Podcast Talent Coach

YOUR PERSONA & PRESENCE MAKE YOU UNFORGETTABLE As a podcaster, you spend countless hours perfecting your content. But are you making your show truly unforgettable? In this episode of Podcast Talent Coach, I reveal why your unique persona and presence are the most important assets you have. These are assets that artificial intelligence or your competition can never copy. When you infuse your content with your personal story and authentic self, you stand out from the endless sea of sameness. It's this magnetism that attracts loyal listeners and turns casual followers into raving fans for your brand. WHY YOUR STORY IS YOUR SUPERPOWER Let's be real: being slightly better or just another "shade of gray" won't set you apart in today's crowded landscape. It's not about being cheaper, having a slicker course, or even a more refined mic setup. What makes people choose you, over and over again, is your story—your origin, your journey, your perspective. Your competition might try to imitate your process, but they'll never replicate your lived experience and genuine voice. In this episode, I break down how icons like Howard Stern, Oprah Winfrey, and Zig Ziglar rose to fame by unapologetically sharing who they are and weaving personal stories into every lesson. STOP TEACHING—START ENTERTAINING Too many podcasters get caught up in cramming more information into each episode. Here's the truth: listeners crave entertainment. Even when they're tuning in to learn, it's the stories and emotions you invoke that keep them coming back. Just think about your favorite teacher—the one who brought lessons to life, not the monotone professor who put the class to sleep. In this episode, I show you how to wrap your valuable content in relatable, audience-focused stories. When you stir emotion and invite your audience into your world, you don't just give them information—you give them an unforgettable experience. DEFINE YOUR BRAND WITH INTENTION Your brand isn't an accident—it's a choice. I walk you through how to identify four to six adjectives that define your podcast persona and ensure every episode supports those characteristics. Are you insightful, quirky, bold, or caring? Structure your content and stories to reinforce these brand traits with consistency and confidence. When you intentionally choose the characteristics your show stands for, you foster trust and recognition in your niche. Just like Gary Vaynerchuk and Mel Robbins attract their tribes with distinct personas, you can create a magnetic brand by sharing your story your way. TAKE THE NEXT STEP TO GREATNESS If you ever wonder why your audience isn't growing, your engagement is flat, or you're not making money with your podcast, the answer is likely simple: you haven't leaned into your story and presence enough. Now is the time to stand out by being more authentic, more entertaining, and more YOU. If you want hands-on help developing your podcast persona or building stronger, more profitable relationships with your audience, apply for a free coaching call at https://podcasttalentcoach.com/strategy-call/. Let's craft your story and turn your podcast into the influential, client-attracting platform you deserve.

Are you looking to transform your podcast into a true marketing powerhouse for your business? In this episode of Podcast Talent Coach, I dive into the world of virtual events with the incredible Steve Eriksen, founder of EventRaptor.   VIRTUAL EVENTS: YOUR SECRET PODCAST MARKETING TOOL 00:00 Engage Audience with Your Story 04:22 "Mastering Virtual Event Hosting" 08:32 Building Event Lists with Top Speakers 12:28 "Entrepreneurial Success Through Speaking" 16:44 "Set Deadlines for Accountability" 20:14 Clarity Boosts Sales: Simple Pricing 21:49 "Virtual Summits Drive Audience Engagement" 25:42 Summit Preparation: Key Considerations 30:48 Tailoring Talks for Different Audiences 33:27 Targeted Networking for Real Estate Professionals 35:53 "Service Bundles and Success Guarantees" 38:28 "Nine-Step Rapport-Building Framework" 42:09 Virtual Summits for Lead Conversion 45:46 "Weekly Coaching Invitation"   We reveal exactly how hosting and speaking at summits, masterminds, and online conferences can rapidly grow your email list, attract your ideal clients, and explode your authority in your niche. Virtual events are so much more than just another "networking" opportunity—they're a dynamic growth strategy. On this episode, you'll hear why they offer results no other channel can match.   THE COMPOUND POWER OF VIRTUAL EVENTS If you want leverage, you need to get in front of more people—faster. That's why I'm such a huge advocate of virtual events. When you speak at a summit or online masterminds, you aren't just building rapport with one person at a time. You're leveraging the audience of a host who's vouching for your expertise and putting you directly in front of people already interested in your topic. And when you host your own virtual summit, you don't just add 25 or 50 leads. You're suddenly adding hundreds or even thousands of the right people to your email list, letting you scale your business much more quickly.   AVOIDING COMMON VIRTUAL EVENT MISTAKES Steve Eriksen and I dig deep into what separates successful summits from virtual event disasters. We reveal why keeping things simple—for both your offers and your event organization—is key if you want real results. Steve shares powerful examples of mistakes to avoid, like confusing multi-tiered VIP offers that leave attendees unsure and uncommitted. Instead, you'll learn why clarity and a focused value proposition always win, and how offering a single irresistible option can drive thousands in summit revenue.   FIVE KEY ELEMENTS TO BE SUMMIT-READY You might be wondering: What do you really need to show up and win at a virtual event? Steve Eriksen is the Founder of EventRaptor - the BEST solution for making Virtual Event Management easy! In his previous role as the Chief Technology Officer for Mary Morrissey, a life coach certification organization with an 8-figure revenue, he was responsible for all the tech that went into their events with thousands of attendees. Steve now helps entrepreneurs with their event tech with EventRaptor. Steve breaks down the five-step system every podcasting entrepreneur should have in place. These include a strong lead magnet, a signature talk that plants your expertise in people's minds, a reliable follow-up sequence, an irresistible offer, and a simple sales conversion system. Whether you're hosting or guest-speaking, having this foundation will not only grow your email list but also turn new listeners into long-term clients.   BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS THAT LAST Podcasting and virtual events are about more than downloads and email addresses. They're about building meaningful relationships with your audience and fellow experts. Throughout this episode, I share how consistently showing up (even as a last-minute speaker) builds goodwill in the virtual event space, leading to more invitations, stronger JV partnerships, and more sales. If you're ready to establish trust, deepen engagement, and finally build a platform that delivers impact, this episode will give you the exact blueprint to make that happen. Don't forget to grab Steve's incredible “Get Summit Ready” checklist at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/summitready, and start leveraging the transformational power of virtual events today!   If you would like my help to walk you every step of the way, go to https://podcasttalentcoach.com/strategy-call/. Just click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY STARTING MY PODCAST If I were to start this journey all over again, what would I do differently? That's exactly what I cover in this episode of Podcast Talent Coach. After years on the radio and over a decade in podcasting, I've learned a lot—often the hard way! In this week's episode, I lay out three crucial things I'd do differently to help you avoid the same mistakes. You can command attention with your content, and actually attract clients instead of endlessly chasing them down. You don't have to struggle to find listeners if you set up your content for engagement, connection, and growth from the start. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Podcast Talent Coach: www.PodcastTalentCoach.com The Big Party Show: https://hurrdatmedia.com/hurrdat-one/shows/the-big-party-show/ LEAN INTO YOUR PERSONALITY EARLY The first think I would do differently: lean into personality sooner rather than later. For years, I tried copying other radio personalities, and it just didn't work. Your authenticity is magnetic. Listeners fall in love with who you are—not just what you say. That genuine connection builds trust and keeps people coming back. When I finally started just being myself, everything changed. That's when my shows started reaching the top of the ratings, and I was able to help others do the same. The secret isn't in the content; it's in the storyteller. Share your stories, your quirks, and your unique perspective. Because you are what makes you worth listening to. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH JOINT VENTURE PARTNERS The next thing I'd do differently is find joint venture partners much sooner. JV partners will promote you to their audiences, helping you explode your email list, get in front of ideal clients, and grow your business faster than you ever could alone. Not all JV partners are equal, though. So, focus on finding the ones who are active promoters and are aligned with your values. By plugging into the right partnerships, I took my email list from 500 to over 5,000 in just a year. If you want explosive growth, don't go it alone—collaborate! Your network is a growth multiplier, not just a way to get your name out there. HIRE A COACH TO SHORTCUT YOUR SUCCESS The third thing I'd do differently? Get a coach early. I know there's hesitation. "Will it be worth it? Will I actually implement?" But, having the right mentor is a game-changer. I waited six years before hiring my first coach, and progress after that skyrocketed. Different coaches have helped me with sales, offers, content, and scaling systems. A mentor helps you not just gather information, but actually implement it, saving you years of trial and error. Remember: information alone doesn't create transformation. You've got to take action—and a great coach will help you do just that. TURN INFORMATION INTO ACTION If you want to stand out and attract both fans and clients, it's all about taking action. Don't just collect PDFs, lead magnets, and courses. Decide what's going to move the needle and make it happen. Most content creators never act on what they learn. Be the exception. Whether it's refining your origin story to create rapport, building JV relationships, or working with a mentor, execution is what will separate you from everyone else. Attracting clients and building powerful relationships with your audience starts the minute you put yourself into your podcast and follow these proven strategies. Want to talk more about how to implement this in your show? Reach out to me. You can email me at Coach at PodcastTalentCoach.com. I can help you develop your unique brand, build authority, and create content that actually grows your business. If you're ready to take action, let's chat—and I'll help you become someone worth listening to and learning from! Find more resources and coaching information at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Are you tired of feeling like your podcast blends in with the crowd? On this episode of Podcast Talent Coach, I'm diving deep into the one thing that will truly set your show apart. We talk about overcoming your speaking fear so you can step into your unique perspective and authentic story. EMBRACE YOUR PERSPECTIVE You've got something to say. You've walked through fire, learned the lessons, and earned your perspective. Unfortunately, your communication of that message has little to do with your content and more to do with your presence. If your message is muddled or your story is missing, your authority won't land with your ideal client. Your influence has less to do with your platform and more to do with your presence. To become someone worth listening to, you need to deliver more than great content. You need to share yourself. That can come along with some fear. Magnetic leaders don't just share what they do, they share who they are. They tell the story that makes others believe. I learned this the hard way by trial and error when I started in radio 35 years ago. My program director asked me when I was going to start being myself. It took a lot of hours on the air to discover what makes me different. It's not what I'm saying. It's whom I'm being. I had to overcome my fear and step into myself. It starts with one thing: Your Origin Story. ORIGIN STORY MASTERCLASS If you're ready to strategically use podcasting, video, keynotes, and interviews to grow your influence and become someone worth listening to, join me for my Origin Story Masterclass. Get details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/workshop. This one-hour masterclass will help align your influence with your story and the right audiences for maximum impact. Write your story and overcome your fear. This is for you if you're a entrepreneur, creator, or leader with a message, but your story feels scattered. You need to join us if you want to speak, teach, or lead — but you're unsure how to position yourself. Be part of this masterclass if you're ready to defeat your fear to stand out as a trusted andrespected voice. Get registered for the Origin Story Masterclass online at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/workshop. HOW YOU SAY IT Your origin story is critical, because it is the foundation of whom you're being. Once you know your origin story and principles, you can overcome your fear and find the confidence to lean into that persona. Most communication is nonverbal. Not what you say, but how you say it. There was a study done by Dr. Albert Mehrabian. Many refer to the study out of context by saying 7% of communication comes from the words you say. 38% of communication is your tone of voice. And 55% is your body language. Dr. Mehrabian didn't exactly say that. But, it was close. He did talk about those numbers and he did say a majority of communication is nonverbal. Even if the numbers are off a bit, the principle is still true. It's not what you say that is the most important. Powerful communication comes from whom you're being while you say it. Unfortunately, fear often holds that back. Lean into your personality. Your communication will be so much more powerful allowing you to attract raving fans. RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH STORY Too many podcasters focus only on delivering information, but what really creates influence and profitable relationships with your audience is who you are while delivering your message. On this episode, I share why your communication style and presence are more powerful than the content alone and how you can step fully into your own spotlight without fear. Let's talk about what separates the most influential voices in any niche. Think Oprah, Howard Stern, or Gary Vee. It's not just their expertise; it's their story and how they deliver it with authenticity. Discover how adding your own perspective and sharing pieces of your origin story each week can magnetize listeners. It can also create true fans, and make your podcast stand out in the sea of sameness. I'll also explain the four core elements every podcaster must master. These include attention-grabbing artwork, a compelling show name, a laser-focused description, and captivating episode titles that hook your ideal listener. MARJORIE SAULSON To help you succeed, I talk with Communication Confidence Coach, Marjorie Saulson. She empowers reluctant speakers to develop their own unique messages, acquire engaging presentation skills, and master any nerves or fear. Her clients hire her so that they can communicate with poise and confidence in any situation - on stage, online, on podcasts, on the phone, networking, whether they are talking to one person or to 1000. Her professional accomplishments include: Being named both Top Speaking Coach of the Year and Top Motivational Speaker of the Year by the International Organization of Top Professionals Author of the #1 international bestselling book, "Empowering Business Owners to Overcome Speaking Fears Whether You're Talking with 1 Person or 1,000." Marjorie illustrates how communication is about so much more than just words. She breaks down why your tone, body language, and confidence are the secret sauce to being memorable on stage, online, or on your podcast. Together, we discuss strategies for overcoming public speaking fears, using the power of the pause, and crafting clear, compelling messages that truly resonate. Marjorie's stories—from her own journey as a shy child to empowering business owners—offer actionable advice for podcasters looking to find their voice. If you're confused about how to bring all of your life experience and lessons to your podcast in a way that feels authentic, this episode is for you. We dig into how to write a powerful origin story—your purpose and foundation—and share it strategically across all your content. Be sure to download Marjorie's free gift "How to Prepare for an Irresistible Interview". You can find it at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/vibrant. LET'S GET STARTED Ready to create a podcast that's impossible to ignore? Tune in to learn why you need to show up as the real you. Discover how to amplify your presence, plus practical techniques to banish nerves and deliver with poise. This is powerful whether you're talking to one person or thousands. If you're driven to build authority, influence, and connection through your podcast, apply for a coaching call with me and let's craft your powerful story together. Go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

Are you struggling to find purpose in your journey or business? This week on Podcast Talent Coach, I sat down with entrepreneur and ocean conservationist Rich German to dive deeply into the connection between passion, purpose, and creating real impact with your platform. DEFINING PURPOSE FOR SUCCESS If you're searching for stronger work-life balance, or wondering how to blend your business with your life's calling, you're going to want to listen. We break down exactly how finding your true "why" can make the bumps in the road easier to overcome, and how it will magnetize listeners who share your mission. Rich German's journey from burnout to balance is one every entrepreneur should hear. He's led thousands of coaching calls, built the JV Insider Circle into a leading community for coaches and authors, and then made the bold leap into environmental activism and nonprofit leadership with Project O. He did all while designing a life that lets him spend every morning with the whales. VISION FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE What is Rich's secret? Set a vision for your lifestyle first, then build a business that funds your dream. Rich shares actionable steps to start your own transition, from group coaching models to automating your business, so you spend less time grinding and more time living your story. As a content creator, you know connecting deeply with your audience is everything. That starts by owning your origin story and weaving your "why" into every episode. In this interview, you'll learn why defining your greater purpose creates more powerful, profitable relationships with listeners. Your passion isn't just a background detail – It's your driving force! When you make your content about your unique mission, not just revenue, you'll sustain your efforts regardless of challenges, and attract raving fans who share your values. It's time to stop chasing trends and start building unforgettable bonds through your podcast. WORKFLOW TO SUPPORT PURPOSE Rich and I also discussed practical strategies to strengthen your workflow. Are you feeling stretched thin, working 24/7 without seeing the results you want? Rich's approach is a blueprint for efficiency and clarity: schedule your work around your life, not the other way around, eliminate busywork, and laser in on the 20% of actions that produce 80% of your results. We even explored why it's so hard for many business owners to “unhook” from the grind and fully step into their deepest calling. If you're craving more time, impact, and joy, these are lessons for every podcaster and entrepreneur. RESOURCES MENTIONED This episode is packed with actionable resources for you. Rich is offering his free Ungrind Assessment at podcasttalentcoach.com/rich. This is your first step to stopping the hustle and start building the life of your dreams. Plus, don't miss my upcoming Origin Story Masterclass where I'll help you clarify your purpose and craft it into stories that captivate your audience and set your show apart. Head to podcasttalentcoach.com/workshop for all the details. Remember: your podcast is just the vehicle, but the real goal is significance, impact, and lasting relationships. Let's get you there... one episode, and one purpose, at a time!   If you would like coaching help to craft your story and stragegy, you can get details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply.

Are you looking to elevate your authority, grow your business, and foster deep, profitable relationships through your podcast? In this episode of Podcast Talent Coach, I dive deep into the undeniable power of becoming a published author, and how your podcast is the perfect springboard to make it happen. BENEFITS OF BEING PUBLISHED A book isn't just a collection of words; it's the foundation of authority, visibility, and influence in your niche. Whether you've been podcasting for a year or have hundreds of episodes under your belt, you already have a treasure trove of content that can be repurposed into a high-impact book. I'll walk you through why having your name on a cover instantly elevates your credibility, opens new doors for speaking gigs, and sets you apart in your field. Let's face it... everyone wants to stand out, but not everyone knows how to do it strategically. In my conversation with book coach and editor Susan Crossman, we break down how you can curate your podcast episodes into a well-structured book. PUBLISHED WITH SUSAN CROSSMAN Susan Crossman is a book coach and editor who helps mission-focused coaches, consultants, and innovators write and publish compelling books that make a difference in their businesses and their world. She believes a well-written book can be a powerful force for good in our world and she takes delight in assisting her clients to greater author-ity. Susan's journey is as inspiring as her expertise. From her childhood dream of writing while perched in an apple tree to overcoming loss and transforming her own story into five published books, she shares actionable insights every aspiring author needs. We also tackle the big question: should you self-publish or pursue a traditional publisher? Susan cuts through the confusion, helping you decide what aligns best with your business goals and personal aspirations. Don't fall into the trap of thinking "if you write it, they will come." As we explore in this episode, writing a book is only 20% of the journey. The real impact comes when you masterfully market and leverage your book as part of your broader content strategy. Susan and I share real-world examples, from business leaders like Tony Robbins to rising entrepreneurs who found their true calling and built movements after publishing their first book. And yes, we get honest about the pitfalls of poor quality, AI-generated books and why investing in professional editing, structure, and heartfelt writing delivers results your audience will respect. OTHER OPPORTUNITIES The benefits of being a published author extend far beyond the book itself. We delve into the speaking opportunities, media exposure, and industry recognition that come with being a published author. Susan recounts how one of her clients, an accountant-turned-author, became a sought-after speaker and leader in her field - all by articulating her value and experience in a quality book. We also talk candidly about best-seller myths, the importance of audiobook versions, and how to avoid the embarrassment of a rushed, unpolished book. If you want your message to stick and your book to stand the test of time, this episode gives you a clear blueprint. GET PUBLISHED Ready to get started? Susan is hosting a powerful three-day event, "Write With Impact," specifically for coaches, consultants, and change-makers who want to create books that make a difference. I'm excited to offer you a free ticket to this event. Visit www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/writewithimpact and use the code EARLYBIRDSPECIAL. Whether you're after legacy, client attraction, or a larger stage, there's never been a better time to transform your podcast content into a book that multiplies your influence. Need more personalized help? Reach out to me at coach@podcasttalentcoach.com or apply for a coaching session at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply. Let's get your message out of your head, onto the page, and into the hands of the people you're meant to serve!

ARE YOU READY TO GROW YOUR AUDIENCE? In this episode of Podcast Talent Coach, we're diving deep into the secrets of growing your podcast audience by building powerful, profitable relationships. How are you growing audience? When you get on other stages and in front of your ideal clients, how are you attracting them to you? You may be asking yourself how to attract more listeners and keep them coming back for more. It all starts with using your podcast as a robust marketing tool to lead your audience down the path to doing business with you. We're not just about creating content; we're about creating relationships that convert. This is not about your podcast. It is about your presence. ENGAGE BY BEING AUTHENTIC ON STAGES As we explore ways to grow your audience, I want you to grasp the importance of getting in front of people who don't already know you. However, it's not just about sharing information; it's about showing who you are. Your personality is what will attract people to your brand. When you're on stage, whether it's a virtual platform or a physical one, focus on being yourself and let your authenticity shine. Your connection to the audience is not about what you're saying, but who you're being while you say it. That is what will make all the difference. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS THAT LAST Keeping your current listeners engaged is just as crucial as attracting new ones. If you're only focusing on bringing new listeners through the front door, don't forget to lock the back door and keep them from leaving. Continue nurturing your existing audience by providing them with engaging content that keeps them coming back for more. Reinforce the connection with your audience by reinforcing why they should stay and listen after you capture their attention. Use your social media and email list to continue to engage your current audience. CONSISTENTLY GET ON STAGES IN FRONT OF NEW LISTENERS Discover how continuously reaching out and engaging with wider audiences can significantly impact your podcast's growth. I encourage you to actively seek out stages—whether that be summits, mastermind groups, or other podcasts—to widen your reach. Do this regularly rather than just sporadically. Make reaching people who have never heard of you a part of your strategy, and you'll see your audience numbers steadily rise. But do it consistently. CRAFT YOUR UNIQUE STORY Your origin story can be a powerful tool in building connections with your audience. Sharing the hurdles and challenges you've faced not only humanizes you but makes you more relatable to your audience. People connect with stories—a fact that can benefit you greatly as you work to inspire and engage your listeners. Dive into your past experiences, highlight the lessons learned, and watch as your audience starts to resonate with your narrative. In this episode, discover how the origin stories of Mel Robbins and Gary Vaynerchuk help build their brand. If you'd like to further refine your podcast strategy and content, apply for a coaching call with me at podcasttalentcoach.com/apply. Let's grow your audience together.

THE SECRET TO BECOMING MAGNETIC So many content creators struggle to gain an audience. The problem is that you're chasing people rather than being magnetic and attracting them to you. There is a difference between pursuing and attracting. When you only create content, you need to continuously put that content in front of people. In this episode, we discuss how to become someone worth listening to.   00:00 Attract, Don't Chase, Audience Growth 05:43 Kelsea Ballerini's Genuine Charisma 08:10 Kelsey's Special Selfie Moment 09:47 Kelsey's Quest for Radio Airplay 14:50 Podcast Growth and Community Success 17:17 Context Over Content in Creation 21:46 Dull Architecture Class vs. Engaging History Teacher 24:58 Reviving Human Connection Movement 28:08 Focus on Impact, Not Overload 30:49 Dismissive Critique of Experience 33:35 Goal-Setting and Success Support   In this episode of Podcast Talent Coach, I dive into what it truly means to "Be Magnetic." It's not just about chasing an audience but rather attracting them effortlessly by being authentically you. Drawing from my own experiences in the podcasting world and the entertainment industry, I highlight how being genuine and embracing your unique qualities can set you apart. It's like dating – being needy can push people away. Instead, embrace who you are, and let your authenticity draw people to you. Become magnetic. STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT LIKE KELSEA I was recently inspired by a Kelsea Ballerini concert. Not only did she captivate a full arena with her presence, but she also made each person feel connected to her personal stories and songs. Kelsea's ability to make everyone feel special exemplifies the power of relatability and personal storytelling. Your podcast can have the same magnetic effect. It's about personality, engagement, and making your audience feel seen and heard. Kelsea's journey shows that the personal connections we make with our audiences are the real stars of the show. DISCOVER YOUR STRONG FOUNDATION As I reflected on my journey, I realized how crucial it is to focus on helping people become voices of influence. This episode is a call to remember the roots and mission of why you chose to share your content – to connect and communicate your unique message! Your content should resonate with your personal brand and maintain authenticity. Just like Kelsea's pop-infused country tracks are true to her, your content should reflect your own unique voice and perspective. Your podcast will naturally become a beacon for your tribe when it's founded on the real you. BREAK FREE TO BE MEMORABLE AND MAGNETIC We venture through the challenge of avoiding falling into the trap of merely fulfilling requests as podcasters. It's not enough to just deliver content; you must be someone worth listening to. It's about creating a legacy-like influence where your presence is unforgettable. This episode is packed with tips to free yourself from the shackles of traditional formats and embrace new, innovative ways to share stories. Be remarkable. Create content that stands out, and in turn, you'll foster relationships with your audience. EXPLODE YOUR AUTHENTICITY Want to go from chasing downloads to exploding your audience organically? It begins with embracing your authenticity and confidently broadcasting it to the world. If you need guidance on transforming your content and building genuine connections with your audience, don't hesitate to reach out. Apply for a personal coaching session with me atwww.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply. Let's work together to make your podcast a powerful platform for change, where you are not just heard but followed and celebrated.

You're not creating content for content sake. You're building a platform that will command attention. To succeed, you need to become someone worth listening to. COMMAND ATTENTION BY BECOMING SOMEONE WORTH LISTENING TO In today's episode, we dive into the importance of becoming someone worth listening to. It's the only way to command attention. It's not about having the perfect microphone or even launching the slickest podcast. It's about who you are and how you connect with your audience. Your success requires stepping into the spotlight authentically and creating a platform that will command attention. Let's explore how you can attract listeners and build impactful relationships by truly being yourself. COMMAND ATTENTION WITH THE POWER OF PRESENCE It's all about presence, not just the platform. We often get caught up in the technicalities of podcasting, from RSS feeds to sound quality, but those aren't the cornerstones of success. The true power lies in who you are when you're on the mic. I shared my journey in radio, learning the importance of presence from legendary hosts who commanded rooms. Your voice and personality are what make your podcast resonate. By leaning into your unique identity, you can become someone people not only enjoy but remember. This is how you command attention. UNIQUE VOICE, UNIQUE SUCCESS Finding your unique voice is key to distinguishing yourself from the sea of sameness. I spoke about how I transitioned from imitating others to discovering my own identity in radio. This critical shift allowed me to build a connection with my audience. When I made my shift, people began recognizing me on the street. This was not because I was famous, but because they felt they knew me through my stories and genuine engagement. The same principle applies to your content. To command attention, embrace your uniqueness and share your journey. This will grow your influence. DON'T SETTLE FOR JUST AN AUDIENCE Growing your audience isn't just about numbers; it's about creating raving fans who would follow you anywhere. Many content creators struggle because they aim for listeners rather than influence. When I worked with hosts like Oscar Trimboli, a listening expert, we transformed his show to highlight his expertise and personality. This in turn, drew in an audience keen on his insights. It's about moving beyond mere content to establish trust and authority with your listeners. LET ME HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS Being worth listening to in order to command attention isn't something that happens overnight. It requires strategy and commitment to share who you authentically are. That's why I'm here as your coach. Whether you're just starting or looking to level up, let me guide you. Together, we can refine your approach and uncover the aspects of your personality that captivate your audience. Visit podcasttalentcoach.com/apply for a personalized coaching session. Let's turn your podcast into a platform that leaves a lasting impact so you can command attention.

Sharing yourself on your podcast is the way to build relationships with your audience. However, you need to be careful what you share. SHARE YOURSELF AUTHENTICALLY We have group calls twice a month inside the Podcast Profits Accelerator. This is where a group of podcasters are growing the audience and business. You can see details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/accelerator. On a call the other night, one of the members asked what they should share and how much. What you share on your podcast needs to be strategic. It should reinforce your brand. What you share should build relationships. DESI SAW US AS FRIENDS When I was on the radio, it was my goal to get my listeners to see me as their friend. They would take me with them everywhere they went by listening to me on the radio. I was on the local Top 40 radio station and had a girl who would call me often. She had a severe developmental disability. It affected her speech which made her difficult to understand. When I couldn't understand what she was saying, it would make it ridiculous to make her laugh. She may be asking it I could play 'Nsync. I would say, "Did I lick the kitchen sink?" Desi would laugh and laugh that I couldn't get it right. We would break it down by word until I finally got it. Some days were better than others. She was in a wheelchair. Her assistant at the home where she lived would sometimes bring Desi to see me at remote broadcasts when she was up to it. I would give Desi some of the t-shirts and prizes we were giving away and have a little fun. SHE FOLLOWED ME I then moved to the country station in town. Desi moved with me and would continue to call. However, her call were becoming less frequent. Her health was starting to decline. We still talked and laughed. She had new songs to request, and I still got it wrong. Then one day Desi's assistant called to tell me Desi was moving to a new facility and wanted me to know. She gave me Desi's new address so I could write her which I did. Just a quick note to tell her I hoped she was doing well. That was the last time I heard from Desi. Her calls stopped after that. I just hope I added a little smile to her day every once in awhile. That's what can happen when you share yourself with your listener. DON'T SHARE TOO MUCH On the other hand, it can be dangerous when you share too much. Don't share you address or the school of your small children. You don't want to share when you are going on vacation and won't be home. Avoid sharing anything that could make you vulnerable. Most people in the world are nice. They have no ill will against you. However, some are crazy and evil. There are people who may not like what you say or think you are better friends than you really are. You don't want to live in fear. But you also don't want to leave yourself exposed. I DIDN'T MEAN TO SHARE MY BABY It happened to me when we were having our first child. I was working at the Top 40 station at the time. My wife and I were expecting our first baby. She went into the hospital on a Friday morning to deliver our little girl. This wasn't something I share much about on the radio. I did mention a few times we were expecting. That Friday I wasn't on the air. Our little girl came into the world with little complication. She was beautiful. Saturday morning we woke up and were discussion our departure from the hospital. My wife was still in bed with our daughter. We were waiting for the doctor to come by the room. Around lunch, a visitor appeared at the door. It was a high school girl who listened to the station and called often. She had brought a gift for the baby. It was quite awkward. We chatted politely for a few minutes. Then I stood up to thank her for coming and politely escorted her back to the elevator. Trouble was averted. But it was a little crazy that she even knew where we were. 2 LADIES TALKING SEX It can happen to you if you are diligent about what you share. Sometimes that includes protecting your identity depending on your content. One year a Podcast Movement, Dave Jackson from the School of Podcasting and I were standing in the lobby of the hotel deciding which panel to attend next. That's when two twenty-something ladies approached us. They had recognized us and had questions about their podcast. The two proceeded to tell us they hosted a very popular podcast about sex. They both used different names on the podcast. Aliases. The podcast was becoming very popular. Their brand was growing. Now these young ladies wanted to know if they should start using their real names to build their personal brands or continue using the aliases. Dave and I both suggested they continue to use the aliases. The content of their show could potentially attract the wrong people to be superfans. They surely didn't want a dangerous individual showing up unexpectedly that could do them harm. Use good judgement. SHARE YOUR BRAND So, what do you share and how much? Begin by writing your origin story. How did you develop your superpower? When did you discover you have the ability to do what you do? Write all of it. Then, find the pieces of that origin story that support your brand and your foundational principles. Demonstrate what you stand for and what you stand against. Drip pieces of your origin story into your content episode after episode. People will get to know you over time. And more importantly, get to know your brand. I share many of things I've encountered over my 35 years in radio and dozen years in podcasting. We talk about the people I've met and the challenges I've encountered. You know I love hockey and live in the Midwest. We talk about my passion about adding more relationships to the world, because I see my kids lacking powerful relationships due to technology. On the other hand, I'm not telling you my address or where my wife works. I didn't tell you I was spending a week in Colorado skiing in January before I went there. It's not that I don't trust you. I just don't need someone showing up at my hotel room or worse yet, showing up at my house while I'm not home.  Use common sense about what you share. Share your beliefs and values. Share stories that support those beliefs. Don't share personal information that could put you in danger. Share to build the brand and attract your ideal clients.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

Storytelling is a powerful way to create relationships with your audience. Your stories allow you audience to get to know you. STORYTELLING BY THE BEST The best speakers in the world use powerful storytelling. Zig Ziglar always used great stories in every point he made. He was a master at storytelling. If you've listened to Zig, you've heard the story of the old water pump or the selling pans door to door. He made his stories come to life. When Simon Sinek speaks, he is always telling stories. Watch his TedTalk on starting with why and you will see a talk filled with stories. Brene' Brown is one of my favorites. Her stories of struggle and success make you fall in love with everything she does. Storytelling allows your audience to get to know you. By the stories you tell, your listeners know what you value, what you believe and how you operate. Friendships are formed through storytelling. Watch these three and others to learn from the best. TRANSPORT YOUR LISTENER One reason storytelling is so powerful is that stories transport your listener to other places. They forget about their problems and struggles for a bit. To take your listeners somewhere else, use visual words. Bring your story to life in the theater of the mind. Use words they can see. Active language helps your story come to life. It is easier to see walking than walked. "He walked into the diner" is harder to envision than "He came walking into the diner." Use all five senses. What did it look like? Describe the smells. What were the sounds? How did you feel? The more descriptive your story, the more it will come to life in your listener's mind. DO I LIKE YOU? Stories will help people decide if they like you. Your listeners need to like you in order to listen to you. They are going to spend 30 minutes or an hour with you in their earbuds. It better be more than info. Pretend they are asking, "Would I enjoy taking a one-hour car ride with this person every week?" That is really the essence of your show. Develop friendships by telling a story to your best friend. Let your listener learn something about you. REVEAL THINGS THROUGH STORYTELLING When I review shows for my clients, I always ask myself, "What do I know about the host that I didn't know before the show started?" Reveal things about yourself to let your listeners get closer to you. During a show review for a client recently, he referenced his Italian in-laws, mentioned the movie Talladega Nights and talked about the R&B group Boyz II Men. Little things like that let us get to know him. When are building your influence and authority, you need to become a powerful personality that attracts people. Storytelling defines your character. This is how people get to know, like and trust you. The Bible has lasted for thousands of years because of the stories around a powerful character. Comic book heroes have been around for decades due to the stories and characters. Zig Ziglar was influential because of his storytelling and powerful personality. To increase your influence and significance, leverage storytelling. STORYTELLING WITH DR. MICHELE GUNDERSON In this episode, we have a fantastic interview with Dr. Michele Gunderson. She is a former university instructor and Iyengar yoga teacher who has transformed into a successful entrepreneur. Dr. Michele possesses a unique talent for helping business owners align their inner and outer worlds through storytelling, which can catapult their businesses to new heights. During my conversation with Dr. Michele, you'll learn how understanding and harnessing the power of story can lead to incredible opportunities, whether you're working to grow your podcast, inspire an audience, or achieve five- or six-figure months in your business. We'll dive into key elements that make stories memorable and compelling, and how they can transform not just your messaging but your entire business strategy. Dr. Michele also provides practical insights into recognizing empowering and disempowering narratives within ourselves and their impact on our business results. Get ready to be inspired as Dr. Michele Gunderson guides us through the art of storytelling and how it connects us deeply with the world around us. It's a conversation filled with fascinating insights and actionable tips on harnessing the undeniable power of story to drive your success. Dr. Michele's free gift is called "7 Quick Tips for Crafting an Inspiring Story That Sells". You can download it at QuickStoryTips.com. HELP WITH YOUR STORYTELLING Let me help you with your storytelling. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply. You can click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals. Let's get started today.

Why do you want a podcast? I'm pretty sure you don't want a podcast just to have a podcast. You want influence and authority. You want significance. SIGNIFICANCE AND COMPANIONSHIP It's not about what you're saying. It is about who you're being when you're saying it. Your significance comes from who you are, not what you say. Your listeners come for your content, but stay for you. When I coach clients, they often find it difficult to step into who they really are. They don't think people want to hear about their life or story. But, that's the furthest from the truth. People listen to you for companionship. Companionship is the primary reason people listen to audio. They don't want to be alone. People don't want to exercise alone, so they have their earbuds in. They don't want to drive alone, so they have audio on. Your fans don't want to be alone on a run, so they are listening to your podcast. You're keeping them company. MORE OF YOU On a coaching call the other day, my client said his former coach told him to cut out all of the personal stuff. Nobody wants to hear it. That advice couldn't be further from the truth. And it's detrimental to your podcast. Are your downloads struggling? There isn't enough of you. Your podcast cannot survive on content alone. Artificial intelligence can copy your information. It can probably generate your six steps to success faster than you can. I don't need to sit through 30 minute of your podcast. AI can't copy you and your story. Share yourself with your fans and stand out. Your fans want more of you. That little voice in your head is telling you that people may not like what you share. They may not like the real you. And that's ok. NOT FOR EVERYONE The biggest personalities are polarizing. But they didn't start that way. Oprah started as a typical news anchor. She went on to host a daytime television show that was just like her competitors Phil Donahue, Sally Jessy Raphael and the others. When Oprah finally decided to be herself, share her struggles and do it her way, her star shot to the top. However, she wasn't for everyone. But her superfans loved her. She had incredible significance that lives on today. Howard Stern started in radio doing the same schtick every other DJ was doing. He struggled to find success. One day Stern decided to do it his way and be himself. He rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Even his program director was trying to hold him back. But, his fan base started to grow quickly. People loved him. And people hated him. He surely isn't for everyone. But the people who love him really love him. He became the biggest star on the radio, because he shared himself. His became of person of significance. SIGNIFICANCE BY SELECTION You don't need to share everything about yourself to grow your significance. It requires sharing the right things. The fans get to know you by the stories you share with them. Share the stories that build your brand. Once you've determined your ideal target listener, you know exactly what means the most to them. This is where your significance originates. Speak into their lives by sharing parts of your life with them. There are seven elements of powerful, magnetic personalities. This is how to start your journey to significance. I teach you how to elevate your significance and become a magnetic personality who attracts clients to you rather than chasing them inside of the Podcast Profits Accelerator community. This is powerful group that will help you build and implement your podcast monetization strategy. It all begins by becoming a magnetic personality. You can get full details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/accelerator. A CHARACTER First, you need a character. That is you. Have the courage to step into who you are. You are the leader of your tribe. People want what you have. Believe in yourself. Ignore the people who aren't following you. They won't become your fans anyway. People who don't love you won't buy your products, consume your content. On the other hand, your fans will love you when you lead. ORIGIN STORY Next, you need an origin story. How did you develop your superpower? You need to be able to tell this story in ten minutes and also in 90 seconds. Your origin story is how your significance came to be. It's a critical part of your journey. This is the first step in getting people to love who you are. Share your struggles, discoveries, and successes. Gary Vaynerchuk has his origin story of how his father immigrated here from Belarus and started a liquor store. Steve Jobs had his origin story of being adopted and starting his computer company in the garage with his buddy Steve Wozniak. TRANSFORMATION The third element is the transformation. This is the moment you discovered your superpower. Think of it in terms of, "And then one day..." When was the moment you discovered this was your purpose in life? Jeff Walker of Product Launch Formula had his transformation when he did his first launch of his newsletter to 19 people. Howard Stern has his "oh wow" moment when he was frustrated and just shared his life on air one day. People started calling, and he knew he was on to something special. PRINCIPLES From your origin story, you next need to develop your foundational principles. These are the things that lay the foundation for what you do. What are the principles you won't break? Russel Brunson of ClickFunnels believes you're only one funnel away from breaking through. Dave Ramsey is against credit cards. STORIES Next, you need stories that wrap around and demonstrate your principles. Think of these like the parables in the Bible. People learn through story. There are a few stories from your journey that solidify your principles. Share these stories often. These could be small pieces of your origin story. Russel Brunson has his potato gun story. Alex Hormozi has the story of sleeping on the floor just to make it work. LINGO Personalities with significance have a certain lingo that superfans use. This is a little insider language. What phrases do you use often? Find half a dozen sayings that are common in your talks and use them often. Gary Vaynerchuk talk about arbitrage and hustle. Dave Ramsey uses “live like no one else so later you can live like no one else”. WORD OF MOUTH The final element is word of mouth. You need a handful of superfans who will spread your praises everywhere they can. Celebrate these people on your show. Get them to tell as many people as possible. Empower your superfans. Rush Limbaugh had dittoheads. Alex Hormozi has MoziNation. SIGNIFICANCE When you have accomplished all seven traits of magnetic personalities, you'll see your significance grow. Would you like my help implementing this into your show and business? Are you struggling to get noticed and grow your influence? Come join us in the Podcast Profits Accelerator. This is powerful group that will help you build and implement your podcast monetization strategy. It all begins by becoming a magnetic personality. You can get full details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/accelerator. I can't wait to see you there.

You spend so much time creating your content every week, maximize your time by repurposing your content. One powerful way to repurpose is by converting your podcast into a book. Each week you create great show notes. Those show notes can be organized into a book. THE POWER OF CONVERTING A PODCAST INTO A BOOK There are a variety of benefits of turning your podcast into a book. Let's look at a few. A book can help you build your legacy. Your book will be around for years to come. Share your story and build your legacy. Your book can build credibility and expertise. Just having a book gives you credibility. There is an aura around published authors. A book can help generate leads. In today's world, you can include links to your lead magnets, landing pages and online content within the book. This is especially true in digital form. When you have a book, you have a reason to be on other stages and expand your network. Your book gives hosts something to interview you about. You can increase your influence and reach when you have a book. When you book is on Amazon, you have incredible search power. People can find you easily. Personally, a book can help you get clarity on your message. The writing process helps you refine your message and get clear on exactly what you want to say. Finally, your book will allow you to share your story and build relationships. People can get to know you better through your book. HELP TRANSFORMING YOUR PODCAST INTO A BOOK You don't have to do it alone. There are writing experts who can help you with a variety of steps in converting your podcast into a book. There are ghost writers who can take your content and write it for you. You can enlist editors to help you organize the content. There are specialists who can check your grammar and punctuation. Others can help you create your cover and format your book. You can enlist specialists to help with the marketing plan. Decide where you need help and get started converting your podcast into a book. PODCAST INTO A BOOK WITH CHERI MERZ One of the best experts to help you gain more visibility by converting your podcast into a book is my good friend Cheri Merz. A twenty-five-year serial entrepreneur, Cheri returned to her dream of a writing career after retirement. Today, with more than thirty indie-published novels, one memoir, and several non-fiction books to her credit, Cheri's mission is to guide entrepreneurs to integrate an effective book writing and publishing strategy into their visibility plan. Cheri provides mentoring to craft an engaging signature story. She provides you the expertise and coaching or done-for-you services to publish, launch, and market a high-quality solo or compilation book. This is an interview from my Podcast Profits Summit. Enjoy my conversation with Cheri Merz. You can get Cheri's free gift "Podcast to Book Conversion: Essential Tools and Resources" at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/podcasttobook. LET'S GET STARTED If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

What is your biggest podcast struggle? On this episode, we are going to help a handful of podcasters overcome their biggest challenge. LET ME HELP YOU WITH YOUR STRUGGLE If you are struggling somewhere in your podcast process, shoot me an email. That might be getting started, growing your audience, maintaining consistency, generating revenue or something else. I'd love to help you. You can send me your struggle and I'll answer it here on the show. Visit www.podcasttalentcoach.com/contact. You can send me a note there. Here are the important links mentioned in this episode: Send your question: www.podcasttalentcoach.com/contact Get CastMagic: www.podcasttalentcoach.com/castmagic (affiliate link) Get Opus.pro: www.podcasttalentcoach.com/opus (affiliate link) Podcast editing services: www.podcasttalentcoach.com/editing Podcast hosting: https://libsyn.com Use coupon code PTC and get your first month free (affiliate code) Podcast Launch Accelerator: http://www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/pla THE CHALLENGES In this episode, we will tackle a variety of challenges. Tannen wants to know how to create a solid marketing strategy. Barbara is struggling to get people to subscribe. Ralph doubts he is even reaching anyone. Jeffry wants to know how to get started. The struggle Vanessa is facing is confidence without sounding arrogant. Michael's biggest struggle is finding people to help him. THE MARKETING STRUGGLE My biggest struggle is building a solid marketing strategy? How do I take my show and chop it up for a week's worth of social posts? When do I post them to create consistency? -Tannen There are a variety of AI tools that can help you create chunks of content. Repurposing your content on social media does two things for you. First, it helps you connect with your current listeners keeping them coming back. Next, sharing on social in the right way can help you reach new listeners. This includes TikTok and reels. Most social media only reaches your followers. These two platforms put your content in front of new people who might be interested. To grow your show, you need to find new listeners who don't know you. I recommend you record your podcast on video to begin. Use the video for YouTube to get discovered. You can also repurpose parts of the video for social media content. Then, use the audio from the video as the podcast. Use this for social content as well. Create captioned social media videos, quote cards, audiograms, and social posts. AI can help you create a lot of this. However if you don't have time, you can always pay someone to do it for you. How much is your time worth? Two tools I really like. The fist is CastMagic. You can find my affiliate link at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/castmagic. The other tool I love is Opus.pro. It creates captioned social media videos for your podcast. Find my affiliate link at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/opus. Let me help you. Visit www.podcasttalentcoach.com/editing. You can get a week's worth of social content for every episode. GETTING SUBSCRIBERS My biggest struggle is getting subscriptions. How do I get people to subscribe to my podcast? -Barbara Start with the why. When we try to get people to take action, such as subscribing to your podcast, we often rely too much on logic. People make decisions emotionally. Then, they justify those decisions with logic. When you spend too much time on the steps in your process, the features in your program or the content on your podcast, people don't take action. Nobody cares about your details … yet. Spend more time on the why. Stir emotion. Make your audience care. Then you can get into the details. AM I REACHING ANYONE My biggest podcast struggle right now is actually more of a struggle of faith. I've been doing the show daily for over a year and I sometimes doubt whether it's actually reaching anyone. Since I do a Christian based show, I know that God is always faithful and I simply need to trust in his timing and do the work. It's just hard some days when I look at the analytics. -Ralph Share that on your podcast. Be real. Touch people emotionally. Spittin' Chicklets just shared a piece on their show. It is a show about hockey. Whit is former NHL player Ryan Whitney. Biz is former NHL player and NHL hockey analyst on TNT Paul Bissonette. When they talk about being “in the room”, they are talking about being in the locker room. This audio comes from episode 545. It is an example of remembering why they do it. So Biz was, sitting in the Delta Lounge, I believe, at the airport, and a guy came over and dropped off this letter. I'm gonna read it to you quick because Biz sent it over to the guys. He said, “I listened to you guys when my life was falling apart. Just having the pot on in the background made me feel like I was back in the room. At sometimes, I was as bad as it gets with mental health, family, booze, etcetera. Since then, I've quit drinking two plus years now, and me and my family, wife and two little girls have made it out the other side, and we're doing great. You guys will never know how much comfort and support I got from just having the pod on and bringing me back to a good spot. You and Whit and all the boys saved my life. Sorry to bother you on your day off. Thank you, Nick.” And Biz, like, made it clear to us, like, reading something like that, man, he's got it right there... This is why we do it. What you're doing is important, Ralph. Keep at it. I STRUGGLE GETTING STARTED My biggest podcast struggle is just getting started. How do I find the confidence to take the first step? -Jeffry You can do this. We eat an elephant one step at a time. Break it down. In my Podcast Launch Accelerator, we build your podcast step-by-step. First, define your why, your topic and your idea target listener. Next, develop your show structure. Will it be solo, interview or something else? Get some equipment. You'll need a mic, a laptop and some headphones. Download Audacity to help you record and edit. It is free software. Hit record and share your thoughts. Export your audio as an .mp3. Upload it to your audio host, like Libsyn. Connect your host to all the podcast players. Take it one step at a time. SOUNDING CONFIDENT How do I sound more confident and less arrogant. -Vanessa This is an interesting question, Vanessa. I'm not sure how you can be arrogant without being confident. People want to know what you know. Share it with them. Share yourself and your story. Let people fall in love with you. As Zig Ziglar said quite often, “You can get anything you want in life as long as you help enough other people get what they want.” Give. Help people reach their goals. Then, offer to give them more help for an investment. On this show, I offer a ton of free advice. I would hope you don't feel like I'm arrogant or egotistical. Take my content and put it into action. However, I'm here when you want more help. When you need someone to walk you every step of the way, reach out. I'm more than willing to have that conversation with you. Believe in yourself. Some people will love you. Others may not. And that's ok. Attract the people who love you for who you are. THE TIME STRUGGLE My challenge is finding time. It's hard doing it by myself. My biggest podcast struggle right now is finding people to help me. -Michael Schedule it. Put it on the calendar. What gets scheduled gets done. You can also get a co-host. Share the work. Hire a virtual assistant to take the easy stuff off your plate. This could include creating show notes, posting your episode, and the other rote work that is the same week after week. As we discussed earlier, you can hire an editor. You can see my work at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/editing. What is your time worth? Hiring an editor allows you to show up and share your magic. Then, you can hand it off to someone else to do the dirty work while you spend your time getting more clients and generating more revenue. LET ME HELP YOU I'd love to help you. You can send me your struggle and I'll answer it here on the show. Visit www.podcasttalentcoach.com/contact. You can send me a note there. If you're really serious about overcoming your biggest struggle, we can also sit down for an hour of coaching. I can take your hand and walk you every step of the way. To get the details, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

Curiosity is one of the biggest traits of great personalities. If you want to become a magnetic personality who attracts client to you rather than chasing them, you need to discover how to be more curious. PEOPLE LOVE CURIOSITY One of my best on-air talent had a powerful sense of curiosity. He loved to learn about people and things. He also had a unique view of every situation. His name is Mike, but everyone calls him Big Party. When you think of a guy named Big party, you probably envision a very large, rotund man. This wasn't the case. Party is an average looking guy. He just makes everyone feel special when they are around him. His curiosity leads him to ask great question of everyone he meets. When he conducts an interview, he doesn't have a list of questions. He just asks about the things that pique his curiosity. One day after I left the radio station, the bosses thought it would be better if Big Party talked less and played more music during his show. The ratings dipped. But more importantly, Party hated what he was doing. During his vacation, he decided he was going to quit when he returned. The day came for Party to go back to work, and he changed his mind. But rather than following orders and playing more music, he decided he was going to do his show his way. If they didn't like it, they could fire him. He began leading with his curiosity again. The content became stronger. Listeners started to return. Soon the ratings were back up. And management quit tinkering. Because Party is interested, he becomes interesting. People want to know what he thinks about things and events, because he has an interesting take. Curiosity is powerful. CONTENT FROM CURIOSITY Curiosity will also help you overcome writers block. When you're curious about what's going on in your surroundings, you never get stuck without things to talk about. Be curious about the things that happen around you. Take notes. Jot down the things that catch your attention. Connect those interesting things to powerful stories. Learn to ask questions about everything. Don't be so tied to the script or list of questions. Listen intently, and pivot when necessary. CURIOSITY MAKES YOU SMARTER When you're curious, you'll naturally become more intelligent. You will be amazed at the things you learn when you look for more information. Talk less and listen more. When things happen during your day, ask yourself why. Remember when you were little and you asked why about everything? Why is the sky blue? Why do dogs bury their bones? And why do we sneeze? Be curious about things that happen in your life. Take note of the stories associated with those questions. Curiosity is where most podcasters struggle. It's also why they fail to become influential. Your content won't keep people coming back every episode. Artificial intelligence can copy your content in a heartbeat. They will only come back if they are attracted to you. Curiosity is how you develop your personality. How you become a influential authority. Your curiosity and courage will begin to attract clients to you rather than chasing them everyday. ALSO BE COURAGEOUS Once you start developing your curiosity, have the courage to share those curiosities on your show. Express your real thoughts and feelings. Try new things. When you are curious and courageous, you become more interesting. You become more likable. This week, start taking notes of the interesting things that happen in your day. Then, use some of the most interesting in your episodes. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a coaching call with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

There are times when you run out of time. When the time crunch hits, how do you consistently publish your podcast each week? I RAN OUT OF TIME My calendar got tight this week. Recording and publishing this episode became a challenge. I typically record my podcast on Saturdays. On Tuesday we have our Podcast Profits Accelerator calls. Most of my coaching calls are on Thursdays. This week, we suddenly had visitors coming to town. Then, I had some last minute travel come up. Next thing I know, I'm running out of time to get everything done. It takes creativity when you run out of time. We moved the Podcast Profits Accelerator call to Thursday. My mastermind changed to Saturday. Luckily, one of my clients moved a couple days as well. Those moves freed up time time to get business done. But what happens with the podcast episode? I still need to publish that. When you run out of time, there are a few ways to still publish an episode. WHO CAN HELP The first thing you can do is find someone who can help you. I recently read The Road Less Stupid by Keith J. Cunningham. In the book, Cunningham talks about being more productive by doing only the things in your circle of genius. Delegate everything else. YOUR PRESENTATIONS To create an episode, what content can you repurpose? Presentations you've given to other groups can make good content. Gary Vaynerchuk often uses his keynote speeches for podcast episodes. Alex Hormozi will use recordings of his q&a sessions for episodes. I've done "ask me anything" sessions on Facebook and used those as podcast episodes. SUMMIT INTERVIEWS When you run out of time, summit interviews make great podcast content. I hold two summits each year. During that summit, I interview 23 different experts. Those interviews become podcast episodes. People can attend the summit and get all of the content plus ask questions. Or they can wait while the content drips out over time. With nearly two dozen interviews, I have almost half a year of content to use as necessary. PLAN AHEAD Planning ahead helps you avoid running out of time. Work a week ahead. When you run out of time, you already have the episode recorded for this week. Get ahead of the game. You can also record an emergency episode. This is an evergreen episode you use in case you have nothing else. GUEST HOST One solution few consider when they run out of time is a guest host. Find another expert in your niche who complements what you do. Ask them to host your episode this week. You can also share an episode from other podcast to expose their show to your audience. You would simply record an intro and explain. OTHER INTERVIEWS Have you been interviewed on other podcasts? You can use those interviews when you run out of time. You've shared great content with other hosts. Surely your audience would benefit from those conversations. Use one of those interviews as an episode of your show. PICK ONE Those are six solutions you can use when you run out of time and can't find room in the schedule to record a new episode.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

In this episode we discuss the significance of building relationships over simply producing better content to achieve audience growth. While many podcasters believe the secret to audience growth lies in creating superior content, the true key lies in fostering better relationships with your audience. AUDIENCE GROWTH STARTS WITH YOU Content serves as the initial attraction, but it's the bond between the podcaster and listeners that keeps people coming back for more. People come to your podcast for your content. They stay for you. My recent trip to Walmart is a perfect example. The lack of human interaction made shopping frustrating. I share that story in this episode. Compare your experiences at Walmart to the magical, emotion-filled experiences at Disney World. Disney delivers exceptional customer service and relationships that make all the difference. Strong relationships can create memorable experiences, which is crucial for achieving audience growth in podcasting. HAVE A CLEAR PLAN We also talk about the importance of having a plan and a clear objective for achieving audience growth. In this episode, I show you how shared experiences and emotional bonds can build a community. Following a structured, step-by-step approach, taught by my mentor Iman Aghay, led to significant and quick growth within my own business. It is critical to your audience growth success that you have a plan. According to available data, studies suggest that around 70% of businesses that survive for five years have a documented business plan. How does that apply to your growth. You don't necessarily need a formal MBA business plan. It just means a significant majority of successful businesses rely on a formal plan to achieve their objectives. DON'T GROW TOO SOON Executing a strategic plan can lead to audience growth. But, avoid premature growth, which can lead to failure if the product isn't ready for the market. Marketing expert David Ogilvy famously said, "Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster." Ensure your content is engaging and ready to convert first-time listeners into loyal audience members before you aggressively pursue audience growth strategies. AUDIENCE GROWTH THROUGH COACHING To help you achieve your audience growth objectives, join me for a one-on-one coaching session. Together we will craft and outline a customized strategy specific for your situation. I've seen my biggest growth in my business when I've focused on the next most important thing. Dream big, plan the work, and take action. Let me help you with a coaching call. Together, we will build your audience growth strategy. Go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

