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When you grow your audience to build your business, you need to manage your leads. It isn't enough to get people to subscribe to your podcast. You need to get them to your email list.
GROW YOUR SHOW BY GROWING YOUR LIST
When I was first starting out, I hired Cindy as my coach. She was helping me build the infrastructure that would help me grow my business.
Cindy is a visibility coach. She helps people get noticed. Just what I needed to grow my audience and business.
One day on a call, Cindy suggested I participate in a giveaway to grow my email list.
A giveaway is a marketing tactic where a group of experts join together to help each other grow.
One expert is the host of the giveaway. This person builds the back end and manages the giveaway.
A number of other experts each contribute a free gift. They all then promote the giveaway to their lists.
The email recipients opt in for the giveaway, which grows the list of the giveaway host. Then the email recipients decide which gifts they would like, and they opt in for those gifts. This grows the list of the contributor.
The better the gift, the better chance an expert has to grow their list.
YOUR LIST OR YOUR PODCAST
But I wanted to grow my podcast audience, not my list.
On the call that day, I told Cindy the same thing. She told me growing the list would grow the audience.
Each time you release a new episode, you can email your list and remind them to listen. That was the day I understood the power of the process.
If you invite people to your podcast when you are on stage, they may come listen to your show. If they don't come back or subscribe, you have no way to contact them again.
But if you invite them to your email list with your lead magnet when you are on stage, you have their name and email address until they unsubscribe. Now you can reach them each time you release a new episode.
When I started building my email list, my podcast audience started to grow.
Soon, I started to realize I needed to organize the contacts on my email list.
That's where a powerful CRM tool comes into play.
MANAGE YOUR LEADS ON YOUR LIST
There are a variety of CRM tools, or customer relation management tools, available to manage your list. These tools help you manage your interactions with customers, build customer relationships, and grow your business.
Many people are surprised when I suggest people on stage don't send people to the podcast. Instead, send them to your email list.
When you get people on your email list, you need to keep them organized and manage your leads. This allows you to send relevant information to each segment of your audience while reminding the entire list to listen to the podcast.
So, how do you choose a CRM to manage your leads?
MANAGE YOUR LEADS WITH RAMESH DEWANGAN
I've invited Ramesh Dewangan to join us and help us develop a plan.
Ramesh is the Founder and CEO of Quantum Vision Consulting. He brings over 30 years of global experience in software development, product management, and marketing to help entrepreneurs and small businesses achieve rapid growth by implementing innovative business practices and systems.
Ramesh specializes in business growth through automated marketing and sales using CRM and mobile applications.
Download Ramesh's free eBook "Driving Business Growth: Discover how CRM accelerates business success" at
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We are into the last six weeks of the year. As you look back over the past 10 months, how are you doing on your goals you set back in January?
If you're like most, your goals are struggling. In this episode, I have a great interview with Ken Williams to uncover why most goals fail and what to do about it.
YOUR GOALS WITH THE END IN MIND
I am big fan of beginning with the end in mind.
When we talk about growing your audience, building your business, or simply refining your call to action, we often talk about starting with the end in mind.
The end is the definition of your goals. Where do you want to end up?
Unless you can get perfectly clear on where you want to land, your goals have no hope of succeeding.
YOUR IDEAL LISTENER
The end in mind is exactly why you need to clearly define your ideal target listener.
How will you know if you've attracted the perfect client if you haven't defined what that looks like?
Many coaches I speak with will describe their ideal client to me as an age range. They might say their ideal client is between 35- and 55-years-old. Worse yet, they might tell me they help everybody.
Let's just take 35 to 55. Consider a 35-year-old. Where are they in their career? They've been working full-time in their career for ten or fifteen years.
How about their family? They might have a couple kids that are 8 and 10. They spend a lot of time running their kids here and there.
Now consider a 55-year-old. It's the other end of the range. Where are they in their career? Maybe ten or fifteen years from retirement.
How about their family? They might have a couple kids that are 28 and 30. This person could very well be a grand parent.
Now when you are trying to attract your ideal client you will describe their pains and challenges so clearly they think you are reading their mail.
Do these two people sound like they have the same challenges and pain in their lives? Is the timeline to overcome those challenges similar in any way?
This is the power of clarity. Start with the end in mind.
CLARITY ON YOUR GOALS
Now when you set goals, everyone will tell you to be specific and measurable. Start with the end in mind.
So, why aren't your goals working? Why aren't you succeeding at achieving them?
The problem is your goals are too smart. Smart goals aren't working, and there is a reason why.
This is the reason I have Ken Williams on the show today. He will show you how to set goals you can actually accomplish.
KEN WILLIAMS
Ken Williams is a life coach, a chocolate cake baker, and the father of five kids.
While he has authored several books, including "21 Days to Success through Networking," his career took a meandering route through call centers, sales organizations, and industrial environments, until he discovered how his past goal-setting efforts had been setting him up to fail.
Now, he hosts the Bad Boss Podcast, where he helps listeners overcome conflicts with difficult bosses, and he teaches his clients how to get the results they want by setting S.T.U.P.I.D. Goals.
In this conversation, Ken Williams and I get deep into the world of goal setting. We explore why traditional goals often fail and how a shift in perspective can make all the difference.
Ken shares his transformative experience with obtaining a ham radio license, which changed his approach to setting and achieving goals.
ARE YOUR GOALS SMART OR STUPID
This episode challenges the effectiveness of SMART goals and introduces a novel concept called "STUPID goals," designed to fill gaps left by traditional methods.
Ken recounts his initial reluctance to get a ham radio license and how passing the test opened his eyes to the importance of relationships and experiences over conventional goal metrics. His story underlines the significance of tying goals to personal experiences, making them more inspiring and easier to achieve.
He further contrasts "stupid goals" with "smart goals," clarifying that the former emphasizes stretch, tangibility, unshakable commitment, and the possibility of achieving them realistically yet challengingly.
During our conversation, Ken critiques SMART goals, pointing out their limitations in providing a clear path when goals are unmet. He emphasizes the emotional toll of perceived failures and describes how "stupid goals" can offer a more compassionate and practical framework.
Using analogies and personal stories, Ken makes a compelling case for goals that inspire and energize, challenging listeners to rethink their approach to personal and professional achievement.
The episode also highlights the importance of incremental, small steps in goal-setting. We discuss various techniques, including leveraging resources like print-on-demand publishing and using tools such as the app My Streaks to build habits gradually.
Be sure to grab Ken's free gift. You can download his Stupid Goals Anti-Planner at https://kenwilliamscoaching.com/stupid.
We have six weeks left in the year. Let's set some goals for the next year that you can actually accomplish.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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Fehlende Folgen?
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One of my favorite ways to grow your audience is by giving podcast interviews. It sounds obvious, but podcast listeners listen to podcasts.
PODCAST INTERVIEWS TO GROW
According to the Podcast Consumer Report 2024 study done by Edison Research, the average podcast listener consumes an average of 8.3 episodes a week.
The report also states podcast listeners consume an average of 11.2 hours of podcasts each week.
Podcast listeners prefer podcasts as their form of entertainment. They don't just dabble. They go all in. Over one episode a day and over 90 minutes a day.
To reach your ideal listeners, do more podcast interviews.
REPURPOSE YOUR INTERVIEWS
But don't stop there. When you do podcast interviews on other shows, use that content in every way possible.
Talk to the host prior to conducting the interview to get permission to use that interview for your own promotion.
You can repurpose your podcast interviews in a variety of ways to gain more visibility.
When you do, be sure to promote their podcast as well. The more you promote the podcasts that interview you, the more podcasters will be interested in having you on their shows.
Repurposing your podcast interviews is an effective way to create promotional content without having to create all of the content yourself.
Now you've elevated the power of appearing on other shows to a whole new level.
LEVERAGING PODCAST INTERVIEWS
On this episode, I interview Lyndsay Phillips. She is brilliant when it comes to leveraging your podcast interviews.
Lyndsay Phillips is the CEO of Smooth Business Podcasting, speaker, guest expert, host of Leverage Your Podcast show and creator of the Podcast Leverage System.
Serving authors, coaches, experts & thought leaders who are serious about using their voice to impact others and grow their business.
Lyndsay excels in transforming podcast episodes, guest interviews, summits, and videos into captivating, consumable content that attracts collaborations, leads and clients.
Get ready to grow your show. Enjoy my conversation with Lyndsay Phillips.
Lyndsay's free gift is "3 Strategies To Leverage & Repurpose Your Guest Interviews". You can get it at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/leverage.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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Social media can be an effective way to grow your audience. There are many options, like Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, Instagram and others. How do you determine which platform to use?
THE RIGHT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM
The first factor in your social media platform decision should the location of your clients. Be where your ideal client is.
Different social media platforms attract different people and are used for different purposes.
Facebook is like a journal. This is where you keep your memories and share the things that have happed to you.
X is similar to a conversation. The discussion on X is more real time.
LinkedIn is used for business connections. This is where business conversations happen.
Instagram is like a photo album. This is your story in pictures.
TikTok is still creating its identity. The short videos on TikTok are little snippets that can be used to connect with your potential clients if you create the correct content.
DIFFERENT MODES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS
Another important factor to consider when selecting your social media platform is the format of the content.
People like to consume content in different modes. Some like audio. Some like to consume video. Others prefer text.
What is the preferred content format of your ideal client?
TikTok is great for short video. Facebook is decent for all three. Audiograms on Facebook and Instagram are often overlooked.
LinkedIn is great for longer articles to demonstrate your expertise.
It is wise to provide your content in multiple formats. Different modes for different folks.
VALUE OF YOUR CONTENT
Whichever mode and platform you choose, be sure to provide value.
Valuable content is content that fulfills a need. That could be education, entertainment, or simply stirring emotion.
Your content on social media can't just sell. It will be quickly ignored.
Provide great content and get people back to your show to build those relationships.
LINKEDIN FOR PROFESSIONALS
If you are trying to attract professionals, like entrepreneurs, leaders, c-suite pros and the like, LinkedIn is a great platform.
LinkedIn is a powerful tool for attracting professionals, especially if you're a coach or consultant.
You can use LinkedIn to grow your audience and attract your ideal clients with the right strategy.
LINDA KEMPIN ON LINKEDIN STRATEGY
On this episode, I have a conversation with Linda Kempin to help you develop your LinkedIn strategy.
Linda Kempin helps clients discover the secrets to why their LinkedIn profiles aren’t getting traction.
She enjoys sharing a look behind the curtain at how LinkedIn really works, delivering insights for business owners who want to attract their ideal customers.
Linda serves clients globally with Award-Winning LinkedIn coaching, online group programs, and her Accelerated VIP service. Her clients range from Senior Execs to Recent Grads, from Entrepreneurs to Transitioning Military.
Linda’s goal is to help you "Get Seen by the People Who Need YOU!"
Get ready to take some notes and enjoy my conversation with Linda Kempin.
You can download Linda's free resource “5 Secret LinkedIn POWER MOVES” at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/powermoves.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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We talk a lot about attracting your ideal clients by being your authentic self on your podcast. But, how do you overcome your fears that come with being so vulnerable?
CONQUER YOUR FEAR AND SELF DOUBT
Self doubt is not uncommon.
When I have strategy calls with podcasters, we discuss their biggest challenges and fears.
One coach asked me, "Do I really have anything of value to offer? Will anyone listen even listen to what I have to say?"
There are probably times when you have that little voice in your head questioning your ideas. I get it.
It takes courage to overcome those fears.
There are six other fears I hear quite often
YOUR FEAR OF IMPACT
The first fear is making an impact. I had a coach tell me he often questions himself. He asked, "Is this making a difference in anyone's life?"
Building relationships with your audience is the first step to making an impact.
People follow those with whom they have a relationship. And relationships start with getting to know each other well. Share your story.
WASTED TIME
Another fear is wasting time.
I was talking with Mike about launching her podcast. When I asked what was holding him back, she asked me, "What if it doesn't work? It would be a lot of time and money wasted."
Be clear on your purpose and your goals. You also need to be realistic on the timeline.
You don't need tens of thousands of people listening. Success only requires having a passionate audience that loves what you have.
You don't need everyone. Success comes with a passionate tribe. Ignore the rest.
I LOOK LIKE A FRAUD
One coach told me, "I'm more worried about being seen as a fraud."
This fear often comes from how we perceive ourselves rather than how others perceive us.
Your success isn't about your content. It's about who you are being on your podcast.
When you speak with confidence, you're seen as an authority. But when you doubt yourself, you are seen as unsure and less believable.
This is when people start to doubt you. It comes from doubting yourself.
Believe in yourself. Be strong.
WE FORGET WHAT WE DIDN'T KNOW
One common fear people tell me is, "Who am I that these people would want to talk to me?"
This comes because we often forget what it was like when we didn't know what we know now.
Think back when you first started down your journey. Go back to the time when you decided to learn about your superpower.
Did you know how to do everything you know now? Of course not. You barely knew where to start.
Over the years, you learned from the best. You learned all the details.
Remember when you first started out and you looked at the experts in your niche with amazement? You were asking, "How do they do that? It will be so great when I'm where they are."
Today, it is all second nature to you.
But there are people who are starting where you started years ago. Those are the people who are ready to listen to you.
You are also influential enough that great guests want to be on your show. Everybody loves exposure. You just need to reach out.
PODFADING
One other big fear that I hear often is the fear of failure.
When I asked about her biggest fear, Denise told me, "I fear that I will fail. That I will be one of the 80% that lets the podcast die out."
Podfading is a real threat. There are three reasons podcasters give up and die out.
The first reason happens when they realize podcasting is more work than they thought it was going to be. They don't have a plan in place to consistently produce the show every week without eating all their time.
The second reason happens when they realize the podcast doesn't grow as fast as they thought it would. They don't have a system in place to methodically grow their audience.
The final reason happens when they realize the podcast doesn't generate revenue as fast as they thought it would. They don't have a strategy in place to use the podcast to attract their ideal clients.
FEAR OF SUCCESS
The last fear I want to share is one often overlooked.
There is a fear on the other side of the coin. This is one that many don't consider.
Kris and I were discussing her podcast launch. As we were getting ready to go through the process, I asked about her biggest fear.
She said she had a fear of success. Kris said, "If I grow too far too fast, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it mentally or physically."
It's easy to sit in the preparation phase. You can't fail while you're preparing. The risk comes when you actually launch in life.
Many people are hesitant to admit the fear of success is holding them back.
Take the first step. Lean into your superpower and see what happens.
OVERCOMING YOUR FEARS
On this episode, I want to share a conversation I had with Michael Devous Jr.
Michael is a dynamic force in the world of entrepreneurship and personal development. With over three decades of experience in the entertainment industry, he has honed his skills as a performer, producer, and motivational speaker.
His journey, marked by resilience and transformation, has led him to inspire others to harness fear and achieve their dreams.
As the founder of Devous Media Holdings and the visionary behind "The Fearless Road" and "Fearless Thinking" podcasts, as well as The Ascend Hub community, Michael is dedicated to providing entrepreneurs with the tools, resources, and connections they need to thrive.
During this conversation, we talk about overcoming your fears and learning to believe in yourself.
Enjoy the conversation.
Get Michael's gift "The Fearless Road Quiz: Unveiling Your Inner Compass" at
www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/fearless.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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As an entrepreneur, you work hard to generate revenue. Many businesses focus on sales to drive that revenue. But, what are you doing to keep more of that money?
THE BOOK ON SELLING
I love learning the nuances of selling. In fact, I just finished another book on it.
We talk a lot about connecting with other experts and the power those connections hold for your growth. This book came to me from connections.
One of my former coaches introduced me to her daughter as a joint venture partners. Her daughter introduced me to the leader of her mastermind.
The leader of the mastermind connected me to a sales expert who was another member of the mastermind.
That expert is Joe Pallo. He wrote a great book on selling called "How To Sell Nothing – The Logical Way To Make The Emotional Sale".
In the book, Joe talks about learning about the prospect before the sales conversation. It's a lot about relationships and very similar to what we discuss here.
WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?
As we generate revenue from our sales, we tend to allocate that revenue to a variety of expenses.
But, do you know where your money is going?
Why is it that people making $40k a year live paycheck-to-paycheck and people making $120k a year also live paycheck-to-paycheck?
It's because our expenses creep up as our income increases. We think we could never live without something that we never dreamed of having when we were making half or a third of what we are making now.
Unless you deliberately tell the money where to go, it will all disappear.
Many entrepreneurs start their company on a shoestring budget. I started this company on $500 for a website, some podcasting tools, and a couple other things.
As entrepreneurs make more money, they begin spending on things like marketing, virtual assistants, and memberships.
How many memberships do you have? Which ones are you really using on a regular basis and getting benefit from?
Back when you were making no money, you hustled and spent time instead of money. You made it work, because you didn't have the money to spend on marketing.
Now, I'm not saying don't invest in marketing or powerful tools to help you grow your business even faster.
I'm simply suggesting you invest that money with a purpose. Do you really need a second mastermind or third AI tool?
KEEP MORE OF YOUR MONEY
When it comes to spending money, I'm a big proponent of investing money where it can help you grow bigger and faster with focus.
One of those ways is finding an expert who knows the space much better than you and can help you shorten the timeframe to reach success. Experts can typically show you what you don't know and help you discover solutions faster.
I use coaches and experts for very specific purposes. I don't have a business coach. That is too broad.
At this point, I have a sales coach and a marketing coach. They help me in very specific ways.
Another expert I use is my accountant. I don't do my taxes, because I have no interest in learning all of the tax code, I don't know what I can write off properly, and I don't want to spend the time trying to figure it out.
A good accountant can help you keep more of your money by finding the leaks in your bucket.
You work hard to generate the revenue. It's time you start working a little harder to keep it.
YOUR MONEY EXPERT
Today, I want to help you get started. I want to bring you a conversation I had with Ralph Estep Jr. He is the host of the Ask Ralph Podcast where he shares insights on finance, taxation, and entrepreneurship and helps entrepreneurs manage money God's way.
He has some incredible tips for you to help you keep more of your money.
Ralph V. Estep, Jr. is a multifaceted professional whose career spans accounting, entrepreneurship, farming, and media.
With a background in finance and technology, he founded Saggio Management Group and has held leadership positions in various organizations.
This interview was part of my Podcast Profits Summit. Grab something to take notes with and get ready to keep more of your money.
Enjoy my conversation with Ralph Estep. Jr.
Be sure to grab Ralph's gift.
It is "Keep more of your money with 5 accounting tips most entrepreneurs miss". You can download it at https://www.askralphpodcast.com/5tips.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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Building relationships with your audience is the path to your success.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR AVATAR
Whether you're trying to grow your audience, grow your business, or make your impact on the world, success requires a powerful relationship.
People do business with those they know, like and trust. It's all about building rapport.
People follow those they know, like and trust. Influential authority originates from building a relationship with those you want to follow you.
When we start building your podcast, one of the first steps is defining your ideal target listener. Your avatar. Who are you trying to attract.
Most people will go through the typical basics, like age, gender, niche, etc.
Some will go a little deeper to describe the avatar's interests, pains, and goals.
Few will get deep enough to define the influencers their ideal client follows, the mental challenges holding their prospect back, or the myths that the avatar believes.
The more you know about your ideal target listener, the stronger your content will be. You can use this definition as a filter for everything you do.
RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH PERSONALITY STYLE
One area often overlooked is personality style. By defining the personality style of your ideal target listener, you will know what content is important to her, how to communicate with her, and what will inspire her to take action.
There are a variety of personality tests available. Each of them are a little different, but typically measure a person's characteristics, motivations and tendencies.
A personality test helps define the best way to interact with someone.
By understanding how to communicate with the various personality types and which types you work best with, you can craft your content to superserve this specific group.
ASHLEY LOGSDON
On this episode, I'm joined by relationship expert Ashley Logsdon to delve into the intricate world of personality types and their impact on building strong audience relationships.
Ashley Logsdon is a Life Harmony Relationships coach who works with individuals to create a life where every family member thrives.
Focusing on introspection and understanding "the language of empathy", she helps professionals and families move from communication to true connection - with themselves, their environment, and others.
She's been involved in her father's business for the past 20 years and now runs and manages 48 Days, LLC - a resource for creating the work - and the life - you love.
Ashley and her husband Nathan co-hosted the Mama Says Namaste podcast for 7 years, focusing on intentional family living and togetherness.
This conversation is from my Podcast Profits Summit and will help you understand how to attract, connect with, and communicate with your ideal target listener.
DISC PERSONALITY PROFILE
Together, we explore the DISC personality system, where Ashley explains the varying traits of D (Dominant), I (Influential), S (Supportive/Steady), and C (Conscientious/Creative) types. The discussion highlights how understanding these personality styles can help podcasters adapt their communication to better connect with their listeners.
Ashley emphasizes that every personality type has its strengths and challenges, especially in entrepreneurial ventures. She suggests that while D and I traits are often seen in successful business builders due to their assertiveness and social ease, S and C personalities also bring unique advantages.
MOVING BEYOND THE TYPICAL AVATAR
Throughout the conversation, Ashley and I discuss the significance of knowing your audience on a deeper level. Moving beyond basic demographics to understand the challenges, interests, and personality types of listeners can greatly enhance content engagement.
Ashley introduces a free guide available at 48days.com/you that provides practical tips on empathetic communication tailored to various DISC profiles, which can be an invaluable resource for podcasters aiming to resonate more with their audience.
Our conversation also touches on the effective strategies for interacting with different personality types in various settings.
Ashley recounts a live event scenario where she managed an interaction with a high-I individual by affirming her presence and gently guiding the conversation to maintain the event focus. This example underscores the adaptability required in real-time communications and the value of preemptive understanding of personality styles.
PODCAST SUCCESS THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS
We also talk about the pivotal role of relationship-building in podcast success. By tailoring content and interactions to fit the listeners' personality types, podcasters can foster a deeper sense of connection and trust.
Whether you are a high-energy, quick-deciding D or a detail-oriented, systematic C, this episode is rich with insights on how to harness your unique traits to create compelling, engaging podcast content.
Enjoy our discussion.
Grab Ashley's gift at 48days.com/you.
Who are you trying to attract? Which clients are best for you?
Clearly define your ideal target listener. Understand who you're trying to attract.
The more you know, the easier it will be to attract them to you.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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It has been said many times that people do business with those they know, like and trust. Having common values helps you build that rapport.
RELATIONSHIPS
I like to think of know, like and trust as relationships. When you build relationships with your audience, your impact grows in amazing ways.
Your potential clients want to get to know you, because they want to understand if you believe what they believe. Do you have similar values?
Your values build the foundation of who you are.
To become a magnetic host who attracts listeners and clients to you rather than chasing them, you need to be someone others want to be around. Not only be around, but they seek you out.
INFLUENCE THROUGH VALUES
This happens when you get clear on the characteristics of an influential authority.
First, you need a powerful origin story. How did you develop your superpower? How were your values instilled in you?
Next, you need to define your values and beliefs. What makes you you? Write out your foundational principles.
Now describe that pivotal moment when you discovered this was your mission. When did that transformational moment happen that gave you your superpower?
Then you need to develop the stories of your journey that demonstrate your values, beliefs, and principles. What insider language is incorporated into those stories that is used by your tribe?
Finally, you need a tribe to spread your message and be your testimonials.
BEGIN WITH VALUES
This entire process starts with defining your values. You can't develop your origin story, foundational principles, transformational moment, stories to share, or a tribe to spread it without first knowing your values.
Be brave and stand for those values you believe in. It will be scary. Do it anyway.
If you try to please everyone, you please no one. You become safe and middle of the road. When you're in the middle of the road, you become roadkill.
Make people pick a side. When you make people care, you will attract the right people and repel the wrong people.
If everyone rates you a 3 on a one-to-five scale, they really don't care. Three means, "I could take it or leave it. I really don't have a feeling either way." That's a bad place to be.
When you pick a side, some people love you and others hate you. That's ok. At least they care.
You'll attract more people who love you and the people who hate you won't come back anyway. They weren't going to buy in the first place.
You will be ok. Stand for what you value.
VALUES WITH ROBERT MACPHEE
I want to share an interview I recently did on the Podcast Profits Summit on values with Robert MacPhee. This will help you get started.
Robert MacPhee is the creator of the “Excellent Decisions” values-based leadership program and the author of "Living a Values Based Life".
He is the former Director of Training for the Canfield Training Group, having worked closely for many years with Jack Canfield, the co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Book series and the author of The Success Principles.
Robert is an expert in experiential learning, peak performance, values clarification and leadership. He is also the host of the Value Based Life Podcast.
You can find Robert's free gift at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/values. It is the Values Advantage free video mini-course to begin the process of discovering what YOUR highest values are.
Enjoy the gift from Robert.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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WHY AN OFFER DOESN'T CONVERT
Dumping time and energy into a podcast that does nothing to grow your business does not make good, financial sense. The offer you present on your podcast needs to inspire people to take action. If people are't taking action, it's not your offer. It's who you're being while you're making the offer.
The solution is about your authority, not your podcast.
[Podcast Launch Workshop Details HERE.]
MY JOURNEY INTO PODCASTING
I came to podcasting from radio. My radio career started in 1988. I began coaching on-air talent and programming radio stations in 1995.
In 2009, I discovered podcasting and began helping podcasters in 2012.
I love podcasting. But it isn't about podcasting. It's about authority and relationships.
The selling process is 40% rapport and relationships. If you want to get your audience to take action, you are selling.
OFFER WITH ORIGIN
Consider Gary Vaynerchuk or Russell Brunson or Brendon Burchard.
Do they have podcasts? Yes. But they also have YouTube channels, websites, email lists, and a variety of other content platforms.
It isn't about the platform.
This is about creating relationships.
If you follow them, you know a lot about each of these guys.
Gary is from Belarus. He collected baseball cards growing up, hated school, and worked in his father's liquor store.
Gary originally started Wine Library TV and eventually wrote "Crush It". He's all about the hustle.
Russell was a wrestler and lives in Boise. It all started with his potato gun.
Brendon grew up in Montana. Went through a bad breakup before getting in his car wreck.
You know their origin stories, and it builds rapport. Can you see how your podcast can help you build relationships with your audience?
It isn't about the offer. They each have a variety of offers. This is about know, like and trust. Relationships.
YOUR OFFER WITH AUTHORITY
Attract your clients with your personality rather than chasing them with your ads. When you speak people listen because you're an authority and you have influence.
Your offer isn't the secret to your success. This is about positioning you as the “go to” expert in your niche.
Do you ever feel like you have an incredible message to share, but no one is listening? You haven't established authority yet.
When you become the authority, you are well-known and sought-after. People seek you out. Would you rather chase your leads or have them come to you?
As an authority, you build a loyal fan base full of paying customers. Not only do people pay you often, they refer you to others. Leads creating more leads.
Don't be a product looking for a buyer. It's not the offer Be a leader helping clients achieve their goals.
YOUR OFFER WITH PERSONALITY
Become an influential authority by infusing you and your story into every episode.
Many podcasters tell me they don't have a big personality. And, that's ok. You don't need a big personality. You just need an authentic personality.
Everyone has a personality and can be a storyteller.
This is a process I have refined since 1988. I've been successfully teaching people how to do it since 1995.
Over the years I have built and activated huge audiences. I build influencers.
When you know your "why", your what becomes more impactful. This is how you develop an effective offer.
You struggle to get clients, because you're spending your time chasing clients with your offer rather than attracting them with your personality.
IT ISN'T YOUR FUNNEL
Your problem isn't your offer funnel. It's you. Put in the time to build relationships. Once the well starts producing water, it will continue to flow with ease.
Attract people with who you are.
You will attract clients with your personality by building relationships. People do business with those they know, like and trust. That's the definition of rapport.
Stories build relationships.
The podcast is just the vehicle. It is secondary to your story.
The key to your success is your authority and influence. The name of the game for an offer that converts is authority.
Do you want to keep chasing clients or are you ready to stand out as the well-known authority who attracts clients into your world?
You can be a personality. Just understand it's a journey, not 6 steps to success.
YOUR SECRET WEAPON
I'm not your only solution. But, I am your secret weapon.
You can learn podcasting from a million different YouTube videos. But none of them have the experience I do.
It's not just my years of experience. It is my track record. I'm best in class.
Here are a few examples:
Name: TaVona Denise
Podcast:Conversations With TaVona Denise
Result:I recently used an episode to promote a summit I hosted. I believe the reason the summit was such a big success, was because I used the podcast to promote it.
Testimonial: What I love most about working with Erik is how organized he is. This wasn’t a haphazard, thrown-together coaching program. He showed me things in a step-by-step format. He gave me things to do before each call. He also helped me when I had my freak out moments.
Name: Scott & Holly Stoner
Podcast: Wellness Compass Podcast
Result: We hired Erik before we launched our podcast because we knew he could steer us toward success from the first episode, which is exactly what he did for us.
Testimonial: He coached us through the first six months of launching our podcast, and we will be forever grateful for his expertise and how accessible and actionable he makes his expertise. He’s also just a really good guy and a lot of fun to work with.
Name: Rick Sizemore
Podcast: The VR Workforce Podcast
Result: We’ve been able to achieve goals we never imagined possible, with top ratings in our categories in iTunes, downloads beyond our wildest dreams. And an award from a leading organization.
Testimonial:You can figure it out, but you’re going to have a lot more headaches, it’s gonna take a lot longer, and in the end probably cost more. If you want to take your podcast to the next level, call Erik K. Johnson
IMPROVE YOUR OFFER
You can continue to spend hours and hours hunting and guessing if it will work. Watching YouTube videos and downloading free .pdfs. How has that been working for you?
You've been trying to figure out how to make your podcast generate clients and revenue. I understand your challenges.
You can't dump time and energy into a podcast that does nothing to grow your business. Stop chasing the solution. Just model what works.
The first step is to have a coaching call with me to see exactly where the gaps exist in your strategy. One call and you will have a plan.
Then, you can decide which path is right for you.
Spend an hour talking with me, or spend another year struggling, experimenting and spinning your wheels only to be exactly where you are today a year from now.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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Many podcasters tell me they don't think they have a personality. We all have a personality. It just depends how we want to use it.
People come for your content. They come back for you. Become magnetic by developing and embracing your personality.
LINKS:
Audience Explosion Workshop - http://www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/workshop
Podcast Strategy Call - http://www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply
WHAT IS PERSONALITY
A personality is the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive character.
I want you to be a magnetic character who attracts people to you. But I don't want you to create some character that isn't true to who you really are.
Defining your personality and character is an exercise in self-evaluation. You need to dig deep to find the qualities that make you unique.
PODFADE
Many podcasts fade away after about 7 episodes.
I thought this stat was an old wives' tale until I did the research.
While on a call with a client, we were looking for podcasts where she could be a guest. As we looked through the podcasts in her niche, we realized many of them only had published a few episodes and had faded away years ago.
There are around 4 million podcasts today. However, only half of those podcasts are actively publishing new content.
Podcasts fade away for 3 reasons.
Podcasting is more work than they thought it would be.
The show doesn't grow as fast as they thought you would. You can join us for the Audience Explosion Workshop - http://www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/workshop.
And, the show doesn't make money as soon as they thought it would.
These can all be solved with your personality.
PERSONALITY SOLUTIONS
People will come to your show for your content. They continue to come back for you.
Creating a podcast every week becomes difficult when you are trying to teach something new every week.
The show doesn't need to be new information every week. It needs to be new context every week.
Teach the same principles through different context. Add stories, case studies, your personality, and a fresh perspective.
Dave Ramsey hosts the Ramsey Show. It is a 3-hour daily radio show and podcast that began in 1992.
On his show, Dave answers listeners questions about personal finance. Nearly every question is answered through the filter of Dave's eight baby steps to get out of debt and build wealth.
Nearly every answer for decades has been one of the 8 same answers.
Dave's show is one of the top five most-listened-to radio shows in the country. People aren't coming back every day for the answer. They come back for the stories. It's all about the context.
STOP TEACHING
As you are creating your episode, stop teaching. Make it less about the how and more about the why.
Information isn't engaging. Entertainment attracts listeners.
When I was getting my architecture degree, I had a professor who taught architectural history. Every morning he would turn off the light, turn on his projector, and read his historical notes of every building he showed.
I could barely stay awake in that class.
In high school, I took U.S. History with Mr. Johnston. When he taught topics, he would tell stories that would bring the characters to life. I'm not a history fan, but loved that class.
Both classes where teaching history. But the engaging class was about the story, not the information.
I'M NOT A PERSONALITY
Many people don't think they are entertaining. They don't feel they have a great personality.
You don't need to be over-the-top to be a great personality. Stand apart from the rest by being yourself.
It doesn't require that you be funny or boisterous. You don't need to be Howard Stern or Gary Vaynerchuk or Dave Ramsey. Get noticed by being authentic.
Consider Barbara Corcoran from Shark Tank. She is a big personality without being larger than life. You just love her for who she is.
How about Mel Robbins from the Mel Robbins show? She is a former on-air commentator for CNN and contributing editor for Success Magazine.
Mel is an amazing personality because she is authentic. She shares her wins and losses on every episode. Her personality isn't over-the-top. She is just herself.
You can be yourself. It just takes a little bravery to embrace who you really are.
CRAFTING YOUR PERSONALITY
So how do you craft your personality and begin to show it to everyone?
Becoming a well-known personality who can transform into the "go to" influential authority in your niche requires five elements.
Using these five elements will make you interesting.
First, you need an Origin Story. How did you get your superpower? It's the thing that make you who you are.
Next, you need foundational principles. What do you stand for and what do you stand against? Pick a side.
