Brokers in Cars Getting Coffee: Q&A with Reid Rasmussen

Taking a cue from Jerry Seinfeld, Reid Rasmussen has found a hit by letting others share their stories in his podcast, “Brokers in Cars Getting Coffee.”

Rasmussen, co-founder and CEO of freshbenies in Dallas, tells BenefitsPRO what has made his podcast successful and other helpful tidbits for benefits professionals to consider when embarking on their own creative projects. 

KKH: What inspired you to start your podcast? 

 We heard LinkedIn was starting to drive a lot more engagement to video content. I thought I would do some training videos myself, but one of my staff told me that people would stop listening if it was just me. The truth hurts, but it’s still the truth! 

 I’d just finished watching Jerry Seinfeld’s series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” – and loved it. I was thinking about how engaging it was to listen to these folks talk about their craft… and it wasn’t even my craft! I thought it would make for some fun interviews with brokers from around the country, and it’s turned into a hit. 

KKH: Who is your target audience, and what do you hope they get out of this?

 Employee benefits brokers and others like us working in the benefits space. I hope brokers get ideas they can apply to their business or their personal lives. And I hope they’re inspired and entertained along the way.

 KKH: What are some topics you cover?

 One of my most common themes is change: How are you dealing with innovation, industry changes, prospecting and big trends, such as COVID, the Great Resignation and inflation? 

While interviewing I’m always curious about people’s entry into and rise in our industry, and the great leadership lessons along the way. Plus, I’m always listening for the fun stuff, such as their favorite coffee, their first or favorite cars, or even a crazy client story. By the way, the best so far: an individual prospect coming to the door naked  – check out the Bret Brummitt episode for that one. 

KKH: How do you choose your guests? 

I’m looking for people I like, who are successful, from different parts of the country, with a variety of backgrounds, from a variety of agency ownership groups, with a variety of client types. 

KKH: What surprising things have learned from the experience?

 Well, I know how much I enjoy going to conferences all over the country, sitting up late into the night hearing stories from brokers – hey, talking about OUR craft. And that’s what I was trying to tap. But I was surprised at how huge it has become. Now, everywhere I go people tell me how much they enjoy it, too! 

KKH: What tips/advice would you give to others thinking of starting a podcast? 

1. Define your audience. Who will listen to this? This tells you who to interview, what to talk about, and what to edit out.

2. Come up with a theme or a set of questions that you’ll ask several of your guests. This helps bring some consistency to your episodes, and fill your interviews.

3. Edit like a fiend so you don’t make watching or listening to it difficult for your listeners. People won’t listen to long and rambling stories. Cut out the superfluous and keep it moving.

 KKH: What other types of online marketing initiatives do you undertake and how do you make sure they are successful?

 We built our company from nothing in five years to the #117 Fastest Growing Company in America on the Inc5000 list. And we bootstrapped it without a single investor. Everything was about being scrappy and figuring out how to be effective with all kinds of marketing: email newsletters; blogs; magazine articles, including several for BenefitsPRO; LinkedIn posts; classes; webinars; etc. 

The key to success is to bring variety and then track results over time. You have to find what’s working now, and shift to more of that. Then try something else new. Because what’s successful is ALWAYS shifting.

 Any other thoughts for brokers to consider regarding podcasts and other online marketing initiatives?

 Get started. Try something. Don’t be so uptight and serious. Then go out again and try something else. We need to keep it fresh.