's like a monetizable, marketable asset. And something that I've noticed in working with so many coaches over the years is that there is a lot of misinformation and understanding around...

Brooke Trometer (02:02)

Love it. Well, you throw them at me. Let's go.

Amanda Kaufman (02:28)

what it takes to monetize through marketing. You know, they often say post more or they say just start a podcast or write a book. you know, like there's this casualness to like, well, because it's so easy to hit publish or it's so easy to to do that, that like that's the whole picture. But I'm guessing you have a slightly different perspective there.

Brooke Trometer (02:45)

Right.

Yeah, so a lot of people do. And I think that's probably the hardest part for me when it comes to me even getting clients is because people have such a misconception about what a podcast can do and how it's used. And like the hobby ones, like we were talking about, or like you were just talking about, people kind of like, like you said, they're told, start a podcast, write a book, make a course, do it, you know, whatever.

But having a podcast, people view it as like the goal to it is to build a big audience. And that is probably to me going into building a podcast for marketing and driving that ROI. If you're going into it building one that the plan is just you're gonna have this massive audience and then your audience is gonna wanna buy from you, is going to want to look at you as the guru, you know, all of that, that's gonna be the fastest way.

that you're gonna end up with burnout and you're going to turn around and podcasting just doesn't work. ⁓ Building a big audience organically doesn't happen unless you just happen to be under that blessed star of that you just started it, it hit the right algorithm and bam, it went off, but that does not happen typically, right? So.

Amanda Kaufman (03:47)

Yeah.

Brooke Trometer (04:05)

when you're looking at it as say somebody who's a coach, an attorney or whatever, their goal behind the podcast is not to build a large audience. It's about being very strategic about the guests that you're bringing on. When you have to have a clear idea of who your ideal clients are, who your ideal strategic partners are, and drop the ego and figure out who is above you, who has more authority in your industry than you do.

Amanda Kaufman (04:18)

Mm-hmm.

Brooke Trometer (04:36)

And when you know what those three things are, you can really start to boost and utilize that podcast in a way that's going to grow the ROI. Because one of the hardest things I think with sales is trying to reach out in those cold emails, cold direct messages, and be able to get people to just want to let you come and talk to them about how you can sell whatever it is that you're trying to sell. Right. And

Amanda Kaufman (05:03)

right.

Brooke Trometer (05:05)

When you have a podcast, you instead identify and pick those people that you want to work with, that you want to do business with, and that you want to be associated with, you go into those DMs or with those emails and you start asking, hey, would you care to be on my podcast? I saw you had this book that was coming out. I want to let you talk about that. I want to, you know, and about how your podcast is beneficial for them.

and they come on, you're going to get way more yeses for that than you are for a sales call. Now the easiest sales to make though are ones that are already warm leads, right? So once we have organic, authentic conversations on a podcast, we're gonna be way more friendly with each other now. You're going to have that warm connection for when you're done with the podcast.

to come on and then say, hey, I know you've got this going on and I kind of do this particular thing, whatever it is that you do. Now, could I sit there and help you see, kind of design what this would look like and how this could work for your company or for what you're doing? But you're doing this after presenting them with the episode, shorts, things that they can clip. You're making that whole podcast and that

whole first interaction about them and helping them. And then that is what builds that relationship to be able to in turn within a couple of weeks, be able to say, okay, hey, here's some things that I think I could help you with. Would you be open to having that conversation with me? And you're going to get far more yeses because they already trust you to come on and start having a conversation with you about that. And that's when you start seeing the ROI drive.

Go up.

Amanda Kaufman (06:57)

I see. Yeah. So the one of my favorite little reminders is the best way to show people that you can help people is that is by genuinely helping them. Right. And so I've personally really loved doing a interview style podcast because it it does open up a whole different level of willingness to network and connect because you're creating something together and it's a

Brooke Trometer (07:06)

Yeah, exactly.

Huh?

Amanda Kaufman (07:26)

relatively mutually lower risk thing to build together and just see, you know, see where it lands, see where the chemistry is. And it's a great way to showcase how you show up professionally. You know, like I've had a lot of compliments on the Amanda Kaufman show simply because we're really organized, right? Like we have we have a high level of organization and that's actually a more rare professional trait than it should be.

Brooke Trometer (07:39)

Yeah.

Yeah, I told him.

Amanda Kaufman (07:53)

but it

does give you like that big leg up with the pressure of a sale to your point. Now I've also had this experience and I'm so curious about your perspective on it. I've had the experience of somebody inviting me onto the podcast and then immediately it was very high pressure sale. So, and it's gross, right? Like, and that was something that I was like actually very nervous about having a podcast for a while. Cause like I was

Brooke Trometer (07:59)

Mm-hmm.

huh.

absolutely.

