Hold onto your headphones, folks, because we’re about to get real about the magic of storytelling in podcasting! This week, we’re chatting with the incredible Peter Murphy Lewis, who’s made a name for himself in the podcasting world with LTC Heroes. Peter believes that in today’s saturated market, storytelling is your secret weapon. Why? Because it’s not just about getting your message across but about engaging your audience in a way that resonates with their hearts! Imagine having a conversation with someone you admire; that’s the vibe Peter creates through his podcast. He shares his journey from feeling like the least knowledgeable person in the room to becoming an authority in his field, all thanks to the power of curiosity and connection. We explore how podcasting can impact your business pipeline and open up new avenues for growth, making it a must-listen for anyone looking to spice up their marketing game. Get ready for some laughs, learning, and maybe a few lightbulb moments along the way!

Links referenced in this episode:

• strategicpete.com
• ltcheroes.com
• peopleworthcaringabout.com
• linkedin.com/in/petermurphylewis

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• strategicpete.com
• LTC Heroes
• People Worth Caring About

Peter Murphy Lewis: It's an honor. Well, this is, you're one of my favorite podcasters. Everything you and Matt touch is fantastic. Uh, it's an honor to be here.

Sadaf Beynon: Oh, Peter, you are so kind. Thank you. The last time you were on the show, we covered a lot, but today I want to focus on how storytelling and podcasting work together as a powerful tool for business growth. I don't mean just content, but for building authority, deep connections and real impact. So with everything that you have going on from media projects to business ventures, where does podcasting fit into your bigger strategy?

And this, this difficult time where we don't know what's happening with SEO Google algorithm updates, uh, social media, you have. You know, three to six channels that you should be on as a brand. You, uh, you don't know what's happening with your website, the deep and dark social. You don't know how your people are coming to you.

Sadaf Beynon: That's incredible. Peter, how did you come across this? Like did this just kind of evolve, like as you started doing it, you thought actually this is working? Or was it a light bulb moment? What was it?

Peter Murphy Lewis: It has, so it went from. Not knowing if it would work to working very quickly and then having a domino effect.

So interviewing kind of my ICP or my ideal customer pro, I didn't feel comfortable. I was in healthcare. It was hard to talk. An interview without fumbling around. And I just realized over time, if you're okay, being curious, people will forgive you for your ignorance. And if you're good at asking questions, then you can create a relationship without being the smartest person.

I saw them start to share it, and then all of a sudden I realized that. I was gonna get into state, state conventions, and they started to ask me to bring my podcast equipment to the state conventions. Then they asked me to be a keynote speaker. And the extra thing when I, when I started to put everything together is I would, right before I would hit hit record, I would say to the person I said, you can pitch yourself all you want.

Sadaf Beynon: So how long

did you do that for?

Peter Murphy Lewis: The podcast within five months had me being invited to conventions

within eight months. I was a keynote speaker. Um, and you know, I, we started to see the impact on our pipeline after the very first convention I went to, because we would have the sales person sit next to me and everyone would come over and say, who's the podcaster?

What are they talking about? They'd come see their friends, and the salesperson would just be able to have an icebreaker right there.

Sadaf Beynon: That's incredible. You were saying earlier about how they would stay on the phone with you. I was thinking it's um. Because you mentioned about being curious and I guess as you're being curious and you're asking that you know you have genuine interest in what they're doing, you're probably unearthing some things that they possibly hadn't vocalized before because everyone in their industry, there's some things that are just unspoken.

Peter Murphy Lewis: Yeah, I think it allows them to talk about some of the intangibles to somebody who's not an expert and they get to dumb it down. And it also gets to show them being more human, more ha uh, uh, authentic. So a little bit less industry jargon.

Um, you know, I don't think that. My success in podcast is the way that most people think that you should approach it.

I.

Sadaf Beynon: Hmm. So were you then, is that all you were focused on in that amount, in that time,

Peter Murphy Lewis: My, my, if I had to explain what my playbook was from the beginning that was very, very good, is I tried to find one thing that my guests were particularly great at, or a playbook or something that they have done that they could explain in step by step that I was turning their content into ever green. So if you're not a marketer, that means I'm trying to get someone to give me their seven step playbook for hiring or their five step playbook for finding investments or their 10 step playbook from proving culture, and then turn that into a podcast.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah. That's really cool. I really like that. And especially as you say, step by step, it really, it gives you content and helps you understand what they're talking about. And as you say, it gives them a chance to, to put it, um, or to create a book or whatever it is they wanted to do with that information to actually get it down.

That's very cool.

Peter Murphy Lewis: Well, I, I knew that I didn't want just a fluffy podcast of people talking about their, their lives, uh, because I, I sensed that no one would listen to it other than their staff, because the CEO would send it to their staff and then their mom. But if I could get the CEO to talk about some great challenge that he or she had overcome in the last year or two, and then walk me through and how to do it.

So it makes it's actionable.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah.

Sadaf Beynon: That's really cool, Peter, I always learn so much from you.

How does storytelling fit into this then?

Peter Murphy Lewis: Well, this is new to me, so I don't have this, well, I don't have this well polished. In the last year, I have produced and directed and hosted three documentaries, specifically documentaries that came from the podcast. So.

