Note To Future Me

Email marketing has the highest return on investment when compared to all the available marketing channels. This is according to Campaign Monitor.Here are my 3 reasons why you should definitely consider email marketing as an effective method to grow your podcast audience. 1) Strengthen the Relationship Between You and Your Listeners2) Convert Subscribers to Listeners3) Share Additional Content with Your SubscribersPodcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself.Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you.Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants business website at circle270media.comSubscribe to my free Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter. It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast.Recorded in conjunction with Channel 511, in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH.Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients.Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.Copyright 2023 Circle270Media Podcast Consultants Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/qube/fuel License code: A7OWC26WEHPAVQKP

The best time to send your emails in 2023? It's an important question! Your subscribers have busy lives and the last thing you want is to send them a newsletter while they're preoccupied with work, or dreaming about their weekend plans. They analyzed over 2.5 million email marketing campaigns sent with MailerLite in 2022, and here's what we found: Which day of the week is everyone sending their campaigns? Email marketers favor Thursday (closely followed by Wednesday) for sending out their campaignsWhich day of the week generates the most opens?Thursday is the weekday with the highest open rate in the first 2 hours of sending, closely followed by MondayWhat time of the day generates the most opens?Most email opens occur between 11AM-12PM, with another peak between 6-7PM and an interesting late-night bump at 2AM (in the sender's time zone).And more takeaways in this episode.Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself.Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you.Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants business website at circle270media.comSubscribe to my free Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter. It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast.Recorded in conjunction with Channel 511, in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH.Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients.Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.Copyright 2023 Circle270Media Podcast Consultants

Has your business considered podcasting? Or is your current business podcast not growing your brand? https://www.seetickets.us/event/Grow-Your-Business-Podcast/505182 (Circle270Media Sessions and CD 92.9 FM present Grow Your Business Podcast!) You and your team will hear tips and insights about creating and marketing your business podcast, from professionals who are podcasters and work with podcasters. + Why are podcast websites so important? + What makes your podcast unique on social media? + What does monetizing your podcast really mean? + Why should your choice of podcast equipment be the LAST thing you need to consider? + What do experienced podcasters wish they would have known earlier? https://www.seetickets.us/event/Grow-Your-Business-Podcast/505182 (Learn how to focus on the WHY you're podcasting, not on the HOW to podcast.) The session is Wednesday, September 28th from 4pm-6pm in The Big Room at CD 92.9 FM in The Brewery District. Following the session, The Big Room will be the place to network and ask more questions during our infamous Beerstorming Session. Thanks to MyPodcastGuy.com, Robles Designs, TJE Communications, Don The Idea Guy, and CD92.9 FM. Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

As you know, I call this podcast Note To Future Me because I needed a theme around why I do my business podcast. And recording future notes to myself seemed a reasonable and very practical way of reminding my future self of podcasting tips I should take note of, and implement. Well, of course, these Notes To Future Me are just my way of talking to you, my listener, about what I see working, or not working, for podcasters. Whether they are my podcast clients, or I see and hear comments made by other podcasters in podcast groups. In the end, we all learn from the successes and the misses. Since the beginning of the year, I have been making quick notes to myself, observations as they are, about the successes and the misses I have experienced with my clients, as well as what I see commented on by other podcasters. And I now have enough to where I think they should be placed on a Note To Future Me episode - for you and for me. Here we go… My favorites? If I HAD to choose, I would say #20, #30 and #33. Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast. Copyright 2022 Circle270Media Podcast Consultants Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/qube/fuel License code: A7OWC26WEHPAVQKP

Google is finally cleaning up its product portfolio and merging services that just make sense to merge. YouTube is embracing its position as the most-used podcast platform, though unintentional by YouTube, by launching a dedicated podcast page. The podcast page doesn't do much right now. It shows "Popular Episodes" and "Popular Podcast Playlists" for random shows. Clicking through still only gives you the normal YouTube interface. This is all part of a slow rollout plan, which looks like a major push into podcasts from Google's media brand. As the lines between podcasting and YouTube blur, any step the company takes toward consolidating listening could pose a challenge for competitors Spotify and Apple Podcasts. But an opportunity for podcasters. So what does this mean for podcasters today? We think it means podcasters need to be ready to know how YouTube works for search, and be prepared for this platform to be a great tool to brand and market your business podcasts. YouTube is the largest search engine out there, so we might as well make it work in our favor! We have done some research for you and our clients, and we are breaking it down into 8 tips for YouTube SEO. 1. Keyword research 2. Optimize your podcast episode titles for discoverability 3. Use common search phrases for discovery and naming 4. Write smart video descriptions 5. Use both tags and hashtags 6. Use SRT files or closed captioning for YouTube SEO 7. Strong content is key to YouTube SEO for podcasts 8. Engage and encourage Interaction with your YouTube audience Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast. Copyright 2022 Circle270Media Podcast Consultants Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/qube/fuel License code: A7OWC26WEHPAVQKP

Podcasting Is The Future For Your Business Podcasts can be used for many different areas of business. In our experiences with our business podcast clients, here are four ways that podcasts can benefit your own business. Traffic Generation Not only can podcasts be shared internally, but they can also be used to target your audience of consumers. Think about what your ideal target market wants to hear from you in 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes. It's as if you're talking to them one-to-one and they're absorbing all you have to say. That is an incredibly powerful tool to have in your arsenal. The added bonus is that, if they like your content, they'll talk about you, your brand, and your business to others, increasing your traffic. Convenience Once your listener subscribes to your podcast, your episodes will automatically be added to their library, meaning they don't have to search for each new episode using keywords. Your brand and your words will already be waiting for them. Brand Building Giving your market and audience different ways to consume your content and showing that you are an expert in your field gives your brand power. Additional Revenue Streams If you become successful in publishing and engaging different audience types, the industry can be quite lucrative. In the U.S. alone, podcast ad revenue is expected to reach https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/09/u-s-podcast-ad-revenue-to-reach-2-billion-in-2022-and-top-4-billion-by-2024-study-says/ ($4 billion this year) by 2024. The more consistent you are in your efforts, the more you will grow. Omnipresence and consistency are key. Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast. Copyright 2022 Circle270Media Podcast Consultants Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/qube/fuel License code: A7OWC26WEHPAVQKP

It is now being reported from FTC disclosure rules that podcasts guests are paying hosts up to $50K for an interview. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-6960600997031198720-fcG3 (The disclosures around that exchange aren't always clear or even existent.) The broader podcast industry hasn't discussed standards around disclosures, and some podcasters don't know this is happening. The concern many podcasters are expressing is that it taints the medium. That "we are going astray from the core podcasting values that built this space." Or are we now maturing as a medium? Do we now have a better grasp that the content that podcasters create has value? Though it would be argued that it's not the content being sold, the listeners are. But doesn't content and listeners go hand-in-hand? If you don't have great content, you don't have listeners. We need to start giving our listeners and podcasters more credit. Listeners have all the power to make a podcast worth something to the podcaster, whatever that may be. It may be monetizing the content, or just creating and nurturing a community of followers. And give the podcasters credit as well. They know to have a following, they need to deliver content that keeps listeners engaged and respected. Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast. Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/qube/fuel License code: A7OWC26WEHPAVQKP Copyright 2022 Circle270Media Podcast Consultants

Here as some tips for you to implement to get your podcast listened to by more people. Invest in the best quality audio You've heard this one before but it bears repeating. Don't underestimate the importance of quality audio production. Services like Circle270Media Podcast Consultants can support you with making sure you have the best sounding podcast your budget can afford. If it's difficult for your audience to listen to your podcast… they'll stop listening to your podcast.  Release consistently Pick a day and time and stick with it. Research shows early week is great for business or personal growth podcasts, for example. And the latter part of the week for more light, entertainment, and lifestyle podcasts. But that doesn't mean you have to release at that time based on your podcast content. Be sure to release your episodes on the day and time your audience expects to download it. And a schedule that fits YOUR schedule. Become a part of your listeners' routine.  Purchase the url for your podcast  You may not use it right away. But when you're ready it will be yours. Currently, Apple Podcasts has no restrictions regarding two or more shows having the same name. So owning the url is critically important.  Upload your podcast to your website or create a specific website for your podcast If your existing website is different from the name of your show, be sure to buy the domain for your podcast. Then redirect it to your website. Use the podcast url when asking people to visit the website on your podcast. For example, If the url of your business website is allthingspopcorn.com but the name of your podcast is Movies And Snacks. Ask your listeners to go to moviesandsnacks.com and have that url redirected to allthingspopcorn.com.  Transcribe each podcast episode Services such as Sonix, Headliner, and Descript are affordable and make transcribing your podcast episodes quick and easy. Use these transcripts to write your show notes, and social media posts. As well as find content for your audiograms. Then write detailed show summary notes and upload them to your hosting platform, your website and YouTube.  Detailed show notes can be created from a transcription of your episode and should include a number of things. The description of your episode, a few key takeaways, some time-stamped highlights, your guest bio and headshot, and resource hyperlinks of items mentioned or promoted on the episode. It's all about the SEO for your content. Promote with Audiograms and use the caption feature Companies like Headliner and Wavve make creating audio clips simple. Use the cover art of the episode along with up to 59-second audio clip to post to your social media. The 59-second mark is important if you want your audiogram to play in its entirety when people scroll their feeds.  Upload your podcast and your audiograms to YouTube Take advantage of expanded discovery possibilities using the second largest search engine in the world. Be sure to upload your show notes. And don't forget a link to the episode so people can link directly to your episode to share with others.  Do not underestimate the importance of #hashtags  Use them in all your posts promoting the podcast. This is a step you may be tempted to skip to save time. Don't skip it. It can make all the difference in getting your podcast episode discovered by new listeners, and the press and media.  Send out an announcement email to your guests with podcast assets When working with guests, make sure you ask them what they could use from you to promote the episode.  As well as who to send podcast assets to. These podcast assets will probably include, for starters, links to the episode on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. By using these, users can link directly to your episode. Speaking of links, don't forget to give them a link to your podcast website, and a specific link to that episode on the site. Be sure to...

Your podcast has an audience - it's just a matter of finding it. And the easiest way to do so is to promote your podcast. But where do you start? Let's get you started with this episode. Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast. Copyright 2022 Circle270Media Podcast Consultants Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/qube/fuel License code: A7OWC26WEHPAVQKP

Some interesting results from a study done by Improve Podcasts, conducted as an online survey in Q1 2021 and received responses from 1,076 people who self-identified as podcasters, the majority of whom were located in the U.S. Why I want to spotlight this study is this - many of the podcasting statistics were surprising. But also shed a lot of light on the current state of podcasting, and points toward new future trends. Here are the TOP 12 Actionable Highlights, Trends, and Podcasting Statistics. https://improvepodcast.com/podcasting-statistics-data/ (Improve Podcasts Study of Podcasters) Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast. Copyright 2022 Circle270Media Podcast Consultants Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/qube/fuel License code: A7OWC26WEHPAVQKP

How do you cut through the clutter uh of over a million podcasts, compete with the big players, and drive leads to your business? In just 9 minutes you'll find out. Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast. Copyright 2022 Circle270Media Podcast Consultants

Take a break - it's ok. I talk more about my break, and why you should not feel guilty about your occasional breaks. Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast. Copyright 2022 Circle270Media Podcast Consultants Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/qube/fuel License code: A7OWC26WEHPAVQKP

This is not one of these episodes on how to grow your podcast audience and make lots of money from your podcast. You'll find that “advice” (and I put that in air quotes) on that elsewhere. Here are some ideas on how to develop a healthy and rewarding relationship with your podcast.  A few episodes ago I put together some ideas on how to avoid podfading.  This episode is for you if… don't want to get frustrated after a few months you record and publish a podcast and it often feels like a burden you've given up recording and publishing your podcast and need some motivation to start it up again. Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

As a podcaster, producer, and podcast consultant, my clients ask me questions and I offer direction to help them be better creators. Over the past years working with my clients, this direction usually falls into five essentials that make a good podcast. Is “it” your voice? Is it entertaining? Is it informative? Is it edited? Is it good? Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

Podfading, or where podcasts have stopped releasing new episodes, is more common than you realize. January is one of the most popular months to start a podcast. But what happens to those podcasts in February or March? This is when podfading starts. Here are more thoughts on how to avoid podfading, whether you're just about to begin podcasting or already have been for a while. Know the reason why you're podcasting to avoid podfading If you just want to build a following or have profit as an end goal, you are going to be quickly disappointed if that doesn't happen as soon as you would like. If at all. Your podcast topic needs to energize you One of the easiest ways to avoid podfading is to be genuinely interested in what your podcast topic is about. Who wants to discuss something they don't really care for? Who wants to listen to a podcaster who really doesn't care about the topic they're podcasting about? Get the help you need You are going to find there are many tasks to be done before that episode is ready for release. It needs editing (I talk about this in the previous episode about podfading), it needs show notes, it needs to be uploaded…the tasks start to add up! And that doesn't even start the conversation about promoting your back catalog of episodes. If you just want to record your episode and hand off the rest to someone else, that's perfectly normal. And it makes sense to protect your time. Your focus needs to be on creating content for your listeners. You're allowed to take a break It's okay to take some time away from creating your podcast! Before taking a break, make sure you let your listeners know. You don't want them wondering where you are or worse, unfollowing the podcast because they think you're done. Rediscover your purpose Ask yourself, do you know what you talked about on your podcast 3 episodes ago, without looking? If you're finding yourself in a relentless rhythm of recording and releasing, you've probably forgotten about the reason that you're podcasting. Determine what your “why” is and evaluate if it has changed. Revisit your podcast's mission statement. It's okay to transition from one “why” to another.  Find inspiration Getting inspired again may not be as difficult as you think! Maybe there's someone who you look up to in your content niche. Get them on as a guest! Hearing their thoughts may foster some new inspiration in your podcast. Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

Podfading, or where podcasts have stopped releasing new episodes, is more common than you realize. With the reasons wide-ranging, they usually fall into one of the following categories. Lack of any planning Topics that are focusing on the wrong areas Expectations that are unrealistic Over-complicating the process How To Avoid Podfading It's all about building on a solid plan and creating a sustainable content creation method You need to know  why you want to podcast, who you want to reach with your podcast, and  why you want to reach them with a podcast. In this episode, I want to cover some key points that I think are enough to save almost any podcaster from podfading. Create a List of Potential Future Episodes When you've identified your overall topic, and the people you want to reach, breaking this down into episodes is important for a number of reasons. Seeing a list of potential episodes lets you focus on the direction of the show.  Block Out Time & Stay Sustainable Knowing how much time you can dedicate to working on your podcast is crucial. This includes from initial thought on the episode topic to publishing the episode. Rather than worry what is the best publishing frequency to grow your podcast, choose a release frequency that's sustainable for you. That might be weekly, bi-weekly, or you might even want to consider podcasting in seasons. Make a choice, and work out how much time you'll need each week to manage it. Block out that time. It's a non-negotiable. Make Your Setup Easy & Accessible Working with Circle270Media gives my clients the luxury of a permanent setup or studio environment for recording. There's a decent chance you don't. This is where simplicity can trump having lots of your own sophisticated and complex equipment. When recording an episode means spending lots of time setting gear up, then taking it down afterward, you're at risk of losing your motivation. The more gear in your recording chain, the more risk there is of not switching it on properly too. Doing a great interview and not actually recording it will most certainly put doubts in your mind.  Don't Get Bogged Down By Editing Editing will make your podcast flow better, and make it sound more polished and professional. Editing should be used sparingly, not as a crutch. This means being more mindful of the structure and focus of your episodes before and during the recording session. Treat your recording sessions as if you're live. This will tighten up your presentation skills. Recording longer episodes on the basis that you can clean them up in editing will add hours of unnecessary work to your schedule.  Or the additional cost to you if you pay an editor. Experiment With Formats You're the boss of your podcast. This gives you a lot of freedom. Even though I just mentioned that planning is vital, there are certain things that should remain flexible. One of those is definitely your podcast format. Many new podcasters will declare things like “I'm going to do a 20-minute interview show.” Why 20 minutes? What if your conversation lasts 15 minutes, or 40 minutes? And then, why just interviews? What if you've got something you'd like to discuss directly with the listener. You can make a case for having your listener expect certain things from your show. But in the early stages, the small audience you have won't “expect” anything from your format. Forget Apple Podcasts Even Exists The most important thing you need to think about regarding Apple Podcasts is submitting your show there. Once you've been approved and listed in there, then forget about it. Set it and forget it.  Forget the hype around a ‘New & Noteworthy launch plan' or anything else like that. You're creating content for your audience, not Apple, or Spotify, or Google Podcasts, or fill in the blank. When your podcast strategy is based on creating the best possible episodes for your listeners, your...

There are hundreds of little details to think about when pitching yourself as a podcast guest. But for now, focus on these basic elements: Listen to a few episodes of a podcast before pitching. If a podcast isn't a good match for what you do, don't pitch it. If a podcast doesn't have guests, don't pitch it. Check for a "guest submission" process before pitching. If there is one, follow it. Focus your guest pitch on a specific solution for the audience. What can you do for this audience? Be detailed in your pitch. Mention specific episodes and elements of the podcast. Talk about what like about the podcast. Be patient. Give the host enough time to follow up with you.   Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

A new study (Q4 2021) from Borrel Associates shows small to medium-sized local businesses are aware of podcast advertising but need to be educated on how to purchase podcasts ads. Podcasters are in a prime position to do this, more so than radio account executives. I hope my insights from 35+ years in radio show you the opportunities you have right now. Nearly four in ten local advertisers (38%) say they advertised on local radio in the past 12 months, more than double the portion that bought streaming audio ads (15%) and thirteen times the number that purchased podcast advertising (3%). These new findings from Borrell Associates' latest survey of local advertisers illuminate a serious awareness issue digital audio advertising has among small and medium-sized businesses. The survey of 178 local businesses conducted from October-November 2021 is the basis for “How Local Marketers View Streaming Audio,” a new report from Borrell. It found respondents were much more familiar with how to buy ads that run on local radio stations compared with streaming audio and podcasts. More than half of the panelists surveyed had low levels of understanding of how to advertise in podcasts. The fact that only 15% have dabbled in streaming audio advertising isn't because they don't believe in its effectiveness. Four in ten (38%) of digital audio users say it has been very or extremely effective. That's in the ballpark with the 43% of those using local radio station spots who said the same about broadcast radio. One glaring reason why advertisers have lower awareness levels for how to buy digital audio is that a majority of panelists (62%) say they haven't been pitched on digital audio/podcast advertising. Of the 28% that got the pitch but passed, Borrell says 40% said it was too expensive. Not knowing enough about it was another prevalent reason why many panelists have not yet ventured into digital audio advertising. “They aren't buying it because they don't know about it. No one's talking to them so that probably feeds into why they think it's too expensive,” said Borrell Associates VP of Research Corey Elliott in a https://borrellassociates.com/coreys-local-marketing-minute/ (video summary) of the findings. “It's hard to get behind something when you don't know about it and hard to buy something when it hasn't been pitched.” Suggesting there is a significant untapped opportunity, more than half of small and medium-sized businesses surveyed by Borrell who have not tried digital audio or podcast advertising have at least slight interest in this type of advertising. And among those with any interest in streaming audio or podcast advertising, the main info businesses are seeking before buying include reach, targeting, geographic scope, and reporting metrics. Digital Seen As Better For Targeting and ControlThe survey shows local businesses see streaming audio/podcast ads as offering much better-targeting capabilities, more accurate reporting metrics, and better control over where ad content runs. They even view them as more affordable compared with traditional radio spots. But traditional radio spots have the advantage when it comes to ease of buying. As far as response rates to ads go, the panelists perceived them as not being much different on radio versus online. While there were wide discrepancies between digital and traditional audio when it comes to purchasing, the vast majority of respondents say they listen to audio media regularly. Just over six in ten (61%) listen nearly every day to traditional radio and 77% tune in every week. Half (50%) listen to internet/satellite audio daily and 69% weekly. For online/satellite listening, music is the overwhelming draw, with 87% listening for that reason; 39% consuming podcasts. In other findings, panelists are most aware of advertising when listening to local radio stations and less aware of ads on radio station websites or other digitally streamed audio content. The data shows more than

So you're struggling to build momentum and continued interest around your podcast. The most difficult thing for many people is that it takes time to grow an audience. Podcasters want "instant gratification," and get frustrated and lose interest when their show isn't an immediate success. Let's review 7 basic ways to build momentum and continued interest around your podcast after your initial launch. 7 Simple Basics To Build Momentum Around Your Podcast 1) Understand your niche. You did your research, and you know this is the lane you want to be in. Use these 5 Steps to continue to define and understand your podcast niche. Identify your interests and passions.  Identify problems you can solve. Research your competition. Determine if this niche can continue to build an audience. Evolve and test your niche idea. 2) What is the message behind your podcast? What makes your show different from the other shows? What is your unique take on the subject? And why should people listen to you in particular? If you can't think of a reason why people should or will want to listen to your show, there's not much point in you publishing it. The message and purpose behind your show is so important. You want people to buy into your show, not your episodes. As in sales, it's easier to retain listeners than to gain new ones. Your message and purpose are what captures them. This is going to lead to long-term success. 3) Knowing your target audience and how and when they will listen to your podcast will help you decide on the length. Make sure the podcast length fits into their listening day. Start with a small commitment, then when you have the following increase the time if and only if it adds value for the listeners. Make sure your content is on point. Being clear about the message of your show should help with this. If your message is clear people will be attracted to what you have to say. 4. Find out which social media platform your audience is most engaged on. If you have a travel show, maybe it's Instagram. If you have an education podcast about language, maybe it's a Facebook group. This is going to be unique to you and your show. So find out by doing simple research and pinpointing where the largest community is for your niche. 5) Be consistent on ONE social media platform. Understand that you aren't a marketing guru or a social media agency. You don't have all the time in the world or all the content in the world to engage on all major social media platforms to ensure growth through engagement. Your attention will be divided. You'll feel overwhelmed, overworked and the worst part, you WILL most likely not get the results you are expecting.  Figure out the algorithm of that one social media platform. Do your research on what works, and what doesn't. And then start using the platform using best practices. This takes concentration and time.  Now create your own community on this platform. This community is going to be another way to share value with your listeners. It's a place where you can build connections and relationships with your audience. It's a place where you can produce engaging content using your podcast content and additional content. It's a place for you to brand awareness of your podcast and content.  6) Create a positive and safe social media ecosystem. Have a dialogue with your followers. Ask your audience what they think of each episode. What would they like to hear more of? Doing this will build interest amongst those who haven't heard a recent episode, but are part of your community.  And then you want to do the same in your show. Before you get into the main segment or at the end of the show, talk about something going on with your online community. It will increase your listener's curiosity. They will feel like they are missing out and will want to be part of what you're building. Have a very simple yet specific call to action for your audience to join. 7) Like everything in

