TL;DR: Melanie Benson makes a strong case for proximity as one of the most practical ways to build trust, visibility, and collaboration. Instead of relying only on cold pitches or more content, look for the people already connected to your audience, your values, and your work. Start by getting clear on what you want from collaboration, choose partners who know how to follow through, and create a win for you, your partner, and the audience.
Conversation with Melanie Benson
I’ve known Melanie Benson for more than 20 years, so talking with her about proximity felt very fitting.
Proximity is defined as the state or condition of being near or close. In business, Melanie described it as much more practical.
It’s about being in the right conversations with the right people, so your work can be seen, trusted, and referred.
Melanie describes herself as an authority amplifier. Her work is with thought leaders, coaches, and consultants who are tired of being “the best kept secret” in their market. She’s been podcasting for more than 10 years, is close to 500 episodes, and her podcast ranks in the top 1% using the Listen Notes score.
That long view matters. Melanie has seen what worked years ago and what is working now. Her take is clear: cold pitches are getting harder. Trust matters more. Real connection carries more weight.
As Melanie said,
“The people who were landing the best podcasts were landing it through the power of proximity.”
Visibility is changing
Melanie talked about how podcast hosts used to welcome pitches. Then the shift started.
Hosts became more selective. They ignored pitches. They felt annoyed by people who clearly had not done their homework. Many were being pitched by people who wanted access to their audience, with little regard for the host, the topic, or the listeners.
If you host a podcast, a Substack Live, a summit, or any kind of interview platform, you know what she means. Your audience trusts you. You don’t want to put just anyone in front of them.
That’s where proximity changes the conversation. When someone knows you, has experienced your work, or has been referred by someone they trust, the door opens faster.
“When you’re in proximity, people get to know you at an accelerated pace.”
For solo business owners, that matters. You can create content every week and still feel unseen. Proximity gives people a way to experience your voice, your thinking, your values, and your follow-through.
Subscribe to Your Visibility Edge for simple ideas you can act on each week, including how to use AI and smart collaboration to make your marketing easier.
Start with what you want from collaboration
One of Melanie’s strongest points was about clarity.
Before you start reaching out to people, get clear about what you want from collaboration. More clients? More podcast guests? More visibility for your Substack? More speaking opportunities?
“You have to get really clear. What do you want from collaboration?”
She called this your “collaboration compass.” I know that phrase will land for a lot of people because it gives you a way to make better decisions. If an opportunity does not support the outcome you’re working toward, it may not be the right opportunity right now.
That does not mean the person is wrong. It means the timing, audience, or offer may not fit what you’re building.
Melanie gave a good example. Someone invited her into a bundle or toolkit giveaway, and she turned it down. It didn’t support her current collaboration goal.
As she said,
“When we know what we’re focused on, it’s easier to discern what do I say yes to, what do I say no to.”
That’s a useful filter.
Choose partners with care
Melanie gave 3 questions to help you decide who might be a good collaborator.
First, do you share an audience?
In her words: “Do we both speak to people who need and want what we both do?”
That’s the first filter. If the audience is too far apart, the collaboration may feel good in the moment, but it probably won’t create the result you want.
Second, do your offers work well together?
Melanie called this “offer synergy.” If you both serve the same audience in different ways, the partnership can feel natural. You’re giving the audience more context and support without competing for the same exact sale.
Third, does the other person know how to collaborate?
This is where a lot of people get burned. One person promotes, follows through, shares the content, and creates a good experience. The other person does the bare minimum.
Melanie said, “I like to partner with people that they’ve kind of established collaboration as part of the model they do.”
That’s practical. Look for signs. Do they share other people’s work? Do they promote interviews they’ve been part of? Do they show up prepared? Do they make the experience better for the host and the audience?
Make it easy to say yes
If you want to ask someone to collaborate, Melanie’s advice was simple: make a clear, low-risk ask.
You might say:
I see we share a similar audience, and I think our topics would work well together. Would you be open to exploring a collaboration?
You don’t need to overcomplicate it.
“Just make the ask. What’s the worst that happens? They say no.”
That’s the part many of us need to hear. A no is information. It may be about timing, fit, capacity, or priority. It does not need to become a personal story.
Give before you ask
One of my favorite parts of the conversation came near the end, when we talked about untapped collaboration opportunities.
Melanie suggested starting with what is already close to you. Feature other people. Share their work. Restack their posts. Invite clients or partners into conversations. Look for people in your network who would benefit from being seen by your audience.
As Melanie said, “Find a way to be nice. Give visibility.”
You don’t have to start with a huge partnership. You can start by being generous in a specific way. Feature someone in an article. Invite them to a short live conversation. Share one of their posts with a thoughtful comment. Introduce 2 people who should know each other.
This is especially easy on Substack. Restacks, Notes, comments, recommendations, Lives, and guest posts all create simple ways to build connection.
Make the collaboration a win for everyone
Melanie talked about the difference between collaborations that look good on paper and collaborations that work for the host, the guest, and the audience.
She used virtual summits as an example. Many have become less useful because they often give the audience more information without a clear result.
Her standard is a “win-win-win.”
The host wins. The guest wins. The audience wins.
“People don’t really need more information. They want transformation.”
If you invite someone to your audience, what will your people walk away with? If you say yes to someone else’s event, what will their people be able to use?
The best collaborations are designed with the audience in mind from the start.
Your message has to be clear first
Melanie closed with a point every solo business owner needs to hear.
Before someone can refer you, promote you, interview you, or partner with you, they need to understand what you do.
She said, “If we make people work too hard to figure it out, we’ve lost their attention.”
That applies to your website, your Substack, your social profiles, your podcast bio, your speaker page, and your offers. If someone lands on your page and can’t tell what you’re known for, it becomes harder to collaborate.
The same is true for clients. People need to recognize your work quickly. They need to see who you help, what you help them do, and why it matters.
Melanie’s reminder was direct:
“Can somebody go to your page and go, yeah, I get it. I see what they’re doing. I know what they’re known for?”
That’s where many people need to start.
Key takeaways
Proximity can help people know, trust, and refer you faster. It works best when you are clear about your goal, selective about your partners, and generous in how you show up.
A good collaboration partner shares your audience, brings a related offer, and knows how to follow through.
A good collaboration gives the host, guest, and audience a real win.
A simple first step is to feature someone you already know and respect. Invite them into a conversation, share their work, or give them visibility with your audience.
Before you reach out, check your own visibility. Make sure your message is clear enough for someone to understand what you do, who you help, and why they should introduce you to someone else.
Looking back, the biggest reminder from this conversation is that visibility is still human. Tools change. Platforms change. Trust still grows through real conversations, shared values, and consistent follow-through.
What’s next?
Get your complimentary copy of Melanie Benson’s 7 Step Framework to be the Un-Ignorable Expert:
