Tag Archives: grow

Your Podcast Strategy – PTC 360

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How is your podcast strategy? Do you even have one?

Lots of podcasters struggle with finding constructive, intentional ways to get the word out about their show. The marketing stuff can get tricky.

Many podcasters I talk with would be happy to have enough downloads to get 2 or 4 coaching clients paying a fee. How do you bring a few listeners through the funnel?

Let’s look at your whole strategy today on this episode.

BOOTCAMP

Before we jump into it, I want to invite you to a powerful event I am holding where I will help you build your podcast monetization strategy. We actually get stuff done in this day-long bootcamp.

So many times, we go to webinars hoping to learn something only to find out it is full of fluff. We might walk away with one or two ideas after an hour. But we are really only there for the sales pitch.

You now have a chance to join me for a 6-hour Podcast Profits Bootcamp where I will walk you through the entire process to build your podcast monetization strategy. It’s actually 7 hours, but you get an hour for lunch.

During this event, we will build a few ways to monetize your show that are perfect for you. This isn’t one size fits all. It is specific to your podcast.

You can enroll at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/bootcamp.

You will get a workbook that will help you stay on track as we develop your strategy. During the bootcamp, we walk through the workbook step-by-step.

HOW IT WORKS

We will start with your foundation to ensure you are building on solid ground. Then, we will develop your purpose. I’ll show you why most podcasts don’t make money, so you can avoid those pitfalls.

Many people think ads and sponsorships are the way to make money with your show. That is a myth. It is the worst way. Sponsorships require a very large audience and a lot of sales time. Ads also have a revenue ceiling.

I’ll show you a better way during the Podcast Profits Bootcamp. I won’t just show you, we will build it together. We will discuss the various ways you can monetize your show, and we will pick the strategy that is right for you.

Finally, you will have plenty of time to ask me questions to refine your strategy.

This is so much more than a webinar or workshop. It is a bootcamp where we will actually get things done.

Where most webinars last an hour, this is an all day event.

REGISTER

Registration for the Podcast Profits Bootcamp is $197 for this 6-hour bootcamp and your workbook. More importantly, you walk away with your monetization strategy for your show.

Right now, you can enroll for $197. Enroll now and secure your spot.

You can enroll at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/bootcamp.

If you are ready to build your podcast monetization strategy, the Podcast Profits Bootcamp is for you. You’ve spent enough time attending empty webinars and trying to find sponsors. Now is the time to build a real strategy.

Let’s sweeten the deal for you a little more. If you enroll in the Podcast Profits Bootcamp, you will also get a bonus prep call to get you ready for the event. This is where we help you gather all of the information and ideas you’ll need before the bootcamp begins.

Let’s get you registered for the Podcast Profits Bootcamp. Jump in right now at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/bootcamp.

BEGIN YOUR STRATEGY

As you build relationships with your content, start with the end in mind. This is where your strategy begins.

What do you want your listener to take away from this episode?

Decide what emotions do you want to stir?

What do you want your listener to do when the episode is over?

When you know those goals, your content will be easy to create.

On your podcast, stir emotion by talking about the “why” to your solution. Agitate the hopes, needs, fears and dreams of your listener.

Then, give your listener a little of your “what”. Let them engage with your coaching, courses or other offerings for the “how”.

MONETIZATION STRATEGY

Then, you need to determine your revenue goal.

You make money with your podcast, not from your podcast.

The podcast doesn’t generate any income. Ads are a lot of work with very little return.

To monetize your show, leverage the attention you have built to drive your business. How does the podcast fit into your overall marketing plan?

Start with the goal.

Your podcast is the top of your funnel. This is where you build the relationship with your prospective client.

So, what do you want them to do when the show is over?

Have one clear, concise call-to-action. Get them started on their journey with you.

This could be a free download, strategy call, webinar, or ask me anything session. Give them something in return for their name and email address.

Nurture the relationship, serve them well and move them through the sales journey.

MARKETING STRATEGY

When it comes to marketing, begin again with the end goal in mind. Intentionally build the marketing plan for your business.

I was looking at the calendar the other day and realized we are 8 weeks from New Year’s Eve.

The new year always brings new goal and a renewed energy to what we are doing.

Unfortunately, studies show that 60%-80% of people give up on their resolutions by the middle of February.

You’re probably saying, “Erik, we just finished Halloween! What’s all this resolution stuff?”

Well, I believe most people give up on their resolutions, because they don’t have a clear plan to achieve their goals.

Lose weight. Start my own business. Grow my podcast audience. Spend more time with my kids.

Those are all great. But, they are not specific and are not connected to a plan.

Now is the time to start planning. Create your strategy to reach those goals.

Spend the next 2 months getting things in place to execute your plan when the resolution kicks in.

A plan is something like go to the gym 3 times a week, appear on 2 other podcasts a week or have one-on-one time with each kid once a week.

That’s a plan.

If you build your strategy now, you will have a much better chance of reaching your goals.

On top of that, who says it needs to be January 1st to start working on a new goal?

Get after it.

AUDIENCE STRATEGY

In radio, we had a saying. Frequency to the target.

The first time a prospect hears your marketing message, it goes in one ear and out the other.

The second time, the message might start to sink in.

The third time, it might ring a bell in their memory.

When your prospect hears your message the fourth, fifth and sixth time, he might begin to remember it.

Therefore, you need to deliver your message to your prospect six or eight times prior to the moment he is making a buying decision.

You cannot try a marketing tactic once and decide if it works. It requires frequency to the target.

Don’t expect your audience to grow overnight. Your prospective listeners need to hear about your show multiple times before they will push play.

How many times have you said, “Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to listen to that podcast.”

It’s like snowfall. Mother Nature doesn’t make it snow for 3 minutes and then think, “Well, that didn’t work.”

It takes millions of little flakes over time to create a 5 foot drift.

As you work to grow your audience, be consistent.

Pick three marketing strategies. This could be other podcasts, appearing on summits and stages, social media, YouTube, partners, guest blogging or various other ways.

Select three that you enjoy and can do consistently.

Then, spend 30 minutes each day taking action on those vehicles to get in front of new potential listenes.

Over time, your audience grows.

YOUR PLAN

Are you frustrated because your podcast makes no money?

So many podcasters come to me struggling to find a path to riches.

It is possible to monetize your podcast. However, you need to understand that it takes three things to make that happen.

  1. Something to sell
  2. A strategy to sell it using your podcast
  3. Patience

If you have those three things, you have a much better chance to use your podcast to build and grow a business.

If you are willing to put in the time and effort, good things will happen.

GET SPECIFIC

One of the most common questions from podcasters is, “How do I monetize my podcast?”

I’ve tried it all.

When I first started, I put everything I knew about building great shows into a comprehensive course. It was a masterpiece.

Then reality cracked me upside the head.

Nobody wants a comprehensive course. They want a focused solution to their problem.

To monetize your show, you must …

  • Have something to sell
  • Ask for the sale
  • Serve first
  • Find your listener’s true pain
  • Explain their transformation with your solution
  • Build rappport

As you develop something to sell, find what works for you. It should be something that …

  • You enjoy
  • People want (different than need)
  • You can deliver
  • Can scale

TAKE ACTION

Those are the steps. If you would like my help crafting your monetization strategy, join me for the Podcast Profits Bootcamp.

Join me for a 6-hour Podcast Profits Bootcamp where I will walk you through the entire process to build your podcast monetization strategy. It’s actually 7 hours, but you get an hour for lunch.

During this event, we will build a few ways to monetize your show that are perfect for you. This isn’t one size fits all. It is specific to your podcast.

You can enroll at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/bootcamp.

You will get a workbook that will help you stay on track as we develop your strategy. During the bootcamp, we walk through the workbook step-by-step.

If you enroll in the Podcast Profits Bootcamp, You will also get a bonus prep call to get you ready for the event. This is where we help you gather all of the information and ideas you’ll need before the bootcamp begins.

Let’s get you registered for the Podcast Profits Bootcamp. Jump in right now at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/bootcamp.

Podcast Content Strategy – PTC 343

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If you hope to use your podcast to grow your business, you need a podcast content strategy. Randomly creating shows will get you random results. Define your goal. Develop the plan to get there. Then focus.

TRAINING

I will be holding a free training called “How To Make Money With A Free Podcast … Without Ads and Sponsorships.” This is the exact step-by-step process to grow your audience, attract your ideal customers and clients, and make money with your podcast.

You can join us for free. Register at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/growth

On this training you are going to discover:

  • How to create a successful podcast using your personality
  • Why some podcasts don’t make money and how to avoid those pitfalls
  • How to attract your ideal clients with your podcast
  • How to keep listeners coming back episode after episode
  • And more!

Register for free at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/growth.

NO STRATEGY

When I first started coaching podcasters, I developed the Powerful Profitable Podcasts system. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

This was system and process designed to get podcasters from idea to monetization. It was built with seven sections and a few dozen modules.

Powerful Profitable Podcasts started with the magic of audio. This covered theater of the mind and your why.

The system helped podcasters design their foundation. This included your strategy, solution and structure.

It was program that covered everything. The system taught show prep, reviewing your show to get better and monetizing your efforts.

Powerful Profitable Podcasts went from A to Z, soup to nuts. It was everything you need to do to create a profitable show.

So, why did it fail? Nobody wanted everything. Podcasters don’t want to solve every problem. They only want to solve their problem.

That is when I started to do some market research and focus on specific problem. I took the system and broke it into parts. Instead of teaching the whole system, I now teach individual parts of the system within a podcast content strategy.

YOUR STRATEGY

There are three steps to designing your strategy.

First, determine your process. How do you help your listeners?

Next, brainstorm frequent questions for each step that your listeners might be asking.

Finally, identify a lead magnet or additional help for each question.

This assumes you have built a follow-up system that gets to your offer. This could be your e-mail follow-up sequence or one-on-one discovery call. You have the contact info of your listener. Now, follow up and offer more help.

This process also works with interviews. Who can you interview as a case study or as a compliment to each question?

With an interview podcast, start by working backwards. When you land a guest for your show, work backward to determine how the interview fits within your podcast content strategy.

If the interview won’t fit in the strategy, you shouldn’t be doing the interview. Interviews must benefit the listener, the guest and you. If it isn’t win-win-win, you should politely decline.

MY STRATEGY

Let me show you how this would work with my show.

My Audience Explosion Blueprint process is three steps. Your programming, promotion and personality. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be.

That process consists of six steps. Those steps are your podcast platform, content creation, popularity factor, influence roadmap, money plan and raving fans.

I now want to create episodes around each of those steps.

QUESTIONS

What questions would my ideal listener ask regarding those steps?

Podcast platform – What is the best way to structure my show?

Content creation – How can I create content that gets my listeners to engage?

Popularity factor (discovery) – How can I grow my audience?

Influence roadmap (personality) – How can I make my show different from everyone else? Why would anyone listen to me?

Money plan – How can I make money with a free podcast?

Raving fans (story) – How do I get people to keep listening?

LEAD MAGNETS

Podcast Platform – Podcast Show Clock Worksheet – Episode 288 How To Structure Your Podcast.

Content creation – 17 Of The Most Powerful Podcast Interview Questions Ever – Episode 331 Interviewing Secrets – 75 Ways To Drive Engagement With Your Podcast – Episode 341 Get Your Listeners To Engage.

Popularity factor – Collaborate – Episode 334 Double Your Audience.

Influence roadmap – Podcast Review Show and Personality Development Worksheet – Episode 310 How To Develop Your Podcast Personality.

Money plan – 6 Ways To Make Money With A Free Podcast – Episode 281 The Podcast Profit Roadmap.

Raving Fans – Story Development Worksheet – Episode 130 Can You Tell Stories Like Walt Disney?

CONTENT CREATION STRATEGY

Now, my podcast episodes offer my listeners help with a specific problem.

Each episode directs you to a lead magnet that will give you additional help with that problem.

The e-mail sequence will then offer you additional help. I will then give you a chance to get even more help by working with me.

It is all part of a strategy.

This week, look at your process. Begin developing your strategy to take your listener from content to client.

JOIN US

Come join my on my new training called “How To Make Money With A Free Podcast … Without Ads and Sponsorships.” This is the exact step-by-step process to grow your audience, attract your ideal customers and clients, and make money with your podcast.

This is the process I use. I will teach it to you in this training. You can join us for free. Register at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/growth.

On this training you are going to discover:

  • How to create a successful podcast using your personality
  • Why some podcasts don’t make money and how to avoid those pitfalls
  • How to attract your ideal clients with your podcast
  • How to keep listeners coming back episode after episode
  • And more!

Register for free at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/growth.

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.

Grow Your Podcast Downloads – PTC 342

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There are three important steps to growing your podcast downloads. The three steps are awareness, attraction and retention. I like to call it promotion, programming and personality. Today, I want to help you grow your downloads by focusing on promotion.

TRAINING

I will be holding a free training called “How To Make Money With A Free Podcast … Without Ads and Sponsorships.” This is the exact step-by-step process to grow your audience, attract your ideal customers and clients, and make money with your podcast.

You can join us for free. Register at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/growth.

On this free training you are going to discover:

  • How to create a successful podcast using your personality
  • Why some podcasts don’t make money and how to avoid those pitfalls
  • How to attract your ideal clients with your podcast
  • How to keep listeners coming back episode after episode
  • And more!

Register for free at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/growth.

DOWNLOADS

Before you can make money with your podcast, you need to grow your podcast downloads. You don’t necessarily need a big audience. To drive your business, you need the right audience.

Less than 7% of all podcasts have an audience large enough to attract big sponsors and advertisers. There are much better ways to monetize your podcast.

Many people believe sponsorships and advertising are the only ways to make money with a podcast. Untrue.

In fact, you shouldn’t clutter up your show with ads. Instead, use your podcast as a powerful marketing tool for your business.

Podcasting is huge. You have incredible power in front of you. Let me show you some numbers.

There are just under 2 million podcasts today. On the other hand, there are over 600 Million blogs and more than 1.3 billion YouTube videos. Where do you want to compete?

Podcast search engine Listen Notes reports there were 246,782 podcast debuts in 2019 alone. Today, more than 90 million people in the U.S.— approximately 32% of the U.S. population over the age of 12 — have listened to a podcast in the past month according to Edison Research.

According to The Nielsen Company, the total podcast audience is growing at a compound average growth rate of 20%. And that could mean the overall audience for the medium could double within the next five years. Now is the time to stake your claim in your niche. Get noticed and build your audience.

Let’s talk about why many podcasts don’t make money. There are a 6 reasons podcasts don’t make money or attract clients. Let me give you the big two.

You already know that ads and sponsorships are a tough sell, especially if you are not in the top 7%. If you are part of the other 93%, how can you make money?

It’s all about the right audience.

WHAT ARE YOU SELLING?

The first issue most podcasters face is you don’t have anything to sell.

When podcasters contact me for coaching, our first step is a podcast strategy session. During that call, we define goals and the strategy to achieve those goals.

Though the questions vary, one seems to consistently come up. “How can I make money with my podcast?” I ask, “What are you selling?”

Can your listeners currently give you money for anything?

As coaches and content creators, you probably have something to sell. You just need more people to buy it.

ARE YOU ASKING?

The second problem is you are not asking for the sale

Podcasters say, “Yeah, Erik. I have a course for sale. Nobody is buying it.”

Have you told anyone about it?

One of my buddies has a great course available. I had known him for six months before I knew anything about it.

Once you build your rapport through your podcast, the “yes” should become a formality if you actually ask for the sale and help your listener succeed.

THE RIGHT PODCAST DOWNLOADS

The big challenge is the audience. You need to find an audience full of your ideal clients.

When I started building my e-mail list, I developed multiple lead magnets that would help my podcast audience. I then offered those on my show.

My list grew nicely. My podcast downloads grew as well.

Before too long, I had about 500 people on my e-mail list. My show was getting about 200 downloads an episode.

Then it happened. I hit that plateau. Has that happened to you?

My podcast downloads stopped growing.

What I discovered was what worked yesterday doesn’t necessarily work today. That doesn’t mean you need to chase the next big thing. It simply means you need multiple streams of traffic.

That’s when I discovered my ability to diversify my traffic.

I participated in a few gift giveaways. My list doubled. My podcast downloads grew as well.

Then I gave a few presentations on summits and did a few podcast interviews. My downloads ended up doubling in a few months.

If you want to grow your downloads, find ways to get in front of your ideal audience.

MULTIPLE STREAMS

You should not try everything at once. Pick 3 that you enjoy and can do well.

My former coach Marc Mawhinney calls this his three pillars. What three traffic sources are you going to use to reach your ideal clients and potential listeners?

You could use stages. By stages I don’t only mean physical stages. The term stage refers to any platform where you can speak in front of a group of people.

Stages could include real stages. It also includes podcasts, radio shows, summits, webinars, Facebook lives and other speaking opportunities.

You could also use social media as a strategy. Be active in groups.

Gift giveaways are a great way to reach new people. This is where a group of similar experts team up to provide a bunch of valuable free gifts to their e-mail lists.

In a gift giveaway, each expert contributes a gift. All experts typically e-mail their list a few times and post on social media inviting people to get the gifts. When people opt in for your gift, they are added to your e-mail list.

Gift giveaways are a great way to build your list and reach a new audience.

YOUR LIST

Building your e-mail list is a great way to start the relationship with your listener. By e-mailing your list with valuable resources and information, you build your credibility and trust.

You need to serve when you e-mail. Send information your listeners can use.

When I send my daily e-mail, it always contains a tip or piece of information my listeners can use. This varies from content to growth to monetization. Every e-mail begins with something my listeners can use.

The tip is typically followed by an opportunity to go deeper and get even more help. Sometimes this is from me. Other times it is from one of my partners.

My e-mails are rarely 100% focused on sales. There is always value. If I only send sales e-mail or only send when I have a pitch, people stop opening my e-mails.

I understand your inbox is valuable. Therefore, I deliver value.

MONETIZATION

If you want to monetize your podcast, it all begins with building the right audience.

You need to find ways to promote yourself to new listeners. Continuing to market to the same pool will not help you grow. Find new fans.

Once you find listeners, find ways to help them. Then, keep them coming back again and again.

Those are the three steps to grow your podcast downloads. Promotion, programming and personality.

JOIN US

Come join my on my new training called “How To Make Money With A Free Podcast … Without Ads and Sponsorships.” This is the exact step-by-step process to grow your audience, attract your ideal customers and clients, and make money with your podcast.

This is the process I use. I will teach it to you in this training. You can join us for free. Register at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/growth.

On this training you are going to discover:

  • How to create a successful podcast using your personality
  • Why some podcasts don’t make money and how to avoid those pitfalls
  • How to attract your ideal clients with your podcast
  • How to keep listeners coming back episode after episode
  • And more!

Register for free at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/growth.

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.

Ways To Grow Your Podcast Engagement – PTC 341

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Many podcasters ask me how to get more listener interaction with their show. How can you get more listener feedback and comments? They are looking for ways to grow their podcast engagement.

We need to transform your information into engaging entertainment. When your content is engaging, people take notice and take action. If you want your listeners to interact more with your show, make your content engaging.

You can download the list at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/engage.

The one struggle that I hear most often is the desire to gain more engagement. How do we get more listeners? How do I increase my download numbers? What do you do to create more engagement? The problem may be worded differently, but the struggle is the same.

Are you making the problem more difficult than it needs to be?

The solution is easy to understand, yet difficult to execute properly.

Through all of my research and years of experience in both radio and podcasting, I’ve discovered a few key steps to create interaction. This week, let’s cover 7 steps to create more podcast engagement with your listeners.

Some of these steps may sound a little too simplistic. Just remember … don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Step back and ask yourself if you are truly executing on each step to the fullest.

ASK

1. Ask Them To Engage

How do you expect them to know you want them to be part of your show if you don’t ask?

Be sure to make your request specific. Tell your listener exactly what you want her to do.

If you want your listener to e-mail you or leave a voice message, tell them how to do that. Tell them where to go and what to do. When you want more podcast engagement, you need to ask for it.

EASY

2. Make It Easy To Engage

You may use social media, your website, an e-mail address, voicemail, or a number of other methods to reach you. Simplify it.

Create one contact page on your website containing the info to avoid the need for a laundry list during your show. Then, always provide that one contact source.

By using that one source, you also prevent your listener from getting caught in the decision paradox. If someone must decide which options to choose, they will choose to do neither.

It is much safer to make no choice than to make the wrong choice. Don’t put them in that situation.

Make the questions specific, so they don’t have to think. Give your listener a question to answer or specific piece of information to provide.

If he isn’t forced to be creative and “work” to create content for your show, you will have more success creating podcast engagement.

DEMONSTRATE

3. Show Them How To Engage

Give examples of podcast engagement. Show your listeners what you want them to do.

If you want people to leave you voice messages, play some examples on the show. When your listener hears others asking questions or giving opinions, they will know exactly what to do.

On the radio, we always had trouble getting the first call. Nobody wants to be first. We would set up the first call with someone who called about something completely different.

If we wanted to get into a conversation about best movie theater, we would set it up. When someone called to request a song, we would ask them the question. Then, we would play that call to demonstrate to others what we wanted.

Prime the pump to get more podcast engagement.

REWARD PODCAST ENGAGEMENT

4. Reward Podcast Engagement

What do your listeners get by engaging? What is it in for them?

Reward listeners who engage. This doesn’t need to be a gift or physical reward. You could acknowledge them on the show or highlight their journey.

Rewarding your active listeners can take many forms.

SUPERFANS

5. Use Superfans

Reach out to your superfans to begin the podcast engagement. They are more likely to engage than others. Use this to your advantage.

Connect with three or four to start the engagement. When your superfans start the conversation, others will follow.

NAMES

6. Use Their Name

Know your frequent listeners by name and use their name often.

Like Dale Carnegie says in “How To Win Friends And Influence People“, there is no sweeter sound than the sound of one’s name.

Jon and Dave and Regina listen to my show each week. They support my show and all I do. Find those frequent listeners for your show and mention them.

HIGHLIGHT

7. Highlight Members

Highlight a member of your community or audience on each show.

If you want more members and more engagement, highlight a member each week. Rather than simply acknowledging them, do a full feature on them. You might even invite them on the show and coach them.

Really shine the spotlight on a member and it will pay off when they share it.

Here are two bonus ideas …

SHARE

8. Share Tips

Have listeners share a tip of the week. Creating a crowd sourced show is a powerful way to create podcast engagement.

