Mitch Harley, The Perspective Podcast

Mitch Harley, the host of The Perspective podcast, speaks to The Industry Leaders about how his podcast got started, how entrepreneurs can use podcast appearances to their advantage and provides his #1 tip for any podcast guest looking to make an instant impression.

For those who don't know about your work, can you tell us a little about who you are and who your podcast is for?

My name is Mitch Harley. At a young age, it was evident that I saw the world through a different lens than most. It didn't take long to realize that understanding people was my strong suit. I was really good at connecting with strangers and helping them feel safe to open up.

I used these skills to work my way through a variety of different trades until I found myself in a management position offering insights to multi-million dollar companies that needed a new perspective on how they were doing business.

It always starts with a complete teardown of the sales process to get to the root of the problem. When dissecting the way businesses have been approaching their sales strategies, I quickly noticed that it wasn't sales that were the problem...

It was the people.

We created The Perspective Podcast as a way to help connect the dots.

Not only for ourselves through incredibly valuable conversations with very intelligent people but also in an effort to share what we've learned along the way.

What 1 tip would you give to a podcast guest who wants to make an instant impression?

Bring the Value.

There is a misconception out there that, as a guest, you're so important. But listen: this is a symbiotic relationship. Before you start, think of key points that will help boost that episode.

Because remember: the better the episode does, the better it is for your exposure and personal brand. You want the podcast to succeed, so really think about what key ideas would bring value that could be used in short form to be used in their marketing. Most of us have seen more short highlights from Joe Rogan than watched or listened to full episodes. That's because his guests brought high value so he could use their content to blast out to the masses.

So, give your host something to get out there. Don't make them do all the work to pull the value out; give them more than they could handle.

How useful is appearing on podcasts for business owners or people wanting to build a personal brand?

This is very underrated. Sometimes people get wrapped up in view count. We have to keep in mind once that content is out there.... it's there forever. So maybe today you will only get 500 Views, But what about next year? It's not about the view count initially; it's about getting in front of new audiences.

The other big benefit is the ability to speak about your message, and it helps create clarity within yourself. It forces you to answer questions that would not come to light in regular routine. Gary Bird runs a multi-million dollar marketing company, yet takes time to appear on podcasts big and small - that's such a great example for other owners. We had the privilege of having him on, and it brought some great value to not only us, but once again, he was able to get in front of an audience and be spotlighted as an expert in his field. And that is a high-value return.

What's your biggest challenge as a podcast host?

Content Content Content. Most of us can hit record, upload to Youtube or Spotify and post on TikTok. But all that can be for nothing if there is no value coming from your episodes. As a small podcast, you have the job of creating the Content that will drive traffic. Whether that be quality guests or just new information, it's no small task.

Think of your favorite topic, whether it's hockey, cooking, cars, or fashion. How long could you talk about it before you got bored?

Two hours?

10 hours?

60 hours?

How long before your audience became bored of listening to you?

Currently, we have over 50 hours of content published and still going. The trick is to keep it engaging, and that's the difference between a hobbyist podcast that fizzles out and a quality podcast that has sustainability. So to all the hosts out there: keep bringing value and engagement.

Is there another podcast (aside from yours!) that you’d recommend to business leaders?

Absolutely!! Kobi Simmat runs a company called bestpractice.biz and has tons of content and episodes that have been of great value to us not only as podcast hosts but also in our entrepreneurial spirit and roadmap. He's been on our show a few times and has always been a big source of encouragement and guidance.

Search 'The Perspective podcast on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.