Amanda Kaufman (08:19)

I wanted my intent to be well understood as much as possible. And yes, I have made money from having conversations with the right people after the podcast, just like you described. But I wonder if you could just like walk us through, you know, maybe some of the no-nos, the don'ts when you are taking this approach and the dos to maximize the likelihood that it's going to be a mutually beneficial ⁓

Brooke Trometer (08:25)

Mm-hmm.

Of course.

Yeah.

Right?

Amanda Kaufman (08:47)

connection later. Yeah.

Brooke Trometer (08:48)

Yeah. So you're right. A lot of people and I've heard people say that too when I've been talking to them about building these podcasts like this and and using it in this way. And they're like, well, I was on a podcast just the same as what you were saying. And as soon as I got in there and instantly, you know, within 10 minutes turned into this like sales call, you know, and that is

That is the most disingenuous way to use a podcast in my opinion. And it is, it's gross. But what you are teaching people, now I will tell you this as somebody who goes into it, if they're doing that on the podcast and they have brought you in under the pretense of, let's just talk about you or let's talk about this topic or whatever it is. And then they kind of do a bait and switch with you. I'm going to assume when I'm on that podcast that that's how they do business.

You know, yep, exactly. You know, I'm going to assume that's how you do business. You told me we were coming on for this, you know, this conversation, and then you've just essentially you, you lied about your intentions, right? You lied about what this was going to be. And I got brought in under false pretenses. So that to me is the fastest way to lose the trust.

Amanda Kaufman (09:37)

Yeah, as fair as I'm doing.

Brooke Trometer (10:02)

and break relationships is when you use the podcast that way. Because that's not what you invited them on for. Now, am I inviting somebody on because I'm wanting to do business with them? Yeah, pretty much. A lot of times that is what I'm bringing them on for most of the time, right? And that's what I'm training my people to do as well. But you have to be honest with the intention of like, okay, I'm bringing them on because I wanna build the relationship.

and build that trust so that I can work with them later, not in this moment. I didn't bring them on for a sales call, so I can't have a sales call with them. Authenticity is so important during these interviews and being who you put yourself out to be on the podcast is going to be, it's gonna.

be reflected on the clients that come in from that or the people that you do business with, that wanna do business with you. You're gonna draw what you put out, right? So being authentic on there is the biggest thing. You don't wanna bring in clients that you don't want to work with, right? You don't wanna draw those people to you. So yeah, be who you are on the podcast as well because...

Amanda Kaufman (11:11)

Mm-hmm.

Brooke Trometer (11:17)

you're gonna attract the people that you really wanna work with and it's gonna naturally repel the people that you don't, right? Then, yeah, and then the followup afterwards, that is where you're going to start having your conversations about business. After the podcast is over with, you you've been able to pick up tidbits of information and things about their business, put together how they think, how, you know, they view the world, what their value systems are.

Amanda Kaufman (11:24)

that.

Brooke Trometer (11:45)

And then that's what you're gonna use later to come back and say, hey, maybe I could help you with this thing. And now the next conversation you're inviting them to is genuinely, hey, I wanna talk to you about business. I wanna talk to you about what we can do here. And they have the ability to accept that business call, that sales call at that point, or not to. And if they do,

you can have an honest business conversation with them because that is what you invited, you that's what you set up for that second call. So it's always about being honest.

Amanda Kaufman (12:17)

I think that's so true. you know, like, the perspective I took was, I think there are a lot of business relationships that have to build to have a really successful business. ⁓ And I actually first thought about networking in this way when I was a consultant. And basically, I had a manager who said to me, Amanda, you do such a good job of managing up.

Brooke Trometer (12:26)

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Amanda Kaufman (12:38)

Right? Like you're so good at keeping your bosses happy. You know, you get the mentorship and all this kind of thing. But you got to remember, Amanda, that you've got to network up, down and sideways. And it was like, what the hell are you talking about? And he explained it to me. He was like, you know, take what you're learning and mentor people, take what you're doing and like pull people up and along with you. But also make sure you're taking care of those peers and those colleagues. And that advice just.

Brooke Trometer (12:50)

Mm-hmm.

Amanda Kaufman (13:06)

Doc with me, like it's probably been close to 20 years since I first like heard that idea. But that was the very much the attitude that I bring to particularly the podcast marketing channel. There's other marketing channels where I'm like, okay, I will help you. You're the client and I'm, you know, it's kind of more of that down, not looking down at my prospects, but rather it's like, I very much have authority positioning here to give you a solution that you're looking for. Right. But the podcast I find is

Brooke Trometer (13:22)

Huh.

