When I onboard a new client, I ask them for a podcast wish list—the shows they dream of being on. Nine times out of ten, it’s the big names: Glennon Doyle. Jay Shetty. Mel Robbins. Oprah.
Do we pitch those shows? Sometimes. But here’s the real question: if you land that dream interview, will it actually move the needle?
And right alongside that, you have to ask: are their listeners actually your ideal readers?
Spoiler: not always.
Amie McNee’s Jay Shetty Experience
Last month, author Amie McNee shared that she was interviewed on Jay Shetty’s podcast. The result on her book sales? Zip. Zero. Nada. Maybe a handful, but nothing close to what she expected.
According to Podchaser, an estimated 163K people have listened to her episode. So why didn’t more of those listeners buy her book?
I’ve been down the rabbit hole trying to figure this out. And as a podcast host, publicist, listener, and author, here are my theories.
Audience Fit Matters (But It’s Not Everything)
Publishing thought leader Jane Friedman pointed out that Jay’s listening audience may not have been the perfect fit for selling books. I agree that audience alignment is critical for ROI, but on the surface, Jay’s audience should overlap with Amie’s ideal readers. So what else went wrong?
Too Much Content, Too Little Attention
Jay releases episodes every two days, each over an hour long. That’s a massive ask of his audience when the average American only spends 7 hours a week listening to podcasts.
With so much content coming at them, listeners dip in, learn something, and move on. Buying a book requires extra time, energy, and money. That’s a much higher lift than a free 60-minute listen.
Did the Host Read the Book?
By now you know my golden rule: I don’t interview an author before reading their entire book. Unfortunately, Jay didn’t give any indication that he read Amie’s.
Yes, he said he was excited for people to read it. But there was no specific story, no passage, no “this part really struck me.” Without that personal endorsement, the trust his audience places in him doesn’t automatically transfer to the book.
Podcast hosts are trusted sources—but unless they actively endorse your work, that trust doesn’t always extend to you.
The Episode Framing
The episode title promised “a 3-minute practice to unlock your creativity”—not Amie’s book.
That framing matters. Jay’s audience comes to learn techniques and life hacks, not necessarily to purchase. If the episode had leaned more heavily on why Amie wrote the book and what readers would take away, it might have converted differently.
