February 1, 2017

Taking a Break From Your Podcast: The Complete Guide to Pressing Pause on Podcasting

After a few months of hustle to launch and grow your podcast, the exhaustion might start to wear on you. You can only go, go, go for so long. So what happens when you feel like taking a break from your podcast? You either ignore those feelings and keep pushing until you crash OR you press pause and reinvigorate your work. 

And then there are times when you can’t make the choice. You simply have to take a break.

You might not be ready to take a break right now. That’s totally cool too. Hustle until it starts feeling like you need to flow and when you do, you’ll be ready.

So, is taking a break from your podcast right for you? And how do you prepare for it?

Why You Might Consider Taking a Break From Your Podcast

Taking a Break From Your Podcast: The Complete Guide to Pressing Pause

You need to strategize

If you’re moving forward without a plan, it might be time to stop and figure out where you’re going. You can’t reach your goals if you aren’t crystal clear on what they are and how you’re going to get there. It is perfectly reasonable to take a break from your podcast to strategize about what’s next. The lovely Lauren Frontiera of Grit and Glitter took off December to do this and you know what, her podcast grew in the meantime. She also came back to do three shows a week, so she’s at serious girl boss levels. 

You need creativity

Running out of topic ideas and guests you’re dying to interview? Feel less excited about podcasting and wonder why you even started? Hold up! It’s time for a break. Do what you need to do to prepare for a podcast pause (more on that below) and reconnect with what you love. Instead of totally taking your mind off your podcast. Meditate on it. Go somewhere you love with a notebook and get really creative. Go crazy! Doesn’t that sound fun?

You need to rejuvenate

Life doesn’t care that you have a podcast to put out. Whether it’s a personal issue or a family matter, things happen that interfere with your podcast. Remember, those things happen to your listeners too! There is nothing wrong with taking a break because you can’t keep going with the big heap of life on your plate. Taking a break from your podcast is totally okay. It will be there when you get back.

When to Start Your Podcast Pause

At the end of a season

Taking a break between ‘seasons’ of a podcast is not unheard of. This is a particularly good option if you want to strategize or refuel your creativity before getting back into your podcast. Say you take a month or two off from your podcast between seasons, all your previous episodes will still be there for new listeners to find. 

After a Podcast Series

Just delivered a fantastic series of episodes on an interesting topic? Take a break before you move onto your next one. You’ll give your audience time to digest the valuable information you just shared and maybe even go back and listen to related episodes you published months ago.

Anytime

Sometimes you won’t have any warning and you’ll need to take a break immediately. That works too. Your audience will miss you, but they’ll understand!

How to Prepare for a Podcast Break

Warn Your Audience

Whether you’re know you’re taking a break at the end of the season or you have to take a break at the spur of the moment, warn your audience. Managing their expectations will mean the difference between an understanding audience and a unpleasantly surprised audience. Let them know in your last regular episode that you’ll be taking a break of a certain length and advise them about what they can do in the meantime. 

Share Previous Episodes

What did I mean by tell your audience what they should do while you’re taking a break from your podcast? Give them a call to action! Tell them to listen to previous episodes you shared. Perhaps a top 10 list? I’ve seen very popular podcasters take breaks by posting a podcast series of their favorite episodes of the year. You can either publish them again on your podcast or simply direct your audience to these episodes in a newsletter, podcast outro, or social media post.

Start a Challenge

Another idea of what you can do while you aren’t reaching out to your audience regularly is to set them up with a challenge. This way you’ll give your audience something they can do on their own until you come back. Start a 30 day Facebook Free challenge or daily meditation event, whatever fits with your podcast. When you come back, you can all talk about the experience.

Schedule Social Media

Even if you’re taking a social media free break, that doesn’t mean you have to disappear from your audience’s radar. Take advantage of a social scheduling application and post updates from your guests and previous episodes they should listen to. Your audience will appreciate knowing you’re still there. 

Plan out What’s Next

You’ll be able to relax more when you’re taking a break from your podcast if you have an idea of what you’re going to do when you come back. Consider scheduling interviews a month or so in advance. Decide what topics you’ll touch on. If you get these decisions out of the way, you’ll have less to worry about during your break.

Give Your Team a Heads Up

Don’t forget to tell your editor, writer, and/or assistant that you’ll be taking a break. Send them a quick email explain why if you’re comfortable with that. I promise they’ll understand. Plus, they’ll appreciate your notice instead of wondering what happened.

 

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How to take a break from your podcast

January 25, 2017

10 Smart Ways to Grow Your Podcast By Treating it Like a Startup

Unless you are part of a non-profit, your podcast is a business. You are the CEO, CFO, CTO, and CMO of your podcast. But are you approaching your work this way? 

If you aren’t, your podcast won’t grow like a business. Everyone feels anxiety as they start their podcast. For many, it starts as a hobby or passion project, and then as the downloads start to roll in, things become more serious. 

Your podcast can be a part of your business plan AND your heart-centered message. 

While a large part of you might feel called to share knowledge and advice with your audience, you also need to make an income to be able to sustain that message, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

So how do you start working on the money-making, audience-growing business side of your podcast? You treat your podcast like it’s a startup.

Startups are near and dear to my heart. I launched my career working with one from the ground up. What’s awesome about startups is that your business could be anything, including a podcast! Business experts have shared incredible advice on launching a successful startup, and it can all be applied to your podcast.

In this blog, I’m going to share 5 smart ways to grow your podcast before you start your show and 5 things all current podcasters can do to grow their podcast like a startup.

1.Find a Need

The very first step of starting any new venture is finding a need. Most likely, the idea of creating a podcast comes to you first. But before you actually do it, you should talk to your ideal audience and see if they really want/need your podcast idea. You’ve seen this happen to businesses before. They’ll create a product and it turns out people don’t really want it or it doesn’t solve their problems how they wanted them solved. Talk to your audience about what they want to learn and how they want to learn. Then, brainstorm ways you can fill their needs.

2. Beta-Test Your Podcast

So how do you find out what your audience wants? Besides asking them personally and through Facebook groups, you can find beta-testers for your podcast. Typically, startups get beta-testers for their products. These beta-testers give feedback and sometimes testimonials. Before or after you launch, get online and find members of your audience who would be willing to listen and give you feedback. You might get some great insights! Push back your fear and do it. Worst case scenario, you’ll find ways to improve your podcast. Best case, you’ll get a brand champion. 

Growing Your Podcast Audience

3. Get Listeners Before You Start

While you’re going through this process of fine-tuning your podcast, you can start grabbing the emails of potential listeners. At the moment you feel pretty solid about your idea or are in the process of recording your first interviews, put up a landing page teasing your new show. All you need on the landing page is a headline and short description that will get your audience’s attention. Add a place where they can leave their email and you’ll be able to start building your list of interested audiences. If you have the time to do this, you’ll grow a list of people excited to listen to your show from day 1 of your podcast. Imagine starting out with 100 downloads of  your first episodes. Talk about smart ways to grow your podcast!

4. Feel Free to Pivot

At any point of the launch and recording of your podcast, feel free to pivot. If you’re getting feedback from your audience about something they’d rather hear from you that you’re also interested in, do it! Just because you thought you were going to do your podcast a certain way or have been recording interviews a certain way, doesn’t mean you have to stick to it. A great example of this is the One Part Podcast with Jessica Murnane. Ever since she got a cookbook deal, she’s talked a lot more about making a cookbook. She’s even starting a separate podcast detailing her journey. While she might not have focused on talking about creating a cookbook on earlier episodes, it’s naturally become a part of her shows and reflects her own life. For entrepreneurs, the pivot is crucial. Your idea isn’t a failure if you can pivot it into something different.

Smart Ways to Grow Your Podcast: Create a Monetization Plan

5. Create a Monetization Plan

It might be pretty hard to keep your podcast going if you don’t at least have a plan of how you’ll use it to make money for your business. You don’t have to make money at the beginning of your podcast, but months later, you’ll want to have a plan. We all know a business plan is essential, but we forget that a podcast plan is essential too! Creating a monetization plan for your podcast can include deciding whether you’ll make money through sponsorships, passive income streams like ebooks and courses, or by selling your services.

6. Hire Smart

If you’re looking for smart ways to grow your podcast, you need to be hiring smart. It’s easy to outsource what you need done to the cheapest provider possible, but will they really help build momentum for your podcast? Hiring is tricky business with a startup. I recently heard on the Early Stage Founder Show that it’s important to hire smart because we might not feel like firing someone, even if they aren’t the right person for the job.

7. Focus on Your Mission

It’s easy to get side-tracked with the many responsibilities of a podcaster, but keep your mind on why you’re doing the podcast. When things start feeling overwhelming, you’ll be able to turn to the mission that’s pushing you forward. Startups that have strong missions gain loyal audience members.

8. Love Your Audience

In business, the customer comes first. Why not with your podcast? If you’re making an effort to share your work on social media, make sure to respond to your audience whenever possible. Take time to answer their questions and comments. Create content with them in mind. How can you put your listeners first?

9. Go For a Round of Investors

Startups go through multiple rounds of looking for investors. That means, you can go through multiple rounds of finding show sponsors. Maybe you tried to get a sponsor 3 months in and nothing worked out. Try again! The amount people will ‘invest’ in you will grow as you grow. And if sponsorship isn’t your thing, create a Patreon. I’ve seen a number of podcasters recently go the way of Patreon and get more listeners involved than they expected.

10. Stay Authentic to Your Brand

We’ve all seen businesses that try too hard to be hip or simply have no brand at all and seem like faceless corporate entities. The coolest startups are the ones that stay true to themselves, even when they start gaining momentum. Don’t lose your brand trying to imitate successful podcasters. Your audience should love you for who you are. Your brand is what’s going to attract people to you. It doesn’t have to be a certain way. Just authentic.

These 10 smart ways to grow your podcast are just the beginning. Keep an eye out for startup advice and think about how it could be applied to your podcast. For that matter, think about how any content you consume could be applied to your podcast!

 

 

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10 Smart Ways to Grow Your Podcast By Treating it Like a Startup

January 18, 2017

5 Reasons Why You Should Create a Series on Your Podcast

Have you thought about creating a series on your podcast? You might have heard about this concept before. I think of a podcast series as being 3-6 episodes shared one after the other, all about one topic . For example, the #MerryBiz podcast is kicking off 2017 with interviews from their favorite health and wellness experts. While many of their episodes are on business, they wanted to focus on health to start the year in a good place. The Biz Women Rock Podcast is becoming known for podcast series. She’s done at least 4 different podcast series and doesn’t seem to be slowing down! 

So why should you create a series on your podcast?

1. Create BUZZ

Reason number one? A podcast series is special. When you tell your audience that you’re going to be focusing on one topic for several weeks, you’re signaling to them that it’s important. You can even take advantage of this BUZZ and pair your podcast series with a promotion. That way, the series warms up your audience. Say you’ve created a valuable e-book full of meditation techniques and tips. Create a series on your podcast all about meditation. Feature experts on meditation and the science behind it and then introduce your e-book. If your listeners are interested in your series, they’ll be interested in your e-book. The buzz of a special series will have them thinking deeply about your topic and interested in learning more. Whether or not you add a promotion to your series, you’ll signal to your audience what topics you’re really interested in and tease what they can look forward to learning.

2. Establish Authority

If you create a series on your podcast featuring a certain topic, you’ll be remembered for that topic. It takes a consistent message for people to remember what you want them to. By focusing on one topic, your audience will have a clear picture of what to see you as. If your podcast is about a general topic like entrepreneurship, wellness, or design, you might really benefit from establishing your authority on specific topics from within your general area. It’s nice to be able to interview a wide range of experts, but you won’t be remembered for everything. Decide what you want to be thought of as an expert on and create a series around that. Even if you’re not an expert and you’re learning about a particular subject, you’ll be remembered for starting the conversation and sharing the knowledge of your expert friends.

3. Set Expectations

When you share episodes every week, most of the time your audience has no idea what to expect. If your podcast is on dating, for example, they won’t know whether you’re going to talk about using dating services, first dates, making commitment, or what. By creating a series on your podcast, you set expectations for your audience. They will know what to look forward to and if it’s valuable to them. If it’s not, they might tune out for a few weeks and come back (more on how to avoid this in the free worksheet below). For your listeners who are really interested in learning more, they’ll be excited for your next episode.  

4. Form Strong Industry Relationships

Who wouldn’t be flattered if someone came to you and said, “I’m looking for experts on this topic for a special series on my podcast and thought of you.” With a podcast series, not only do you create strong relationships with topic experts, you also grow your network in one area. Even if you’re not the go-to expert on a certain topic, you’ll know who is and be able to use them as a resource. Podcast series establish your guests as thought leaders too, and that’s something that any potential guest could benefit from.

5. Share a Depth of Information

In one podcast, you can only share so much about one topic. Sometimes sharing the guest’s background and gaining other insight gets in the ways of being able to go really deep into a subject. Over 3-6 episodes, you’ll be able to share a lot of information on one subject. Depending on what you teach, this could be extremely helpful to your audience. If there are some really interesting topics you’ve just touched on in previous episodes, you can use a podcast series to share so much more. Look at what your audience asks you about or what topics you see trending in your industry. 

 

 

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January 11, 2017

How to Get Your Podcast Heard By Re-Purposing Your Episodes

You’ve spent hours coordinating interviews, recording conversations, editing audio, and finally you’ve released an episode. Now you need to know how to get your podcast heard! Sure you’ve got a number of loyal listeners, but you’re looking to grow and reach that next download goal.

Your podcast should be so much more than your audio. That 20-45 minute conversation is just the beginning of a beautiful waterfall content strategy that will build your audience.

So how do you create content in addition to your podcast episodes consistently? By re-purposing the content you already have.

This time-saving, audience-building tip is the solution to how to get your podcast heard. Read on to find out exactly why you’ll want to include re-purposing in your podcast strategy and get the details on how (plus a FREE 25 PAGE GUIDE).

Why Re-Purpose Your Podcast Episodes?

Re-Purpose Your Episodes & Have Your Podcast Heard!

1. Better Social Sharing

What’s difficult about having your podcast heard is the format it’s shared in. Social media is full of blogs and videos, but not so much podcast episodes. Your content marketing strategy will work a lot better when you re-purpose audio into text. Take the same message from your podcast episode and turn it into a blog. Share the blog via social media and viola! New audience members will find your website and your podcast.

2. Better Relationship with Guests

What’s better than featuring a guest on your podcast? Also featuring them in another form of content! Building business relationships isn’t a one and done thing. You grow relationships by continually fostering them. When you turn your podcast into a piece of evergreen content, you’ll strengthen your relationship with guests and build them up as thought leaders.

3. Better Resources for Listeners

While re-purposing content is a fantastic way to introduce what you do to a new audience, it can also be a helpful resource for your current listeners. By listening to an insightful podcast episode once, your audience might begin to gain interest on a certain topic or tip you shared. Help them implement and dive in to what you shared on your podcast by sharing it with them again as a form of content that they can read over and over again. Plus, you’ll give your multi-tasking listeners a hand and give them another chance to learn and understand your message.

4. Better List-Building

A sweet opt-in offer is key to building your list, but where do you get the time to actually create that offer? Re-purpose the podcast content you have into a valuable freebie. Even if you’ve shared your podcast content with your community, you can transform it into a persuasive email opt-in. For new listeners who come to your site, they’ll get the best info you’ve shared without having to listen to 7 hours of podcasts. Current listeners will benefit from having your content in a new nicely-packaged format.

 

January 4, 2017

10 Places to Promote Your Podcast for Major Growth

The hardest part about podcasting can be getting your podcast out there. You’ve created this awesome content for your audience and you’re ready for them to hear it. So what do you do if you’re getting started and your audience doesn’t know about you yet? Promote your podcast! 

It can be easy to haphazardly execute this step in the process. You have enough to do with all the recording and editing, but this is how you actually get people to listen to your podcast and that’s probably the most important part. 

I recommend you look through this list and decide what places you’ll promote your podcast week after week. Make it a part of your strategy and commit yourself to doing it. After several months, look back at the success of your plan. Go over what works and maybe add in a new place to promote your podcast or take out one that’s not working. Figure out what helps you grow your podcast the most and focus on that.

 10 Places to Promote Your Podcast

podcasting promotion

1. Your Blog

Even if you don’t have a following on your blog, it can be the best place to promote your podcast. Why? Because blogs are shareable. People read blogs they find via social media all the time. At this time, it’s a more popular way to digest information than podcasts. Take advantage of this, and repurpose your podcast episodes into highly shareable blogs. You’ll be able to easily share and promote your blogs, bring new people to your site, and offer valuable resources for listeners. I work with podcasters to create podcast-inspired blogs to grow their podcast and build their biz! 

2. Facebook Groups

Find a facebook group of your ideal audience or fellow podcasters (may I recommend She Podcasts?) and share your podcast in designated share threads. I love how Facebook groups can be a hive of your niche audience. To avoid the constant distraction of a Facebook group, figure out what day you can share your stuff and tune in that day each week to drop your link. And as always be helpful!

3. Through Your Guests

You should absolutely be asking your guests to promote your podcast episodes featuring them. Write up a canned email that you can tweak to personalize and send to each guest to make it easier. And if you make a blog to promote your podcast episode, you can ask your guests to promote that too. They’ll appreciate the additional feature.

4. Instagram

If Instagram is your jam, promote your podcast there! Make sure to create a branded graphic to feature the episode and use hashtags that your ideal audience will be searching for. And if Instagram isn’t your thing, no worries! You’ll do best on a social platform you love.

5. Pinterest

While you might be cautious about sharing your podcast on a platform that’s all about visuals, there is a way to make Pinterest work to promote your podcast. This is another time when you’ll need to turn your podcast into a nice graphic (hello content repurposing!). Make a list of the top takeaways, steps to achieving some goal, or a great quote. Share it in a relevant Pinterest group board for major bonus points! Seriously. Pinterest group boards are HUGE.

6. Twitter

If you’re all about keeping it short at 140 characters. Twitter is a great place to promote your podcast. Just promise me you’ll include a relevant graphic with your tweet. Pictures are a must when it comes to getting attention. On Twitter you can share a great quote from your conversation or even tease what topics you dive into. Make sure to use hashtags here and tag your guest.

7. Email List

I was hesitant about using email marketing as part of my strategy, mostly because it seemed really hard, but I’ve been convinced. In a webinar I tuned into, Melyssa Griffin said we should grow what we own. We don’t own social media, so we can’t count on it to monetize our business. If all the algorithm changes by Facebook and Instagram have wreaked havoc on your business then you know what we’re talking about.

You will always be in control of your own email list. So consider making an effort to build it and promote your podcast to people who are interested in what you do. I love getting emails from podcasters about their latest episode when they really go into why they recorded the episode and how it applies to their own life.

8. Guest Blogs

While you probably won’t be able to do this to promote every episode you have, it can be very valuable to promote your podcast in guest blogs. The opportunity to guest blog is everywhere. You can find people looking for guest bloggers in Facebook groups or on Covelle. Find a blog your audience loves and get on it! Don’t forget to mention your podcast and the episodes you have on a very similar subject. 🙂

9. Related Podcasts

Make an effort to be a guest on podcasts that feature topics similar to yours. You’ll get in front of an audience that listens to podcasts and is interested in your niche. Wowza! What a perfect way to share your message and promote your podcast. Every week podcasters looking for other podcasters to interview are on She Podcasts. If you’re new to podcasting, jump the gun and get on this awesome promotion technique. You’ll start fun podcasting friendships too!

10. Instagram Stories and Snap Chat

Talk to your audience about your podcast up close and personal in a live video. I think it’s so fun when podcasters do this. When you’re excited about your latest show, your audience is too. Forget your fear of being on video and give it a try. Make it a goal to get on once a day or once a week to talk about what’s going on with your podcast.

 

Any new promotion ideas you want to try? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Podcasting!

December 21, 2016

Setting Goals for Your Podcast & Starting Habits to Reach Them

New year’s is by no means the only time to set goals, but it is a great reminder to evaluate what you’re working toward and how to get there. While you’re looking over your business goals, don’t forget to include your podcast! It may seem scary to set big goals and possibly not be able to reach them, but you won’t get anywhere without trying.

My favorite technique for goal setting comes from Greg McKeown of Essentialism. He did this process of starting with your life legacy and writing down the things you want to have done and be remembered for. Working back from there, you set your five year goals and your one year goals. After writing down your goals for those timelines, then you write down the things you can do every day to accomplish them. I love this approach because you start with the big, overwhelming goals, and work them down into small things you can do every day to actually accomplish them.

So with that technique in mind, let’s get to setting goals!

Setting Goals for Podcasters Quote

 

1.Get Dream Guests

How are you going to get dream guests on your podcast if you don’t brainstorm who they are and work out a plan to get them on? Take 15-20 minutes and brainstorm. Whose blogs do you love to read? Whose book changed your life? Think it over and create that list. 

Even if you have a smaller audience, you can still get amazing guests. Highlight how your audience is exactly who your dream guest wants to talk to. Remind dream guests how podcasts are evergreen. Go ahead and flatter. Tell your dream guest what impact they’ve had on you and what you’d love for them to share with your audience. And last but not least, send the email. Or, if you get the chance, meet them at an event. You won’t get your dream guest unless you go for it.

2.Hitting a Download Number

Getting more listeners is a perfectly good goal for your podcast. Of course, when you’re setting goals, you want to be as specific as possible. Choose a number and get at it! While you may get there slow and steady by putting out content, it won’t be nearly as exciting and rewarding as doing the work to promote what you do.

Sarah Williams from the Tough Girl Podcast shared that one of the ways she would work toward hitting a very high download goal is by getting interviewed on other podcasts. What a smart way! By reaching out to other podcasters and getting on their podcasts, you’ll get in front of an audience that might be interested in what you talk about and already likes podcasts. To reach a brand new audience, you can also repurpose your podcast into blogs. This waterfall content strategy uses the content you already have to create content in another form. Check out my podcast-inspired blog service here.

 

Batching Podcasts and Scheduling them in Advance

 

3.Record Interviews in Advance

Tired of publishing your podcast last minute? Missing your deadline and posting it late? Setting goals to be consistent and on time (or ahead of schedule) can be very beneficial. You’re not likely to change your ways unless you make it a point to do so. 

How will you get your podcast ready in advance? One strategy to use is batching. Get all your episodes recorded in advance instead of week by week. Then edit them all at once and schedule them out to be published. It may be uncomfortable to do this all beforehand, but your weeks will be so much less stressful! 

4.Build Your Community

In love with your audience? Create a place for them! Your community doesn’t have to end with your podcast, and that’s not very fun anyway since you get few opportunities to interact with your listeners. Build something bigger than an interview platform and actually connect with your listeners.

Sounds great, but how do you actually do it? One way is to create a bridge from your podcast to your website with share-worthy show notes. These aren’t your typical show notes. They are branded to reflect you and that actually provide value to your audience. Take a look at how share-worthy show notes can benefit your podcast.

5.Get Sponsors

Getting an extra boost of income from podcast sponsors can be so nice. If their service is something you enjoy and something your audience would love, it could be a great fit for your podcast. 

So how do you go about getting podcast sponsors? My go-to guide is John Lee Dumas’ article on Podcast Sponsorships. He shares so much about his own experience. You don’t necessarily have to wait for a certain download stat. Engagement is what’s really huge for sponsors. Do the research and find out what you need to do before you reach out to potential sponsors. Then, make it a point to do it!

What are your podcasting goals? Let me know in the comments below. We all need a little accountability, right?

Happy Podcasting!

December 14, 2016

5 Reasons Why Podcasting Can Help You Reach a Wider Audience

These are the wonder days of podcasting. The media platform is relatively young and its audience is growing year after year. I recently read a stat that said there are 2,000 bloggers for every 1 podcaster. Aren’t those incredible stats? Now is the time to rock it as a podcaster. If you’re already on the platform, way to go! You are leading the curve. Check out these points and pat yourself on the back. I’d love to hear about how podcasting has helped you reach a wider audience. If podcasting sounds interesting to you, check out these reasons why it might help you increase your audience and look into how it might fit into your business. Podcasting isn’t necessarily for everyone, but when it’s right, it’s oh so right.

1.A Young Audience

As I mentioned with that handy little stat above, podcasts are only getting started. By launching your podcast now, you have the opportunity to build your audience and grow before the market becomes overcrowded (fingers crossed we won’t get there). Podcasts are still somewhat new territory. By settling down now, you’ll continue to grow as more people start tuning in. 

podcasting, listeners, wide audience

2. An Intimate Audience

When you listen to a podcast, you’ve literally got someone’s voice in your ear. Now compare that to scrolling through a Facebook feed. Podcasting is more intimate. You’re connected to people in a way that previously you could only do in 1-1 interactions. On platforms that are less intimate, your message may not be hitting your audience. They may glance at your post, but they hardly give it time before they move on to that tweet from Taylor Swift. You reach a wider audience with podcasting because the intimate format increases the connection between you and your listeners. They aren’t simply glancing at your feed, but they’re listening to you whisper in their ear. I would argue that podcasting helps you actually reach your audience. 

3. A New Audience

At this time in the world of entertainment, there are groups of people digesting content with their eyes and there are groups that digest content through their ears. Part of this probably has to do with what type of learner you are. Audio learners must love podcasts, while visual learners stick to things they can see. The people you reach via podcasting, you might not have reached through the web. That goes the same the other way around. Your audience may have different preferences for how they interact with businesses and learn. By putting out content both online and on podcasts, you can reach multiple sets of audiences.

Podcasting to a New Audience

4. Your Guest’s Audience

This point has its beginnings in influencer marketing. When you have guests on your podcast, you can ask them to share the podcast with their audience and boom! You’ve got new listeners. Amplify this overtime, and you’ll grow steadily just with the new listeners your guests bring in. Anxious about asking your guests to share the podcast? Don’t worry about it! You’re doing them a favor sharing their message, so it’s only fair they share the episode. Turn your podcast episode into a blog, and you’ll have another opportunity to reach your guest’s audience when you feature them and the ideas they shared.

5. An Interested Audience

While people may click away at eye-catching articles, they aren’t so fast to listen to podcasts where they think they won’t find value. Your listeners are interested in what you’re teaching. One of the main reasons people turn to podcasts is to learn. With podcasting, you’ll gain an audience that’s interested in what you’re talking about. Listeners may even find you by searching for a certain topic and finding your podcast from there. It just takes one value-packed episode to hook a new listener. Consider the ways that having an interested audience might grow your customer base. While making sales from a podcast sounds difficult, it’s made much easier when you get them to your website with resource-packed show notes.

 

I am a huge fan of podcasts and I think that there’s so much this platform can do for your business. With the right content creation strategies, you can share your message with more people and make a real difference!

 

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Grow Your Audience with Podcasting

December 7, 2016

10 Ways to Increase the Value of Your Podcast Show Notes

Once you’ve gone through the work of interviewing and editing your podcast, show notes can be the last thing on your mind. But they shouldn’t be ignored. Your show notes are where your listeners come to interact with you and they’re often the first reason listeners check out your website. You’ll want your show notes to draw your audience in and leave them wanting more of you. 

The fact is, show notes are a powerful conversion tool. Your audience will look at them to see if you have that helpful resource you talked about and they’ll stay if you make it worth their while.

If the idea of creating show notes sounds less than exciting, have no fear. Check out these 10 ways to increase the value of your podcast show notes and convert the listeners who get on your webpage. If writing isn’t your thing or you just don’t have the time, you can also get a podcast show notes writer, like me :), to help you out. 

10 Ways to Increase the Value of Podcast Show Notes

writing-podcast-show-notes

 

1.Add Your Unique Perspective

As a podcast listener, it’s nice to hear what the host thinks about the guest or topic on hand. Adding your perspective on the show is a nice touch. It’s like what you’d tell a friend about the episode if they asked about it. What did the guest share that really had an impact on you? Why did you want to have this guest on? Why is this topic important to you? This is an opportunity for podcast listeners to connect with you personally. Don’t skip out on it!

Here’s an example of a perspective I wrote for my client Lauren Frontiera of the Grit and Glitter Co Podcast. I took what she said while introducing the guest and during the interview to craft a personal connection.

2.Talk About Your Guest’s Story

Copying and pasting a bio is one thing, but to give your listeners an idea about your guest’s personal story is another. Consider adding a section to your show notes that details a few interesting experiences your guest has had. I include this segment in almost all of the show notes I write, particularly in the 35-45 minute long interviews. It’s a nice way to give your listeners a preview of what you talk about and break up your show notes, so they’re not one long blurb of text.

Check out this one I wrote for Empire By Design.

3.Pick Out Quotes

Quotes can be so fun! They’ll show your audience what your show is about and work as awesome social media posts. This is one section not to miss. Your guests will appreciate their quotes too. You’ll make them feel like celebs!

Here are a few gems I picked up from Rosie Acosta’s (of Radically Loved Podcast) interview with Simon Sinek.

 

4.Get to the Epiphany

Have you ever had a guest on your show who sparks a major revelation? When something they say if just absolutely mind-blowing/life-changing? That’s what your listeners want. If your podcast is more of a talk show, chat kind of thing, you’re off the hook, but if you’re offering real lessons and inspiration, let it be known!

We call these epiphanies ‘Game-Changer Aha Moments’ on the Empire By Design Podcast.

5.Create Awesome Graphics

To really take your show notes to the next level, graphics are a great addition. They can be images with quotes from the episode that you can share on social media or a standard show image with the title or guest image changed out. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time to do this. Whip out canva and create a standard image to use, so you can go in and switch out the text and image. Creating graphics for your podcast show notes will take you seconds.

Here’s a social media graphic I created for the Wedding Pros Podcast.

graphics for podcast show notes

6.Be Your Brand

Your fans fall in love with you and your brand, so why stop at the show? Keep your brand going with fun show notes that are inspired by the way you work your show and the copy you use on your website. I do this for my clients by writing sections for the show notes that are inspired by their brand. Check out the example below from the Radically Loved Podcast to get to know what I’m talking about.

7.Link to Your Products/Services

While promoting her reINSPIRED course, Lauren added a section to the end of the Grit and Glitter show notes to remind listeners who stop by her site. If you’ve got your audience on your website, be sure to take advantage of it! I always try to add reminders about promotions and relevant services in the show notes. 

8.Include an audio widget

While your listeners might already be subscribed to your podcast, new audience members might not be. Make it super easy for them to press play and get a taste of what you do. Check with your podcast hosting service to see if they have a audio widget you can add to your podcast show notes. I know Libsyn does!

9.Get a Photo of Your Guest (& Customize It)

It’s nice to see who you’re featuring on your show and for people who visit your site, it gives another personal connection. Now we can see who we’re hearing from. Bonus points if you customize your guest’s image to match your podcast image. I’m a fan of Amber Lilystrom’s guest images.

10.Give Your Listeners a How-To on Supporting You

Always remind listeners to subscribe, review, and share your podcast. It often takes multiple times of asking before a listener will do it. Add the details on how to support your podcast to make it super easy for them to do. They probably won’t go out of their way unless you ask them to. Create a standard how-to or button and add it to every show note.

 

Happy Podcasting!

 

 

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10 Ways to Increase the Value of Your Show Notes

November 30, 2016

Innovative Ways to Find & Book Awesome Podcast Guests

So you’ve exhausted your initial podcast guest ideas. You’ve emailed and googled and searched more than you ever thought you would, and now you’re coming to a dead end. I’ve been there. While working for a women in technology community, I was responsible for interviewing female tech founders every week and there was no excuse for not connecting with anyone. Needless to say, having this responsibility pushed me to move past my interviewee dead end, and when I did that. I found some very innovative ways of finding interesting interviewees and booking them for an interview.

How to Find Podcast Guests

looking for podcast guests

1.Search Twitter for Keywords

Twitter is a hub for people who get things done. They’re talkers with a message to share and they aren’t afraid to get straight to the point. This was a resource I went to continually to find interviewees. Think about the millions and millions of Twitter users. Your potential podcast guests are among them.

Now to get to the finding, search keywords related to your desired podcast guest in the search box and click on accounts to see Twitter users. For example, I would search ‘women in tech’ or ‘tech startup’ or ‘app founder’ and searched through hundreds of possible interviewees to look for the right fit. Are you interviewing female entrepreneurs? Think about what kind of business owners you might want to interview and search away. You could try ‘subscription box founder’ or ‘marketing strategist’ or ‘#ladyboss’. To find the exact kind of person I wanted, I would search through the accounts Twitter brought back for women and then check out there page to see what kind of following they had and how good their website looked.

It’s Your Turn-

-Decide what keywords might lead you to your guest

-Search them on Twitter and choose accounts only

-Keep trying different keywords until you fill your guest list

 

2. Peruse Medium

This is another sneaky tactic I used. The thing is, the people on Medium want to be heard. You’re more likely to get a yes to your interview request when you’re asking someone who is looking to become more visible. If people are writing articles on Medium, chances are they really want to be noticed. Get out the keywords related to your guest again and search for them on the Medium search bar. You’ll also want to choose accounts. When you scroll through these guest options, you’ll see actual thought leaders who want to talk about what you want to share on your podcast. You can search for job titles that are relevant to who you want to interview or stick to topics.

It’s Your Turn-

-Open up Medium.com

-Search for a topic or keyword

-Click on a profile to see their work

 

finding guests for your podcast

 

3. Skim Through List Articles

Now this one is taking you back to Google, but maybe in a different way than you’ve done before. If I were looking for female founders to interview and maybe specifically looking for more recognized entrepreneurs, I could search something like “successful female founders” or “rising female founders”. Searches like this will take you to lists writers have compiled of female founders. By searching through several of these articles I found numerous women to contact and importantly, they were women that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. Looking at these list articles is almost like having someone do the research for you. Seriously!

It’s Your Turn

-Search Google with keywords that are likely to turn out list articles

-Do the skimming and find your next guests!

 

How to Book Podcast Guests

how to book podcast guests

 

1. Finding The Email

So you’ve found a handful of guests perfect for your show. Awesome! Getting a hold of them is the next challenge. My secret is one that may be a little underhanded, but all’s fair in podcasting, right? What I do to get in touch with the guests I find is email a cold request to theirname@theirwebsite.com. You may or may not be amazed to know that doing that has gotten me in touch with some incredible people. Hello, Envato CEO. Some people will have their assistants monitoring their email, but most will get back to me personally. If you’re requesting them to do an interview to share their advice with your community, chances are they’ll say yes. You’ve got to just try this one.

It’s Your Turn-

-Don’t have your dream guests email? Take a lucky guess.

-And then, thank me. (Just kidding, get them on your show!)

 

2. Writing the Email

Oh, the cold interview request. How daunting. First of all, you’ve got to save your time and start with a template. I’m not saying you should simply copy and paste the whole email, but it is a good place to start. Get your podcast mission and interview request down nicely and use that over and over again. Just leave space for a few sentences on why you admire the potential guests and what you’d like them to share with your audience. And please use their name!

It’s Your Turn-

-Work on your interview request email template

-Personalize the template EVERY TIME

-Hit send

 

And there you have it! I swear by these tips. And I want them to work for you too. 

 

Happy Podcasting!

 


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