Then you need stories. These are examples that support your principles.
Next, you need a transformational moment. This is the point in time when you realized the thing that changed your life.
Finally, you need tribe lingo. These are the words and phrases that you use frequently that make people feel like they are part of the club.
Your personality will come to life when you tell stories of your transformation that are infused with your principles and tribe lingo.
WINNING WITH YOUR PERSONALITY
When you embrace your personality, you will begin to develop relationships with your audience.
People will be attracted to you, because they feel like you are their friend. The more you share about yourself, the more people will get to know you and decide if they like you.
One of the biggest complements comes when someone meets you for the first time and they tell you they feel like they know you because they've been listening to your show for a long time.
That's the power of podcasting and personality.
Stop teaching information and start sharing your stories and personality. You'll become the well-known, influential authority in your niche before you know it.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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AN EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW REQUIRES STRATEGY
Interviews can be a powerful tool for your podcast. But creating an effective interview requires a strategy and plan.
In this episode, I want to show you how to use strategic questions to craft an effective interview that helps you reach your goals.
I'll also share a recent interview I conducted with popular music artist Teddy Swims. We'll dissect it to see what makes it an effective interview.
Get details on your Podcast Strategy Coaching Call with me here:
https://podcasttalentcoach.com/strategy-call/
WHY DO YOU INTERVIEW?
You first need to ask yourself why you are conducting interviews in the first place? What are interviews doing for you?
Solo episodes build your credibility. Interview episodes build your network.
When you create a solo episode, you have the entire episode to demonstrate your expertise, share your story, and connect with your listeners.
The episode is all you. But, a solo episode also requires you to do the heavy lifting and create all the content yourself.
Doing a show by yourself doesn't require coordinating calendars to schedule the recording, which is a big benefit to me. I like to record when it's convenient for me. That may not be as convenient for a guest.
You will also be the only person promoting a solo episode.
When you create an effective interview episode, you don't have nearly as much room to demonstrate your expertise. The spotlight needs to be on your guest.
However, I'll show you how to get creative to interject yourself into the episode.
On the other side of the coin, there are many benefit to interviews.
When you interview guests, it is easier to create content. To build an effective interview, you simply need to create a few great questions with a story arc. Then, have a great conversation by being a good listener.
It is also possible that your guest will promote. This usually happens when you make a clear ask before the interview and make it incredibly easy for your guest to share.
When your guest shares the episode, it helps you build your network by getting in front of your guest's tribe.
On top of the exposure to a new tribe, you can also build a relationship with your guest. Over the long haul, this can help you get even more exposure.
EFFECTIVE INTERVIEWS ARE ABOUT MOMENTUM
So, how long should your effective interview be? I get this question often.
When it comes to your content, there is no such thing as too long, only too boring.
I have listened to episodes that are an hour long, and I wish it was longer. Then there have been 15-minutes episodes that seemed to drag on forever.
An effective interview is all about momentum.
Just like your solo shows, effective interviews cannot be information alone. When you infuse story and emotion into your interviews, you keep your listener engaged.
People have learned from story as long as people have been around.
TEDDY SWIMS INTERVIEW
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure to interview singer-songwriter and popular music artist Teddy Swims.
When I attend concerts, I typically go backstage to the artist's meet and greet. This is where a group gathers in a room. The artist comes in to shake hands and take photos.
My wife and I had been looking forward to the Teddy Swims show for quite some time. He has an amazing soul and sound.
Two weeks before the show, my contact told me Teddy isn't doing any meet and greets. He then said Teddy would be willing to do an interview if I was interested.
I jumped at the chance.
Creating effective interviews with pop stars can sometimes be challenging. They are often asked the same questions, provide standard answers, and can be a little standoff-ish.
Teddy has blown up quickly, and I was a bit nervous.
The music of Teddy Swims is hard to define. He blends R&B, soul, country and pop into a mix that is quite unique.
He started publishing cover tunes on YouTube back in 2019. People started taking notice by his unique voice and style.
Teddy released some original songs digitally. But he really rose to fame with his 2023 song "Lose Control". Zero to stardom in 3 years is incredibly fast.
So, getting a chance to interview a guy who achieved fame quickly and probably isn't a seasoned interviewee is a risk.
EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW PREP
As I prepared for the interview, I didn't do a ton of prep. It was maybe 15 minutes. Many people spend hours trying to know everything about their guest.
When I prep for an interview, I find a few select pieces of information that will help me craft an interesting conversation.
I don't need to know everything about my guest. It is my goal to create a conversation that will make the audience interested in my guest.
My interviews are not designed to show you how much I know about my guest. I want to ask questions you would ask my guest.
To create an effective interview, I also want to get my guest to tell stories and be engaging.
So now I'm walking into an interview with a guy who is fairly new to this game, and I need to make it as easy and comfortable for him as I can.
To make it worse, Teddy did two interviews right before I walked into the room. How can I ask questions that are different enough from those past two interviews to keep him engaged and excited?
I walk into the room and it is much different than my usual experience with an artist. Teddy is the only one in the room. There is no security or road manager. There is no handler. It's just Teddy.
Many artists are uncomfortable being alone with anyone. Now to be fair, my contact was with us. But that was it.
Teddy and I had met once before. He remembered that, and it was an easy way to open the conversation.
He couldn't have been more gracious. As we sat down, I quickly realized Teddy Swims is much more seasoned than his few years in the business would lead you to believe.
THE INTERVIEW
First, I'll play the interview for you. Then I'll dissect the interview and explain why I asked each question.
Remember, my goal is to get you engaged by getting Teddy Swims to tell stories. I also want to make you more interested in him than you were before you listened to the interview.
Enjoy my interview with Teddy Swims.
THE PARTS OF AN EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW
Before we start to dissect the interview, I want you to either close your eyes, or if that's not possible, focus on something.
Now without looking at your podcast player, I want you to guess how long that interview was.
The interview was 7:48. Did it feel that long? It's my hope that the stories gave the interview great pace and momentum.
So let's look at each question and why I asked it.
MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS
Question 1 was, "Who was the coolest person you ran into at the MTV Video Music Awards?"
This question was designed to open the conversation with a story. I wanted to make Teddy comfortable so he didn't have to think much. The event was fresh in his mind.
I did not want to wander into the interview. There was no "tell us about yourself", "how are you", or "what's been going on". We hit the ground running.
INFLUENCE
Question 2 was, "What artists have influenced you most?"
This questions was built to be similar to a question like "how did you get started" or "tell us about yourself". However, I want to question to provide inspiration to listeners and really connect you to the diversity that makes up Teddy Swims.
MUSICAL THEATER
Question 3 was, "What was your 'go to' audition song?"
This question was built in a way to provide some background on Teddy Swims without going into his entire biography.
The question also creates an "oh wow" moment. Teddy has tattoos everywhere. Well, at least everywhere I can see, including his face, kneecaps, and head.
He wears jeweled nail polish, crazy sunglasses, and big earrings. His attire consists of a jeweled snap, long sleeved cowboy shirt, cutoff jeans, white socks and sandals.
Teddy is not like anyone you've encountered. Being in music theater is probably not something you would guess looking at him.
This "go to" audition song question is also designed to be a question he has probably never been asked before. Which you could tell by his unsure answer. But like a pro, he pivoted into his favorite musical. That was pro level on his part.
COVER SONGS
Question 4 was, "What is your favorite cover song that you've done?"
This was part of my prep. I knew about
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HOW TO SURVIVE THE ENTREPRENEUR ROLLER COASTER
Have you ever been on the entrepreneur roller coaster? It is all about the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
IMPORTANT LINKS
Next chance to launch is coming up. See the launch workshop details at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/podcastfast.
If you have a podcast and you're ready to grow now, here's your chance. See my next workshop at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/workshop.
THE BOOK
As I've created this podcast, I've experienced the entrepreneur roller coaster time and time again.
One day it is the best thing going. You get a client to enroll and you're on cloud nine.
The next day you get the email that a client is not renewing and they are moving on. You're bummed for the next three days.
This all comes to life everyday for most of us as entrepreneurs. It is also described in an amazing way in the book The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren Hardy.
Darren currently owns and runs DarrenHardy.com where he and his team help people be exceptional. He is an author, speaker, and advisor. Darren is also the former publisher of Success Magazine.
In addition to The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster, Darren Hardy also wrote Living Your Best Year Ever and The Compound Effect.
It will prepare you for the wild ride of entrepreneurship. It will warn you of the forthcoming fears, doubts, and the self-defeating conditioning of your upbringing and past. It will inoculate you from the naysayers, dream-stealers, and pains of rejection and failure. And it will guide you safely past the landmines that blow up and cause the failure of 66 percent of all new businesses.
MY ENTREPRENEUR ROLLER COASTER
2024 is a perfect example of my own roller coaster.
This year started with two of my coaching clients and one of my editing clients not renewing for another year. I loved each of them.
It was painful and felt like a breakup.
I knew they had amazing potential. Each of them had achieved so much to this point. The progress was fantastic.
Over the year, I had a few amazing calls with coaches who didn't sign up for the coaching I felt would help them in such a big way.
Each of them had their own reasons. We continue to stay in touch. I believe the time will eventually be right for them.
THE FUN PART OF THE RIDE
Then there were call like my most recent client who couldn't enroll fast enough. He has been in my world for a few years, and we finally got on a coaching call together.
On that call, he signed up and has been knocking it out of the park. It feels so great.
Each time I get on a call with my other clients, they tell me of all the great progress they are making and the lives they are changing.
I just wrapped up a coaching program helping Neil and Taylere launch their "The Leadership Pause" podcast.
They sent me an email that said, "Thank you for everything, Erik! We appreciate all your guidance. This course was terrific."
It has happened in my business year after year. A few years ago it was really getting to me to the point I was going to throw in the towel.
THE DATA
Then one day I looked at the data. I noticed a trend in my business.
Listening to my podcast tends to dip in the summer. My workshops are less attended in the summer. Fewer clients sign up in the summer.
When August arrives, my downloads increase. I have more speaking opportunities. My workshops have great crowds. And more clients enroll.
It's nothing I'm doing. The entrepreneur roller coaster is just the nature of my business.
That's when I realized I didn't need to be scared of that first roller coaster drop. It always happens. Then comes the fun of the turns and loops.
Once I started understanding the entrepreneur roller coaster is natural, podcasting and business became much more fun.
WE ARE ALL ON THE ENTREPRENEUR ROLLER COASTER
I was on a summit this week. During a roundtable discussion with the other experts who were speaking, I discovered we all have our own entrepreneur roller coasters.
We all have our own journey. Don't compare yourself to others. Enjoy your path.
The entrepreneur roller coaster is normal. We are all on it. You need to learn to enjoy the ride.
Step back and examine your roller coaster, so you can anticipate the drops. Anticipate the dips, turns and thrills, so you can enjoy the journey.
Stop looking at your downloads this week compared to last week. Look at this month compared to the same month last year and the year before.
Do you see seasonality in your podcast? Is the roller coaster natural in your business?
Start planning the next year with the entrepreneur roller coaster in mind. When you see the dip in the history, plan things to embrace and counter the dip.
Create content on your podcast people will consume during the dip. Help them with the challenges that happen in their lives at that time.
YOUR NEXT STEPS
Next chance to launch is coming up. See the launch workshop details at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/podcastfast.
If you have a podcast and you're ready to grow now, here's your chance. See my next workshop at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/workshop.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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CLAIM YOUR TIME
As you produce your podcast each week, how do you get your time back?
I've invited Kathi Burns on this episode to help you with your productivity and organization. She is a board certified professional organizer.
Your time is something you can never get back. It's important that you use it as wisely as possible.
I want to see you spending your time building your business and working with your clients. When you spend more of your time than necessary producing your podcast, you business suffers.
SPENDING YOUR TIME EDITING?
You may think you can save money producing your podcast yourself. Let's take a look at what that costs you.
There are a variety of things you need to do to publish an episode. As an example, we'll say you need to edit your audio, export it as an .mp3, edit your video, export it to file, create your show notes, create your podcast artwork, create your YouTube thumbnail, create a couple audiograms to promote the episode, upload the episode and artwork to your podcast host, and upload your video and thumbnail to YouTube.
How long will that take you? I'm guessing 90 minutes to two hours. Let's go with 90 minutes.
If you spent 90 minutes of your time hosting a webinar, how many sales could you make? What if you spent 90 minutes on sales calls. What is one coaching client worth to you in lifetime value?
In our example, let's say you sell a $2,000 coaching package. Wouldn't it make more sense to spend $200 to have the production done for you so you could spend your time on sales calls instead of editing?
Even if you only close one out of every four sales calls, you're spending $800 to free your time for four sales calls to generate $2,000 in revenue.
This is how you leverage your time.
This is possible. You can see my basic editing package as an example. See your editing options at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/editing.
ORGANIZE FOR EFFICIENCY
Now if you're going to spend those 90 minutes watching television instead of pursuing business, keep editing your own show.
But if you're going to leverage your time, make it count.
The best way to do this is being organized. Plan your week. Plan your day. Batch your tasks.
Get focused on what you want to accomplish, so you know where to spend your time.
When I create this podcast, I take many of my summit interviews and use them as episodes of the podcast. I record 24 interviews in 3 days. That's nearly half a year of episodes.
As I create my daily emails, I write the entire week on the same day. I get my mind in my connection and relationship mode to write great content and connect with my tribe.
What tasks are you doing every day or every week that you can group together to save more of your time?
KATHI BURNS
These are just a few examples. My guest has many more ideas for your time.
Kathi Burns, CPO® is a Board Certified Professional Organizer, Image Consultant, author and speaker.
As the founder of OrganizedandEnergized.com, her mission for almost two decades has been to end overwhelm, energize, and transform lives by creating systems clients can stick to.
Kathi is nationally recognized for her simple organizing and style solutions. She has also been featured on Good Morning America as a successful woman-owned business. She hosts Organized and Energized! The Podcast.
Kathi is here to help you spend your time more efficiently.
Enjoy my conversation with Kathi Burns.
Big thanks to Kathi Burns for taking some of her time to join us today.
You can get Kathi's checklist at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/organize.
To attend her Get Gone masterclass on October 8th, you can get registered at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/gone.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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MONETIZE A PODCAST WITH FOCUS
Focus is the key to monetize a podcast.
[Get info on ThriveCart through my affiliate link - CLICK HERE]
When I started, I struggled until I focused on one offer to one avatar.
As I launched Podcast Talent Coach, I wanted to do everything.
I started with one-on-one coaching. I wrote a book that was to be part of a comprehensive course. There were plans for a membership. I was helping people launch their podcast.
It was everything I could think of to create multiple streams of income to monetize my podcast. But, nothing was working. There was no traction.
Then one day I met my mentor. He taught me the power of creating a signature course.
Through his process, I created my signature course through market research with a single avatar. I focused on coaches trying to grow their business.
He then showed my how to focus all my efforts on that one offer.
My business quickly took off and created my best year yet.
DON'T MONETIZE A PODCAST WITH SPONSORS
Create one stream of income.
Focus is powerful. It is tough to avoid getting distracted.
I know multiple streams of income sounds appealing. But you can't create multiple streams until you create your first. And you can't create your first without focus.
Many podcasters want to start with sponsorships. It's difficult without a real focus. Trying to monetize a podcast with sponsors is a challenge.
Rick was able to get a sponsor in a much different way.
Rick Sizemore is the host of the VR Workforce Studio podcast. It is a podcast focused on Individuals with disabilities and stories of employment including training and education, vocational rehabilitation.
On the show, Rick celebrates the champions of employment who hire people with disabilities as well as vocational rehabilitation professionals and the work they do to create hope and a path forward to employment for people with disabilities so they can work and lead better lives.
The audience for Rick's podcast is very focused and niche. He is totally focused on those in and around vocational rehabilitation.
He connected with an organization who wanted to reach that specific group. Rick showed that group how effective his podcast was in sharing a message with the rehab community.
The group paid Rick a nice sum to be the sponsor of his show. He was able to land the sponsor, because the show was focused on one specific avatar.
NOT ALL LISTENERS ARE THE SAME
Unfortunately, most sponsors don't understand the power of the podcast audience. Most podcasters, sponsors and ad agencies treat ads on podcasts like they are ads on traditional media.
On traditional media, commercials are sold at a rate per thousand listeners. If the rate is $25 per thousand listeners, and you have 2,000 listeners, an ad on your show is worth $50.
But podcast listeners aren't equal to traditional media listeners.
If QuickBooks advertised on a football game, only a fraction of those listeners or viewers would be interested in QuickBooks. Therefore, paying $25 for a thousand listeners doesn't really get them a thousand listeners. It's just a fraction.
On the other hand, if QuickBooks advertised on a small business podcast, nearly every listener needs accounting software. Paying for a thousand listeners will get you nearly a thousand listeners interested in their product.
Podcast listeners are immensely more valuable than traditional listeners. Unfortunately, traditional advertisers treat them the same. You become a commodity with ads and sponsors unless you find that special unicorn of an advertiser that understands the power.
Finding that unicorn takes a lot of time and effort. Time away from your business. Monetize a podcast by focusing on your core offer.
Ads and sponsorships also cap the revenue potential. How many ads can you possibly put on your podcast?
Finally, your listeners don't want ads and sponsors. They are fleeing traditional media to escape ads. How irritated do you get when an ad pops up in the middle of a YouTube video you're watching?
MONETIZE A PODCAST WITH YOUR OFFER
Instead of ads, monetize your podcast by marketing your own stuff. Focus on one offer.
You might think it is easiest to sell a low ticket offer. Something like a $19 book or a $47 course.
The opposite is true.
Price conveys value. If you are offering a $47 course, people think it's worth $47. Few people are clamoring to buy $47 anything.
If it's a $2,000 program, people feel it should be packed full of value greater than $2,000. People save up to buy a $2,000 product.
It isn't uncommon to buy a $47 course and never even start it. When people invest $2,000 in a program, it is much more likely they will consume it.
People value what they invest in.
LOW TICKET TAKES MORE TIME AND EFFORT
It also takes just as much time to sell a $47 product as it does to sell a $2,000 product. A sale is a sale.
Low ticket products also create more headaches. People who purchase low ticket items tend to complain and want refunds.
When I was selling my $497 course, I had multiple people want payment options.
It's a 4-week course for $497. How can I possibly break that into payments.
When I started selling my $20,000 coaching program, coaches would ask how to pay in one lump sum or just simply as how to pay. There were very few issues.
Those who can afford to invest in high-end programs tend to have their business dialed in. They aren't worried how to make a $200 payment. It's more about the results than the price.
I recently stopped offering my free strategy call. It was a struggle to get people to take advantage of the opportunity. People value what they pay for. Then, they would often book and not show up.
Instead of free strategy calls, I began offering an hour of my coaching for $150. You can see it at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/apply.
On the first day I changed from free to the $150 call, I had someone sign up.
People value what they pay for.
MONETIZE A PODCAST WITH PARTNERS
We now have your avatar and offer dialed in. You have offered it and sold it. More importantly, you want to keep selling it.
It is time to market your offer to monetize a podcast.
Instead of buying ads, get partners to promote it.
Joint venture partnerships are a powerful way to market your stuff to your ideal clients. Find partners who are already speaking to your avatar.
When a partner promotes your offer, they are typically paid a commission on those sales. If the offer is digital or a physical product, commission is typically around 50%. When the offer involves your time such as coaching, commission is 10% or 20%.
These sales are tracked through affiliate links. When you have affiliate tracking software, it will create a link specific for each of your partners.
Your JV partners then promote your offer through that link. When their tribe clicks the link to make the purchase, your affiliate software tracks it.
THRIVECART OPPORTUNITY
I currently use ThriveCart. It is a great way to track affiliates and pay commissions. I have been using it for a few years now.
Here is the best thing about ThriveCart. You can currently purchase ThriveCart for a one-time payment rather than a monthly fee like most software.
You can see ThriveCart at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/ThriveCart. That is my affiliate link. When you purchase ThriveCart through that link, I'll make a small commission from your purchase. It doesn't cost you any more. This is just a way ThriveCart markets their software.
Now, I can't tell you how long it will be a flat fee purchase and when they will move to a monthly fee. I can only tell you that as of this recording, it is a flat fee and you own it.
Check it out at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/ThriveCart.
MONETIZE A PODCAST WITH ONE STREAM
Now you have an offer for an avatar and you have partners promoting you. The next step is to do more of the same.
To monetize a podcast, really get your process working. You'll be tempted to focus on other products and additional streams of income. Stay the course.
Get this offer really refined. Make it generate more cash with less work.
It may sound boring, but it's worth it. Avoid the headaches that come with juggling multiple offers. Once your offer is generating over $100k in annual revenue, you can then begin working on offer number two.
Until then, keep refining your primary offer. Sell more to more people.
There are two ways to make more money. First, sell to more customers. Next, make more from each customer by increasing prices or selling more.
Business is a simple process when you focus. To monetize a podcast, focus on your offer.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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PEOPLE STAY WHEN YOU CREATE A COMMUNITY
One powerful way to grow your audience is by leveraging communities of other influencers. You can also leverage that attention to create a community.
When another expert will put you in front of their tribe, they are endorsing you. That expert is telling his audience that you are someone the tribe should pay attention to.
As you demonstrate your expertise to that audience, you build your authority and influence. You can then invite them to your podcast.
CREATE A COMMUNITY FOR RELATIONSHIPS
As you create a community that is powerful, you need to build a relationship with your audience. Spend time showing them why what you do is so important in their lives.
Once you've built enough relationship with your why, you can then invite them to get more in your community.
THE COACHING JUNGLE
On this episode, I've invited Marc Mawhinney to join us to talk about his amazing community. Marc had been on the show in the past, and he is amazing.
Marc Mawhinney is a lifelong entrepreneur who has been helping coaches get more clients (without paid ads) since 2014!
He’s the host of the "Natural Born Coaches" podcast, which has almost 900 episodes to date, and the Tarzan of "The Coaching Jungle" Facebook group which has over 25,000 coaches in the community.
In this conversation with Marc, we delve into the art of creating and nurturing a thriving online community.
With a focus on Marc's successful venture, "The Coaching Jungle," Marc gives you deep insights into the strategies and principles that have guided the group to grow to a robust membership of over 25,000 coaches.
Discover the pivotal role that a strong foundation, distinctive branding, and the implementation of theme days can play in establishing a community that fosters engagement and growth.
JUNGLE VIP
One of the noteworthy discussions in this episode is the launch of The Jungle VIP membership, a transformative development aimed at generating recurring revenue and offering an accessible option for members not ready for larger packages.
Priced at $97 per month or $997 per year, this membership includes privileges such as promotional posting rights, expert badge status, access to a private VIP group, and monthly networking meetings. Marc shares candidly about the initial concerns among community members, ultimately highlighting the positive reception and benefits of the VIP program.
Marc Mawhinney brings invaluable advice on simplifying access to your community by utilizing a custom domain, making it more convenient for potential members to find your group.
He also stresses the importance of laying a strong foundation before launching a group—picking a clear and relevant group name, distinctive branding, and consistent theme days, such as Promotion Friday or Book Sunday, to ensure a variety of content.
As Marc underscores, providing consistent value to members while simultaneously monetizing the community is essential for its long-term success.
GROWING YOUR COMMUNITY
We also get into the intricacies of growing an online group, pinpointing the critical tipping point for the Coaching Jungle's growth at around 1,000 members. Marc attributes this surge to increased organic requests to join and emphasizes the necessity of promoting the community through multiple channels, including email lists and a dedicated domain name.
Additionally, we discuss our early journeys into the coaching industry, highlighting similar pricing models and the importance of coaching in generating quick revenue streams compared to creating courses.
We also touch a bit on the value of joint venture partnerships, where Marc shares his successful collaborations with industry peers like Terri Levine and Rob Goyette. These partnerships not only resulted in business growth but also provided rich learning experiences and enduring friendships.
Marc's journey offers practical and actionable insights for anyone looking to build and sustain a vibrant online community.
You can find information on the Coaching Jungle VIP program through my affiliate link at www.NaturalBornCoaches.com/Erik.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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START A PODCAST FOR THE RIGHT REASONS
Why did you start a podcast? I'm talking about the real reason.
Coaches tell me they want to grow their audience or make money.
That can't be your real why. When you ask why about seven times, you'll get to the real reason you wanted to start a podcast.
Your struggles to grow and monetize your show has nothing to do with your podcast. The problem is you.
Your podcast is just the vehicle. If people aren't coming for you, they aren't coming at all.
Let me show you why.
THE START OF PODCAST TALENT COACH
When I started my show, I thought I wanted to help people become better hosts and build a consultancy. Over the years, I learned that wasn't my real reason.
That purpose wouldn't keep me motivated.
In 2005, I came across an article in Wired Magazine. The article was about former MTV VJ Adam Curry creating this thing called podcasting.
He was interviewing a guest in his car and distributing the show through the RSS feed technology used by blogs.
This sounded really cool, but was way over my head.
At this time, I had been in radio for about 12 years. The thought of owning my own show in this new medium was exciting. But I had no idea where to start.
Around 2009, I got my first iPhone and started listening to a ton of podcasts. At the time, there were about 80,000 podcasts.
In 2012, I was hooked and started writing a blog about podcasting. The content helped podcasters sound more professional like radio broadcasters.
That blog led to an opportunity to write for the New Media Expo blog where Dave Jackson from School of Podcasting discovered me.
During our conversation, Dave asked why I didn't have a podcast. That was the start of this podcast in 2013.
The show started with the blog content. I was showing people how to sound more professional. Listeners got a lot of tools and tips that we used in radio.
The show struggled to grow. It was struggling, because people weren't dying to know how to sound more professional. More professional also wan't my deep, burning passion.
THE REAL REASON
Then one day I was talking with a client when he said, "If we are able to generate leads, that is awesome. If we are helping change people's lives, and they are reaching out to us, that would be a success. Becoming a resource is the goal."
That was the day I realized my purpose needed to be bigger. Giving people information to sound better was ok, but it wan't life-changing.
As I looked inward and reviewed the clients in my world, I realized I really want to help people become that magnetic, influential personality and show host. Not just somebody sharing information. But somebody who entertains, builds relationships, and can inspire people to take action.
When I can do that, I make the world better. That gets me fired up.
I saw it in my radio career as well.
When I started in radio, I thought the music knowledge would get me to the top.
I shared trivia, music news, tidbits about the bands. I had it all. And, nobody cared.
Then one day I started sharing my story and who I am. I began building relationships with my listeners. That was the day I started my climb to the top and have been there ever since.
Attract people with who you are.
IT'S ABOUT YOU
It's not about your content, but you.
People will show up for your content. They'll come for your 6 steps to success.
But once they learn the 6 steps, nothing about your content will keep them coming back. The only reason they come back every week, is because they want to be around you.
The confidence you portray helps you become magnetic. It's not about what you're saying. It is who you are being while you're saying it.
Your podcast really has little to do with it as well. The podcast is just the vehicle.
It's about authority, not the podcast.
I believe podcasting is the best way to share your message for a variety of reasons.
Podcasts are portable. You can consume podcasts while doing other things. Your show is delivered right to your subscribers phone in their feed. And audio builds relationships through theater of the mind.
WE HEAR IN PICTURES
We speak in words. We hear in pictures.
Stories build relationships. Relationships build trust and authority.
Everyone can be a storyteller.
Stories start with a intriguing introduction. They are filled with vivid details. Great stories end with a powerful conclusion.
Powerful stories are also filled with personality. These stories make people laugh, cry, or marvel at something.
Everyone has a personality. We just need to uncover it and make it shine.
So, why did you start a podcast?
Your successful podcast is about relationships, not ads.
LISTENER ATTRACTION STRATEGY
Attract listeners rather than chasing them.
Let's get clear on your strategy.
Do you want to keep chasing clients or are you ready to stand out as the well-known authority who attracts clients into your world?
Let's build your strategy.
Go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
You can develop your personality and storytelling. You can become a magnetic, influential personality and show host. Let me show you how.
Visit www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. I'll see you there.
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WHAT DEFINES A SUCCESSFUL PODCAST?
"How do I start a successful podcast" is the wrong question.
Before you can start a successful podcast, you need to define what a successful podcast looks like.
Unfortunately, many coaches what to build a huge audience to land sponsors and advertisers.
Let me tell you, defining a successful podcast by the size of the audience or number of sponsors will not help you sustain a podcast for any length of time.
You need a powerful "why" to motivate you to consistently create your podcast every week.
When I first met Laura in October of 2019, she had been doing her podcast for six months. It was called "Reviews and Randomness".
She was struggling, because she didn't have a strong purpose. She just didn't realize that was the issue.
At that point, her biggest episode had 91 downloads.
She wanted help with the programming of her show and rebranding.
Laura told me, "I'm finding myself having a hard time being consistent with episodes, because I don't have a clear plan and probably could do a better job of understanding who I’m speaking to."
When I asked her what would need to happen over the next year for her to feel it was successful, she said, "Consistently keep the show running. Even if it is bi-weekly. If I hit that, I would be happy. I'd also like to keep up with e-mail list on a consistent basis."
Laura told me her challenge was finding time to record it. She also said, "Marketing it kills me."
When you have a strong purpose, something bigger drives you into the studio each week to share your message. Something deep down inside is calling you to the microphone.
Ads and sponsors won't do that. There is little inspiration there.
MY MISSION
Laura and I connected again at the beginning of 2024 to create a new strategy.
Her "Reviews and Randomness" podcast had gone away.
Over the past 4 years, Laura had pivoted to find a new niche and business.
She now helps people find money for real estate investing. She and her husband connect investors with lenders.
They also help average people use the money in their 401ks for other investment opportunities.
More importantly, Laura now has a purpose. She tells me it is her mission to elevate the middle class.
On a recent coaching call, Laura told me, "I'm ready to conquer the world. I am tired of talking to people about it who don't get it. I need to get out and start talking about all of this. Why me? Why do I need to do this? I don't understand my role, but I need to do it. I have the nudging inside of me."
That purpose is what we are working to create together. The podcast is just the vehicle for the message. Her purpose and the message are the critical pieces to success.
When it comes time to create a new episode, which do you think is more powerful? Will you get fired up to get in the studio so you can land another advertiser? Or, will you get charged knowing you are meant to elevate the middle class?
That's the power of your mission.
DO YOU NEED TO MONETIZE?
So now ask yourself, do you need to monetize your podcast to be successful?
If you've created a powerful mission, monetization becomes the result and not the purpose.
You will rarely get rich chasing the money. It typically doesn't work that way.
When you follow your passion, money will follow.
I realize it sounds cliché. But it is true when you start with purpose.
Three things need to exist for you to create revenue with your idea.
First, you need to have a passion for the idea. When things get tough, you passion will carry you through.
If you're just chasing the money, it is incredibly difficult to weather the storms.
Next, you need to be really good at it. You might love playing basketball. But it you're only five-foot-two, you're probably not going to get rich playing basketball.
Finally, you need to have a group of people willing to pay you for the result.
You may love folding paper and creating cute origami characters. You also might be really, really good at it. But I doubt there is a big audience waiting to pay you for your paper swan.
Love what you do. Work to be really good at it. Find an audience you can really serve with your super power. That's when the money will come.
ARE YOU A SUCCESSFUL INFLUENCER?
Rather than asking yourself how to monetize your podcast, ask how you can become an influencer.
Influencer has become an overused term. It often brings visions of YouTubers, or kids on TikTok, or people like Paris Hilton who have done very little other than be popular.
That isn't the sort of influencer I'm talking about.
Are you becoming someone of influence? Do you have the ability to move a room? Do people come for your content, but stay because they like being around you?
That's an influencer.
When it comes to making money online, nobody talks about being a monetizer. They talk about being a content creator and influencer.
When you have influence, the money follows.
Your content will only get you so far. Once your audience learns your six steps to success, why should they keep listening?
There is only so much you can teach them.
People return episode after episode, because they want to be around you. They want to be your friend. Your fans enjoy your company.
THE PODCAST IS JUST THE VEHICLE
"How do I start a successful podcast" is the wrong question.
You should be asking, "Who can I help and why do I want to help them?"
Once you define who you help, what you help them do and why you do it, you'll be able to determine what will make your podcast successful.
Creating the podcast is the easy part. The podcast is just the vehicle.
Begin by finding that idea that you're passionate about, you're good at, and people will pay you for the result.
FIVE STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL PODCAST
There are five steps to creating a successful podcast.
When you follow these five steps, you will be well on your way to becoming an influencer who can help people get the result they desire with something you enjoy and you're good at.
Don't make it any more difficult than this.
Skip a step and the tower doesn't stand. Each step serves a purpose.
DEFINE YOUR WHY
The first step is defining your "why". You need a clear purpose.
This is what we've been talking about.
Your mission is the foundation. Without it, you can't hope to have a podcast that succeeds for any length of time.
Find a mission that burns inside of you. Something that really inspires you to take action.
Making money can't be the only reason you're creating a podcast.
Success requires something greater. Something that will motivate you to get through the tough times.
GROW YOUR AUDIENCE
Once you have determined who you help, what you help them do, and why, start finding them.
Step number to is growing your audience.
Now that you know who you're helping, determine who already has their attention.
Partner with those people to bring their tribe into your world.
CREATE CONTENT TO BUILD SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS
Step three is building relationships.
As you grow your audience, serve them content that will build relationships with them. This is where you become an influencer.
Your content can't simply be your six steps to success. The content you create needs to build relationships and turn you into an influencer.
Many people feel you either have it or you don't.
I've had coaches tell me, "Who would listen to me? Do I really have anything valuable to say?"
It's not what you're saying. It's who you're being. Becoming an influencer is about creating a movement.
Create content with purpose.
GET THEM STARTED
Now that you are inspiring your listeners, step four is getting them started with you.
Give your listeners a taste of what you do.
To monetize your content, you need to have something to sell. This could be your goods or services. You could also be an affiliate for others.
Once you have something to sell, give your listeners a little taste of it for free.
This could be a guide, checklist, or assessment. You could give them a free training, a mini course, or a small sample of your stuff.
A great freebie is a small slice of what you sell. If you sell a course, is there a module or element that can stand on its own? Consider giving that away to get your listeners started down your path.
CONVERT THEM TO CLIENTS
Your final step is converting listeners to clients.
Where does your sales conversation happen?
Your free taste should lead to that sales conversation.
This might be a sales call, a webinar, an open house, a discovery call, a long form sales page, a sales video, or a variety of other opportunities to talk business.
If your free taste was valuable and solved one specific problem, there is a good chance they will want to take the next step.
CREATE YOUR SUCCESSFUL PODCAST
Over the last three decades, I've been helping radio talent and podcasters become influencers.
Not YouTube, TikTok sensations. People who can influence an audience and get them to take action.
I've helped hosts raise millions of dollars for the food bank, tens of thousands of bottles for the Open Door Mission, and bring large crowds to client locations.
Let's talk about creating your strategy to become an influencer and move an audience.
It's possible when you follow the steps in the right way and the right order.
Visit www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply. Click the button and apply to have a chat with me.
We will get clear on your goals. Then, we define where you are today. Finally, we'll develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
Just visit www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply.
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There is a right way and and wrong way to use social media for digital branding and business. Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok are all used in different ways. Many times, it's the wrong way.
DIGITAL BRANDING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
On this episode, we talk with Dr. Dumont Owen about Digital Branding with LinkedIn and social media.
Download Dumont's Lucrative LinkinIn Roadmap HERE.
THE WRONG WAY TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA
I recently went through my Facebook friend requests to decide which I would accept. There were the usual fake profiles. Plenty of coaches and podcasters. And as I always discover, many marketers disguised as a potential friends.
As soon as I accepted these friend requests, eight of them sent me a DM.
APPOINTMENT SETTER
The first said, "Hey, Hope you're doing well! Do you need a trained and experienced appointment setter who will book 5-10 sales calls every day on your calendar and increase your sales up to 2X ROI & Results?"
There wasn't even small talk. This guy just went straight for the pitch.
I usually unfriend these people and then block them.
When I use social media, I enjoy partnerships and collaboration.
This guy would have made more progress with me had he said, "We offer trained and experienced appointment setters. Would you be interested in collaborating?"
With a question like this, I might put them in front of my audience.
He could have even asked, "Who do you know?" If I needed it, I would have said, "Me."
Much less spammy.
IGNORING THE QUESTION
The next DM flat out ignored my question.
He said, "Hey Erik! Great to connect...I see you're a coach."
After I confirmed that I am a coach, I asked who he likes to connect with.
He ignored my question and pasted this response: "Hello Erik..nice to meet you!I actually work for a coach who runs a free fb group he allows his members to promote for free in front of 27,000+ active members! It's great place for you to get leads but also be a part of a really supportive community. Happy to send you the free link to join if you feel it could be valuable for you."
He ignored my question and appears to only be interested in pitching.
Time to unfriend.
LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The next was a way I appreciate.
She said, "Thank you Erik, for accepting my invitation to connect here on FB. Looking forward to seeing more of your posts and getting to know you."
After an exchange about who she connects with, she told me she is just looking to connect with like-minded people. She then asked about me.
I replied with a bit about my interest in partnerships. It was a conversation to see how we might build a relationship.
This is the way to use social media. Relationships. I love it.
COMMON SOCIAL MEDIA FRIENDS
The next guy did something similar.
He said, "Hey Erik, thanks for accepting my friend request. It appears we have quite a few friends in common."
We had a good chat about the people we know and how we might connect with others.
This again was about relationships. Great work here.
JUST HEY
Another just said "Hey". We know each other, because I was on her summit.
This is a perfectly acceptable way to use social media. Connect and build relationships with people you met elsewhere.
All good here.
MY MASTERCLASS
Next was another pitch.
He said, "Great to connect with you here Erik. Hope you're having a good day so far!"
I replied with, "Thanks. I love to connect people. What type of people do you like to connect with?"
His response was, "Mostly entrepreneurs, coaches and consultants. Actually, I don't know if you're interested but on the 1st of August, I'll host a Masterclass called... Cool if I send you more info here?"
Uh, no thanks. I'm not interested in another masterclass. Learn a bit more about me.
BLAH BLAH BLAH
The next message looked oddly like an earlier message. But, it was from a different person.
I don't know if this is an agency who has hired a bunch of people to scrape Facebook or a coach who has a bunch of minions.
The message started with, "Hey Erik, it's great to connect with you."
My typical response is, "Thanks. I love connecting people. What type of people do you like to connect with?"
She said, "You're welcome. I see you're a coach as well. I actually work for a coach who has a free FB group for coaches & course creators like yourself. Blah Blah Blah. Happy to send over the link to join if you feel this would be valuable for you."
No. I don't need another Facebook group. I'm in too many right now.
THE SOCIAL MEDIA FRIEND PITCH
Another previously ran a company in the podcast space. I thought we were already friends on Facebook. My bad.
After a quick exchange, he says, "Finally got back into the podcast space. I'm basically doing freelance marketing." Then came the question about his product.
I'll give him some slack. I actually know him.
His question may be a way we can collaborate. We'll see what happens here.
NO FRIEND REQUEST
One final DM didn't even send me a friend request.
This message was just a DM that said, "I hope you are staying well and healthy. I am Rosey, a virtual assistant who loves doing any repetitive administrative and marketing tasks you may have."
It continued on with the pitch. I didn't respond. I just blocked.
Facebook isn't a place where I'm looking for solicitation. I wish I had one of those "no solicitation" signs people put on their front doors.
RELATIONSHIPS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Using social media to build relationship and increase your brand is a much better approach.
Granted, this takes a lot longer than spamming people trying to get someone to take your offer.
However, it is much better in the long run. Your business will be much healthier.
DIGITAL BRANDING
Dr. Dumont Owen leverages her extensive knowledge of personal and digital branding to help coaches, consultants and subject matter experts get clients in record time using LinkedIn.
A storyteller at heart, she weaves magnetic brand narratives that distinguish her clients from their competitors and position them as the go-to experts in their field.
Dumont is the creator of the Lucrative LinkedIn System, a 5-step system for attracting, engaging, and converting contacts to clients on LinkedIn.
Download Dumont's Lucrative LinkinIn Roadmap HERE.
17:56 Started on LinkedIn, quickly found success.
22:17 LinkedIn connections should be meaningful, not numerous.
25:29 LinkedIn's tool measures social selling performance.
28:31 Audio on LinkedIn is recent and beneficial.
29:34 Create content to engage and build trust.
33:58 Digital branding application: tools, resources, strategies, ownership.
36:42 Authenticity means owning your story and being bold.
42:06 Clarify goals, know niche, promote brand, update profile.
43:47 Step by step guide to LinkedIn success.
If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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To be a successful podcaster, you can't simply be a nice host who offends nobody. You need to be an authority and influencer in your niche.
THE KEY TO BECOMING AN INFLUENCER
You need the confidence to step up, step out and embrace your personality.
Sure, you have a personality. You just need to define it, refine it, and let it shine.
We sometimes get too caught up in what we do rather than why we do it. Your "why" is so much more important than your what.
I recently discovered Myron Golden on YouTube. Myron said, "There are many people out there who would love to buy what you already love to sell if they only knew you existed. Instead of finding more people to sell to, make yourself more findable to those people who already want to buy what you already love to sell."
You become more findable by being more interesting. Your six steps to success isn't interesting. Everything interesting is about people.
Create more relationships, and you'll attract more people.
WE LACK RELATIONSHIPS
It's my mission to create more relationships in society.
Tech has sucked relationships out of society. That makes it too easy to be against each other rather than supporting each other.
We don't shop at the store any longer. Our shopping is done online.
When I was a kid, we would go hang at the mall. Today, the malls barely exist. If my kids watched Mallrats or Fast Times at Ridgemont High, they wouldn't understand most of the jokes.
Many of us work remotely. We don't hang with our coworkers around the water cooler or at happy hour.
You aren't even required to go into the gas station any more. It's pay at the pump.
We don't watch movies with others at the movie theaters, because movies are on our television.
Kids aren't congregating at the arcade or in the park or at the pool. They are at home online with their virtual friends.
CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE
My daughter knew most of her freshman class in college before she ever stepped foot on campus.
She graduated high school as COVID hit. Before her first semester began, they began having meet-ups on Zoom with all incoming freshman. She met a lot of people.
On the day I dropped her off, we were walking down main street right off campus. I suddenly hear someone say, "Hey, Emma."
I was stunned. We are in a small town thousands of miles from home. How could anyone possibly know her.
After a brief chat, she tells me that was one of the girls on the Zoom calls.
During that semester, all students attended class virtually from their dorm rooms. Meals were delivered by food service or picked up to be eaten in their room. Nobody was allowed to have roommates due to the pandemic.
It was very easy for students to have no relationships with anyone. They could do everything alone in their room.
If Emma hadn't been diligent about meeting others, she could have easily gone through college unnoticed. Fortunately, she met as many as possible. She also became president of her freshman class.
GET NOTICED
If you want to get noticed, build your audience, and attract your ideal clients, you need to get noticed as well.
Tech will kill your relationships unless you're diligent about getting in front of your target audience. Solopreneur is a dangerous career if you're not careful.
So, how do you become an influencer?
You define your personality. Share that personality through stories that allow people to get to know you. Then, get on stages as often as you can to get people familiar with you.
Like Myron said, they would love to buy what you already love to sell if they only knew you existed. It's time to let them know.
There were two recent articles in Inside Radio that show why this is so important.
PODCASTERS ARE INFLUENCERS
The first article referenced Magna’s Media Trials and Vox Media study called "A New Era Of Influence".
The study referenced individuals whose influence matters most to listeners. It found that 75% of respondents value podcasters' influence. Social media influencers and celebrities from TV/film both landed at 15%.
If you want to be an influencer, have a podcast and be unique.
INFLUENCERS AREN'T ADVERTISING
The second article showed the importance of using your podcast for influence rather than advertising.
We've talked about this many times before. Advertising on your podcast is just a bad idea.
If you really want this to sink in, grab a pen and paper to write down a few numbers.
Podcasting has taken the term CPM from traditional media. CPM is an acronym for Cost Per Mille, or cost per thousand. Mille is Latin for thousand.
According to investopedia.com, cost per thousand is a marketing term that refers to the cost an advertiser pays per 1,000 advertising impressions. In radio, it would be the cost to reach 1,000 listeners.
It might be said that a radio station had 3,000 average quarter hour listeners. That would mean on average 3,000 people are listening to that particular station at that particular time.
If the CPM is $25, the price of a commercial would be $75. You would divide 3,000 listeners by 1,000 to get the number of thousands. That equals 3.
We then multiply our 3 by our CPM which is $25 to get our $75 commercial. All stations in a market are treated roughly the same.
How many thousands of listener do you have for your show?
THE ADVERTISING ABYSS
According to the other article in Inside Radio, "Podcast CPMs ticked up slightly in June according to Libsyn Ads. Based on the spots sold through its platform says the average CPM for a one-minute ad was $21.90."
Let's do the math. The big agencies are looking for podcasts with at least 5,000 downloads per episode. Libsyn says only 7% of all podcasts on Libsyn reach that level.
Let's pretend that you're lucky enough to be one of those 7%.
If you have 5,000 listeners, that would be five groups of 1,000 for our per thousand calculation. If the CPM or cost per thousand is $21.90, your one-minute commercial on your show is worth $109.50.
Now, how many commercials are you willing to clutter your show with before your listeners tune away? Let's say that number is six with two at the beginning, two in the middle and two at the end.
But really, how often do you listen to the two minutes of commercials at the beginning of your favorite show before you hit the skip button?
We'll go with six for the sake of discussion. Now each episode is worth six commercials times the $109.50 for each ad. That's a total of $657 per show.
Four episodes per month generates $2,628.
If you sell your advertiser by quarter, it would generate $8,451. That would be 24 clients over the course of the year to generate $34,164 annually.
Now $34,000 sounds pretty good. I can hear you saying, "Erik, I'd take $34,000 for creating my podcast."
WHY YOU WON'T WIN WITH ADS
Here's the problem... or problems.
One, you are trading the goodwill you've built with your audience for the cash the ads are generating. Your fans don't like the commercials.
How many times have you been listening to your favorite podcast or watching a YouTube video and said, "Fantastic! Another Wix commercial!" Right.
You get just as aggravated as I do. Do you really want to do that to the people you are trying to attract as clients? I didn't think so.
Problem number two... it takes a lot of time to land an advertiser. I've spent 35 years in radio. We had 15 sales people working 40 hours a week trying to sell advertising.
Now granted, we were selling 24 hours of content. But many of those advertisers were on multiple hours a day.
You're trying to land coaching clients. You're trying to find time to produce your podcast on a regular basis. There needs to be time to market your business and handle the other tasks.
You don't have time to sell advertising. And you don't have time to keep your advertisers happy when they tell you, "It's not working." It doesn't matter how many customers the advertiser gets, they always think it should have been more.
And problem number three is the revenue. $34,000 sounds like a lot, but that is it. The number doesn't go any higher unless you add more commercials, which we know is a bad.
You can't charge more due to the CPM. The CPM treats your listeners just like every other listener. You're a commodity.
BECOME AN INFLUENCER
Instead, build relationships. Demonstrate your authority. Become an influencer in your niche.
Are you ready to see if it's possible for you to become an authority and influencer? Let's have a conversation.
Go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.
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Do you have questions about your podcast?
YOUR QUESTIONS
I get questions quite often from coaches and podcasters ranging from building your audience, becoming an influencer and growing your business.
On this episode, we answer a variety of questions.
Where do I find listeners in my target audience? If we try to control what people think about us, isn't that manipulation? Is it detrimental to skip a week? What is the right mix of relatable and creative for a show? When I promote the show, where should I send people? Are there unwritten protocols for podcast conferences?If you have questions regarding your podcast strategy, email me at Coach at podcasttalentcoach.com. I might just answer your question right here on the show.
REFINE YOUR PERSONALITY
In a recent email, I wrote...
To become a known influencer in your niche, be intentional about your personality.
Decide how you want to be known.
Are you funny, logical, aggressive, loving, zany, generous, or something else?
Be intentional. Then, share stories that show that side of you.
Let your listeners get you know you in an authentic way.Nancy replied with this...
I’m all of the list you shared and more. That is true for any human being. That is a calling in itself - to live in a way that reminds people to be their full, authentic selves. If we choose one slim aspect, then we are typecasted - and what we share suffers.
We really have zero control over what people think of us. If we try to control it, is that not manipulation?
I just can’t be one thing when I am (and everyone is) the universe in physical form.
Have a good day,
- Nancy
MANIPULATION QUESTIONS
Manipulation is a tough word.
And it's foolish to think we have zero control over what people think. If that were true, marketing wouldn't work.
To be clear, I'm not saying be something that you're not. And I'm not saying don't be something that you are.
Yes, you may be all of those things I listed. You may be funny, logical, aggressive, loving, zany, generous, or something else.
However, your listeners only have one file to keep you in. We mentally compartmentalize everything, so our brains can handle all of the information.
When you think of the Beatles, what do you think of?
If you're like most, you think of 4 lads from Liverpool performing their music on stage causing many girls to scream.
Why didn't you think movie actors? They did a few movies.
You think musicians, because that's their brand. That's the mental folder you have them in.
How about Matt Damon? What comes to mind?
Oceans Eleven? Jason Bourne? Good Will Hunting? Great actor?
Why didn't you think of co-founder of Water.org? https://water.org
Because you store him where his brand fits.
So you may be funny, logical, aggressive, loving, zany, and generous. But your brand needs to be one. And your role development on your show needs to highlight one of those characteristics.
Be intentional about your brand. Otherwise, your listeners will create their own files and put you where they think you belong.
FIND YOUR LISTENERS
Where to find listeners in my target audience?
- Greg
The first step in finding your listeners is to get clear who those listeners are.
You can't hit a target you can't see.
Clearly define as much as you can, both demographically and psychographically. Determine their gender, age, and family composition. But also define their wants, needs, pains and goals.
Go as deep as possible. My coach calls it the one inch mile. Go an inch wide and a mile deep.
The more you know about your ideal client, the easier it will be to find them.
And be specific.
I was working with a client the other day. We were defining his ideal client.
He said the his ideal client earns between $50k and $80k. I told him those are two very different people.
A person making $50k lives a much different lifestyle and has more discretionary income than a person making $80k. $80k is 60% more than $50k.
Those two people have much different needs and wants. And they can afford different fees when it comes to paying you.
Once you define your ideal client, determine already has their attention. Who is already speaking into their lives?
Now, partner with those influencers to speak to their audiences. Invite them to your show.
Kimberly Crowe of Podapalooza says never turn down a mic. If you're offered the opportunity to get on stage or on a mic, take it.
You'll be attracting listeners before you know it.
QUESTIONS ABOUT CONSISTENCY
How detrimental is it for you to skip a week in between episode releases OR delay a few days due to time constraints?
Leading from that due to time constraints, is it ok to push out for a season, i.e. you are needing to focus on another area of the business so you take a break for a couple of months from your show and then kick back up later in the year?
- Tony Brown
Lessons From the Pit
Consistency is key.
People are creatures of habit. Once you get people in the habit of listening to your show, keep them listening by publishing consistently.
I would suggest you record a few episodes at one time. This would give you time to take a week off and still publish.
Work ahead by a week or two. When you are working on this week's episode this week, any disruption in your schedule can throw off publishing.
If you work a week or two ahead, the episode to be published this week is already done. You're working on the episode for next week. If there is any disruption in your schedule, you have a buffer.
You can also record an "emergency" episode. This would be an evergreen episode that you could publish when you run into time constraints.
I'm not a fan of seasons unless your content lends to seasons. If you do a podcast around a sport, school year, or TV show, seasons might make sense.
Most people create content around a topic. When that's the case, seasons make little sense.
When you view your podcast as a marketing tool, it becomes easier to find time in your calendar to create your content. If you stop marketing, you stop attracting clients.
Block out time, batch your tasks, and schedule production. Create a process, and it will become easier to publish consistently.
CREATIVE OR RELATABLE?
What is the right mix of relatable and creative for a show?
The FreeMatt Podcast
freemattpodcast.wordpress.com
- Matt FreeMatt
Why does it need to be either/or? Why can't it be both?
That's like asking what's the ideal balance of short or funny. Why can't it be both?
In fact, it should be both.
When you create your content, it should be relatable to your ideal listener. Use the ideal listener definition you created as a filter for all of your content.
Then, determine who you can be creative with it. What can you do with the content to make it unique?
Infuse the content with your story and personality. Brainstorm ways to be creative with it.
Could you do an interview or play a game? Maybe you tell a story or play some example audio. You could incorporate listeners or a roundtable of experts.
None of this prevents you from being relatable. It should all be relatable.
SENDING LISTENERS
Right now, I don't have a website for my podcast. When I share an episode (or my podcast in general) on social media, should I link to the podcast host (buzzsprout, libysn, etc.) or to Spotify, Apple podcast, etc.) Or should I send people to a site like pod.link that provides links to everything?
Thanks!
- Ken
"The Bad Boss Podcast"
https://pod.link/1689109552
My first preference would be your home base. That would be your website.
If you don't have a website, work to get one. You could build a simple site on Wordpress. It takes a bit of technical knowledge, but not much.
One great option is PodPage. Find it at https://www.podpage.com. They build websites specifically for podcasters.
You should never direct people directly to a podcast platform like Apple or Spotify.
The numbers vary. Some reports list Spotify as having 34.4% and Apple 32.5% of podcast listeners. That's according to Buzzsprout as of June 2024. https://www.buzzsprout.com/stats
So directing listeners to a particular platform will exclude most of your audience.
I do like the idea of directing them to Pod.Link. Unfortunately, it's not easy to send people to pod.link/1689109552 without seeing it in writing.
If you are sharing it on social, that link works. If you are mentioning it during an interview, it poses a problem.
At the end of the day, you own your website. Don't build your house on rented land. Invest in a website and send your audience there.
QUESTIONS ABOUT PODCAST CONFERENCES
When should I start going to podcast conferences and when I go, are there any unwritten protocols that should be followed? My #1 goal in attending would be to connect with other podcasters and exchange interviews to grow my email list.
-Edwin
It's never too early to start attending podcast conferences and networking.
Understand that not all conferences are created equal. Podcast Movement is quite large. Over 3,000 people attend each year. https://podcastmovement.com
There are many tracks, lots of people, and quite a few networking opportunities. More and more big companies are also attending each year.
Podfest is another great conference. Over 3,000 people attend this one each year as well. https://podfestexpo.com
Then there are small meet-ups and other podcast events throughout the year.
Attending to connect with other podcasters and exchange interviews is a great goal. Connect with the right people.
Find shows that are speaking to your ideal target listener. Know exactly who you help.
You want hosts to say, "I have those people in my audience. You'd be a great fit."
If I tell you my show is for entrepreneurs, what does that mean? Steve Jobs was an entrepreneur. So is my nephew Jimmy running his roofing business off his dining room table. Who are we talking about?
On the other hand, I could tell you I help coaches attract their ideal clients by using their podcast to become the known, go-to authority in their niche.
Now, that is a lot clearer than simply entrepreneurs.
Before you attend a conference, know exactly who you are trying to attract and who would make the ideal partner.
PROTOCOL
In terms of protocol, don't look for clients. Look for partners. Seek to help first, and you'll do just fine.
Get involved in the events. Have conversations in the hallways. Ask questions at every session, so people become familiar with you.
When my buddy Rem attended Podcast Movement, he was the first at the mic in every session I attended. By the end of that conference, everyone knew who Rem was and what his podcast was about.
It is one tactic most people miss. When they see you on the mic, you'll have more conversations than you can imagine.
DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS?
If you have questions regarding your podcast strategy, email me at Coach at podcasttalentcoach.com. I might just answer your question right here on the show.
You can also apply to have a call with me by filling out the application form at
http://www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply.
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