Dave Jackson at School of Podcasting does this as the final episode each month. He has a question of the month. He then tells people exactly how to leave their answer.

For the final episode of the month, he combines all of the answers into a show.

TEXT

9. Text

Let listeners text to make it easier. When podcast engagement is easy, engagement goes up.

We would often be told to get more callers on the radio during our show. Unfortunately, people would rather text than call. It’s a way of life today.

If your listeners are in the habit of texting, find a way to allow them to text you. Make it easy.

TIP SHEET

Would you like 75 ways to drive podcast engagement and grow your audience? You can get my list at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/engage.

You will get ideas to engage your audience with your content. There are tips to increase your podcast downloads. There are also ways to encourage your listener to visit your website.

You can download the list at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/engage.

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.

How To Leverage Interviews To Grow – PTC 335

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Interviews can add so much to your podcast and brand. You can benefit in many ways by leveraging interviews and guests when you look beyond the content.

If you are looking for great guests and partners, you want to check out Collaborate. It is an event that is designed to connect people who want to work with each other.

Regardless of your niche, you’ll find someone that will make a great partner. Get registered at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/collaborate.

CONTENT

Guests can add content to your show. That is the obvious benefit of interviews.

You can create a great episode with much less preparation when you interview others. Your guest can offer information that it outside of your area of expertise.

Guests can also provide different perspectives and approaches. They can provide info from their area of expertise that compliments your knowledge.

You also don’t need to prepare as much for an interview as you do for a solo show. Some guests overprepare. They know too much for the interview.

When you know too much, you suffer from the curse of knowledge. You forget what it is like to not know the information. That causes a disconnect with your listener.

The great Larry King used to say that he never read the book or saw the movie before he interviewed his guests. He wanted to ask the questions his audience would naturally ask. If he knew too much, he may miss a great questions.

Know enough about your guest to lead them down the path to present the info your audience wants. Don’t learn too much where you start talking jargon and making assumptions.

LEAVE ROOM

As you interview others on your show, be sure to leave room for yourself.

So many podcasters come to me frustrated that their podcast isn’t doing much to grow their business. When I listen to an episode, most of the time is spent interviewing the guest.

The host tells the audience how great the guest is. We demonstrate the guest’s expertise. The host will send the audience to the guest’s website for the free thing or promote the guest’s course, program or product.

It is no wonder the podcast isn’t helping the host’s business. It was a 30-minute commercial for the guest. Why would people come see you?

Instead, carve out time for yourself. Be sure you are leaving space to demonstrate your authority in your niche. Spend time building the relationship with your listener.

GO FIRST

When I have guests on my podcast, I spend the first ten minutes or so teaching. I use that time to show my audience how I can provide value for them. This is all designed to demonstrate my authority and expertise as an influencer in the space.

After I teach a bit, I then interview my guest. The interview is usually a case study to what I just taught or an example of a small part of something I taught.

You should also include your call-to-action during your time as well. Send your listeners to your website or lead magnet before the interview starts.

If you wait until the end, two things happen that are not good for you.

First, a good portion of your listeners won’t make it all the way to the end of your episode. Studies show that just over half listen to the entire podcast. Many stop listening when they are done doing whatever they are doing.

Next, your guest just gave their call-to-action. Your listeners will be focused on that one. Now your call-to-action gets lost in the mix. Putting it up front makes you first and separates your ask from the call-to-action of your guest.

Leave room in your show to toot your own horn.

EXPOSURE

Exposure is another benefit of podcast interviews on your show. Guests can share your podcast episode with their audience. This could be on their show, in their e-mail, on their social media and anywhere else they communicate with their tribe.

When you publish the episode, notify your guest. They are not obligated to share your show. However, they just might if you make it easy for them.

Send your guest artwork they can use in their social post. Write the sample post for them. Make the whole process as easy as possible.

Be grateful they appeared on your show. Do what you can to help them get exposure. If they help in return, that’s an added benefit to you and your podcast.

CREDIBILITY

Podcast guests can also add credibility to you and your show.

When you have experts on your podcast, it provides social proof for you. You get an implied endorsement just by letting the guest appear on your show.

Listeners assume you have a relationship with the guest. The two of you are hanging out chatting about the things you have in common. Their reputation rubs off on you and you look great.

On the other hand, make sure you screen your guests. Don’t let just anybody on your show. Pick the guests that make you look good. One bad guest can ruin your reputation.

CLIENTS

Guests can become your clients. This is definitely a way to benefit from interviews. You can help your guests achieve their goals.

A podcast is a great way to open that door and begin the relationship. Zoe Routh uses her podcast to make a connection with potential clients. Rather than cold calling prospects or trying to schedule a meeting, she invites prospects to be a guest on her show.

Once they are a guest, she begins serving the potential partner. She builds the relationship.

This is a long-term play. Show your guest what you can do and how you can help them succeed. It could lead to something in the future once you build the relationship.

PARTNERS

Finally, interviews are a great way to generate revenue with your podcast.

Interview guests can become your JV partners. The interview can help you promote your guest’s products or services and earn a commission.

The first part of your conversation should provide great value for your listener. Teach something. Share some great value.

At the end of the interview, you guest can make a pitch. Send listeners to your website with a redirect to the guest’s offer. If you send directly to the offer, you rely on the guest to track everything. When listeners come through your site with a redirect, you can see how many hits that page received. That will allow you to analyze if the call-to-action worked.

Your guest can also promote your goods and services and you pay them a commission. It is the process, just in reverse.

Interviews have a ton of benefit for you, your podcast and your business. Make sure you are making the most of every opportunity.

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.

5 Ways To Grow Your Podcast This Week – PTC 325

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If you want to grow your audience, you need to find ways to reach new listeners. Promoting to your current listeners over and over again won’t do much to bring in new listeners. Find ways to get in front of people who are unaware of your show and invite them to listen.

On the show today, I am going to show you five ways you can find those new listeners over the next few days. You simply need to take action.

Before we jump into the five ideas, I have a little housekeeping.

PODCAST EDITING

First, if you want to free up time in your week that you spend editing your show, I can give you some help. I offer editing services for your show. This includes everything from basic show editing to full production and show notes.

Imagine what you could do to promote your show and grow your business if you had that time back every week. You can start with the basic package which will give you four shows a month. Or, you can check out the premium package with comes with one-on-one coaching, SEO-optimized show notes, images and thumbnails and more.

Visit www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/edit. Click on the “show me what is in each package” to see the full details of each. I would liove to give you back some time in your week.

Next, let me turn you on to a fantastic opportunity.

FIND PARTNERS

There is an event coming up March 3rd through the 5th. It is called Collaborate. This is an incredible way to find true partners who can help you grow.

During this virtual event, you are placed in small breakout rooms of around 8 people just like you. These are online experts in various niches such as online business, mindset, health and more.

Attendees are coaches, authors, speakers, program leaders, producers of podcasts, radio shows and events. Every attendee is looking to connect and partner with others to help each other grow their businesses, impact and income.

When you are placed in the breakout room, each person in the room has 2 minutes to tell others who they are, what they do, what support they can offer other attendees and what support they need.

If you find someone who might make a good partner and fits your niche, you agree to connect in the next few days to determine how you might help each other.

You will literally meet over 100 people. Not all will fit your niche. That will depend on your target.

Let’s say you help small businesses set up their accounting books. In a breakout room you meet a coach who helps small business leaders with their sales process. The two of you have the same target audience but offer different services. That is where the collaboration comes in.

RESERVE YOUR SPOT

You can reserve your spot for free at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/collaborate.

However, there is an upgrade VIP option for only $47. I would highly recommend going VIP. You will find so much more value. You also get a directory of everyone who attends to help you find even more partners.

Get signed up. It will be the best three days you can invest to explode your next year.

I have attended Collaborate three times now. I’ve always gone VIP. This event has done more for my show and business than anything I’ve done. There were 40 people in my niche alone that I met at just one event. I meet more and more each time I attend.

Join Collaborate at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/collaborate.

Let’s talk about other things you can do over the next week to grow your show.

GET INTERVIEWED

First, get interviewed on another show. We talk about this a ton. Finding complimentary shows in your niche is a great way to grow.

Reach out to a podcaster in your niche to begin the discussion. I’m sure you listen to a few shows who target the same audience you target. Let’s chat with those podcasters first.

Send the podcaster a note. Start with something specific you liked about an episode. “Hey, Erik! Great episode on growing your show. I’ve just sent three e-mails to other podcasters to see if we can swap interviews. Love the idea.” Keep it short.

Next, tell the podcaster that it appears you target the same audience in complimentary ways. “As I was listening to your show, it hit me. It sounds like you help coaches refine their funnel so they can get more clients. I help coaches transform their information into entertainment on their podcast to get more clients.”

Finally, ask for an opportunity to talk. You are NOT asking for an interview. Ask for a chat. “Would you have time over the next week to jump on a call to see how we might partner and help each other grow?”

Get the call booked. Spend the first 20 minutes finding out what they do. Then, spend the next 20 minutes telling them what you do. Spend the last 20 minutes brainstorming ways you can support each other.

A podcast interview on both sides might come of this. However, bigger opportunities might show up that you didn’t even consider.

This is the way Collaborate works. Rather then sending a cold e-mail, you are in a room for people looking for connections just like you. Again, find details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/collaborate.

YOUR GUESTS

Your guests are a great resource to help you promote your show. Though you cannot expect it of them, it sure is nice when they share your interview with their audience.

Reach out to the person you interviewed or mentioned in the podcast. Tell them the episode is live. Then, tell them you would greatly appreciate it if they would mention it to their following.

Make it easy for them. Write the copy. Create the social media graphic. The easier you can make it for your guest to share the episode, the more likely it will be that they actually share it.

The same is true when you answer questions on your show. If you receive an e-mail and you include that question on the show, reply to the e-mail and let them know you answered their question on the episode. Give them a link. Ask them to share it the same way you would ask your guest.

SWAP

To promote your show, you could swap mentions with another podcaster. So many podcasters think the only way to partner with another show is to get interviewed on the show. There are many other ways.

One great way to get your show promoted is to swap mentions in your newsletter. Connect with another podcaster in your niche who has a decent e-mail list. You will know they do if they have frequent lead magnets are mailing often.

Connect just like we talked about. Reach out to let them know you appreciate what they do. Be specific. Tell them you have similar audiences. Ask if they would like to partner to grow. If you connect, simply mention each other’s show in your e-mails to your audience.

You could say something like, “Hey, I found a really cool podcast I thought you might enjoy. As you are trying to grow your audience and make money with your show, you need to be sure your process is solid. Check out the Yadda Yadda show. They help you build your process from lead magnet to shopping cart.”

You can find partners just like this at Collaborate. Check it out at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/colllaborate.

SUPERFANS

The fourth way to promote your show is by leveraging your superfans. These people will be evangelists for your show, because they love it. If anyone will promote your show, it will be these people. You simply need to empower them.

First, create a list of superfans. Find the people that comment on your episodes, send you e-mail about the show and interact with you on Facebook. You know who they are. You might have 3 or 37. Write them down.

Next, create a post on Facebook and tag your superfans. Be sure to ask a question, so the post starts getting some interaction and gets seen by others.

This could be something like, “Just want to thank a bunch of the listeners to Podcast Talent Coach. Thanks to Bruce, Elaine, Greg, Josh, TaVona, Oscar, Laura, Chris, Rick, Prasha, Andy, Cat, Tony, Kim, Christine and so many others. I really appreciate you listening to the show. What is one idea you’ve picked up from the show that has helped your podcast?”

Be sure to respond to everyone who comments. Interact. If you can get some traction with the post, friends of your superfans will start to see the interaction. Mention your show by name so others can find it.

ADD A LINK

My final idea today is to add a link to your show in your e-mail signature. Make it easy to find your show.

Next, add some valuable content in the email with a call-to-action. This could be a free download or checklist or top 5 ideas. Make it something your audience can use. Make sure it is valuable.

Finally, invite your subscribers to share it with a friend. Say something like, “If you know someone who could use this information as well, please forward this e-mail to them. They can have this free resource as well.”

TAKE ACTION

There you go. Five ideas to grow your audience this week. Now, these ideas will do nothing to grow your audience unless you actually take action and do something.

Pick one of these ideas and take action. If you can get one done, select another and take more action. I would rather see you complete one than start all five and complete none of them.

If you want to start making powerful connections with others who can help you grow, I really encourage you to attend Collaborate. It is an amazing event that can help you skyrocket your growth. Get all of the details for Collaborate at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/collaborate.

Have a great week.

Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let’s see what we can do.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

Grow Your Audience With Networking – PTC318

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In this interview on networking, we discuss:

  • The biggest benefit of networking
  • How podcasters can use networking to grow their show
  • The biggest challenges of networking
  • How to network without the awkwardness
  • Much more

Connect with Basile Lemba here:

HOW WE THINK OF NETWORKING

When you think of networking, you probably imagine walking into a room filled with salespeople all trying to jam their business card into your hand and sell you something. Why else would you network?

The purpose of networking is to grow your network. It is not to make a sale to one person.

One year at New Media Expo, I bought a ticket to Cliff Ravenscraft’s networking event. I thought it would be a great way to introduce my show to a ton of other podcasters who could benefit from my information.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to network properly.

When I walked into the room of about 100 people, nobody noticed. I got a drink and few snacks from the table. Still, nobody cared.

I finally made my way over to one of those stand-up cocktail tables and joined a couple other podcasters. They were talking about their shows.

I introduced myself and they asked about my show. After I told them a bit about this show, we talked about their shows.

The conversation came to that awkward end where we have nothing left to say. One of made an excuse to go get another drink or something.

It continued like that for the next 30 minutes. I finally faded out of the room unnoticed just like I arrived.

Looking back on that day, I realized I was doing it all wrong. People don’t want to know about me and my show. They want to talk about themselves. If you want to be interesting, be interested.

NETWORKING TO GROW

As you connect with others, find out as much as you can about that person. If it would make sense to partner and help each other grow, get their contact info. Agree to follow up to see how you might help each other reach your goals.

Networking is intended to find partners, not push your stuff on people.

If you create a partnership with a person who can introduce you or your stuff to 100 other people, you’ve leveraged the opportunity to make as many as 100 new listeners or better yet … clients. If you sell only to the person you’ve met at the event, you’ve only created one new client.

To grow your podcast, we need to find people who can introduce your show to groups of people. If you tell one person about your show, you get one new listener. If that person can put you in front of a new group of people, or simply tell their audience about you, your show can find hundreds or thousands of listeners.

A PODCAST EXAMPLE

I was on a coaching strategy call the other night with a producer of a real estate podcast. Just like most of my clients, he is trying to grow the audience.

The podcast helps people buy and sell their home. They give tips to sell the house quickly, get the best deal and mistakes to avoid.

He told me they promote the show on Facebook and through e-mail when new episodes are released. Unfortunately, those people already know about the show. Those activities are doing nothing to gain new listeners.

