I recently overheard a writer sharing what type of marketing worked for her (and what didn’t) in promoting her books. She mentioned that she had done 100 podcast interviews as a guest, but wouldn’t do it again because she didn’t see any book sales come from it. Instead, she said her sales came from engaging directly with her audience through her own podcast and newsletter, where people already know her and want to buy her books. She’s not wrong about that, but she’s also missing something very important.
Her reasoning makes sense on the surface: “I did 100 podcasts, saw no sales, therefore podcasts don’t work.”
When Marketing Gets Measured the Wrong Way
But that’s measuring marketing by the wrong metric. Those podcast interviews weren’t sales activities; they were awareness activities. And awareness is the first stage of any healthy marketing funnel.
You can’t measure marketing awareness by immediate sales. It’s like planting seeds and expecting to harvest cucumbers the very next day.
Marketing and sales have different jobs. Marketing brings people into the funnel. It makes them aware, interested, and curious. Sales converts that interest into a purchase. When we blend those two functions, it’s easy to misread what’s actually working. In this author’s case, her podcast appearances did exactly what they were meant to do: they helped new audiences discover her. I know, because I was one of those people. I first heard her on someone else’s podcast. A few days later, her name popped up in my YouTube recommendations, and then I found her own podcast and her books. I didn’t end up buying her book because it didn’t resonate with me. But I still went through the entire funnel. That’s marketing doing its job: leading people through a journey of awareness and consideration, even if not everyone becomes a customer.
This is especially true for personal brands—authors, coaches, consultants, and other service providers—where sales rarely happen right away. People buy from those they know, like, and trust. Marketing for these types of services is about building a connection before conversion. A business coach might nurture trust through weekly email tips or webinars; a cleaning company might build credibility through positive Google reviews and friendly follow-up messages after each service. And a B2B tech company might gain authority through in-depth case studies or helpful LinkedIn posts. Different audiences, same principle: trust first, sales second.
The Role of Trust and Connection in the Funnel
For example, a gym studio might run Instagram ads but see few immediate sign-ups. However, people start following the account, reading posts, and watching class clips. A month or two later, when a special offer appears, they sign up. The ad didn’t fail; it started the relationship.
Similarly, a software company might host webinars that attract few live attendees and no instant buyers, but months later, half their new clients might say, “We first heard about you from that webinar.” Even a real estate agent who shares weekly market updates may feel ignored until one day a reader writes, “I’ve been following you for a while, we’re ready to sell.” These are not coincidences. They are examples of marketing doing quiet, steady work in the background.
The problem is that too many businesses (especially small, impatient ones) measure marketing success by short-term sales instead of long-term connections. When you do that, you risk cutting off the very activities that make those future sales possible. Podcasts, blogs, social media, and newsletters, these channels build trust and familiarity, which later turn into conversions. So before deciding that something “didn’t work,” ask yourself what role it plays in your marketing funnel. Is it meant to sell, or to build a connection?
Rethinking What “Results” Really Mean
People don’t buy the first time they see you. It takes, on average, eight to eleven touchpoints before someone makes a purchase, especially for products or services that require trust. That means you need to stay visible and consistent long enough for people to move through the stages of awareness, interest, and decision. If you want sales, you need visibility. If you want visibility, you need consistency. And if you want marketing consistency, you need patience.
Think Fresh
Those 100 podcast interviews weren’t a waste. They were a long-term investment in visibility. Because marketing isn’t about what sells today, it’s about what builds connection so people can buy tomorrow.
