Your personal life is infinitely more interesting than your business life. – Jay Baer, Founder of Convince & Convert
We recently had the pleasure of producing episode 193 of Banking on Digital Growth
Host James Robert Lay had a great conversation with Jay Baer, 6-time author and founder of Convince & Convert.
The two of them bantered about brands embracing social issues, customer expectations, and the ramifications of negative reviews - the kind of killer content you’d expect from two veterans in the B2B space.
But before closing out the episode, James Robert asked his guest about a passion project Jay had been working on: a Tik Tok channel about tequila.
Jay would probably yell at us for mixing good tequila.
Jay spent the next 80 seconds telling the audience about his affection for tequila and how growing up in Arizona laid the foundation for his love of agave spirits. He’s an expert on the subject - after all, he’s a licensed tequila Catador.
So, Jay made a Tik Tok channel so he could spread the joy of tequila to the uneducated masses.
I don’t want to spoil the whole dialogue, but it was a refreshing moment of insight into the life of a renowned marketing speaker.
Now, this isn’t an episode from a recreational podcast about the world of alcohol; it’s from a forward-thinking B2B show about digital transformation in fintech.
So why did these two men take the time to talk about a Tik Tok account made for tequila novices?
Because they wanted other professionals to understand what I’m going to tell you now.
People care about your personal life.
I don’t just mean your affinity for dad jokes or how you did in your last round of golf.
I’m talking about real stories of passion, joy, struggle, sorrow - even failure.
James Robert has a wonderful knack for tying personal examples of hardship back to an episode’s topic. But why would he be so willing to give his listeners a snapshot of a dark period in his life?
He understands that showing vulnerability opens up a human connection with his audience!
Otherwise, he’s just a disembodied voice on the receiving end of a microphone.
Perhaps you don’t feel comfortable talking about difficult times on a B2B podcast - that’s okay! Giving real-world examples of hobbies, family, or memorable moments is a great way to relate to your listeners, too.
Love climbing? Share a story about the last mountain you conquered!
Play the guitar? Talk about a gig at the local club that you crushed!
These are golden opportunities to give your audience insight into who you are.
Think about some of your favorite on-air personalities. I’d wager that most of them have given you a glimpse into their life off-the-clock.
Opening a window into your life off-the-air isn’t a golden rule; perhaps you prefer to keep your show on the professional straight-and-narrow - that’s all right, too.
But, trust me - a little personality goes a long way.
After all, we’re only human.