We brainstormed ideas to get in front of new listeners. I suggested they partner with complimentary services in the real estate industry to market the show. They could get mortgage lenders, closing agents and staging consultants to tell their clients about the show.

If these agents could promote the podcast to their audiences, the podcast could make mention of the services. Everybody wins.

The key to growing your audience is finding new potential listeners in big groups. Find partners who are already talking to your target listener.

This is why developing your ideal target listener is so important. When you know what your listener is all about, you can determine who is already speaking into their lives. Partner and grow.

You can use networking to grow your show if you use it in the right way.

BASILE LEMBA

Today, we talk to Basile Lemba. He teaches people how to network properly.

Basile was born in Cameroon in West Africa. He moved to France, then Florida. He now lives in Virginia. Each time he moved, Basile was forced to rebuild his connections and network.

As he attended various events, he realized most people lacked the specific know-how to properly connect with each other. That is how he founded BL Networking. Over the past 14 years, Basile has been teaching people how to properly network with each other to get results and grow their business.

We are lucky to have Basile here today to share some tips that will help us grow our podcast audience and connect with powerful partners.

Basile Lemba has over 30 years of experience in Networking.

He is the creator of “PROFITABLE NETWORKING BLUEPRINT” and the Founder of the NETWORKING INSTITUTE.

He has helped over 30,000 businesses acquire the right clients and dramatically increase their revenues. These companies range from “Mom and Pop” to MICROSOFT.

He has an upcoming book on Networking titled: “Everything you think you know about Networking is Wrong!”

Find Basile’s program at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/network.

Do you need help with your podcast? Check out www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/coaching. Let’s see what we can do.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

7 Places To Find Your Clients – PTC 314

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If you are trying to make money with your podcast, this series of episodes will help you create your plan. Last week, we discussed defining your ideal target listener. Today, I want to help you find those listeners and potential clients.

This started in episode 312 where we discussed your 2021 podcast roadmap. That is the foundation for these next few episodes. If you haven’t listened to that show, I would suggest you start there.

This series of episodes will help you create big things in the coming year if you take action and do the things I’m putting in front of you.

I have created a workshop to find your money making idea. It is “6 ways to attract your ideal clients with a podcast”. This free training will happen on December 30th. Register for free at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/growth.

Let’s talk about 7 places to find your ideal clients.

GROUPS

Social media groups can be a great way to get in front of your ideal clients. However, you need to obey the rules.

You cannot get into a group and become an instant salesperson. You need to provide value.

If members of the group get tremendous value from your posts, they will seek you out for more. One way to offer value is to reply to many of the posts. Even replies of encouragement help.

Every time you post in the group, you create an opportunity to be seen. You are creating top-of-mind awareness for your potential clients.

Studies show that a person needs to be exposed to a marketing message three times before it registers in the mind. Create frequency to the target by being seen often. Engage and interact.

Join 3 groups in your niche and offer value.

PODCASTS

Landing interviews on podcasts isn’t as difficult as it seems if you do it the correct way.

How many times have you been approached by a potential guest or representative of a potential guest asking to be interviewed on your show? I’m sure there have been times when you read the summary of the guest and realize it isn’t anywhere close to being a fit for your show.

I get these all of the time. It was especially true when I didn’t do interviews on my podcast. They would e-mail me about their latest book and say, “I think it would be a perfect fit for your show.”

Really? I don’t usually interview people. I especially don’t interview people about that topic.

That is the wrong way to land interviews.

First provide some value. Pursue fewer shows that are right in your roundhouse.

Last week we talked about your ideal target listener. One of the reasons we define our listener is so we can find them. Here is where that comes into play.

Find 5 to 10 podcasts that also speak to your ideal client. Actually listen to a few episodes of each.

Reach out to those hosts and tell them what you love about their show. Ask if there is any way you can support what they are doing. You might even provide a resource you love or a blog post from another creator that talks about a similar topic.

Start the relationship and conversation. When you have developed some rapport, mention that you speak to a very similar audience. Ask if you might get on a call to discuss how you might help each other.

Do this on a call and not over e-mail. If you are willing to commit the time to a discussion, you appear much more willing to help and partner.

On the call, find ways to support each other. This might be interview opportunities. It might be other ways. Get creative.

Work to land interviews on 3 complimentary podcasts.

GIVE

Creating content is hard work. Offer to help a content creator do just that.

You have great content that can be repurposed across other platforms.

Offer to create guest content or conduct an ask me anything for a complimentary content creator in your niche.

This should not simply be a reposting of something you already used. Either create something new or refine one of your pieces specifically for their audience.

By offering to create content for another creator, you lighten their workload and get in front of their audience. Everybody wins.

I first learned of Erik Fisher on Cliff Ravenscraft’s podcast. Erik would do a weekly segment on Cliff’s show where he would highlight a new tech resource he discovered, such as an app.

This added content to Cliff’s show while getting Erik in front of a new audience.

Find opportunities to provide your content to other content creators.

CROWDS

Empowering your audience to help you is a viral way to find new clients. Let your audience help you create an episode.

Dave Jackson does this on his School of Podcasting show every month. He presents the question of the month at the beginning of the month. Listeners are then invited to submit audio of their answer.

The final episode of the month is a collage of the answers Dave has received. Each submission gets highlighted on the show and is allowed to promote their own podcast.

By creating this episode, Dave helps his listeners. He gets great content for an episode. Dave also creates the opportunity to get his listeners talking about his show. “Hey, Mike! I heard you on Dave’s show last week.”

This creates goodwill between Dave and his listeners. It also gets his listeners in the habit of reaching out to Dave if they need help with something.

Create a crowdsourced episode of your own around your solution to their problem.

VIDEO

Do the work once and use it many times over. You would hard to create your podcast every week. Don’t make it a one-and-done.

Find ways to repurpose your content. If you start with a video of the show, you can then use the audio as the podcast. You can also use the transcript as a blog.

Now, you are doing the work once, you are creating the content once, but using it in three different ways. You can also use pieces of it on social media and in your newsletter.

People like to consume content in different ways. Allow them to consume your content in the way they enjoy most.

To get in front of new clients, repurpose your content on YouTube.

NEWSLETTERS

I hope you have an e-mail list. This is one connection to your audience that you actually own. Facebook can kick you off anytime they would like. You own the list of e-mail addresses of people who signed up with you.

Leverage this list to get in front of new listeners. The people on your list already know you. How can you use it to find new clients?

Partner with other creators in your niche. Just like you would include their segment on your show, include their content in your newsletter. They could do the same for you.

This should be part of your conversation when you reach out to partner. If they have an e-mail list that they send to frequently, swap content.

You can give them great content for their newsletter. They can give you great content for your newsletter. You both win.

Swap newsletter mentions with two complimentary content creators.

STAGES

The final way this week to find your clients is stages. I don’t mean physical stages. We are talking about any opportunity to get in front of an audience.

Summits are a great way to get in front of a new audience and build your e-mail list. A virtual summit involves various experts giving presentations around a specific topic.

People submit their name and e-mail address to get access to the summit. Sometimes you are allowed to offer your lead magnet during the summit to build your list as well.

Find a summit where you can give a presentation.

TWO-WAY STREET

Remember with any of these ideas, you need to give first. Seek ways to help the other person succeed. It will come back around.

If your partner knows you are there to help them, they will be more willing to help you.

It needs to be a win-win-win situation. Your partner needs to win. The audience needs to win. Then, you need to win. Provide great value and everybody wins.

Use a few of these ideas this week to get in front of your ideal clients.

Then, come join me at the workshop I’ve created to find your money making idea. It is “6 ways to attract your ideal clients with a podcast”.