What is your biggest challenge right now? Many podcasters recently shared their answers with me. Today, I'll help you overcome your biggest challenge. OVERCOMING YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE I've often heard many podcasts fade away after 7 episodes. The industry has termed it podfading. I thought the number was a bit crazy. Then one day, I realized how true it is. A client was trying to grow her podcast. Her biggest challenge was attracting new listeners. We decided the strategy that would fit best was appearing on other podcasts. Let's get in front of her ideal clients. We opened Apple Podcasts and started searching for podcasts that matched her caregiving niche. As we combed through the podcasts, nearly every other one had only released a few episodes and the last was months or years ago. They had faded away. Podfading is real. THOSE THAT HAVE FADED I did the same exercise with another client. We opened Apple Podcasts and searched "Get Untuck". Here is what we found. Even many of the top recommended podcasts have faded away, though with more episodes. These are listed in order that Apple Podcasts recommended them. Get Unstuck with Murielle Marie. 23 episodes last published 7/24/23. Get Unstuck Today by Paul Salter. 47 episodes last published 7/14/24. How To Get Unstuck with Helen Thomas. 19 episodes last published 5/28/24. Get Unstuck & On Target by Mike O'Neill. 203 episodes last published 2 days ago. Get Unstuck. Move Forward With Your Life by Jason Hopcus. 12 episodes last published 4 days ago. Get Unstuck by Becky Branton-Griemann. 48 episodes last published 4/20/22. Get Unstuck by Mutita Panmook. 245 episodes last published 1 day ago. Get Unstuck: Elite Voices Making An Impact by Maiken Kuhl. 31 episodes last published 12/13/24. Get Unstuck with Michele Lefler. 53 episodes last published 10/17/23. You get the idea that most of them fade away. But you're saying, "Erik, these all have 40 or 50 episodes." The next recommended podcast is Get Unstuck & Go by Rodrigo Labra. 4 episodes published last published 2/14/23. Then there is Unstuck With Me by Barbara Jebet. One episode published 5/7/20. Get Unstuck & Find Clarity by Lysia Nathanya. 2 episodes last published 10/10/19. Get Yourself Unstuck by Andrew Eaton – 3 episodes last published 3/27/20. And it goes on and on. YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES IS USUALLY ONE OF THESE THREE Most podcasts fade away due to three big challenges. First, the podcast becomes more work than they thought it would be. To overcome this challenge, you need a process in place to consistently produce your show. Next, podcasts fade away because it doesn't grow as fast as they thought it would. You need a system in place to methodically grow your audience. Finally, podcasts fade away because it doesn't generate money as fast as they thought it would. Most lack a strategy to generate revenue with their show. I imagine your biggest challenge has something to do with one of these three. Let's look at the biggest challenge from each of these listeners and see how we can overcome your hurdles.   APPEARANCES INTO CASH The most significant challenge I face with podcasts is turning my appearances into cash. While I deeply value the opportunity to share my story and connect with new audiences, I want to better leverage these appearances to generate tangible income, whether through promoting my books, courses, or speaking engagements. Balancing that monetization goal while maintaining authenticity and value for the audience is a priority for me. -Sheldon Thanks for the question, Sheldon. You can maintain your authenticity and value by serving first. Brendon Burchard once said one of the reasons you're not making money is that you don't seek to help first. If you are using your podcast appearance to help listeners first, it is your obligation to offer to help them go even further by working with you. You can only teach so much in an interview. Help them clearly see what is possible. You can even point them in the right direction. Then, offer to help them implement it. Begin by creating a strategy for your interviews. Start with the end in mind. Where do you want to take them? When I'm interviewed, my goal is to get people to a sales video that will sell my program to help people launch their podcast. The video shows people how to walk through the 21 steps to launch. Then, the video offers the course to implement the checklist. During the interview, I help people see how easy it is to launch the podcast. We talk about the benefits of having a podcast. I help listeners envision having their own podcast and growing their significance in their niche. The interview is about inspiration and clarity. At the end of the interview, I invite people to get my podcast launch minicourse at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/launch. They opt in and get on my list. Then they get access to the 21-point checklist and a video that walks them through it. After going through the 5-minute video, they are invited to a call with me to answer their questions. Finally, I ask if they would like help implementing the plan. It's all about having a strategy and begin by serving people first.   SHOULD I START My biggest challenge is to decide whether to start a podcast or just groom and promote myself as a guest on existing podcasts. I am leaning toward the latter as I am uniquely prepared to bring help, hope and healing to a huge, constantly-growing, group of pain-filled people. On the other hand, I am tech averse and doubt I have inclination, time, skill, or energy to take on development of an adequate self-conducted podcast. -Dale These are two separate strategies. Appear on other podcasts to get discovered and attract new followers. Have your own podcast to build relationships with your followers. When you have your own podcast, you get to have a conversation with your listeners every week. You get to share your story and let them get to love you. Creating a podcast isn't that difficult. Editing audio is like editing a Word document. Copy, cut, paste, delete. All the same commands. Saving it as an .mp3 is like exporting that Word document as a .pdf. If you can upload a photo to Facebook, you can upload audio to your host. After your podcast is set up, that's about all it takes each week. To get help walking through the process, join my for the free podcast launch workshop. Get the details at http://www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/launchworkshop.   FINDING NEW AUDIENCES My biggest challenge is reaching new audiences. -Jeanette I have found the best way to grow my audience is partnering with others. Find people who are speaking to your ideal clients. Then, partner with them to reach more of your ideal clients. I recently had a former client reach out. She saw me speak on a group call about the power of getting interviewed on other shows. She called to say she is ready to relaunch her podcast. On top of that, she is partnering with another expert to launch a joint venture and would like my help. This is the power of partnering with others. You never know who is in the audience.   MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS MY AGE I am 73, so not a spring chicken by any stretch of the imagination, but dumb as a post when it comes to technology. I would very much like to have my own podcast for my business that I am trying to get off the ground, but tech stuff bites me every time. I already have people interested in what I do, and I have had offers to be an affiliate, but I don't know how to set that up on my WordPress site. -Marilyn Start slowly, Marilyn. If you already have others interested in what you offer, sell it before you build it. If you can get 10 or 12 people to invest in a $500 course you teach live over 6 weeks, you can make a quick $5,000. This is what I did. I found multiple people who wanted to grow their audience. During conversations with each of them, I offered to teach them how in a 6-week course. They each paid me $500 before it even started. I recorded the entire program. That became my course. The $5,000 funded my other projects to find more clients. As I mentioned with Dale, the tech isn't that difficult. Plus, you can also find people to help you produce the show once you begin generating revenue with the course you just built. You don't need to build a big affiliate program on your Wordpress site until you have something that sells. Just get started.   GETTING GUESTS My biggest challenge right now is getting consistent guests in my niche. -Greg Getting guests typically isn't very difficult. The biggest challenge is asking often. Not every invite will accept your invitation. Just keep asking. When you land a guest, ask them for referrals. If they have guest ideas for you, ask them to send an introductory email. The best chance of getting a guest is finding someone who has something to promote. That could be a book, program, organization or a variety of other things. Reach out to potential guests on a regular basis. Put it on your calendar and do it often. You'll find success.   PARTNERS My biggest trouble is connecting with other podcasters to grow my podcast. As you know, many podcasts podfade and I'm finding that to be very true. Many of the podcast I'd love to connect with when I look them up have stopped producing months ago. I would like help in finding the best podcasts I can connect with. -Edwin Don't limit your options to only experts in your niche. Find anyone who speaks to your ideal clients. One of my clients is an accountant. His ideal clients are entrepreneurs. When he looks for partners, he isn't only looking for other accountants or even experts in the financial space. He is finding partners by looking for experts speaking to entrepreneurs. I could be a partner for him, because my audience if full of entrepreneurs. This client could partner with funnel experts, mindset coaches, social media marketing pros, or a variety of other influencers. Don't limit your scope. Find people speaking to your ideal clients. When you find a great partner, ask for referrals. Get them to introduce you to others. Once you get the wheel turning, you'll gain momentum. Have fun with it.   YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE I would love to help you with your biggest challenge. Email your question or biggest challenge to coach@podcasttalentcoach.com. You can also get an hour of my coaching to build your podcast strategy. You can apply for that call at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/apply.

Virtual events are a great way to promote your business. And your podcast is a great way to promote your virtual events. You just need the right strategy. CREATING POWERFUL VIRTUAL EVENTS Free Gift: Simple, Profitable Virtual Events Checklist www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/eventschecklist Virtual Events Bootcamp www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/virtualevents   When I first started with virtual events, I went the webinar route. I tried it over and over again. In October of 2021, my strategy changed. I had launched a webinar that month to promote my Podcast Launch Accelerator program where I help people launch their podcast in 30 days. I was promoting the webinar myself with no JV partners. The registration page had 72 visits. Of the 72, 41 registered. That was a conversion rate of 57%. It should have been much higher than that. Of the 41 that registered, 10 people attended live. That was a 25% conversion. For a new webinar, that was decent. It should be closer to 50%. Unfortunately, of the 10 that attended, nobody purchased. This is when I started second guessing my strategy. Webinars just weren't working for me. Then one day I discovered workshops. Instead of doing 90-minute webinars, I pivoted to 3-hour workshops. I was helping people implement what I was teaching. On my first workshop, I had nine people attend live. Of the nine people in the workshop, four purchased my program. I was going deeper and delivering more value. That was converting into sales. Creating virtual events is all about developing the right strategy. MARKETING VEHICLE My goal is to help you use your podcast as a marketing vehicle for your business. And in order for it to be an effective marketing vehicle for the business, we need to understand what our year looks like in the business. To begin, define what you're trying to accomplish, and how you're trying to accomplish it. We talk so much about our podcast being a powerful marketing tool, because it can create those powerful relationships with your listeners. Your content can bring listeners into the top of your funnel. As you tell stories on your podcast, you walk listeners through the process of getting to know, like, and trust you. You get them started with your content through your lead magnet, and then get them to a sales call with you. So, how do we create content with a purpose that leads toward landing more clients? When people begin to create their podcasts, they just say, "Oh, I need record an episode this week... What am I gonna talk about?? They create the episode. Then at the end, they're say, "Hey, if you wanna have a call with me, sign up. Here's where you can find my calendar link." The content and the call to action really don't connect well together. Let me show you how to create a plan that will help you build a cohesive marketing plan using your podcast. VIRTUAL EVENTS TO ENROLL With your cohesive marketing plan, the first thing we need to understand is what we're trying to market. If we are creating content that helps us market what we sell, when do we sell it? When are your enrollment events and sales conversations? Now a lot of times when you're selling your coaching program, you will do it through one-on-one calls. If you're just randomly bringing those calls in, you can't plan. This week, you might have 3 calls. Next week, you might not have any. And the next week, you might have 4, and then you might have 1. What I'd like to see you do is figure out how we can create more of those sales conversations at one time. So as you look at the year, plan out where your sales and enrollment events happen. That could be maybe through a webinar. You might create a workshop. Your enrollment event might be a variety of other virtual events. So you're inviting everybody to an event. And at the event, you invite attendees to book a call with you so you can help them explore what it is that you help them do. When you're booking calls with prospective clients every day throughout the year, it's tough to get in a rhythm. But if you batch those calls through virtual events, you can do your sales calls in a week and begin to get a rhythm going. MORE EFFECTIVE Rather than trying to get a call here and a call there, let's see if we can get a batch of calls in at one time so that we're creating a master plan for your content throughout the entire year doing a few virtual events. So maybe you're doing a few big, virtual events once a quarter or 3 times a year, where you're inviting an entire group to come and have a conversation with you. You don't necessarily need to do webinars. I found it difficult in the 10 years that I was doing a lot of one-on-one strategy calls with podcasters. They would trickle in here and there because I would create the content on the podcast, and then I would invite people to a call. When I pivoted and I started to do virtual events, I would create a workshop or a a training that would happen maybe once a quarter. I would get a lot of people to that, and invite those people to have calls with me. Now they've kind of experienced what coaching with me is like, and they're more apt to sign up for a call to have that conversation with me and have that strategy call with me. VIRTUAL EVENTS GIVE A SAMPLE I found it much more effective to get people on the phone that way, because they've already experienced what I have to offer. When you take people straight from your podcast to a strategy call, it gets a little scary because they're going into the deep end one-on-one with you. In their gut, they feel like it's gonna be a big hard sales pitch, and they're not gonna be able to figure out how to get out of it. And they're gonna get roped into a $1,000 program that they didn't really want. And so they just don't sign up for the call. When you offer them to come to virtual events, they come to the events with other people. there's safety in numbers. So they don't feel as apprehensive to come to virtual events as they would straight to a one-on-one call. When they get to the event and they see how you operate and they see how you flow and what you're all about, then they're more likely to sign up for that one-on-one call with you so you can see how you can help them. You both can see how the two of you get along in your coaching. ENROLLMENT VIRTUAL EVENTS So first, determine where your sales and enrollments events are going to happen. It doesn't matter to me how many you do. But what I'd like you to do is be intentional about when you're doing them and what you're trying to accomplish. So if we remember that most podcast episodes get the bulk of their downloads and listens in the first 30 days after they're released, we can now start to work backwards as we're creating your content calendar and marketing plan. Once we set the event date, and we know that the podcast gets most of its downloads in the first 30 days, we can start to figure out when to promote the event using our podcast. This will help us use our podcast in the most effective way. Work backward from your event date to figure out when to promote it on the podcast. You want to start teasing the event roughly eight weeks in advance. If my event is happening on April 1, I want to start teasing it on February 1st. Create some anticipation. And then about six weeks in advance, announce the event with full details. Have the registration page up and running. Begin enrolling people in the event. Six weeks gives people enough notice that the event is coming and let's them get registered for it. YOUR REGISTRATION PAGE One thing that I do is always use the same URL for my event. So if you want to register for any of my events, I always put the event at the same URL. So if you go to podcasttalentcoach.com/workshop, you'll find my Audience Explosion Blueprint workshop. I will update that page with the new dates and details for each new workshop. I always do is use that same URL. If I'm promoting it on February 15th for my April 1st workshop, somebody listening to the podcast on May 1st can visit that URL with the new dates on it. So even if they're listening past the date of the event, it will have the current event up there. Then four weeks out from the event, set the deadline and create some urgency to get people registered. Create that deadline and start creating some urgency four weeks out. During these last four weeks, focus on the outcome of your virtual events and create urgency. Get people registering to be part of the event. And then at the event, you can invite people to have call with you. So over these 8 weeks, we're teasing, we're announcing, and we're creating that urgency. Then, repurpose your your podcast content and be visible. YOUR VIRTUAL EVENTS So, how do you create your virtual events? That's what our guest is helping us with today. Janelle Anderson is known as the Virtual Events Visionary helping coaches and experts create and host simple, profitable virtual events to massively scale their business. She is a Certified Professional Coach, 7-time bestselling author, and renowned speaker who is on a mission to empower her clients to thrive and prosper so they can transform the lives of their clients. Janelle has had the honor of helping hundreds of clients transform their lives and now is on a mission to help hundreds of coaches prosper in their businesses so they can transform thousands of lives. Today, she is going to help us use the virtual events strategy grow our businesses.   Free Gift: Simple, Profitable Virtual Events Checklist www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/eventschecklist Virtual Events Bootcamp www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/virtualevents   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

