We get requests for people to be on Women Talking About Learning and truly welcome the opportunity to encourage more women to speak about topics they have a passion about.

And then the process gets hijacked. We’ll get an email from someone wanting to propose their boss; we say, ‘Yeah, but these are the topics.’ The follow-up email then set off ALL the alarm bells:

We are thrilled to be partnering with you . Could you share a quick snapshot of your listener demographics and reach? Specifically, we’d love to know:

Listener Roles & Seniority: What proportion of your audience tends to be senior L&D/HR leaders with budget authority (e.g., Directors, VPs, Heads of Talent) versus mid-level practitioners and consultants?

Company Demographics: Do your listeners primarily work in enterprise organizations (500+ employees) or smaller mid-market/SMB environments?

Episode Reach: What are your typical download/listen numbers per episode or monthly listener figures?

Understanding your audience breakdown will help us ensure Name brings the exact case studies, data, and actionable takeaways that resonate most with your listeners.

Spot the problem? They don’t care about the podcast – they care about what the podcast can get them.

I get it, I really do. I guest on podcasts for a profile and have the opportunity to talk about what I do. But that’s not the primary reason. The reason I guest is to speak with smart people about smart things.

It’s about the podcast, it’s not about me.