TV Legend Matthew Lesko on How to Be Unforgettable (Even Without a Budget)
03/31/25 • 27 min
Matthew Lesko—the man in the question mark suit—isn’t just a media personality with over 100 TV appearances on Oprah, Larry King, and Good Morning America. He’s a bold truth-teller with 50 years of experience helping everyday Americans find billions in government grants and funding. In this episode, we dive into how Matthew built a legendary personal brand, what keeps him going at 81, and why your heart—not your brain—is the key to success.
🔗 Call to Action
🔍 Find free money and funding opportunities with Matthew Lesko
👉 https://leskohelp.com
📲 Follow Matthew Lesko on Social Media
YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram: Search @MatthewLesko
🎧 Edit your podcasts like a pro:
https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq
🎙️ Be a guest or start your podcast journey:
https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne
⏱️ Timestamps & Key Topics
00:00 – How Matthew Lesko became a TV icon (Oprah, Larry King & more)
01:30 – Why government grants being cut doesn’t matter
03:10 – From Navy ship driver to Washington DC funding expert
04:30 – Personal branding: why being outrageous is an asset
06:00 – Failing forward: why Lesko gave up chasing corporate success
07:45 – Why fun and authenticity beat strategy every time
09:00 – How to get national media attention without paying a cent
10:40 – Staying relevant and driven at 81
12:00 – Work vs. joy: How to find purpose instead of a paycheck
13:45 – Discovering your superpower by embracing what makes you weird
16:00 – Dealing with haters, setbacks, and self-doubt
18:30 – How Lesko's look became a magnet for smiles and kindness
20:00 – The real strategy behind being a media guest
22:00 – How to prep for interviews like a pro
24:00 – Final takeaways from 50 years of Lesko wisdom
Connect with me on:
#DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy
Matthew Lesko—the man in the question mark suit—isn’t just a media personality with over 100 TV appearances on Oprah, Larry King, and Good Morning America. He’s a bold truth-teller with 50 years of experience helping everyday Americans find billions in government grants and funding. In this episode, we dive into how Matthew built a legendary personal brand, what keeps him going at 81, and why your heart—not your brain—is the key to success.
🔗 Call to Action
🔍 Find free money and funding opportunities with Matthew Lesko
👉 https://leskohelp.com
📲 Follow Matthew Lesko on Social Media
YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram: Search @MatthewLesko
🎧 Edit your podcasts like a pro:
https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq
🎙️ Be a guest or start your podcast journey:
https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne
⏱️ Timestamps & Key Topics
00:00 – How Matthew Lesko became a TV icon (Oprah, Larry King & more)
01:30 – Why government grants being cut doesn’t matter
03:10 – From Navy ship driver to Washington DC funding expert
04:30 – Personal branding: why being outrageous is an asset
06:00 – Failing forward: why Lesko gave up chasing corporate success
07:45 – Why fun and authenticity beat strategy every time
09:00 – How to get national media attention without paying a cent
10:40 – Staying relevant and driven at 81
12:00 – Work vs. joy: How to find purpose instead of a paycheck
13:45 – Discovering your superpower by embracing what makes you weird
16:00 – Dealing with haters, setbacks, and self-doubt
18:30 – How Lesko's look became a magnet for smiles and kindness
20:00 – The real strategy behind being a media guest
22:00 – How to prep for interviews like a pro
24:00 – Final takeaways from 50 years of Lesko wisdom
Connect with me on:
#DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy
Previous Episode
Omnichannel Marketing for People Who Hate Marketing
From using AI to create content that ranks to turning one blog post into 10+ videos, Matt breaks down his full process, step by step. If you’re overwhelmed by SEO, stuck on content ideas, or trying to figure out LinkedIn, this episode is a goldmine. We talk tools, tactics, and the mindset shift needed to grow in 2025.
🔗 Call to Action
🎯 Find Matt Diamante here:
Instagram: @mattdiamante
Website & Tools: https://heytony.ca
🚀 Check out Matt's Free SEO Course and innovative tools like the Watchdog SEO monitor and Content Analyzer at heytony.ca/tools
⏱️ Timestamps & Key Topics
00:00 – Why omnichannel marketing is a must for survival
01:00 – Meet Matt Diamante: The face behind Hey Tony
02:30 – Instagram vs TikTok vs LinkedIn: Platform strategy banter
03:30 – SEO and cookies: The case for multichannel marketing
04:15 – The overwhelm for small business owners
06:00 – AI hack: Use Zoom + YouTube + ChatGPT to create blogs
08:00 – SEO content on a shoestring budget
10:00 – Repurposing AI blog content into social video
11:30 – How to film & edit your first batch of Reels
13:00 – Why repeating your message is necessary
14:30 – Matt’s Facebook Ads Library hack that hit 1.5M views
16:00 – Authenticity over AI: Finding your voice
18:00 – Destroying SEO myths & scammy agencies
20:00 – Reading a touching email from a grateful course taker
22:00 – Why Matt gives away so much free value
23:00 – Turning viral videos into ads that convert
24:30 – Pinterest, Threads, BlueSky: What’s hot & what’s not
28:00 – The #1 way to monetise your audience
29:00 – Email marketing vs social media reach
31:30 – Matt’s monetisation stack: services, tools, products
32:30 – Watchdog SEO: A tool that spies on your competitors
34:00 – The future is micro-tools, not mega-software
36:00 – Final thoughts + why he charges in USD now 😆
#omnichannelmarketing , semrush vs ahrefs, free seo tools, ai content creation
Connect with me on:
#DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy
Next Episode
Michael Cofone Went from Olympic Rowing to Disrupting Sales with AI—Here’s How
We dive into the evolution from "Scale Mail" to Sherlock, their direct mail strategies, and why personal branding is the next growth lever. Oh—and he used to row for Oxford and coach at Princeton. Yeah, it's that kind of episode.
🔗 Call to Action
👉 Check out Sherlock:
🔗 https://sherlock.to
🔗 https://sherlockgrowth.com
👤 Connect with Michael Cofone:
🔗 LinkedIn
🎧 Edit your podcasts like a pro:
👉 https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq
🎤 Be a guest or start your own podcast:
👉 https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne
⏱️ Timestamps & Key Topics
00:00 – Hyper-personalised outreach with Sherlock
01:00 – Meet Michael Cofone & the origin of Sherlock
02:00 – What Sherlock actually does (and why it matters)
03:00 – Why they ditched email: the new cat-and-mouse game
04:30 – Using vector databases to personalise LinkedIn content
06:00 – Real estate & hyper-local direct mail tactics
07:00 – Ideal clients for Sherlock: data-driven companies
08:00 – Direct mail is back—and here's why
10:00 – How they personalise outreach for real-world events
11:00 – Yes, they literally pack boxes in Michael’s garage
12:00 – From Scale Mail to Sherlock: The rebranding journey
14:00 – Willem’s role as creative director & brand designer
16:00 – The importance of personal brand vs company brand
17:30 – Olympic rowing, Oxford, and building resilience
21:00 – From history major to AI entrepreneur
24:00 – The startup that's not a startup: Sherlock's growth
27:00 – 2025 goals: $5M ARR, partner expansion, acquisitions
30:00 – Controversial goal: replacing 80% of sales teams
32:00 – Where to find Sherlock online
Connect with me on:
#DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/from-startup-to-wunderbrand-652625/tv-legend-matthew-lesko-on-how-to-be-unforgettable-even-without-a-budg-88760283"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to tv legend matthew lesko on how to be unforgettable (even without a budget) on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy