Scott Bourne called me “smart as a whip” on his blog and I wear that honour with lots of pride. Plus, he has a soft spot for Canadians and anyone who loves us Crazy Canucks gets mucho points in my book.

If you don’t know who Scott is, he works closely with Leo Laporte – hailed as the Podcaster of the Year by the Podcast & Portable Media Expo – on a few podcasts in the TWIT network. According to respondents of the Canadian Podcast survey, TWIT was slated as the top viewed podcast in Canada, so you get an idea where TWIT stack up in the podcasting world. I mean, people were clamouring for Scott’s autograph at the Expo, so he packs alot of star power in podcasting.

I ended up chatting with Scott for about 2-hours on Saturday morning over really bad coffee in the speaker’s room (no Tim Horton’s in Ontario, CA). Our conversation was so engaging, I missed Andrew Baron’s keynote (Paul provides a nice summary). Sorry Drew.

Scott gave me some great advice on how to raise your profile and funny enough, it has nothing to do with podcasting. His tips:

• Network like crazy.
• Attend industry events.
• Ask for favours.
• Write a book.
• Be authentic.

You may be reading the tips above and saying to yourself, “Leesa, that’s obvious.” However, these no-brainer tips from an industry heavyweight such as Scott are easily forgotten.

He gave me very specific ideas that I can use for my own situation. I’m not in the habit of spilling the beans on private conversations on a public forum, however, I will announce some of my plans very soon.

In the meantime, take a look at your own situation and ask yourself if you can use Scott’s advice to raise your own profile. If so, put a plan in place and make it happen. Don’t just say it, write it down, committ your intention to dates, then follow through.

Now, where’s my pen & paper?

Technorati: scott bourne, podcasting, personal brand, perception, networking, Business