You know, I, I, I, I mentioned I started doing podcasts. Then I got invited to take my podcast equipment and cover people live at the trade show.

Then I got invited as a keynote speaker and a keynote speaker. Then I got invited to do a pod to do a documentary.

And the documentary is called People Worth Caring About. And all I do is I highlight. The staff, their mission, their passion of these different industries. Right now, I'm only in the healthcare industry, but soon, next year I expect that I'll be in another industry.

and a little bit more editing.

And I think that storytelling is something that I discovered late in life. Um, putting together the dots of all the different things that I've done before. I did, I did tourism when I was 27 years old, my first company, and I was teaching people about South America through the stories of locals in South America.

I wasn't telling you about monuments, I was storytelling. I just didn't know it. And then over, over and over time finally ended up finding something that made that, that ends up, I, I just learned the term in the last. Six months, which is, you know, storytelling. And I didn't realize that I've discovered this new niche.

So, I mean, I don't know where I'll be in six months, but I wouldn't be where I am if it weren't for podcast.

Peter Murphy Lewis: Well, healthcare, I think would be the, the answer to start off, and I was drawn to it from a human point of view

because. When I got into long-term care, um, into the private equity kind of turnaround project that I was invited to be the vice president of marketing for, I didn't realize I was gonna immediately find a connection related to the fact that my grandparents had been in long-term care.

So I started fall in love with the industry because of how important my grandparents were to me and how are the caretakers. So I think what. Makes this job so enjoyable for me and has an impact on me and the viewer, is the fact that I've fallen in love with the people who are telling me their story.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah. Yeah. It's really about, um, I was talking to someone else about this earlier today, not storytelling per se, but as you're speaking, it's coming back to me that it's really about becoming a student of the person that you're talking to

and really understanding what it is that, like, how they see things through their lens and

how, how they've had those experiences.

Peter Murphy Lewis: One of the reasons that I love storytelling and in part, you know, one of, one of the children of storytelling is podcasting, um, is that I think it's the easiest, fastest way for you to establish authority.

It was about digital nomads and, and doing their businesses abroad. And I listened to it and the podcast host, uh, the podcast guest's name is Shane. I got off the podcast listening to it. I listened to it again, and I went immediately to his page and signed up for a demo. His SDR sales development rep told me that it was gonna cost over $4,000 just to get one month of consulting, and I said.

Sign me up

Sadaf Beynon: Wow.

Peter Murphy Lewis: and one in one podcast of 45 minutes. I immediately signed up. I, if he would've jumped the SDR, I would've signed up. I would've given my credit card yesterday.

Sadaf Beynon: I love that. So what was it about it that was so compelling?

Peter Murphy Lewis: It's that he explained in a very simple way how everybody could take his methodology and implement it themselves. Now, I don't wanna implement myself. I have enough money to pay him, so he holds my hand. I want it done with you. I don't, I can't afford done for you.

I don't wanna do it done, done by myself.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah. Wow. I love that. Peter, what's been the biggest challenge in, um, in using storytelling to make your podcast a growth driver in, in your business?

Peter Murphy Lewis: I think that the, I think that the biggest challenge for using a podcast or a documentary for. Growing the business is probably the operational side.

So the first podcast I did, I outsourced it to a podcast agency. Uh, the next podcast that I'm about to launch, I'm gonna outsource to a podcast agency.

Getting outside of that kind of prospecting and creating the one pager and getting people booked and then doing the editing, I outsource all of that. Um, so I'd say that's my biggest challenge, but I think I made the right decision in making sure I found a good agency to do it.

I.

Peter Murphy Lewis: It is around the documentary. It's gonna be a podcast, um, in the long form storytelling space. I'm not certain of the name. It might be the same name as the documentary that I've trademarked people worth caring about. I'm excited. I have a co-host, uh, who's been in the, in the documentary process with me, and I think that it'll be launched by July or August.

Sadaf Beynon: That's great. Congratulations.

So Peter, have you then, um, so with this new podcast, with the long form content with storytelling, are you doing this because you've seen a direct link between great storytelling and business results?

Peter Murphy Lewis: Yes, I'm doing it because of that. I'm doing it. From a human point of view, because I like talking to people who make a difference with their staff,

I'm a salesperson. If I want to create a relationship with you right away where I make your company, your staff and your leadership look amazing. It's a podcast.

So there, I wouldn't do it if it weren't going to help out my business, but I also wouldn't do it if it weren't about building a true relationship because why would I spend two hours a day talking to a microphone with a person?

I don't know unless I'm interested in them and their story.

Sadaf Beynon: Hmm. So, um, you're saying how some, sometimes it's hard to get people to respond. What's your experience been then, like when you say, look, I wanna have you on the podcast, I wanna get to know your story. Is that, are people quite, um, eager then to, to have that conversation with you? Or have you had some nos.

And then just start there. And if you never publish the podcast, it doesn't matter. Don't worry about the nose. Once you land one or two good interviews, that's gonna be enough. Assets, it's gonna be enough quality material for you to get it out, and then you're not gonna get very many nos. I started off, I didn't start off with any big players.

