By Melanie Robitaille, Sr. Staff Writer & Graphic Designer
Call it a platform, podium, or soapbox, there are some individuals that just know the power of knowledge is in the sharing. Many are looking for real estate industry information and direction right now, and in part two of our Making Airwaves series we’re looking at how sharing your insights creates a trusted following.
Franchisee, Corwyn J. Melette, is drawing a crowd just by educating people, which is one of the main roots at the heart of his real estate success, and it’s also the impetus behind why he got into broadcasting. He too was approached with guest spot opportunities on a show which later turned into him partnering as a co-host before finally culminating in the EXIT Strategies Radio Show and podcast.
“Those spots got me in front of different audiences, and I saw the impact and opportunity for greater reach,” Corwyn recalled. “…I saw that misinformation was rampant. That’s still the case today. Having a show gives me an opportunity to craft a different narrative while educating people.”
His show airs weekly, in 30-minute time slots on two different radio stations in South Carolina. He records it remotely as a podcast, which is syndicated to nearly every podcast platform, and is hosted on its own website as well.
Despite not having an extensive background in broadcasting, Corwyn never questioned whether he’d be good for the job or whether anyone would be interested in his content saying, “What I knew was that people didn’t have the full story. They didn’t have [the] insights nor [the] experiences that I had so I focused on sharing them. My show is not overly scripted. The agenda is simple: have a good time sharing good information to help others do better…I didn’t have reservations; I had a passion.”
While Corwyn prefers to focus on where there are issues and opportunities in his markets for content, he says the show is never forced and has a mission. He started with an emphasis on credit and budgeting because that’s where he saw a need in the communities that listened to the show, later evolving to point people on the path forward and placing emphasis on real estate investing.
He doesn’t overly promote the show other than mentioning it in conversations, adding it to his email signature, and sharing some content on social media. The rest he says, has been word of mouth.
“People that listen call me with questions, to be connected to my guests, and to say they enjoy it. I shout them out during my introductions because they are why I do it.”
From interviewing guests that started with nothing and grew massive portfolios to more commercial investors, he’s now expanding into private capital and manufactured housing opportunities as investment vehicles with plans for future merchandising of the show and building investment groups from it. He does it all with the help of a virtual assistant which helps run the podcast and also source guests, and he uses Calendly to schedule everything.
Corwyn emphasizes the need for providing quality information to those who really want to learn and want help, while not pressuring them for the sale explaining, “The people who listen to my show count me as a resource and advisor. Many of them bring me business or send me business because they know my mission. I verbally repeat it each show and close with telling my audience that I love them and will see them out there in the streets.”
Both of these gentlemen featured in our series are just two examples of real estate professionals taking to the airwaves throughout their markets, truth-telling and knowledge sharing, proving as Corwyn says, “People don’t need noise, they need a voice.”
