Want The Meeting? Say You’re in Town.

How to Architect Influence — And Actually Get The Meeting

Most people trying to connect with high-profile individuals make the same mistake:

They lead with themselves.
Their goals. Their pitch. Their calendar.

But what if the real secret to building powerful connections…
is making them think you are the priority?

The Psychology of Presence

We’ve all experienced this: your best friend lives across town, and you never see them. But the minute someone’s “in town for a few days,” you drop everything to meet up.

That urgency? That subtle pressure to make time?
You can harness that — strategically — to get in the room with people who normally wouldn’t say yes.

I call it anchoring yourself in their world.

Instead of another vague Zoom request, you say:

“I’ll be in LA June 24–26 — would love 20 minutes for coffee if you’re around.”

Suddenly, it’s not a cold pitch. It’s a real-world opportunity.

From Cold Contact to Real Collaboration — How One Offer Changed Everything

One of my earliest wins on YouTube came from using this exact approach. I reached out to Shay Carl — yes, that Shay Carl — one of the original YouTube stars who helped shape the platform’s early creator culture. Back then, everyone wanted to collaborate with him. Everyone was pitching.

But I didn’t send a pitch. I sent value.

In a brief convo with his team, I picked up on something small but important: he was trying to get in shape and thinking about running a marathon.

I wasn’t a trainer. I wasn’t training for a marathon. I just listened — and saw something he needed.

So I offered to coach him and his friends. I anchored the offer around being in LA, made it specific, relevant, and easy to say yes to.

And he did.

That offer led to a real collaboration, and more importantly, a real relationship. Because I didn’t show up with a big ask — I showed up with relevance.

How to Use This In Your Own Life

Here’s the play-by-play:

1. Identify 3–5 people you’d love to meet.

2. Find where they’ll be or where they live.

3. Anchor your request with a specific time and place.

4. Offer something that matters to them — not just to you.

5. Be willing to show up, even if the answer is “maybe.”

This approach is how I’ve gotten in rooms with people I had no business accessing… at least on paper.

Want to See How It Works?

Watch the full breakdown here — this is how you shift from being outside the room to owning a seat at the table.

If you’ve ever felt stuck just short of the meeting, the reply, the yes — this is your strategy.

And if you try it? Let me know how it goes. I want to feature someone’s story next.

See you in seven,