is it cheating to pitch someone you just interviewed

thursday morning i debriefed a founder who'd just been a guest on the show.

he liked how it went. he was thinking about running the same model for his own company. and then he said the most honest thing anyone's told me about it.

after you've built rapport as the interviewer, switching to are you interested in my company feels off. in his words... "so it feels like i'm a bit cheating the person that i'm doing that."

it's the objection people raise once they understand how the show works, and it's a real one. so here's how i see it.

the discomfort is a good sign. it means the interview was genuine. you were curious, you listened, you liked them. if pitching afterward felt like nothing at all, that would worry me more.

but follow the thought all the way through. if the person you just interviewed has the exact problem you solve, and you know it because they just told you on camera... what's the kind thing to do?

i'll tell you what i told him. "i'm not going to pitch people that don't need my thing. but if people actually need it, why would you not?"

staying quiet is the disservice.

think about it from the guest's side. they just spent half an hour telling you what they're building and what's in the way. you happen to fix one of those things. if you say nothing, and six months later they find out you could have helped, how does that feel? it doesn't feel respectful. it feels like you didn't care enough to mention it.

the line isn't between pitching and not pitching. it's between helping someone who has the problem and pushing something on someone who doesn't.

and plenty of guests never hear a pitch. out of every 30 to 40 guests, about 10 have zero need. they get a thank you, a good episode, and that's it. no sequence, no awkward check in. we move on and stay friendly.

it's like a doctor at a dinner party. if someone mentions a symptom that worries her, she says something. if they're fine, she enjoys dinner. nobody calls that a sales tactic.

there's another piece he didn't expect. the research and listening that make a good interview are the same skills that make a good pitch. you already know their road, their turn, what they're building. you know what's broken. so when you do talk business, it's a conversation about them, not a script about you.

and a podcast keeps people open in a way a pitch never does. on a sales call people are guarded from the first minute. on a show they're telling you their best stories.

the last thing i told him is a pattern i see in a lot of customers once they start. the calendar fills up, and imposter syndrome kicks in. i'm not a podcaster. who am i to be interviewing these people?

you don't need to be a podcaster. you need to be curious and prepared. the title on the door matters less than the questions you ask once you're inside.

the guests don't care whether you call yourself a podcaster. they care whether you read their background, asked good questions and made them sound smart. do that and the label sorts itself out.

long term the founders who win with this hold two things at once. real interest in the person, and real confidence in what they sell. drop the first and it's a trick. drop the second and it's a hobby.

if you want the whole model, the long version is in the spotlight... free, no form.

so think about the last great conversation you had with someone who needed what you do. why didn't you tell them?