This free training will happen on December 30th. Register for free at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/growth. I’ll see you there.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

The Power of Podcast Partnerships – PTC287

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There are few things that will move any project forward faster than partnerships. When you connect and collaborate with people in your niche, you can help each other learn new things, find new audiences, and attract new clients.

When I first launched Podcast Talent Coach, I connected with Dave Jackson at School of Podcasting. In fact, Dave reached out to me. I wasn’t aware of the power of podcast partnerships yet.

Dave helped me get things moving in the right direction. We worked together to help each other grow. That was 8 years ago and the partnership continues today.

One of the best events I ever attended helped me connect with an amazing number of partners.

OPPORTUNITY

I have a great opportunity for you to connect with a ton of potential partnerships. Check it out at PodcastTalentCoach.com/collaborate.

It is a great collaboration event that will supercharge your growth. I’ll tell you more about it in a minute.

Let me tell you about this event I was part of about 6 weeks ago. It was called the JV Experience. Almost 400 experts came together to connect and help each other grow through partnerships.

Due to COVID-19, the whole event was virtual and online. It was a 3-day weekend. Instead of spending a weekend at a conference hotel somewhere, we spent the weekend on Zoom.

During the event, we learned a ton. If we were in the hotel conference room, we would spend the breaks out in the hallway connecting with potential partners. The problem with the hotel scenario happens when you’re an introvert. It is easy to use the restroom, check your e-mail and be invisible.

Online, the situation was much different. During the breaks, we were placed into breakout sessions with about half a dozen other experts. We each took 2 minutes to introduce ourselves and what partnerships we were seeking.

During the weekend, I met about 80 of the 400 experts in the breakout rooms. Of those 80, half made sense for a further discussion and possible partnership. I spent the next two weeks reaching out and having conversations.

Those conversations led to some great partnerships that turned into joint ventures, podcast guests and business opportunities.

It all stemmed from one amazing event. It is crazy how a few of the right partners can explode your projects.

5 WAYS TO PARTNERSHIPS

If you really want to grow your show and your mailing list, even build that business around your podcast, find 5 podcasters in you niche that could make great partners.

Here are five ways to help each other.

CROWDSOURCE

Create a crowdsource episode with experts. Find a question that will help your listeners.

Ask each of the five podcasters to answer the question. Combine them into an episode. Then, ask each of the experts to share the show.

COMMENT

All podcasts like comments and reviews. Leave a comment on or review for 5 shows in your niche that compliment your show. If you teach courses, find someone that teaches memberships. If you teach healthy eating, find someone who teaches healthy gardening.

Begin to create the relationship with the hosts. Get on their radar. Once you begin the conversation, take the next step.

HELP

Reach out to those five people and ask, “How might we help each other.” You are not looking to simply have them promote you. Find ways you can help each other. Create a true partnership.

You can create great synergy when you ask, “What are you working on and how might I support you?” Help them connect with experts you know. Turn them onto resources you use. Spread the word about their latest product.

Give and give again. The support will eventually come back to you. Just start making the connections.

SWAP

When you have a relationship built, offer to swap newsletter mentions. You could send the link to their lead magnet to your e-mail list. They could do the same for you.

You also might consider swapping interviews. Have a discussion around a topic and both of you use the same conversation for your episodes to promote the other. Find ways to help each other grow.

FUN CHALLENGE

The last idea is a bit crazy and fun. Challenge a peer in your niche to something fun. This could be a challenge to see who can get the most Facebook friends in a month. Or, who can get the most comments on an episode in four weeks.

There are a few things the challenge should include.

Make the challenge fun. If it is serious, it won’t attract as much attention.

It should incorporate the listeners. You want your audience to have a vested interest in the challenge. Get them to follow along.

Make it last around four weeks. You want to give it time to gain some attention and word-of-mouth. Create a storyline around it that lasts 3 or 4 episodes. Make sure it is public, so your listeners can follow the progress on each show.

Finally, there should be something at stake. Maybe the loser has to e-mail their list promoting the winner. Or the loser has to do a Facebook live video wearing a t-shirt promoting the winner. Something that gets noticed.

MORE NOTICE

There are many other ways to partner. You could participate in summits, giveaways, live events, podcasts, YouTube interviews, Facebook lives and many other things.

Now, you could spend time searching for other experts that can help you grow, finding them one by one. You’re not sure if they are looking for partners. It is unclear what they have to offer. Will they actually do the work to promote you?

Rather than spending all of that time and energy, you could participate in an event just like I did. And you can get into this one for a crazy deal.

COLLABORATE

I would like to introduce you to a new, live, virtual event called COLLABORATE. I’m so excited about it because it’s a cutting-edge, results-oriented event created by the amazing event team at JV Insider Circle (JVIC). This is the same team who also created the annual JV Experience (JVX) Summit that I attended and made such great connections. JVX is the world’s #1 joint venture summit.

In order to design the ultimate event, the JVIC team analyzed mountains of feedback and gigabytes of successful collaborative partnerships that was generated amongst attendees from their many past events, both live and virtual. The result is COLLABORATE, an event with everything the revered JVX Summit has to offer, but supercharged on a whole new level! This is gonna be great.

COLLABORATE is a live virtual event where you get to connect with hundreds of top entrepreneurs, coaches, authors, speakers, program leaders along with producers of podcasts, radio shows and live & virtual events from around the world.

These people are all interested in creating alliances with you and promoting your products & programs. On top of that, you’ll learn valuable, actionable knowledge. You will get tools and the support you need to catapult your business into the next stratosphere.

GET REGISTERED

Get the details at PodcastTalentCoach.com/collaborate.

The inaugural COLLABORATE event is designed by the innovative events team who also created the world’s #1 joint venture event, JVX SUMMIT.

The connections I made at the JVX were priceless. I connected with 40 potential partners in my niche alone. It was an amazing and very productive weekend.

389 people from around the world attended their last virtual event. If you would like to create amazing partnerships, don’t miss this event. Get your ticket now!

WHAT YOU GET

Here is what you can expect:

Networking Circles. This is where you can connect with industry leaders, experts & influencers from around the world to create your partnerships.

Hot Or Not. This is an opportunity to test your products or programs by getting IMMEDIATE feedback from 100’s of coaches & experts! It is like a focus group on steroids.

Niche Circles. In these small groups, you can get feedback to hone your pitches & messages in front of live coaches.

Knowledge Sessions. You will learn valuable knowledge and gain actionable tools from guest speakers during the event.

JV Shark Attack. This is just a lot of fun and a great way to learn. You have a chance to have your products & programs promoted by key industry leaders if you’re selected. If you are not JV ready yet, this is a great way to learn by watching other people pitch their joint venture opportunities.

Special Exercises. There will be uniquely designed exercises to help you connect with partners and build your business.

Special Activities. You will participate in one-of-a-kind activities created to give your business a mega boost.

There is also much more. There are more sessions & activities being developed between now and the event.

MAKE CONNECTIONS

COLLABORATE is more than just another live online networking event. It is a connecting event.

Not only will you have plenty of connecting time, you will be guided through fun exercises and activities to make sure your products or programs are sizzling hot with clearly communicated benefits and all the factors to make them winners.

Nothing is being left to chance when it comes to helping you walk away with the best joint venture partners. You’ll come away with a full list of powerful alliances and industry influencers ready to promote your products or programs just like I did, even if you’ve struggled with this in the past.

Here is the best part … you can get the whole weekend for just $47. How crazy is that?

Imagine what one partner could do for your podcast. Would that be worth $47? And I connected with 40 at the last one without even knowing what I was doing.