Right. Yep.

Amanda Kaufman (13:35)

better for me anyway, for generally the colleagues, right? Like the people who are peers to be of service to each other. And then, you know, what I've built, because I think in framework too, is like, okay, it could be a referral source. I might buy from this person. I might sell to this person. I might just like this person. You know, this is just a champion in somebody that's like cool. And there's nothing really here yet in a business context, but like,

Brooke Trometer (13:41)

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Right. Yeah. Yeah.

Amanda Kaufman (14:06)

we got to know each other and like I've had relationships like that where two and a half years later, three years later, five years later, pop, you know, there's an opportunity, right? And it comes from the connection. And then there's the fifth possibility, you know, and the fifth possibility is like, not for me, not anymore, right? And like that, like if you let that be okay for your more organic marketing strategies, you end up making so much more because you can be trusted.

Brooke Trometer (14:08)

Mm

Yeah. Yeah.

Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, absolutely. And using it like this, it's really a good way, it almost self-auto-filters the people that you wanna do business with or the people you wanna be associated with because you learn a lot from somebody when you sit down and have an open, honest conversation. And that's the goal behind using your podcasts, right? It's to have those open, honest relationships or conversations.

And you're gonna find out so much. Do you want to be associated with this person? Are they what you thought they were before you brought them on? you know, yeah, and like you said, networking up, down, sideways, and you know, all of the other, that's another thing with these podcasts too. You're going to bring people on that are kind of your peer. That could be an amazing strategic partnership to have. I have one person, one of the attorneys that I work with, he's a marital law attorney.

Amanda Kaufman (15:04)

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Brooke Trometer (15:26)

He can't know who his ideal client is going to be because nobody knows they need a family law attorney until they need a family law attorney, right? You can't just pinpoint that. So, you know, what he does, he has decided his entire podcast is all about the county that he lives in and everything they have going on. So he brings on business owners, nonprofit people, you know, that are working and seeing what their projects are.

He brings on the elected officials to talk about what they've got going on. I mean, he really just dives in and makes that whole podcast about his community. And because he's done that and he brings these people on and talks about them, he stays top of mind, right? Yeah, he stays top of mind and he has done so well with it that he was telling me that...

Amanda Kaufman (16:10)

Brilliant.

Brooke Trometer (16:17)

and he wanted to brainstorm some stuff with me and he's like, it's done so well. He's like, I'm expanding my practice into the neighboring counties. Like I think I wanna start a second podcast about that county and do the same thing, you know?

Amanda Kaufman (16:29)

It's a great strategy. think a lot of times with with marketing, people think like, I know I was definitely brought up on direct response. And when you're very first starting out, like having a direct do you want it? Yes, you do. Amazing. And it's a little like I think about the duckling on the farm that's like going to all the different animals and going, are you my mother? Are you my mother? And they're just like looking and eventually they run into the duck, the duck's mother. But

Brooke Trometer (16:40)

Yeah.

Yo.

Yeah.

Amanda Kaufman (16:52)

You know, I think that that there's a time and a place for that in your business. And I think of a podcast as being a slightly more mature strategy. Like you're definitely in it, you know, to win it. You're patient. You know, this is an augmentation of a foundation. I have a curiosity for you, which is, you know, when I talk to people about the possibility of podcast as a strategy for them, you can go the route of hiring an agency like you. but you can also go the route of doing it yourself.

Brooke Trometer (16:56)

Mm-hmm.

.

Mm-hmm.

Amanda Kaufman (17:22)

like me, right? ⁓ And I'm curious in your professional position, you do talk to a lot of people about podcast strategy. When is it better to go for it on your own? And when is it better to allow someone like you to do it that the ROI is likely?

Brooke Trometer (17:23)

Yep. Yep.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think that somebody who has, if you have a high ticket offer, if you have, you know, even if it's like a mid-range ticket, but it's a reoccurring, you know, like if the lifetime value of your client is going to be equivalent to a high ticket, you know, to a high ticket sale, this is probably when you want to start bringing an agency in for you because first off, usually if you're doing something high ticket,

a lot of times it's much more of a kind of like high touch relationship between you and your client, know, high touch point there. That means that requires more of you for that. So the ability for you to use a podcast to land clients like this and have the time to edit, pull social media, post it, do, you know, doing things like that.

it's you don't have as much time. So unless you're just naturally great at being able to work, you know, the editing softwares and, you know, doing all of that, I think then it becomes time where it's like you're you're going to want an agency to do it for you. You can hire people from Fiverr. You can hire people, you know, to do your thumbnails, to do your video edits, things like that. But then you're also playing like the person that's juggling all of them to.

