All Episodes 139: Reed Hansen | How Automation, Data & AI Build Business Resilience
139: Reed Hansen | How Automation, Data & AI Build Business Resilience
Join host Chris Beane in conversation with Reed Hansen—Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge and host of Inside Marketing with MarketSurge—as they explore the long-term power of podcasting, strategic automation, and data-driven resilience. Discover how Reed uses consistent podcasting not for instant leads, but to deepen authority, strengthen client relationships, and spark unexpected business opportunities. Whether you’re scaling a startup or refining your agency, learn how to use automation, analytics, and AI to build a resilient, frictionless marketing engine. Tune in now!
From Tactics to Transformation: Building a Business That Lasts
What's up, everyone? Chris Beane here. If you’ve been following The Prestige Initiative, you know I’m all about cutting through the noise to find strategies that actually work. In this week’s episode, I sat down with Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at Market Surge, and we dove deep into the game-changing power of podcasting, automation, and AI.
This wasn’t just a chat about microphones and editing software. This was a masterclass in building business resilience—using modern tools to generate trust, deepen client relationships, and create a marketing engine that works while you sleep.
Today, I’m breaking down the key insights from our conversation, pulling directly from the transcript to share Reed’s hard-earned wisdom (and a few of my own behind-the-scenes secrets). Let’s get into it.
Why Podcasting is the Ultimate Networking Tool
Reed didn’t start his podcast to become an influencer. He started it to save his marketing agency. After a year of fruitless cold emails and ads, he tried a new approach: becoming a guest on other podcasts.
“I started reaching out to a few local business-focused podcasts and just offered my expertise as a guest... I landed a few opportunities. Then I connected with an AI tool that helped me do this faster.”
That tool was PodPitch, an AI-powered platform that scans podcasts, finds relevant quotes matching your expertise, and helps craft personalized outreach emails. The result?
“The first day I started using it, I think within three days, I had five podcasts booked.”
But here’s the real kicker—the benefit wasn’t a flood of new leads. It was something more powerful:
“They [existing clients] are calling me and asking me questions they didn’t use to ask... What’s your advice on X?... It’s a much more substantial relationship.”
This hit home for me. Podcasting isn’t just a megaphone; it’s a trust-building machine. It’s about deepening the relationships you already have, positioning yourself as a thought leader, and having a library of content to share.
The Tech Stack: How to Automate Your Podcasting Workflow
One of my favorite parts of our chat was geeking out over the tech that makes this all possible without burning you out. Reed uses a powerful combo:
Hosting & Distribution:Transistor.fm (to push episodes to all major platforms).
Recording & Editing:Descript (for its AI-powered editing, transcription, and filler-word removal).
CRM & Newsletter:GoHighLevel (to manage contacts and automate follow-ups).
I had to chime in with my own setup, which I’ve refined over multiple shows:
“The tool that I've landed on is Substack... It is free. It hosts the video. It sends the video to YouTube... It sends the audio to all the different audio platforms... and it does the transcript for me automatically.”
The goal isn’t to spend 10 hours editing one episode. It’s to create systems. For me, that means using AI prompts to handle the heavy lifting.
“I created an AI... I used ChatGPT to create a prompt... It gives me social media postings, hashtags to add, the title, the description, the questions. The whole thing is scripted out.”
I call this AI my “podcasting assistant,” Ted. He handles the research and initial drafting, which frees me up to actually have a genuine, unscripted conversation.
Solo Episodes vs. Guest Interviews: A Strategic Mix
Reed discovered a fascinating data point early on. His solo deep-dive episode, “AI 101,” drastically outperformed his interview episodes in downloads, even though his mom told him to stop doing solos!
His strategy now is a mix:
Guest Interviews (20-30 mins): To tap into new audiences and provide variety.
Solo Deep Dives (10-15 mins): To answer tactical “how-to” questions that arise from interviews.
This creates a powerful content flywheel: the guest brings the audience and the broad topic, and you provide the deep, actionable value that keeps them coming back.
The #1 Piece of Advice for Anyone Starting Out
We ended with the most important question: What’s your number one piece of advice for someone who wants to start?
Reed’s answer was perfect:
“Start today... If you have a phone, you have enough to start recording... You learn a lot by doing and then playing it back.”
You don’t need a fancy studio (though I love mine in the garage!). You need to start. Record yourself. Listen back. Improve. The best content is video, and those short clips are often more powerful than the full episode.
“Jump in the deep end. You'll find that you can swim... Maybe you think your voice sounds weird, but there are people that just find it soothing. You just need to put yourself out there.”
Conclusion & Your Next Steps
Talking with Reed Hansen was a blast because it reinforced a core belief of mine: the future of business is human connection, amplified by smart technology. Podcasting is one of the best ways to do that.
Your challenge this week? Record a three-minute video on your phone. Answer one question you get all the time from clients. Don’t overthink it. Just do it. See how it feels.
If you’re ready to systemize your own podcast, drop a comment below and tell me your biggest hurdle. Let’s figure it out together.
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