What does it mean to go beyond being a "podcaster?" My guest on this episode is https://www.linkedin.com/in/matty-staudt-44698b8/ (Matty Staudt). He's been making podcasts for entertainment and business for over 14 years. Since cracking the mic at 16, audio has been his life at such companies as CBS, Stitcher, iHeartRadio and currently https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazemedialabs/ (Amaze Media Labs). https://newsletter.podcastmovement.com/Prod/link-tracker?redirectUrl=aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZhdWRpb2luc3VyZ2VudC5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20lMkZwJTJGZml2ZS1waWVjZXMtb2YtYWR2aWNlLWZvci10aG9zZS1pbnRlcmVzdGVk&sig=ESP1kQUxUfUMidipFCWmAkP7rTjeLSLqdhXdawYuTFjc&iat=1634743010&a=%7C%7C252316729%7C%7C&account=podcastmovement%2Eactivehosted%2Ecom&email=39mAMeT0TXlQRKJ%2FlDlBxQA3SuMkJhmkGexv49sZvNU%3D&s=57e9b759e25d786bfa6d8d02b142c740&i=1488A1615A3A32616 (According to Eric Nuzum, podcasters are audio makers), but they're not in the audio business. Following his podcasting masterclass at Radiodays Europe in September, the veteran creator, strategist, and https://magnificentnoise.com/ (Magnificent Noise) co-founder was asked to deliver five ideas around podcasting.  "Idea Number 1: Don't be a podcaster." Nuzum encourages podcasters and radio producers alike to think of themselves as "audio makers." Worrying about platforms will only limit your perceived versatility. To let go of that label now is to save yourself existential anxiety in 10 years when something new comes along. "Idea Number 4: You are not in the audio business." Those that make podcasts are in the community building business, Nuzum says: "You are establishing a hub for a community of people who love a subject or a topic and want to…interact about it." Fostering that hub isn't optional if you plan to grow. "You are not in the audio business; you are in the community building business." Matty and I talk about how brands look at podcasting, and their mindset on how podcasting builds community. And how podcasting is central to community building and engagement for businesses and brands. It's about looking at podcasting as a means to an end - your business or brand goal. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

What can you do to promote your podcast? We have done some research with our clients, and fellow podcasters, and put together 13 different buckets of ideas on how to do it. The best tip - Don't get overwhelmed by marketing tips. Every tip you read has worked for that particular person. Do what's comfortable, do what you will do consistently. Let's dig into how to collaborate. 1) “Brand partnerships” with an organization or brand product that has a similar audience. Cross-promote by mentioning them in your podcast, and ask them to spotlight you in their newsletter. 2) Don't try to recreate the wheel or build an audience from scratch. Podcasters already have audiences, so tap into them by having them on your show. Encourage them to share the episode with their audience! This is an immediate way to get in front of thousands of new people, without spending a dollar in ads! 3) Network with other Podcasts. Partnering with other Podcasts is valuable. Don't look at everyone as competition. You have an opportunity to capture their audience and vice versa. With an estimated 2 million podcasts (2021), stats are showing only 300k to 600k podcasts publish on a regular basis. There is enough space for everyone! 4) Show your fandom. Amplify the shows you love and that favor will be returned. 5) Start a traditional street team. Arm your super fans with stickers and flyers, digital postcards, podcast business cards, and audiograms, to help spread the word. 6) Partner with established businesses and have them link to your podcast. This is a win-win as you get access to their clientele while you provide them with valuable content to share with their audience. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

Developing a podcast brand may be the last thing you think about when putting together your podcast.  And this may be why most podcasters fail. The term “brand” refers to a business and marketing concept that helps people (your listeners) identify a particular company, product, or individual. Brands are intangible, which means you can't actually touch or see them. They help shape people's (your listeners) perceptions of companies, their products, or individuals. Here's an easy way of wrapping your head around branding.  What do people say your podcast is when you're not in the room?Can a person (you) be a brand?Anyone can quickly and easily be a brand. You don't need to be famous. Branding is important because not only is it what makes a memorable impression on your listeners, but it allows your listeners to know what to expect from your podcast. A strong brand will help your audience identify with your message and keep them coming back for more content. It also helps establish your topic as a credible source. The best podcasts have a distinct voice that is personable and authentic.  Which leads to a loyal following who will continue to listen even if they don't have anything new to say. The key strategies to build a strong brand are: -Define it -Match your podcast name to it -Develop it -Develop the look -Get it out there -Get it out there consistently Define your podcast brandTo create your podcast brand effectively, you need to have a clear idea of the type of the brand you are wanting to create. You need to understand what your ‘brand' is. Here are some questions that can help you. What is your podcast's mission? What is your podcast's vision? Who are you targeting as the key listeners to your show? Why should they listen? What can they expect when tuning into your show? Match your podcast name to the brandAfter defining your podcast brand, decide on a name for your show. But not just any name! You need to decide on a name that strengthens your brand, and leaves no doubt about your brand in the mind of your targeted listeners. Your podcast name needs to match your brand. Your podcast name should be: unique catchy easy to remember consistent with the message on your podcast Put the time in to find the right name.Use Google searches. Brainstorm with your podcast partners, family and friends (you'd be amazed what will come out of a “https://www.dontheideaguy.com/ (beerstorming or beanstorming session)”). Keep the list, let it set for a day or two, and come back to it with fresh eyes and a clear mind. Let the process work, and you'll have the perfect podcast name that is your brand identity! Develop that podcast brandDevelop your own signature style for your podcast. There are countless things that work together to produce your podcast's “unique voice”, including your: personality co-hosts guests interview style delivery and tone of voice “audio logo” or intro music expertise in your content area connection with your listeners unique angle on your content Develop your podcast brand lookUse color and imagery to further develop and strengthen your podcast brand's unique identity. Your podcast's thumbnail cover art is typically the first thing people see when it comes to your podcast. It's got to be on your brand! Great podcast cover art gets listeners to engage with your podcast brand.  Get your podcast brand out thereTo strengthen your brand, you need to be out there. Be present with your podcast  This simply means finding other places for your podcast and brand to be seen and heard. Some ideas include, but are not limited to: guest appearances on podcasts speaking opportunities at conferences strategic social media content postings and tagging key individuals guest blogging networking events The more places people are able to “find” your podcast brand, the stronger your presence will become.Keep your brand out there consistentlyImplement and stick to a...

We as podcasters, on the whole, underutilize LinkedIn as a marketing and connection tool. A majority of our time is spent on the other big three - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. So what are we missing? Why are we NOT living on LinkedIn like we do these other social media platforms? Could it be we just don't know about some best practices and new features? So what better way to learn how to use this business professional media platform than to talk to one of the preeminent LinkedIn experts. https://www.linkedin.com/in/debramathias/ (Debra Mathias) is the owner of https://www.connect-to-clients.com/ (Connect To Clients), based in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina area. Since 2011 she's been assisting entrepreneurs, small business and Fortune 500 companies to use her proven method of Networking with LinkedIn She is a LinkedIn Business Coach. Career Transition Expert. LinkedIn Sales Strategist, Relationship Builder, LinkedInLocal Host, and a Connection Specialist using Networking with LinkedIn and Career Transitioning with LinkedIn. So what are some best LinkedIn practices we need to know about? Deb's top 3 include: 1. Check your dashboard daily for leads. 2. Post creative content 1 or 2 times per week. We can expound on creative content and what it takes to get people to "view your content", tagging, hashtags etc. 3. Like, comment, and share your network's content. It gets you in front of their audience and vice versa. How about new LinkedIn features? Deb's top 3 include: 1. Cover Story. Create a video to replace your photo on LinkedIn. 2. Provided Services on your profile: Add up to 5 services that your business does. 3. Creator Mode. This is for influencers or anyone wanting to get their name and content out there. It will flip your activity, Featured and About Sections so that people see your content first. It will also show how many followers you have instead of connections. Keep up with what's new on LinkedIn by following Deb. And connect with her as well. When you connect, tell her you heard her on the Note To Future Me podcast, and mention your favorite ice cream flavor (she'll understand!). Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

This Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp incident on October 4, 2021 was more than a mild inconvenience. Or as Facebook internally called it "a snow day." As a podcaster, we hope you now see the urgency in creating a standalone website entirely separate from social media. If this downtime were to happen to Spotify or Apple, far too many podcasters would end up losing listeners. And even worse, revenue. My guest is Laura Oldham, https://starburstcolumbus.com/about/ (founder of Starburst Media). I have known Laura since 2017, as she was the first guest on the https://chamberpartnership.org/ (TriVillage Chamber Partnership) podcast https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5jYXB0aXZhdGUuZm0vYnVzaW5lc3MtaW5zcGlyZXMv/episode/aHR0cHM6Ly9hcGkuc3ByZWFrZXIuY29tL2VwaXNvZGUvMTA2NDQ3NjQ?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwi4o6fe0LTzAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQLQ (Business Inspires). We've worked together over the years on a few projects. I wanted to get her insight on how important a website is for podcasters. Her focus with Starburst Media is mainly on building websites in WordPress, Shopify and Squarespace and giving her clients the tools to make their own changes so they don't necessarily need to depend upon Starburst Media (or another firm) to keep their websites up to date. If you haven't built a podcast website, now is the time. And by podcast website, we mean a standalone website not through your hosting platform. This Facebook incident on October 4, 2021 won't be the last time social media will go down. And if you completely rely on social media to promote your podcast, to promote your business, you're building your "castle on sand," as the saying goes. As she states... If there's ever been a time, it was made clear why you shouldn't have one company controlling such a big chunk of your communications. Where people in countries weren't able to communicate with family members. And businesses weren't able to do basic commerce that rely upon Facebook.Laura covers some do's and don'ts when creating a website. Her main advice is just don't overthink it. ...enough that someone can find you and get a feel for what it is that you're trying to share with them, sell them, whatever it is. But even the most basic Wix website or Squarespace website can be really easy to throw together as long as you just don't overthink what should go on the website.Is WordPress the best route to go? If you blog and podcast, yes. WordPress was made for this. If you are looking at adding very little blog content to your website over time, Squarespace and Wix are good, easy options. When the time comes to build, or update, your website, you may want to consider outside help like Starburst Media offers. Laura offers some advice on what questions you should ask. Plus, notice what questions are asked of you from the perspective of a web designer. You need to know this person is on your team. Not only to build your website, but to help you maintain the best website you can. For today, and for the future. Podcasts added to your website have shown to help with https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.adexchanger.com/advertiser/podcasting-is-a-powerful-lead-gen-tool-for-b2b-marketers-at-panasonic/&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw3U4NUM-wySECPwjKcgdTyn (your website SEO). Laura has been helping her clients with this as well. I think that's fantastic when people do take the time to make sure that their podcast is on the right services so they can easily embed each podcast. Contact Laura about your podcast website questions. Her email address is laura@starburstcolumbus.com. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/...

Before you launch your podcast, so much of your time and energy will be spent getting the sound and feel just right. Choosing the right format. Researching the best publishing frequency and day of the week. You're doing all the podcast things you're supposed to do in order to make a really great podcast. Soon the time will come to press publish, and you need a plan to promote the podcast. Here are 5 simple ways to ask your listeners to support your podcast. 1) Ask them to sign up for your newsletter. That being said, your newsletter needs to be subscriber-worthy. What are you doing with your newsletter beyond promoting your current episode?  How are you engaging the reader?  Is signing up worth their time?  How easy do you make it to sign up? If you already have a newsletter with subscribers, congratulations.  You now can implement one of the most effective marketing tools a podcaster can have.   Building an email list from scratch?  Here are some ideas to consider… Choose A Trustworthy and easy-to-use Email Marketing Platform.  Give People Incentives to Sign Up.  Create Pop-Ups For Your Website.  Leverage Your Social Media Accounts.  Additionally, Emphasize how easy it is to sign up for your newsletter Keep stating your call to action over time  Put the link everywhere It will build over time: You'll see some fans subscribe immediately, but you'll continue seeing substantial growth even 3-6 months after you launch. The key is consistently including your call to action and experimenting with what gets listeners excited to sign up.  2) Ask them to write reviews or comments about your podcast. This could take the form of  Leaving a review of your podcast on iTunes,  Leaving comments on your podcast Facebook page,  Encouraging comments on your podcast website blog post that features your podcast episodes, Setting up a Google My Business page for your podcast, or Ask for feedback on a Google Voice phone number. 3) Ask your listeners to share your podcast on social media by specifically tagging their friends. Not only does this share the podcast, tagging friends can encourage the listener to comment to the tagged friend WHY they should listen to the episode.  Feedback for you, and social media loves shares. 4) Ask listeners how the podcast (or a specific episode) has helped them. There are basically 6 things you need to do in a podcast. laugh cry  think  groan  educate entertain  or a combination of any of these If you're not doing one of those 7 things, you're boring. And there won't be any incentive for your listener to WANT to talk about your podcast. 5) Ask them to follow you on social media Same rules apply about the why's of following you as I just addressed with newsletters.  Make your posts engaging, interesting, inviting, and share-worthy. It can't be just about your latest episode publishing. If you're looking for more tailored help, then be sure to connect with our dedicated team of podcast professionals. We'll help your business create a podcast from planning and launching to editing, presentation skills, promotion, and monetization.  Interested in speaking with one of our professionals?https://form.jotform.com/211455730925051 ( Click here)! We've put together a questionnaire to quickly fill out.  This will help us help you prior to our first information meeting, which you can schedule when you complete the questionnaire.  Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free...

September 2021 marks 5 years for Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. And what a 5 years it's been. I wanted to put together a quick "look back" for me, and for anyone else looking for advice, incentive, or insight, on how to march forward from working for someone else to working for yourself. What have I learned? Trust your gut instincts on when to start. Surround yourself with trusted people to hold you accountable. Be open to any and all opportunities. Protect your time. But, put in the time, with focus. Always have "plan B." What should have I done earlier? Engaged with a business manager and/or mentor. How's your journey? Contact me at podcasts@circle270media.com or go to http://www.mypodcastguy.com/ (My Podcast Guy.) Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

Success stories are always fun to talk about. My client, Yavitch & Palmer, Attorneys at Law, produces a weekly podcast, Lawyer Talk: Off The Record.  In September 2021, Steve Palmer, the host, will be recording and publishing the podcast's 200th episode. What keeps this podcast going?  Well, I can tell you, it has seen it's ups and downs since the first episode published in February 2018.   Some ups include moving the recording “round table” from Steve's office to opening the 511 Studios in the lower level of his building in downtown Columbus. Which now has expanded into video production and video streaming.  If you get a chance, go to channel511.com and take a quick tour of the place. And there have been downs.  COVID set back Steve's practice, and caused a reduction in staff and attorneys who were co-hosts on the podcast. But through it all, the podcast has remained a staple for the law firm, in its marketing and networking opportunities. What did we learn?  What are we continuing to do to keep the podcast fresh, and to keep increasing listeners?   Here are three areas we never deviated from... 1) Seek out stories that stand out and stack up It's easy to take the same route as other attorneys and law firms in terms of marketing, but creating a podcast helps differentiate Yavitch & Palmer from the competition. We continually find a creative approach to showcase thoughts from Steve and his attorney guests', on hot topics in the legal industry. We don't shy away from trending pop culture stories that could tie back to the practice area. The goal is to create content that builds a following. 2) Focus on relaxed table talk We know what makes Lawyer Talk: Off The Record one of the best law firm podcasts. We have niche topics that allow co-hosts and guest attorneys to take a different approach to a subject and share their perspective. One key is to ensure attorneys are relaxed and conversational so that discussion flows like a table talk. That's why we record the podcast at a round table. We know more structured, scripted podcasts prevent listeners from relating to the hosts and guests. 3) Define success Once we made the strategic decision to add podcasting to the law firm's marketing mix, we set defined goals. These include driving more website traffic, increasing the visibility of a certain practice area, and nurturing relationships with guests, like potential clients and referral sources.  A big part of gaining a degree of authority is positioning yourself as an expert on a topic while being completely honest about it. Because of the format of Lawyer Talk: Off The Record, Steve Palmer, his law firm attorneys, and his guests know being a part of this podcast allows them to “show off” their knowledge in an informal, relatable setting.  Which makes an easy podcast to listen to, even with a roundtable full of lawyers! We also know we have a “secret ingredient” no other law firm has for instant promotion and exposure. For over 10 years, Steve guests during a weekly call-in slot on a local rock station in the Columbus, OH market.  He answers listeners' questions, steered by the morning show team.  And each week he promotes the Lawyer Talk: Off The Record podcast to 1000's of listeners. If you're looking for more tailored help, then be sure to connect with our dedicated team of podcast professionals. We'll help your business create a podcast from planning and launching to editing, presentation skills, promotion, and monetization.  Interested in speaking with one of our professionals? https://form.jotform.com/211455730925051 (Click here)! We've put together a questionnaire to quickly fill out.  This will help us help you prior to our first information meeting, which you can schedule when you complete the questionnaire.  Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B,

A 5-Step "Podcast Guest Pitch" ProcessThere are hundreds of little details to think about when pitching yourself as a podcast guest. But for now, focus on these basic elements: 1) Listen to a few episodes of a podcast before pitching. If a podcast isn't a good match for what you do, don't pitch it. If a podcast doesn't have guests, don't pitch it. 2) Check for a "guest submission" process before pitching. If there is one, follow it to the letter. David Hooper from https://bulletin.bigpodcast.com/3-rules-for-podcast-guests-and-those-who-book-them (The Big Podcast - 3 Rules for Podcast Guests (and Those Who Book Them)) and his recent round and round with a potential podcast guest and her personal booking person 3) Focus your guest pitch on a specific solution for their audience. What can you do for this audience? 4) Be detailed in your pitch. Mention specific episodes and elements of the podcast. Sincerely talk about what you like about the podcast. 5) Be patient. Give the host enough time to follow up with you. Their timetable is not your timetable.  And recognize they may be in a different time zone than you. If you're looking for more tailored help, then be sure to connect with our dedicated team of podcast professionals. We'll help your business create a podcast from planning and launching to editing, presentation skills, promotion, and monetization.  Interested in speaking with one of our professionals? https://form.jotform.com/211455730925051 (Click here!) We've put together a questionnaire to quickly fill out.  This will help us help you prior to our first information meeting, which you can schedule when you complete the questionnaire.  The link is in the podcast show notes. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

I occasionally like to go through podcast Facebook groups and save posts that have interesting questions. And then go back over time, say two, three, four weeks later, to see all the comments. And this post from a few months ago was asking the question, what was the worst advice given to you as a podcaster? The answers were really insightful and contradictory. I think a lot of it comes back down to the focus of your what do you want to accomplish. And as I read through these comments, you'll see the contradictions. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

One of your top priorities for your podcast is to increase your audience size. So at first glance, you may think that running Facebook Ads or organic posts would be a good marketing option to help increase your listening numbers and followers. After all, Facebook ads allow you to finely target your audience. And you can do it in a very cost-effective way. The point with this episode is not so much to argue that Facebook is inherently a poor platform to advertise or organically post podcast information. But rather to point out that there is a better way. What you need to consider is where you send traffic once someone clicks on your ad or link from your post. For the most part, podcasters promote their podcasts and episodes on Facebook by directly linking to the Apple Podcasts or Android episode pages. This could be because of a couple of reasons. One, podcasters have been indoctrinated from the start that Apple Podcasts is the largest and most listened to podcast directory. And for Android users, Spotify is most friendly and universal. Then it stands to reason that when you promote your podcast, send the listener there. This should make it very easy for your potential listener to listen to your podcast. Apple Podcasts and Spotify are, after all, where you want people to go to follow your show. And this seems to be the best way to meet your potential listener halfway. To capture people on mobile devices. Target an iOS audience to the direct link of the Apple Podcasts episode. And for Android users, by sending them to the Spotify episode link. Secondly, this could be coming from the fact that most podcasters do not have a standalone website. That is, a podcast website outside of your hosting platform. A website you own and maintain. Or, at the very least, the podcaster's website is not user friendly, and does not represent the branding of the podcast. Is it “free” with your audio hosting platform, or a free version of Wix, or similar free web hosting platforms. To that end, I have seen comments in Facebook podcasting groups arguing that sending your listeners to Apple Podcasts or Spotify is better than sending people to a podcast show notes page on your website. In fact, many of these posts argue that you don't need podcast show notes pages at all. So save the time and effort. There are a few reasons I fundamentally disagree with sending new listeners to your Apple Podcasts and Spotify podcast links. Apple Podcasts and Spotify don't need more traffic from your Facebook organic or paid podcast marketing. You are paying, with your time or money, for traffic that you're sending to Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Really? Instead, your podcast website could be benefitting from greater search engine authority, rank and traffic. That increases your find-ability for all Google searches. Buying Facebook ads will cost you too much in the long run. ​​Your ads may result in getting more followers to your podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The cost per new listener is usually quite high. Facebook podcast marketing ads should have a better goal than just to add listeners to your podcast. Think of it this way. You could be adding leads for your business, building your email list, increasing the rank and traffic for your site, and building a digital asset for your brand. Facebook ads should focus on lead generation and list growth instead of getting more listeners. Additional episode information. Your podcast listeners should be coming to YOUR podcast website, because you should be offering valuable additional episode information. They could be signing up to receive podcast notifications via email. Listeners could be finding links and resources about your guests. And they could be downloading these resources from you in exchange for an email address. Social media has its place to help you market your podcast. Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all the other podcast players have an important role in making it easier for...

Let's cover 3 different podcast marketing ideas that will work for you. Whether you're just launching your podcast or simply want to increase your podcast followers and subscribers. 3 Podcast Marketing IdeasWhen you produce a podcast, focusing on specific marketing channels can significantly impact your podcast's success. Here are 3 online marketing strategies that can increase your listeners and the success of your podcast. Branding The foundation of your marketing efforts will hinge on a well-established brand for your podcast. A brand is a promise to your listeners. A promise of what content you are producing for your listeners. Plus, listeners need to have a positive impression of your podcast.  Effective branding begins with an attractive logo, thumbnail artwork, color palette, and accompanying branding elements that serve as the image of your podcast. All of these elements will be incorporated throughout all of your digital marketing efforts. For example, your website, podcast business cards, and online promotions should all have cohesive branding. This will help build your podcast brand recognition and awareness. You may already have your logo and branding figured out. Or is it time for a refresh? You can turn to Circle270Media to help you create the perfect brand image for your podcast. Website Listeners from all of your marketing channels will be directed to your podcast website. And I mean a podcast website outside of your podcasting hosting platform.  With this in mind, you want a clean design and an easy-to-use interface. This will increase engagement and get more followers to your podcast.  Make it easy for your podcast website visitors to find all the necessary information about your podcast. It can influence their decision to follow your podcast, or other calls-to-action you have in place. Some items to include would be.. About your podcast. Include a photo of yourself and your co-hosts to make it more personal. Testimonials from listeners. Contact information, such as email address and social media. Links to your podcast on podcast directories. Pages specific to each episode. This is for SEO purposes, and for page sharing opportunities. You can design a website on your own from a pre-built template using website builders such as Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress. If this is too much for your time and abilities, Circle270Media works with a number of website builders that know podcasting. Email MarketingSmart podcasters rely on email marketing to grow their podcast. For example, ohttps://www.oberlo.com/blog/email-marketing-statistics (ver 80% of small business owners use email marketing) to acquire and retain customers. So why not use the power of email marketing for your podcast! Start by building your email list. One way is by simply asking your listeners for their contact information and permission to reach out to them. You can also collect emails on your website and within your podcast episode content. Include calls-to-action on your site that encourage visitors to sign up for email communications. For instance, write something like “Sign up for our email newsletter for bonus podcast content from each episode.” Then include a sign-up button on your homepage and at the bottom of each podcast episode page. Just remember not to send too many emails. Start at about https://keap.com/business-success-blog/marketing/email-marketing/how-often-should-you-email-your-list (two emails per month), or in sync with your episode publishing rhythm. Adjust accordingly after a few months by keeping an eye on your email newsletter statistics. Personalizing your subject lines can also build a better connection with listeners and increase how likely someone is to actually open the email. Studies show that emails with a personalized subject line generate a https://www.marketingdive.com/news/study-personalized-email-subject-lines-increase-open-rates-by-50/504714/ (50% higher open rate). So it's...

For years, the prevailing wisdom has been that your podcast name and episode titles are the biggest factors in helping listeners find your podcast. But, a good, detailed but not over-long description can help capture some of those relevant search terms? Well, maybe, kind-of, not always, but sometimes, but rarely, probably not. The truth is that's pretty much never been the case for Apple Podcasts. It only cares about your titles and your author tags. But what about the increasing number of podcast directories? Where do we need to focus our efforts if we want episodes to surface for relevant search terms? And how can we avoid wasting our time filling out information that is truly optional or has no importance? I spoke with Mark Steadman, who is a podcast producer, consultant, and coach. He runs https://origin.fm/ (Origin), a podcast studio helping thoughtful, creative people of purpose use their voice to make a positive impact. He recently teamed up with James Cridland, the editor of https://podnews.net/ (Podnews), to perform some experiments on a couple of their podcast feeds they knew wouldn't cause waves of confusion were they to stuff them full of nonsense words in the name of science. The idea was to pick a different nonsense word for each relevant podcast-related tag in their RSS feeds, and to see which podcast apps picked up which words. What stirred his interest in doing this podcast app search experiment was after listening to an episode of The Feed, the Libsyn podcast, and he heard them talking about the things that appear in search. Rob started talking about the various things that Apple Podcasts indexed. I realized I hadn't really thought about it. There were a couple of things that I sort of vaguely think I knew. With anything that's self taught, there's always going to be gaps in your knowledge.In his experiment, they use the top 14 podcast apps, including Google Podcast. Being a Google product, one might it would be the wild card on the list, quite frankly. From what he saw, it wasn't. Were those podcast apps really developed as discoverable, findable types of play? They do what they do really well. They play podcasts, but were they really built to do that? Maybe we're asking a bit too much of them? I had a lovely chat with J.J. at GoodPods, because I think there is, with GoodPods specifically, a real opportunity there. I think it is much more a discovery engine than it is a player. I think I would really like to see search play a better role in that.What we're addressing is find-ability. Let's just kick that "discoverability" word off of our lexicon. Overall, here are the key points from this experiment... Apple Podcasts only searches your podcast name, episode titles, and author tags (this may not be news to many old-school podcasters, as it's been the long-prevailing wisdom). No-one indexes the copyright tag. Probably not a surprise. No-one indexes the podcast:person tag. I found this surprising. Apps heavily weight podcast-level data over episode-level data. Podcast app SEO is not a viable strategy. The in-app podcast search landscape is badly in need of attention. And lastly, Mark offers 3 bits of advice on how to set yourself up for better find-ability when it comes to SEO and your podcast. (Hint: it's all about your website!) Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to...

Apple doesn't publicly disclose a lot of information about how their podcast rankings work. And if you think about it, that makes sense. If they did, many podcasters (and marketers who sell to podcasters) would try to “game” the system, which would devalue the entire thing. Here's what we instill in our podcast clients from the very start. Forget about Ratings and Rankings. Podcast reviews are what we want to focus on. Podcast reviews help establish social proof for your show. They offer feedback on what your listeners like (or dislike) about your podcast.   Here are the most powerful ways we at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants suggest to our clients to get more ratings and reviews: 1. Make an amazing podcast There's no point in asking for or even getting reviews if your podcast is horrible. Make your podcast so good your audience will want to write a review without being asked. 2. Read reviews in your podcast Turn your audience into celebrities by sharing their reviews—even if only excerpts—on your podcast. Thank those people by name and especially point out if their review was from outside your own country.  3. Have fun Inspire some creativity, suggest a question they should answer, or do something entertaining based on the review! 4. Make it easy Instead of giving complicated, single-platform instructions in your podcast, point your audience to a webpage with simple instructions and a link that launches the podcast app directly to your podcast.  This can be done through Please Review My Podcast tutorial. Outside of iTunes, we suggest creating and promoting a Google My Business page for the podcast. 5. Offer an incentive Hearing their name in your podcast may be enough incentive, but you could also offer to link to their website, give a shoutout to their project, or host a giveaway. 6. Use your negative reviews It might hurt to receive a negative review, but learning from and sharing it on your podcast often inspires your fans to rise up to support you. 7. Be strategic with calls to action Deliver a good podcast first, and don't overwhelm your audience by asking them to do too many things. Consider putting your request for reviews in a rotation of calls to action, or make it part of an automated email sequence. If you're looking for more tailored help, then be sure to connect with our dedicated team of podcast professionals. We'll help your business create a podcast from planning and launching to editing, presentation skills, promotion, and monetization.  Interested in speaking with one of our professionals? Click https://316strategygroup.com/business-podcasts-for-marketing/ (here)! We've put together a questionnaire to quickly fill out.  This will help us help you prior to our first information meeting, which you can schedule when completed.  Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at...

If selling podcast sponsorships is not your thing, the power to make money from your podcast is in your control with these options. Affiliate Advertising This is where you direct your listeners to a company that you love using, by offering a link or special discount code. You earn a percentage of the sale for every sale the company gets from those who have used your link. Run these just like you would a normal ad campaign. Create audio that includes the affiliate link, do a host live read, and put links in your show notes. And you do have to do this. You have to disclose on your website that they are affiliate links. There are numerous, reputable affiliate networks that can help facilitate this process. They make it nice and easy to get started. https://www.rakuten.com/signUp.do?login=yes (Rakuten), https://www.cj.com/ (CJ Affiliate) and https://www.shareasale.com/newsignup.cfm (Share A Sale) are some great examples.  Premium Content This is a type of digital content that may be accessed for a fee, and is usually of higher quality or more desirable than free content. Creating premium content is a great way to make money by offering content – any kind of content – that your listeners can't get unless they pay for it. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/06/apple-podcasts-subscriptions-and-channels-are-now-available-worldwide/ (Apple Podcasts Subscriptions) and channels are a new way to monetize. When listeners purchase a subscription to a show, they automatically follow the show and the page is updated with a Subscriber Edition label so they know they have access to the premium experience. You, as the content creator, can set the price for subscription.  You'll have to share a percentage of your subscription price with Apple.  That percentage decreases over time. Patreon may be a better option. Content creators have more control of their subscriber contact information, compared to Apple. Patreon has a really simple way of helping content creators, by allowing different payment tiers access to different content. PDFs, transcripts, ebooks, photos, or even video. But, as with all premium content, you have to ask yourself: “Is it premium enough? Would I pay for this?”  Another way to offer premium content is to limit the amount of shows that you offer for free. Then, if your followers want anything past that, they have to pay a monthly fee. A number of podcast hosting platforms offer premium access to content. https://www.captivate.fm/signup/?ref=circle270media (CaptivateFM) allows a private podcast feed and, if you want to monetize, a way to collect and manage payments. Private podcast feeds are perfect for hosting premium content because they are designed to keep it secure and gated. A few popular options for payment are Patreon, Glow, Supercast or, if you use WordPress, MemberPress.  Products You can create t-shirts, tote bags, anything you like with your logo, art, sayings, and sell this to your audience.  https://www.teepublic.com/ (TeePublic) are very podcaster friendly! You could sell physical courses, ebooks or webinars if you have knowledge about a certain subject. Or https://gumroad.com/ (write a book) if you're an author. Gumroad makes it easy for you to sell digital products, memberships and more.  You'll need payment services like PayPal or Stripe so you can get paid.  Services Coaching and consulting are really common ways that podcasters monetize their shows. You could have group coaching, masterminding, monthly packages and VIP days that you offer to listeners. You will need a way to book your time in a digital calendar. https://www.booklikeaboss.com/?idev_id=531 (Book Like A Boss) is a great resource. As well as Calendly, Picktime, YouCanBook.me. Letting your potential clients have easy access to your calendar is key. Last, but not least, you'll need to decide on some structure for your offering. How are you going to offer what it is you're offering?...

Podcasting may be the next step in brand building your personal brand beyond your blog.  Some days, it can seem impossible to reach your target market with just content, social media marketing, and advertising. You have a message that needs to get out there. And audio can help you do this faster.  Establishing yourself as a leading authority in your industry is an important goal. To do this more efficiently, we strongly recommend you should consider hosting your own podcast or at least being a part of one. First things first. Your podcast needs to stand out from the rest and become uniquely your own.  This is going to require an investment of time on your part.  But the payoff is great. This podcast will be launching you into a new arena that can propel your business forward. Why start a brand building podcast? To build a trusted brand it's important to continue to expand your marketing efforts into new digital arenas. This helps you meet your audience where they are active and engaging.  Today's information age is focused on relationship building. What a better way to do this than through your own dedicated podcast. Your exposure has the potential to grow far more than just leveraging social media and your blog. Your listeners are on the go and are getting their information quickly from the mobile devices. Meeting them where they are is a quick and easy way to build an audience online. A great way to start is by repurposing your blog posts.  Create something that either educates, informs, or entertains your audience. Doing so consistently will encourage them to follow your podcast for more.  Your podcast must present a fresh message that speaks to your audience in an interesting way. Originality is the key. All the while putting your own voice into what you produce. Here is how we help our clients start. Create a separate schedule just for podcasts You already have a regular content and social media plan. This should be no different for your podcast as well.  Choose a specific day and time slot that works well for you. Stick with that schedule. Implement your calendar tools to send out notifications to your followers so that they easily add your shows to their busy schedules. This offers them the opportunity to listen as they get the notification.  Or by encouraging them to follow your podcast on their preferred podcast player. Expand on your branded online profile Once you know what your show is going to be about, expand on your established online brand.  What you choose should be consistent with what you have currently created. Yet let it reflect a podcast style. Use a general but flexible template to save time We advise not to write a full-length script for each podcast episode. However, you will want to put together an outline or template to follow, but customize for each podcast episode. This includes a general introduction for each episode, and a general list of questions if you are conducting an expert interview. And your cue for a standard outro to help you end the episode.  Include a clear description Let people know right away what your show is about. Do this without writing too much information. This should be done with the right keywords for each topic, and without reading like a sales message. Use short, attention-grabbing episode titles A long, drawn out headline tends to turn people away. You will want to quickly grab their attention. Do this with catchy titles that speak directly to what the podcast episode will be covering. Your audience will want to know exactly what your episode is about. This will whet their appetite to hit the play button. Keep your podcast episodes focused  Limit your topics in each episode to just one.  Respect your listeners' time spent with you. Discuss something inside a specific niche based on your topic.  A strong call-to-action is a must There's no shame in encouraging your...

How to Turn Your Blog Posts into Audio Podcasts (And Why You Should)  You might be thinking that starting a podcast isn't right for your business. But that's not the case. You can turn your own blog content into podcast episodes that your audience can listen to while they drive to work, while they're walking, while they're working out — pretty much any time, anywhere.  Why should you turn blog posts into audio podcasts? Everybody has their own preferred way to consume content; some people like to read, some like to watch videos and others like to listen. Turning your blog post into audio podcasts has a number of benefits for your business marketing objectives overall. You can widen your reach and connect with target audience members that you wouldn't have encountered before. Just by repurposing your written content into audio content. When users follow a podcast, they're likely to listen to each podcast episode and stay through to the end. https://optinmonster.com/blogging-statistics/ (Written content more often is skimmed). In fact, 43 percent of people admit to skimming blog posts, according to OptinMonster.  Podcasts episodes may just be the perfect way to get your message absorbed by consumers. Now that you know the “why”, here's how to turn your blog posts into audio podcasts. Determine your best blog posts You need to determine which blog posts will best lend themselves to engaging podcast episodes. Not every single blog post on your website will make a great podcast episode.  When repurposing content in general, it's good practice to repurpose the content that performed the best. You already know it works.  Now with an audio podcast, some of your blog posts that didn't perform as well might make awesome podcast episodes. Your first steps will be to do some digging through your blog content and figure out what posts you'll turn into podcast episodes.  You can also use a free tool like Google Analytics. To find your most popular pages, go to your website's Google Analytics. Navigate to Behavior > Site Content > All Pages, you'll be able to see page view data for every page on your site. Record it You can simply read some of your best blog posts using your own voice, you as the owner of your business. You do need to consider quality. No one will want to listen to your podcast if the audio is poor, or if it's poorly edited. Audio quality has been scientifically proven to have a significant effect on how listeners evaluate a speaker. Check out this study by USC and the Australian National University: “https://news.usc.edu/141042/why-we-believe-something-audio-sound-quality/ (The quality of audio influences whether you believe what you hear)”. It shows that audio quality influences whether people believe what they hear — and whether they trust the source of information. This is where Circle270Media Podcast Consultants can help you.  Our years of experience in content creation ensures that our clients create content that is effective and representative of their business. Find out more by contacting us on our website. Promote your podcast When your podcast episodes are ready for download, you've got to promote them. Don't expect to send them out into the world and have tons of people flocking to listen to them. After you've put them up on the platform of your choosing, whether it's your own website or Circle270Media's preferred media hosting platform, https://www.captivate.fm/signup?ref=circle270media (CaptivateFM), let people know it exists. Start promoting your podcast episodes on all of your social media accounts. Send an announcement message to your email subscribers. Also, revise the original blog post you are recording, announcing your podcast episodes. Embed the audio player provided to you by your media hosting platform on the blog page. And in the future, all of your posts should include information about where to find your podcast as well. What are...

We've put these five strategies together to take your business podcast to the next level.  Podcasts are as important to content marketing and branding as a blog was a few years ago! So, if you thought podcasts were just a fun way to create content for your prospective customers….think again! It's now become a vital way to do so. Podcasting for Businesseshttps://316strategygroup.com/business-podcasts-for-marketing/ (Podcasting) is a great way to raise awareness for you, your business, and the products and services you sell. For whatever size business stage you are currently. But, it's not without a steep learning curve. You may need help along the way. At Circle270Media Podcast Consultants, we don't let our podcast clients remain. Our goal is to develop unique data-driven marketing strategies for each business we serve. Our ultimate goal is to help our clients grow and continue to do all the amazing work they do. Our team of podcasting professionals can help you get off the ground quickly and effortlessly. Our approach is to let you focus on your content.  Do you still want to try podcasting on your own? We understand.  Keep listening to learn 5 Tips to Successful Podcasting! Have you already started your very own podcast? Are you thinking of launching one soon? Either way, here are the rest of these podcast tips to learn 5 strategies for success. And, at the end of the podcast, we're going to help you find professional podcast help if you need it! Define a Successful Podcast What does success look like to you? Success means many different things to many different people. For some business owners and their podcasts, it's all about the downloads! For others, it's earning a full-time living from their shows. Many business podcasters see success as developing leads from their content for the products and services they offer. And yet for others, it's simply a case of having a creative outlet and a platform to create awareness and tell their stories. So, what does success look like to you?  Do you have a “Why” You can be the most prepared podcaster, but when you run a podcast, things don't always go to plan.  Knowing your “why” will keep you focused, even when things go wrong. Equipment malfunctions, guests not showing up, etc., the list goes on. It's really not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. So, what's your “why”? It's a marathon. Not a sprint.Most aspiring podcasters don't want to hear that it can take years to build an audience when you're working without a team of professionals. As a business owner, you know you wear many hats. And in order to make a successful podcast, you need to be prepared to turn up consistently and regularly over the next couple of years. Circle270Media Podcast Consultants offers the type of assistance that will help you focus on your business, your content, and shorten the podcasting learning curve. If you've recently launched your podcast and it's already making you miserable, then don't hesitate to give Circle270Media Podcast Consultants a call. We'll get that initial energy back into the creation of your business podcast. Can You Sustain?It shouldn't be a battle but it often is. A big part of enjoying the process of podcasting is that it shouldn't turn into work to get new episodes recorded, edited, and out the door. You should look forward to every recording session! It's easy to dedicate time during the planning stages. But is it sustainable long-term? The key is to make sure creating each episode for your podcast isn't something you dread. You need to build a strong team around you. They will develop a workflow of sustainability. They will keep you accountable for creating content that is your specialty. If you're looking for a way to simplify your planning, production and editing process, contact us at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. Get Off the LaunchPadAll too often podcasters spend too much time focused on the launch of their new...

"Today, Brett Johnson helps us understand that making mistakes on your podcast is totally fine. You just have to learn from it and use the right tools and equipment to elevate your show." This episode was originally published on June 17, 2021. Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic and Speak Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording, and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up a time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

While eMarketer forecasts time spent with radio to stay steady over the next several years, its projection for digital audio shows an increase of 20 minutes per day from 2019 to 2023, according to the research company's May 2021 report “US Time Spent with Media 2021.” The report also sees average time spent daily with podcasts more than doubling from 2019 to 2023. Digital audio – which includes all internet-based audio streaming services within an app or website, including the online streams of AM/FM stations, along with podcasts and pure play services such as Apple Music, Spotify and Pandora – surpassed terrestrial radio in average time spent daily for the first time in 2020, gaining eight minutes from 2019 to one hour and 30 minutes, compared to radio's 1:28. eMarketer's analysis explains this increase as resulting from “consumers' audio listening habits disrupted by the loss of commuting early in the pandemic.” The forecast for 2021 shows the average adult spending one hour and 36 minutes consuming digital audio content daily, up 6.6% year-over-year vs. an 8.8% rise in 2020. While in 2020 digital accounted for just over half of total time spent with audio, that number is predicted to move to 52.6% for 2021 and near 55% by 2023. A key driver in time spent with digital audio are podcasts, which eMarketer's report says “have seen an unexpected spike in popularity as long-form audio engagement became easier to undertake at any given time of day during the pandemic.” Podcasts accounted for 18.2% of that time spent during 2020, up from 14.8% in 2019. That share is expected to pass the 20% mark in 2021 and eventually the 25% level in 2023. Among podcast listeners, podcasts' share of digital audio usage is at 36.5% this year and predicted to pass 40% by 2023. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/openthemic (Open The Mic Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

Starting multiple podcasts can be a great way for you to expand your podcast horizon. It gives you the freedom to explore new topics with new listeners. Audio has limitless possibilities. There are no gatekeepers to tell you what you can and can't put out there. This absolutely can be done. For the purposes of this episode, when I talk about multiple episodes, I am referring to starting a podcast, creating content for it through its natural end, and then beginning another. And that is exactly what my guest has done over 4 times since 2005. In this episode, I talk with https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamperryprcoach/ (Pam Perry) from https://www.pamperrypr.com/ (Pam Perry PR), PR and Branding Solutions for Seasoned Speakers. She has gone through many iterations of different podcasts, which in itself is a great story. And we talk about each of those business podcasts that she created for herself, as well as with business partners. And how creating all of those podcasts has now brought her to her current podcast, https://www.pamperrypr.com/podcasts/ (Get Out There And Get Known. ) What she learned from all those podcasts has now culminated what she's creating right now. Plus, she has some fantastic advice for business owners considering podcasting as a marketing tool. Here's some of her advice... on protecting your content...own your RSS feed! to ensure success, plan your episodes! Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily Open The Mic Newsletter. It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

The biggest benefit of starting a guest focused podcast is that it can give you access to influencers and people who you personally look up to. You should always be bringing on guests your listeners will benefit from.  From there, make sure they have a story to tell or something to teach that your audience will benefit from are someone that you personally have an interest in talking to So keep in mind, there is a ton of competition in the guest focused podcast genre.  And the most highly sought after guests are probably targeting podcasts with the biggest reach.   These would be podcasts with downloads that are highly concentrated within the top 1% of shows. So how do you get traction for your own podcast to attract guests? Let's go over some tips for connecting with quality guests for your podcast that will help fulfill the potential of your concept. Well-known guests are the easiest solution to attracting listeners. They have fans who consume everything they create. The good news. There are famous people who are willing to appear on just about any podcast—no matter how small—while promoting a launch, like a new book, new film, new project, new business venture, even a new podcast. They make it a goal to be hyper prolific. Build a system around identifying famous people who do this. For authors, browse Amazon's “coming soon” book list and make a list of authors. Search podcast guests on big shows to see if they recently launched. Use YouTube to find famous people who appear on smaller podcasts. Search “their name + podcasts” and see who shows up on smaller podcasts with small numbers of listeners. Reach out to them to entice them to come onto your show Highlight how their subject matter expertise overlaps your audience's interests. Always offer them as many podcast assets as possible.  Links to the show, customized artwork, three to four audio highlights, and a link to the transcription, just to name a few.  Get creative.  Now use their appearance to hook other huge guests. Your first big-time guest acts as social proof that your show is worthwhile. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily https://www.getrevue.co/profile/c270m (Open The Mic Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

There was a recent story published by Timber.fm's Amanda Cupido about podcasting. Near the end of that piece, she interviews Gabe Bender, who is Google Podcast's product lead. Bender hints to some big changes coming to Google Podcasts involving search and discovery.  He didn't specifically say what is coming up, let's take a look between the lines of what he said. Google will make features that are basically the same to what they have with YouTube. This means podcasts are going to become extremely searchable when a Google Search user (your potential listener) types in their search terms. Like Google video search results or YouTube search results.  And, while you're using Google Podcasts to listen to your podcast, Google will be recommending more podcasts to you as you're listening.  It will be very much like the ‘next up' areas you see on YouTube. Because Google will start to show podcast results in search, this will impact all listeners that use Google for search. Not just listeners that use Google Podcasts to listen to their favorite podcasts. I don't doubt Google will start to incorporate autotranscriptions they are already doing behind the scenes, to include podcasts in search results.  This autotranscription option is already available in the Chrome browser, when you change your accessibility options  A popup screen shows the real time transcription of any audio played in your Chrome browser.  So Google will be taking search even deeper, based on what's said IN your podcast, not just what's written in your podcast descriptions, summaries and webpages. The SEO concept of “page rank” will likely be applied to podcasts. That means the more external sources that reference your podcast, like web page backlinks, videos and video interviews, other podcasts mentions and podcast interviews, blog mentions, blog interviews, guest blogging—the higher your podcast will appear in search results for the topic that is referenced. This is SEO 101 for Google. There will be personalization, like YouTube.  First, search results and the ‘next up' area in Google Podcasts will take into account anything Google knows about what you listen to.   Second, Google Podcasts will surround you with other people that listen to similar things so that it can suggest podcasts, or specific podcast episodes, to you that other people in your cluster listen to.  Think community. Podcast search engine optimization. If all this happens as Bender seems to suggest it will, a new kind of expertise will become important. Podcast search engine optimization. Just as SEO consultants today help companies get their web pages to appear organically higher in Google results, that's where we at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants will be continuing to help podcasters appear organically higher in Google's podcast search results.  The methods will be similar: get on other podcasts shows and web pages to mention your show, and other references and links I mentioned earlier.  Include searchable terms. Not just in episode summaries, but in the words you say during your show. And probably WHERE you mention those searchable terms within your episode. This could amount to a huge overall of what you do with each and every podcast episode. Or at least a refinement of what you do, if you are already implementing an SEO strategy to your podcast and podcast content. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily Open The Mic Newsletter. It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio...

How Do You Make a Business Podcast That Stands Out?Podcasting continues to be a growing medium. Every day, new shows are launched. And as of this recording, there are now well over 2,000,000 podcasts available in Apple Podcasts.  The motivations and ambitions of those who get into podcasting vary from person to person. But for those who put the time and work in, the rewards can be huge. Business and industry podcasting is where you'll find many who are reaping the benefits of their content. This ranges from individuals working on side ventures outside of their day job, the side hustles, to multinational companies. As more businesses move towards podcasting, people are looking at ways to stand out. To do something a bit more differently. So, if you want to make a show for your own company or brand, what sorts of things should you do to avoid becoming just another one of the pack? Let's go over some ideas and suggestions that will help you make a business podcast that stands out, and attract your current and potential clients or customers to listen.  Let's take a look at the most common business podcast format  Intro music The host introduces show Interview  Host summarizes and closes show, adds call(s) to action Outro music There's absolutely nothing wrong with this format. In fact, this is the perfect structure for a majority of podcasters. Listeners are very used to it, it's practical. And it doesn't require a big investment of time or money with additional production elements. But if you really want to stand out, it's going to be very hard to do that following this format. It's very common. What's the alternative? Let's go over an idea.  Are you the authority, or your guest?  There are many benefits of running an interview show. The big downside is that you're never the true authority on your own show – your guests are.  An interview-style podcast, at its core, is a networking tool for you and your business. You don't need to stop having guests in order to stand out. But make sure it's a conscious decision rather than something you've been led to believe is a necessity. Understand what this style podcast is going to accomplish for you and your guest. How about... Reworking the Conversations If you will be having guests on your show, consider throwing out the common intro, interview, outro cadence approach. Let's say you do want to make a business podcast, and you're going to start with a season of 15 episodes. And, you'll be lining up 15 guests. The “conventional” way of doing this is that each episode will be an interview with 1 of these 15 guests. The conversation takes the usual approach. You ask them how they got started in what they do, what problems they overcame, how they became successful, and what advice they have for others. The typical flow of this interview format. But, this doesn't really stand out. Especially if your guests are often interviewed on other podcasts. Where they'll probably cover exactly the same ground, talking about their latest book, or their latest TED Talk. Let's consider an alternative. A Season of Topics, Not Guests Come up with 15 topics. Each topic is basically a question, or themed set of questions. These will be similar to the questions asked in that common interview style, so you've got things like “problems you overcame,” and “advice for others.” Then you can throw in things that are a bit different from the norm.  “Which talent would you most like to have?”, and “What technology do you wish existed?”, for two examples. In each interview, you ask the 15 guests your 15 questions, along with any follow-up questions. Then, produce your 15 episodes. Each will focus on answering 1 question, and feature the answer from all 15 of your guests. This can make a better listener experience. Your show will become easy to navigate. It will have an appeal to a younger target audience who may not have the patience for the

Chances are, more of your podcast listeners than you even realize care a great deal about proper grammar. Your podcast represents you, and how you speak. You want your podcast listeners to understand what you're saying, to think you're bright and competent. But your weak word choice might be raising eyebrows and red flags. With the incorrect word choice, people might not actually know what you're trying to say. Here are 6 words you think you're using correctly in your podcast but you may not be...  Less/Fewer Literally/Figuratively Imply/Infer Now's a good time to take another listen to your latest podcast episode and see how you are using your words. Do you have room to improve? Did you get your point across using the words you chose in that episode? Did you notice that you had to clarify your point more than one time? As with anything you create, taking the time to speak grammatically correct as possible saves you time, and saves your listener time in understanding what points you are trying to convey. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com https://www.getrevue.co/profile/c270m (Subscribe to my free daily Open The Mic Newsletter). It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

We are always looking for opportunities to increase our listenership for our podcasts, aren't we? And I think we tend to forget to encourage our current listener base to be our advocates, to get other listeners, to get more listeners to your podcast. We've come up with eight small steps to help you support your podcast without spending a dime. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com. Subscribe to my free daily Open The Mic Newsletter. It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

Beyond optimizing your podcast episode title and description, consider creating a show summary on a blog or website and embedding the audio file within the page.  Google appreciates the added context and will rank websites and blogs that incorporate multimedia higher than those that don't.  Transcribe episodes for the blog or to create additional content to promote the episode on social media or your website. Post the blog or episode summary page via social media. Additionally, these transcriptions will become more and more important as The https://mp3s.nashownotes.com/PC20-01-2020-08-28-Final.mp3 (Podcast Index) continues to grow, and hosting platforms implement the option Podcasting 2.0 Transcript Tag. In short, depending on your podcast hosting platform, you can now import, add, edit and publish transcriptions, making it easier than ever to transcribe your podcast for accessibility, repurposing and SEO benefit. Upload SRT (transcript) files from external services like https://sonix.ai/invite/mqppxdq (Sonix) or https://www.happyscribe.com/r/b98d8b9fe8 (HappyScribe). When posting each episode on social media, leverage hashtags, especially for Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Beyond industry-specific language, consider podcast-specific terms like #podcast, #podcasting, #podcastguest.  Keep a running list on hashtags that you are using for social media posts for easy reference.  Specifically on LI, consider the hashtag suggestions that pop up when you create your post. For visual platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, utilize behind-the-scenes images or video as teasers for upcoming (and archived) episodes.  For YouTube, leverage playlists to combine relevant episodes. If your podcast is business-related consider posting teasers and episodes to LinkedIn, as well as support with LinkedIn articles.  Articles and your website blog articles will not conflict with SEO search. Don't forget marketing fundamentals when promoting your podcast.  Incorporate a link to your latest podcast or episode page in your email signature file.  Promote episodes in your newsletter. Create and incorporate a newsletter cadence that best helps exposure for each episode. This means get that newsletter sent within 72 hours of the podcast publishing date.  Promote your podcast website versus a specific podcast player like Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.   Provide pre-made promos to guests and partners to maximize reach.  A more advanced strategy is to identify and engage super-listeners (evangelists). Bonus marketing ideas include exploring cross-promotional opportunities with other podcasters/shows. For example, if your podcast is focused on your web design business.  You also work with a social media specialist as your go-to when your clients need organic or paid social media help. And she has a podcast as well.  Could your social media specialist provide a quick “news-like” one to two minute update about the latest happenings in social media within your podcast?  And could you offer a one to two minute update on best practices when it comes to website tactics.  You both get the benefit of cross-promotion with each other's podcasts, while adding value to each other's listeners.   Creating and marketing a podcast does require a reasonable investment of time and money to do it right. The investment is typically much less than video, and podcasts have the added benefit of expanding into a relatively under-appreciated but fast-growing format: audio branding. Take advantage of the current excitement and growing consumption of podcasts to build your brand. Want to learn more?  Be sure to sign up for my free daily Open The Mic newsletter. Each day is a different topic, from articles around the web on podcast monetization, podcast marketing, podcast audio production, the week's podcast news, and our suggestions for your next 7 days of...

A small change with a big impact: no more “subscribe” as podcasting moves to “follow.” Apple Podcasts will no longer be using the word “subscribe” in a few weeks. The new wording will be in iOS 14.5, which should be released later this March. Listeners will be encouraged to “follow” their favorite podcasts instead. Apple, as usual with any changes they make in Apple Podcasts, will communicate with creators, and listeners, when this version of iOS is released. It may seem like a small change, but it could dramatically affect the podcast industry. Tom Webster from Edison Research says 47% of people who don't currently listen to podcasts think that 'subscribing' to a podcast will cost money.  Other larger podcast apps have already changed: Spotify and Audible use “follow”, Stitcher uses “+ follow”, and Amazon Music uses “♡ follow”. Meanwhile, Google Podcasts and Castbox use “+ Subscribe”, and Overcast and Castro uses “Subscribe”. For fifteen years, the term, the action to 'subscribe' has been confusing potential listeners. I still have people ask me about that to this day. But that was the action we needed to encourage for listeners to understand how to “follow” our podcasts in Apple Podcasts. Hopefully, every podcast app to copy Spotify, Stitcher, Apple and Amazon by using 'follow.' And it's time for every podcaster to follow their lead.  I would suggest as time goes on to edit any written reference using the term “subscribe” in blogs, show notes, etc. And moving forward, as of March 2021, use only the term “follow” with any reference to any podcast app. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily Open The Mic Newsletter. It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

Respect Your Guest's Knowledge And Time So, let's hit some basics first, to set the groundwork for being a great podcast interviewer. There are basically two reasons to have guests on your podcast for you - to network, to meet new people for your listeners - with three objectives for your listeners - you need to educate, or entertain, or energize - or all three Don't Forget You Are Hosting A Show To capture the attention of your audience and keep them engaged, present your podcast with energy.  Insert some power, emphasis and excitement into your voice. Get the right balance, and they'll hear a confident podcast host who is in control.  All the while you are calm, relaxed and conversational. And that takes practice. Practice Makes Better and Better - There's Never Perfect Practice will help you and the balance between sounding natural and performing while you're hosting a show. Nobody likes the sound of their own voice. But as a host, listening back - or as broadcasters call it, listening to a sound check of your work - will help you improve much faster.   And this also means getting feedback from non-family members.  Those that will give you TRUE feedback as a non-partisan listener.  You only get better with honest feedback.  Honesty will get you there quicker. As a podcast show host, how do you become a great interviewer? https://note-to-future-me.captivate.fm/episode/master-your-podcast-interviewing-skills (Note To Future Me - Master Your Podcast Interviewing Skills) I recently interviewed Mark Nuce on my Note To Future Me podcast. He's a radio broadcast veteran of 30+ years. He is the news and public affairs director at North American Broadcasting, Incorporated in Columbus Ohio. What a better resource could there be than a veteran newscaster and news interviewer. The four key areas that we talked about to master podcast interviewing include: 1) homework and research 2) planning 3) flexibility 4) listening Those 4 areas are key to becoming a great podcast interviewer. Respect Your Guest's Knowledge And Time Respecting the Guest's Knowledge Research, research, research. “Know” about your targeted guest BEFORE making contact. We have never had so much information at our fingertips to access anyone's information as we do today. Check out their website.  There you may find links to personal and company blogs Your guest might have a blog on their personal website, write on their business's blog, or contribute to other blogs as well. Check out all of their social media channels.  https://buffer.com/library/twitter-advanced-search/ (Twitter's advanced search) makes it easy to filter by the number of likes as well as the number of retweets and any keyword or phrase.  LinkedIn profiles. If the professional background of your guest is of interest, their LinkedIn profile will come in handy. You can also dig into their “Activity” to find what they've been posting about. Find out who they may be connected to via social media. There may be someone you know, you may have in common.  If they have a podcast, or have been on podcasts as a guest, listen to a few episodes - especially ones you have an interest in. Here are a couple of easy ways to search podcasts. https://www.listennotes.com/ (Listen Notes )describes itself as a search engine for podcasts. This makes it easy to dig up past guest appearances your potential guest has made on other podcasts. https://www.podchaser.com/ (PodChaser) also allows you to search for someone and pull up a curated list of their guest appearances. If your potential guest is active on https://www.quora.com/ (Quora), searching through their past answers can give you some good ideas for questions to ask since you can see how they would respond. All of this information will be used to curate “the ask” email (and more).   When you can relate to your potential guest that you know who they are with specific...

If 2020 was nothing else, it was a whole lot more, it was a year of growth in podcasting. The podcast industry's efforts to reach a wider spectrum of listeners are paying off. An analysis of the podcast audience by Nielsen Podcast Buying Power Service finds the medium's listeners are now more diverse than the population overall, despite a growing reach that is bringing in a greater number of listeners of all age groups. Nielsen reports 41% of monthly podcast listeners aged 18 and older are non-white. That includes 19% who identify as Hispanic and 13% that are Black. That compares to the overall U.S. population that is 34% non-white. Several podcast publishers have made special efforts to appeal to non-White audiences.  iHeartMedia is launching a podcast network targeting the Latinx community, as they say, will be a top priority in 2021 after the launch of The Black Effect Podcast Network in 2020. It earlier set a goal of investing half of its new shows from diverse creators in 2020 and beyond, including women, African-Americans and Hispanics. The Nielsen data shows no ethnic group has grown at a faster pace than Hispanics, with the number of podcast listeners among that demo growing six-times since 2010. Podcasting's reach among Hispanics has increased from 1.1 million to 6.8 million among those who said they had listened to a podcast in the past 30 days. Businesses take note. The data reveals that Black and Hispanic podcast listeners were more likely to report visiting a retail location that they heard advertised in a podcast than were Whites. And both Black and Hispanic podcast listeners were more prone to have called a telephone number they heard mentioned in a podcast ad. All this leads up to the main reason for this podcast episode.  We are proud to announce that Circle270Media Podcast Consultants are partnering with a new podcast called Level Up And Thrive. This podcast will be hosted by Yasmine Robles, owner of Robles Designs ("Creators of drool-worthy websites for small business hell-bent on taking over the world"). As she explains in this episode of TriVillage Chamber Partnership's Business Inspires podcast, the focus will be on the LatinX business community in and around Central Ohio. We are targeting February 2021 as the launch month.  We will keep you updated on our websites, Note To Future Me, and Circle270Media.com. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily Open The Mic Newsletter. It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

As we all know, podcast networks are helpful for both listeners and content creators alike. I got to talk to https://pressplaypodcasts.com/about/ (Press Play Podcast Network)'s owner Chase Smith back in 2013, actually, specifically the end of https://player.captivate.fm/episode/ea6cb663-79c2-490e-a09b-d74552d33fc0 (May of 2019). He was nice enough to carve out a little bit of his holiday time to talk to me in this episode about the growth that they've seen in this podcast network. I think it's just an extremely interesting journey of creating this podcast network. The the ups and downs, the team development that's gone into it as well. His, as well as some https://pressplaypodcasts.com/news/ (unique qualities) of this network, that both he and I don't see it in any other network. It was really nice to be able to connect with him, get him on tape to do this interview, and get an insider view of the pros and cons of a podcast network. But also see what the benefits are for a podcast or to be part of a podcast network. Or if you've ever had thoughts about creating a network on your own. Chase has some really good insights about that. The Press Play Podcast Network exists to empower hosts and create high quality, professionally sounding, engaging content for its listeners. At P3, we pride ourselves in helping bring your vision to reality by providing you with the proper tools and support to make your show a success. Whether you are a podcast veteran or diving into the medium for the first time, we will walk along side you and help get your show on the air.As Chase mentions, if you want to contact him, the best way would be to submit your question, or podcast idea, to them https://pressplaypodcasts.com/contact/ (via their website). Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily Open The Mic Newsletter. It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.

COVID-19 has taken its toll on many things. And podcasting is one of them. Many podcasts, due to economics or time, have podfaded, while hundreds of thousands of new podcasts have launched. Carol Ventresca joins me on this episode. She and I co-hosted an award-winning podcast that benefitted a small non-profit in Central Ohio. Because of COVID-19, the non-profit decided that the podcast would have to be put on pause indefinitely. She was the executive director of the non-profit, while I was on the board of directors. We saw an opportunity to continue to deliver quality information and entertainment to those listeners (adults 50+). After a few months of negotiating with the non-profit to move ownership of the podcast feed, followed by brainstorming and planning the content of the new podcast, Looking Forward Our Way was launched in August 2020. This episode covers our journey from transition to future plans for the podcast, the launch of a podcast in podfade. We cover... 1) The beginnings that involved the podfaded podcast… -how and why we began the podcast for a non-profit -the goals of that podcast for the non-profit 2) Setting up the transition into the launch of the new podcast. -why non-profit let the podcast podfade -why we saw this as an opportunity to continue to work together and launch a new podcast 3) Planning details for the launch of the retired podcast -our agreement as co-hosts for the launch of the new podcast -process of deciding a new name -division of work and shared responsibilities -opportunity to launch numerous additional marketing options to support the new podcast that were not available with the podfaded podcast New hosting platform - CaptivateFM Website Wordpress based Newsletter Social media Expanded topics How we are tracking our topics  Guest interviews New recording facilities Outsourcing our work and co-hosting talents And finally we offer some advice for launching a new podcast from a podfade situation. Let's talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you're B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you. Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants http://www.circle270media.com/ (business website) at circle270media.com Subscribe to my free daily Open The Mic Newsletter. It's chock full of podcast news you may have missed, as well as social media, sales, and audio production tips, and insights on how to grow your business podcast. Recorded in conjunction with http://www.channel511.com/ (Channel 511), in the Brewery District, downtown Columbus, OH. Brett Johnson is the owner and lead consultant at Circle270Media Podcast Consultants. With over 35+ years of experience in Marketing, Content Creation, Audio Production/Recording and Broadcasting, the podcast consultants at Circle270Media strategically bring these strengths together for their business Podcast clients. Email us at podcasts@circle270media.com to set up time to talk more about your new or established business podcast.