I CAN’T WAIT

I was bummed that I would need to wait an entire year before I could do it again. They got so much great feedback on the connection circles from that event that they are creating Collaborate as a way to help people connect even further. It is going to be amazing.

If you want to connect with hundreds of top entrepreneurs, coaches, authors, speakers, and program leaders along with producers of podcasts, radio shows and live & virtual events from around the world, don’t miss Collaborate.

I can’t wait to see you there. Get registered at PodcastTalentCoach.com/collaborate.

Please be aware that links in this post and on this site may be affiliate links. I could earn a commission should you choose to make a purchase. However, I only recommend things I trust and that I believe are valuable.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

7 Ways To Grow Your Audience This Weekend – PTC263

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There are things you can do this weekend that can grow your audience. Some tactics will have immediate effect. Others will grow your audience over time. Each tactic incorporates one powerful ingredient.

Word-of-mouth.

Word-of-mouth has worked for me time and again. You can start using it this weekend.

RADIO AUDIENCE

It was the spring of 1999. The company I worked for had just purchased a few more radio stations in town. Our general manager was going to let me program one of those stations as a Top 40.

Now, the biggest station in town was a Top 40 that had been around for about 20 years. They were the big dog. Everyone listened to that station. Getting people to change would not be easy. In fact, it had been my favorite station as I was growing up.

The station couldn’t just be better. We had to do something different.

We signed on the station playing Top 40 music that leaned a little rhythmic. Along with the biggest hits on the chart, we were playing the rap and hip hop that wasn’t being played anywhere on the radio in town. It got high school and college kids talking.

Our on-air team consisted of me in the afternoon and a 20-something kid at night. The rest of the day was nothing but music. We had a promotions director who helped a ton, but wasn’t on air. The 3 of us had to take down Goliath.

Since there was only 2 of us on the air, we started using our listeners as the voice of the station. Our listeners introduced new music. High school kids hosted our Top 9 at 9 countdown. Listeners were on the air all the time requesting songs and giving a shout out to their friends.

The week after we signed on our station, they big heritage station was having their annual outdoor concert. We set up shop along the only road in and out of the amphitheater. We were shaking hands and thanking people for listening all day long.

By campaigning along that road, we upset the big station. So much so that they came down to run us out. That was no problem. We had hired an airplane to pull a banner and fly over the event. The banner said, “Channel 977 – Move To It”. More importantly, the other station stood on stage and told the crowd to NOT look at the plane. More word-of-mouth.

Whenever we were on the streets for events that summer, we were recording more listeners to put on the air. Our entire goal was to make listeners feel like they controlled the station and really had input in what we were doing. They talked about it all the time.

One year later, we were the number one radio station in town. A few years later, that heritage station changed their name and their musical focus. Our listeners did it all.

PODCAST AUDIENCE

I took that experience and used it when I was launching my podcast.

As the podcast was taking off, I was networking with other great podcasters in the industry. Not only was I getting my listeners to talk about my show, other podcasters who came before me were helping.

That’s the difference between radio and podcasting. You have to choose between two stations. Radio is 24-hours a day. If you are listening to one, you are not listening to the other.

With podcasting, you can always listen to two podcasts … or three or four. Podcasts are only a few hours a week at most. There is still plenty of time to consume others. Podcasters are always much more willing to help each other.

When I ask people how they discovered me and my show, many tell me they heard someone else mention it. It may have been on a podcast, on social media or during a conversation.

Word-of-mouth is powerful. Use it to your advantage.

GROW YOUR AUDIENCE THIS WEEKEND

Here are seven things you can do this weekend to start growing your audience.

1. Deliver quality content in your newsletter that could be used and shared.

Ask listeners to bring along a friend & spread the word.

Deputize your audience.

2. Network with as many influential people in your niche as possible.

When others in your niche talk about you, it can give you instant credibility. This doesn’t necessarily need to be a podcast. This can be a website, publication, or any other well-known individual in your niche.

3. Create a flashback segment from an old episode on your current episode.

There are two ways to increase downloads. One is getting more listeners. The other is to get currently listeners to listen more. By getting current listeners to check out past episodes, this is a great way to increase overall downloads.

4. Do Facebook Live “ask me anything” sessions.

Demonstrate your expertise.

5. Get media to talk about you.

Become an available expert in your field. Send them a note about something newsworthy in your industry. Then, tell them you are available if they need an expert to expound on the details in the news story. Make it easy for them.

6. Create a survey for your super-fans to determine what they desire

7. Partner with another podcast.

Just like I did when I launched my show, reach out to other shows in your niche. Especially those that compliment your show. Trade resources with another podcast. Guest host for another show.

GET STARTED

Some of these can have an immediate effect on your downloads. If another podcaster or a news outlet mentions your show, your downloads can jump quickly. Creating content that can be shared and doing Facebook live sessions will take a little longer, but will create a solid brand for your show.

If you want to create revenue with your podcast, you need to first build an audience. This is where you start. Take action this weekend on two or three of these. See what is possible.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

The Most Important Step To Building Your Audience – Episode 201

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The Most Important Step To Building Your Audience – Episode 201

Do The Work To Grow Your Audience
Copyright: photopiano / 123RF Stock Photo

 

In working with a new client the other day, he wanted to build his audience. He had a few dozen listeners and wanted to know how to build it to a few thousand. I explained the best way to grow was to put in the work.

There are three activities you can do regularly that will get you in front of potential listeners and grow your audience. You can build your e-mail list, participate in Facebook groups and appear as a guest on other podcasts. Whichever you choose, you need to put in the work.

[GET REVIEWED ON THE PODCAST REVIEW SHOW]

[GET REVIEWED BY ERIK K. JOHNSON]

OVERNIGHT SUCCESS

I know many podcasters don’t want to hear it. Why can’t I be huge today with a big audience? Look at all these other kids who launched and became the overnight success.

Overnight success is usually a farce. Most overnight successes put in years of work before they became the overnight success.

Pat Flynnlaunched Smart Passive Income in 2010.

Gary Vaynerchukstarted Wine Library TV on YouTube in 2006.

Chris Guillebeaustarted the Art of Non-Conformity in the early 2000s and published his first book in 2010.

Shane & Jocelyn Samsare just hitting their stride. Their Flipped Lifestyle podcast began in 2014.

Dave Ramseyhas been doing his show for 25 years.

Dave Jacksonhas been podcasting since 2005.

DO THE WORK

If a podcast has 100 episodes, they have been doing it for about 2 years if they are producing the show once a week.

To reach your goals and grow your audience, put your head down and do the work. If you work to get better every episode, and you are active in the communities within your niche, you will grow. It just takes time.

My son is an ice hockey goalie. He started playing hockey when he was 6. He began playing goalie when he was 8.

Because he started a year later than the other kids, he was always the odd man out. His small size has also been a hurdle to overcome. Through the years, he never got a shot at the top travel team. He just wasn’t part of that tight knit group that typically forms in youth sports.

Year after year, he attended goalie camps and clinics working with various goalie coaches. He put in the work and kept learning and continued doing. I told him he just needed to continue to work toward his goals.

He is now 14. It has been 6 years of hard work.

This is the first year he really broke through. This year, he will be the goalie for the JV team as a freshman.

If you want it and work for it, success will come. Put in the work.

SCHEDULE IT

To build your audience, create a schedule for yourself and your activity. Set aside time each day to participate in online groups. Set a goal and work toward it consistently.

Work to build your e-mail list, so you can communicate with your tribe often.

Finally, find ways to appear on other shows. Work to get your name out there.

If you work consistently, your audience will grow over time.

Would you like my help with it? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let’s see what we can do.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.