Pitchworthy with KJ Blattenbauer

KJ Blattenbauer
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Pitchworthy is not a traditional PR podcast. Hosted by veteran publicist and two-time bestselling author KJ Blattenbauer, the show explores how founders, experts, and industry leaders become impossible to ignore. Not through louder marketing, but through sharper positioning, stronger ideas, and reputations that travel before they do. Each episode breaks down the hidden mechanics behind recognition, authority, media perception, and industry influence so listeners can stop chasing visibility and start becoming the person people reference, recommend, and remember. This is for ambitious founders, creatives, and experts who are already respected for their work and ready to become known for their thinking.

  1. 3d ago

    Recognition Gap Audit: The Leadership Problem You Don't Know You're Solving

    Every company has values. Very few know how to make employees actually experience them. In this Recognition Gap Audit, KJ sits down with leadership and culture strategist Jenny Catalano to uncover why the market keeps seeing her as an events company—even though she's building something far bigger. Together, they unpack one of the most common positioning mistakes founders make: marketing the vehicle instead of the transformation. As the conversation unfolds, Jenny realizes her community impact experiences aren't the product at all. They're proof. The real product is a leadership philosophy that helps organizations turn values from words on a wall into behaviors employees actually believe. If you've ever felt like people keep reducing your work to the tactic instead of the outcome, this episode will change how you introduce your business forever. What you'll hear in this episode: Why marketing the process often hides the real value of your expertise The difference between selling an experience and selling organizational transformation Why leadership behaviors, not company values, ultimately create culture How to reposition your business around the problem you solve instead of the service you provide KJ's live Recognition Gap diagnosis and the positioning shift that reframed Jenny's entire business Because people don't believe your values because you wrote them. They believe them because they experience them.   RESOURCES AND LINKS Learn more about the Recognition Report & Roadmap™: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/recognition-roadmap Subscribe to SAY MORE: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com  Connect with KJ on Instagram: www.instagram.com/kjblattenbauer Get your copy of Pitchworthy: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/book

  2. Sep 30

    You're Famous For The Wrong Thing

    What if the thing that made you successful is the very thing keeping you stuck? In this episode, KJ explores a challenge many experienced founders face: evolving beyond the reputation that built their business. The market doesn't automatically update its understanding of you just because you've evolved. Which means many entrepreneurs spend years being rewarded for yesterday while trying to build tomorrow. What you’ll hear in this episode: Why successful reputations are often the hardest to change The hidden downside of becoming known for one thing Why visibility can make the wrong reputation stronger How founders get trapped inside outdated identities What it takes to teach the market a new story Because sometimes the hardest part of growth isn't becoming known. It's becoming known for something new.   RESOURCES AND LINKS Learn more about the Recognition Report & Roadmap™: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/recognition-roadmap Subscribe to SAY MORE: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com  Connect with KJ on Instagram: www.instagram.com/kjblattenbauer Get your copy of Pitchworthy: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/book

  3. Sep 23

    The Real Reason People Don't Buy

    Most founders think they have a sales problem. Many don't. They have a value communication problem. In this episode, KJ sits down with sales strategist, pricing expert, and founder of Salesy, Andrea Mac, to unpack one of the biggest misconceptions in business: people don't buy because you know more, they buy because they understand the value you create. Together, they explore why so many brilliant entrepreneurs struggle to sell their work, how our relationship with money influences the way we price and position ourselves, and why the ability to clearly communicate your value affects everything from referrals to revenue. Whether you're trying to close more clients, raise your prices, or simply explain what makes you different, this conversation offers practical insights that every founder can apply immediately. What you'll hear in this episode: Why most sales problems begin long before a sales conversation How your relationship with money influences the way you sell The difference between explaining what you do and communicating your value Why referrals only happen when people can easily repeat your story How pricing, positioning, and sales work together to build trust Why recognition and revenue are far more connected than most founders realize Because people can't buy value they don't understand.   RESOURCES AND LINKS Learn more about the Recognition Report & Roadmap™: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/recognition-roadmap Subscribe to SAY MORE: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com  Connect with KJ on Instagram: www.instagram.com/kjblattenbauer Get your copy of Pitchworthy: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/book

  4. Sep 16

    Recognition Gap Audit: The Business You're Actually In

    Most founders think they know what business they're in. They're wrong. In this Recognition Gap Audit, KJ sits down with professional organizer and coach Alison Kero to uncover one of the most common positioning mistakes experts make: defining their business by the service they provide instead of the transformation they create. What begins as a conversation about organizing homes quickly reveals something much deeper. Alison isn't really helping people create tidier closets or more functional pantries. She's helping them quiet overwhelm, rebuild confidence, make better decisions, and become the person they want to be. Through a live, unscripted conversation, KJ demonstrates how one shift in perspective can completely change the way an expert talks about their work and the value the market assigns to it. If you've ever wondered whether you're accidentally marketing the wrong business, this episode is for you. What you'll hear in this episode: Why most founders define their business too narrowly The difference between the service you provide and the transformation you create Why the visible result of your work is rarely what clients are actually buying How identity shifts create stronger positioning than tactical outcomes KJ's live Recognition Gap diagnosis and the positioning breakthrough that reframed Alison's entire business Because the business you think you're in might not be the business your clients are actually buying.   RESOURCES AND LINKS Learn more about the Recognition Report & Roadmap™: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/recognition-roadmap Subscribe to SAY MORE: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com  Connect with KJ on Instagram: www.instagram.com/kjblattenbauer Get your copy of Pitchworthy: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/book

  5. Sep 9

    What If Nobody Knows What To Call You?

    Everybody gets a label. The question is whether it's the one you wanted. In this episode, KJ explores how the market creates shortcuts, categories, and labels for every founder, expert, and entrepreneur—and why being misunderstood is often more expensive than being unknown. If you've ever felt like your reputation hasn't caught up to your expertise, this episode will change the way you think about positioning, referrals, and authority. What you’ll hear in this episode: Why the market puts everyone in a box The hidden cost of being mislabeled How opportunities organize themselves around perception Why visibility doesn't fix confusion The question that reveals whether you're carrying the wrong reputation Because if people don't know what to call you, they don't know when to call you.   RESOURCES AND LINKS Learn more about the Recognition Report & Roadmap™: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/recognition-roadmap Subscribe to SAY MORE: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com  Connect with KJ on Instagram: www.instagram.com/kjblattenbauer Get your copy of Pitchworthy: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/book

  6. Sep 2

    The Label That's Holding You Back

    Sometimes the thing that made you successful is the very thing keeping you from your next level of growth. For years, Jess Gleim was known as "the Meta ads expert." It was a title that built a thriving business, attracted incredible clients, and established her reputation. There was just one problem. It was no longer true. In this episode, KJ sits down with Jess, an entrepreneur, strategist, and marketing expert, to explore what happens when your expertise evolves faster than your reputation, and why so many successful founders unknowingly become trapped inside the labels that once served them. Together, they unpack the difference between the service people remember and the value clients are actually buying, revealing how one shift in positioning transformed the way Jess talks about her business, and the opportunities that followed. If you've ever felt like your market only sees one piece of what you do, this conversation will change the way you think about your own expertise. What you'll hear in this episode: Why the reputation that built your business can eventually limit your growth How founders accidentally become known for the tactic instead of the transformation The difference between expertise and positioning Why clients often hire you for something much bigger than the service they request How Jess evolved from "Meta ads expert" to a strategist focused on profitable business growth Why your next opportunity often begins with changing the story the market tells about you Because the market can't recognize the expertise, it doesn't have language for. RESOURCES AND LINKS Learn more about the Recognition Report & Roadmap™: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/recognition-roadmap Subscribe to SAY MORE: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com  Connect with KJ on Instagram: www.instagram.com/kjblattenbauer Get your copy of Pitchworthy: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/book

  7. Aug 26

    Recognition Gap Audit: What Should People Expect?

    Sometimes the biggest positioning breakthrough isn't changing what you sell. It's changing what people expect. In this Recognition Gap Audit, KJ sits down with Annie Graybill, founder of Havenwith, a marketplace for fragrance-free, non-toxic vacation rentals, to uncover a deeper opportunity hiding beneath her business. What begins as a conversation about healthier travel quickly becomes something much bigger: a discussion about consumer expectations, category creation, and why the companies that change industries don't simply offer a better product—they redefine what people believe should be normal. Through a live, unscripted conversation, KJ helps Annie shift from marketing vacation rentals to leading a movement that challenges what every traveler should expect when they book a place to stay. If you've ever wondered whether your business is actually solving a much bigger problem than you're talking about, this episode is for you. What you'll hear in this episode: Why category leaders change expectations instead of competing on features The difference between selling a product and changing consumer behavior How founders accidentally market the vehicle instead of the movement Why the most powerful positioning often lives one level above what you currently sell KJ's live Recognition Gap diagnosis and the mindset shift that reframed Annie's business Because category creators don't just give people another option. They redefine what people believe they should expect.   RESOURCES AND LINKS Learn more about the Recognition Report & Roadmap™: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/recognition-roadmap Subscribe to SAY MORE: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com  Connect with KJ on Instagram: www.instagram.com/kjblattenbauer Get your copy of Pitchworthy: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/book

  8. Aug 19

    Why I'd Never Refer You

    There are a lot of brilliant people KJ would never refer. Not because they're bad at what they do. Not because they aren't qualified. Because she has absolutely no idea how to explain them. In this episode, KJ explores what may be the most expensive problem in business: being impossible to describe. Because people don't refer the people they like. They refer the people they understand. If you've ever felt overlooked despite your expertise, struggled to explain what makes you different, or wondered why opportunities seem to go to people who are less qualified, this episode is for you. What you’ll hear in this episode: Why confusion costs more than invisibility The real reason referrals don't happen The difference between visibility and recognition How the market decides who gets remembered The question KJ asks every client that reveals their Recognition Gap The market already has a story about you. The question is whether you'd agree with it.   RESOURCES AND LINKS Learn more about the Recognition Report & Roadmap™: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/recognition-roadmap Subscribe to SAY MORE: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com  Connect with KJ on Instagram: www.instagram.com/kjblattenbauer Get your copy of Pitchworthy: https://www.kjblattenbauer.com/book

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About

Pitchworthy is not a traditional PR podcast. Hosted by veteran publicist and two-time bestselling author KJ Blattenbauer, the show explores how founders, experts, and industry leaders become impossible to ignore. Not through louder marketing, but through sharper positioning, stronger ideas, and reputations that travel before they do. Each episode breaks down the hidden mechanics behind recognition, authority, media perception, and industry influence so listeners can stop chasing visibility and start becoming the person people reference, recommend, and remember. This is for ambitious founders, creatives, and experts who are already respected for their work and ready to become known for their thinking.

Information

  • Creator
    KJ Blattenbauer
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Calamity Jayne Enterprises, LLC All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Pitchworthy with KJ Blattenbauer

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