Right? You're having to talk and communicate with like five different people possibly. And people also look at like, what is the cost of doing that? Well, when you go onto Fiverr or something, a lot of times you'll see them, hey, we'll edit this episode for 150 bucks. But then when you go in there, you realize it's for a 15 minute episode or less. If you're somebody that is doing 30 minutes or an hour, you know, conversations like that.

Well, that's not gonna really make sense for you because then they start creeping up on the cost, right? Because the length of time to edit it is more and now you're upwards of sometimes the mid 200s. And that's just for the editing. Then you've got to sit there and still pull your social media. AI can do that, but they really still, AI doesn't do great in my opinion of picking the topics people care about.

I was on a podcast not that long ago and the shorts and stuff that I got sent back, like the, could tell it was AI that picked it because one of them that came back like came in in the middle of me telling where I lived and my family dynamic and cut off in the middle of it. And I'm like, that's not, yeah, I'm like, that's not it.

Amanda Kaufman (20:06)

has a bad AI, right? that, you know, I agree

with you. think like human human oversight and input. And I think the other thing, too, is like, do you already have the background on selecting strategy for market position and all that kind of thing? Like if you you can waste a huge amount of time building something that doesn't actually build your business if you don't work with an expert and if you can afford to work with the expert.

Brooke Trometer (20:20)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Amanda Kaufman (20:36)

work with the expert. If you're kind of dabbling and you're like, I don't know if I really want to do this, just be aware that a lot of people are saying like, just do it on AI. You can do it yourself. It's like, I have an internal team that's supporting me. And I've been doing this marketing of a coaching business thing for over eight years and consulting on

Brooke Trometer (20:36)

Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm.

Amanda Kaufman (20:59)

marketing strategy specifically. So when I DIY something, it's a very different picture than somebody who has, you know, like the lawyer example is just such a good one. You know, he's an expert at being a lawyer, right? So where do you want to your energy and your expertise, right? Yeah.

Brooke Trometer (20:59)

huh.

Right.

Yeah. Yeah.

Right. And if you have something like

what you're talking about where you already have marketing experience and you already have like a team with you that that is also their expertise, then it makes sense to keep it in-house, right? But if you're somebody out there and that's not the expertise, like you said, the lawyer, or I have people that have been like financial wealth advisors and consultants and like that, they are not the person that is going to have an internal team

Amanda Kaufman (21:38)

Another good money, huh?

Brooke Trometer (21:43)

that is going to be able to take that kind of production over. And if a lot of times, if they hire a team to come in, because it's solely for the podcast at that point, it could potentially cost them more than it would to hire an agency out like ours to be able to do that. And you wanna make sure that that makes sense, that you're not spending more than you have to, but that you're also getting people in that know what they're doing.

Amanda Kaufman (22:02)

Mm-hmm.

Brooke Trometer (22:11)

and know how to make this work for you.

Amanda Kaufman (22:15)

I love this. Well, Brooke, what's the best way for people to follow you?

Brooke Trometer (22:18)

Yeah, so the best way to follow me is going to be on Facebook, because that's where I spend most of my time. So yeah, you can just find me, Brooke Trometer on Facebook. yeah, that's, mean, I have LinkedIn as well, but you know, Facebook's best.

Amanda Kaufman (22:32)

love it. dear listener, we'll make sure that we have all of Brooks links in the show notes below so you can follow her wherever you like to spend time. And thank you so much for being here, Brooke, and just giving us the real deal on building a profitable podcast.

Brooke Trometer (22:42)

Yeah.

Absolutely, well thank you for having me, I really appreciate it.

Amanda Kaufman (22:50)

My absolute pleasure. And dear listener, if this is helpful for you, if you've got a friend who has been thinking about starting a podcast and they're not sure what direction to go, grab the link to this episode wherever you happen to be listening to it. Send it to them on text or on email and just let them know that, you know, a few minutes of this episode might just clear some things up for them. And hey, if you've been following along, make sure you hit subscribe so you don't miss a future episode. And finally, if you're really loving what we do.

One of the most generous things you can do is leave an honest review because when people organically come across the podcast, they're weighing and deciding whether they want to spend time with us. And if you think that that would be a great idea, a review goes a super long way. Thank you so much for joining us for this episode. And we'll be back very, very soon with another one. And until then, make sure you do what matters.