I didn't start with presidents or CEOs until I probably had 10 podcasts underneath my belt as far as I know. Um, I didn't get any nos. I might've gotten, some people said, let's wait and see, or my schedule's busy. But they ended up coming around six months later, once they realized that this, it was quality.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah. Great. So what if someone, um, as you say it's just starting out, but then wanted to add a bit more storytelling because it works,

what would be some tips that you would give them?

That you think makes you successful. What's one failure in your life, um, that marked who you are. So just go find some simple, interesting questions. Have those in your tool book. Um, I actually think you should have those anyways. Like if you're gonna have friends over tonight for dinner, you don't have to be the person who talks the most in the room to be the person that people are happy, that's there.

Ask the most interesting question and you're gonna be invited back to drink nice red wine, um, tomorrow and the next day. So. Probably all of us should get better at listening. If you wanna get better at listening, come up with good questions. Um, that's where I would start. And you don't need to go listen to Tim Ferris.

Sadaf Beynon: Cool. Thank you. How do you see your podcast evolving to serve your business? even better with the, with the use of storytelling.

Peter Murphy Lewis: Yeah. I hope with the podcast that I'm going to be able to target the people who need to share their story, not the people who are already on the podcast circuit. So my goal is I'm going to target people who have great companies on application slides, Glassdoor. Organizations that have great reviews in different places, but might have a bad reputation in the news, and I wanna help them control it.

And so we blame that. We blame all of our fears on these caretakers and giving them a voice. That's where I want to take the podcast. It's, it's gonna be a more. 1 0 1 version of what my documentary is because my documentary is done with high-end broadcast quality cameras with a TV production company.

And no, it costs over a hundred thousand dollars documentary with, with the doc. With a podcast, you can hire an agency for two to $5,000, two to $10,000 a month, and you could get the story out even faster. Sure.

Sadaf Beynon: That's amazing. Like for the people who, whose stories you're telling. That's just really incredible, isn't it? To, to have, um, some light. 'cause I think a lot of the people you're talking about are under underserved, aren't they?

If I, all I have to do is think about, all I have to do is impress my son. What's gonna impress my son? Was I nice? What did I ask good questions? Was I sincere? Did I listen? And for some reason, that allows me to be a lot more relaxed Next.

Sadaf Beynon: That's very cool. I love that perspective. Am I impressing my kids? Yeah, I'm gonna, I'm gonna use that one.

Peter Murphy Lewis: Oh, you don't get nervous easily, so I don't think you need to use my tricks.

Sadaf Beynon: I think I might too. So Peter, do you think businesses that embrace storytelling over those that focus on just information, say, do you think they are, um, more successful?

The very first thing that I try to figure out is where's their ICP and how can I talk to them on a podcast? That's either pitching their CEO or their subject matter expert on podcasts, or is it time for us to have our own podcast where we could bring in our happy customers and make them look better and bring in our prospects and make them look better, and we can start a relationship.

Sadaf Beynon: Absolutely. I agree. I think podcasting is just such a powerful marketing tool for, for any business. It's, you know, there's got so much potential, like even how you're using it now with, with your documentaries, you know, it's just, it's incredible the, the potential that it has and the scope that it has.

Go to YouTube and look at the video that you can easily talk about with one of your guests that allows you to talk about your company and your product and search for it in YouTube. Then go find versions of that question in YouTube and find the videos that have the most amount of views. With the least amount of subscribers.

Now go do a podcast around that, put that on YouTube, and you are going to get 5,000, 15,000, 25,000 views because somebody didn't know how to take advantage of the video that already got thousands and thousands of views. The reason it doesn't have subscribers, 'cause the audio was off, the thumbnail was bad, or they didn't continue on with the podcast, they gave up.

Sadaf Beynon: Wow. That's incredible. Thank you for that. How did you, um, how did you come across that?

Peter Murphy Lewis: It was from the podcast that I mentioned 20 minutes ago from the guy named Shane. Yep. And I just recorded two videos today doing the exact same process. And that's what I'll be doing in my podcast as well. So if you go to my YouTube today, you're gonna see two videos that were loaded in the last three hours following the strategy I just shared with you.

Sadaf Beynon: Awesome. Great. Peter, thank you so much. I mean, I, I love what you've said. It's clear that your podcast isn't just for content it's a key part of how you connect and how you share your expertise. So it's, it's great.

Peter Murphy Lewis: I appreciate it.

Sadaf Beynon: Yeah, I've really enjoyed this, uh, really enjoyed talking about how you use podcasting to grow your business and how you're, you know, you're gonna be evolving it and adding another podcast into the mix. And, um, but before we go, Peter, where can people connect with you? Learn more about your business and of course to into LTC Heroes podcasts.

Sadaf Beynon: Awesome. And for everyone listening, I'll drop all the links in the description so you can check it out. Peter, thanks so much for joining me today and sharing your incredible insights with us.

Peter Murphy Lewis: Appreciate it.

Sadaf Beynon: And to everyone listening, if today's conversation has got you thinking about how podcasting could help you grow your business, we'd love to talk from Peter and from me.

Thanks for listening, and I'll see you next time.