You are working so hard to create great content. Unfortunately, your episode title is killing all of that hard work. YOUR EPISODE TITLE IS CRITICAL If you don't have the correct episode title, you will struggle to get downloads and listeners. But your title is only one of four important elements of your podcast. THE FOUR ELEMENTS There are four elements of your podcast that each serve a specific purpose. You develop your artwork to simply catch the attention of your ideal listener. It doesn't need to contain every detail about the show. Just catch attention. Next, the purpose of your podcast name is to attract your ideal listener. When they see the name, you want them to say, "This looks like it is interesting and for me." The name should get them to click. Once on your show page, the description of the show should tell your ideal listener why this show is perfect for them. Finally, they'll start looking through the episode titles. The purpose of your episode title is to get your ideal listener to push play. It is like the headline to an article. If you want more listens and listeners, create interesting titles. CRAFTING EFFECTIVE EPISODE TITLE I never got a degree in broadcasting or journalism. But I did take a few classes as electives when I was getting my degree in architecture. News production was one class I took. In every story we wrote, the professor would say, "Don't bury the lead." What he meant was tell them what you want them to know right up front. Though I never did news, it played a big part in my career on the radio. When I started on the radio, I have to entertain people up the 17-second intro of a song. I had no time to buy the lead. It was all about being brief and entertaining. Too many podcasters wander into the story without a point right up front. We talk about leading with your provocative point right from the start. Unfortunately, listeners won't even get to the intro of your story without a great episode title. Don't bury the lead. HOOK THE LISTENER Remember, people have short attention spans. Hit them quick with the hook. Your listeners are only giving you a few seconds to decide if they are going to stick around for the episode. They are skimming content looking for something interesting. Draw listeners into your episode quickly. Think of when you are scrolling through social media. When do you stop? You stop scrolling when something interesting hooks you. Something grabs your attention. Your headline should hook your listener right from the start. CREATE INTRIGUE The best way to hook them early is creating intrigue. There is a reason people use click bait. It works. Click bait creates intrigue. Here are a few headlines from YAHOO!... He Lost A Hard Drive With $750M Of Bitcoin Why George W. Bush's Belly Tap of Barack Obama is Going Viral. The 35+ Best Walmart Deals To Show This Weekend These headlines create intrigue. George Bush tapped Barack Obama's belly? Is there video? Click bait wants you believe one thing, but the content is really something else. I don't want you to use click bait. It isn't click bait when you deliver on the promise. I want you to create intrigue. Then, deliver on the promise. The episode title of this show is Your Episode Title Is Killing You. This content is showing you exactly why. This episode title creates some intrigue. Just be sure you deliver on the promise of the episode title. USE AI One great way to create great titles is to use artificial intelligence tools. I use CastMagic. You can find CastMagic through my affiliate at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/castmagic. If you subscribe through that link, I'll a small commission, but it won't cost you anything additional. When I use CastMagic, I upload my episode. The AI tools then gives me 10 episode title options. GOOD EPISODE TITLE SEO Using AI will also help you create good search engine optimization. If you want to be discovered, be friendly with Google. Make your episode title searchable with good SEO. This is where CastMagic can help. Use the terms your ideal clients are searching Google to find. And here's a tip. Nobody is searching for Episode 127. Stop using episode numbers as your title. Don't even put them at the front. If you want to include the number, put it at the end. If a platform truncates your episode title, you'd rather it be the episode number rather than the headline. BUILD YOUR EPISODE TITLE This week, start creating powerful episode titles for your shows. Hook your listeners early. Create intrigue. Use AI to help you create a powerful episode title that is SEO-friendly. You can use my affiliate link for CastMagic at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/castmagic. If you'd like my help with your content and strategy, reach out. When you're ready to become influential and significant, we need to talk. Apply for a call with me at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply. YOU DON'T REALLY WANT A PODCAST You don't really want a podcast. The podcast is just the vehicle. You want impact, influence, and authority. You want to move a room. When it comes down to it, you want significance. We don't want a big audience. We want the ability to move that audience into action. I love podcasting. And I feel like podcasting is the best way to grow that significance. But at the end of the day, the podcast is just the tool. It comes down to what you do with that platform. Over the past 30 years, I've been coaching people to become unique personalities who have great significance. Each of those individuals have all built powerful relationships with their audience and lead that audience to action. Let's talk about how to grow your significance. Get an hour of my coaching   I can take your hand and walk you every step of the way. Apply for a call with me at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply. Click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

There is a saying in business that the money is in the list. Building your email list is an important piece to any business. EMAIL EVERY DAY Collecting names and email addresses of your clients and potential clients helps you grow your business in a big way. Your email list allows you communicate and build relationships with your potential clients. My podcast is a big piece of growing my email list. I regularly offer resources on this show that helps the list grow. For example, you can get 21 lead magnet ideas to help grow your email list at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/magnet. I then send an email to my list every day. It's designed to give them value on a regular basis. But it also keeps me top of mind. Even if recipients don't read every email, they at least see my name in their inbox even if it is only to delete the email. By staying top of mind, when they need podcast answers, they think of me. In the book They Ask You Answer by Marcus Sheridan, he shares research about consumer habits. The study shows that consumers have typically finished up to 70% of their research before ever contacting a company. Therefore, if you are waiting until your potential client reaches out before you start building the rapport and relationship, you are waiting too long. They are already close to making the decision. Legendary marketer Dan Kennedy says, "Build the list – sell to the list". I most always include an offer of some sort in my email. OFFERS IN YOUR EMAIL Sometimes my offer is to work with me. Other times I promote partners. There are times when I simply offer more content and other resources. Most every email asks the reader to take action. And it works over time. In my email, I often invite readers to contact me for a podcast strategy session. This is an hour of coaching with me to develop your strategy. You can see those details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply. During the call, we talk about your goals. We figure out where you are now. Then, we build a bridge to reach your goals. On every call, I ask the person how they discovered me. And I get a variety of answers. Rapport takes time. IT TAKES TIME One day, Mary Elaine signed up for a call. When we got on the Zoom call, I started by asking her how she discovered me. Mary Elaine told me she had been on my list for years. She didn't know how she got on the list and couldn't even remember how long it had been. After reading my email for years, she decided now was the time to take action. I helped Mary Elaine launch her podcast. She was also a coaching and production client for years. Katina was another entrepreneur who reached out for a podcast strategy call. The call started by asking her how she discovered me. She told me she had been listening to this podcast for 18 months. It was finally time to get on a call. There have also been clients who signed up after listening to two episodes. Dr. Paul and I got on a strategy call. He told me after listening to a couple episodes he knew he needed to get on a call with me. You never know how long it will take to get a lead to take action. People make decisions at different paces. Some act quickly. Some are slow and methodical. That's the importance of the list. Communicate often. Provide lots of value. Then, make the offer to work with you to go deeper. Build the list. Sell to the list. BUILD YOUR LIST So, how do you build your email list? There are many ways. Today, we talk with Sheila Davis, a Marketing Strategy, Communication, and Content Development Coach. Sheila helps identify your ideal customer and message so you can build a relationship with them and serve them. She has over 30 years of experience in marketing, including serving as the marketing manager of 48 Days To the Work and Life You Love. Sheila loves working with authors, podcasters, course creators, bloggers and entrepreneurs to developing marketing and content strategies. The goal is to maximize their time and their customer reach, including Email Marketing, Digital Marketing and Content Development. During this conversation, we talk about the importance of a list, things to remember when building your list, and solutions to the common challenges most entrepreneurs face when building that list. Enjoy my conversation with Sheila Davis. EMAIL LIST BUILDING GUIDE Make sure you grab Sheila's list building guide. This 4-step guide is perfect for entrepreneurs, authors, and podcasters looking to create meaningful connections with their audience and turn them into loyal customers. You can download it at 48days.com/marketyourbiz.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

On this episode, I want to give you the Podcast Talent Coach best of 2024. These are the most downloaded episodes of the past year. IT WAS QUITE THE YEAR 2024 was quite the year for me and Podcast Talent Coach. We've seen many ups and downs. At the end of 2023, I received and email from my mentor that he was fighting cancer. He would lose that battle in February. That started the year with a kick to the gut. Over the past twelve months, I've been able to help dozens of entrepreneurs launch their podcast. We have grown quite a few with the Audience Explosion Blueprint. In September, we had another fantastic Podcast Profits Summit. And I've worked with my coach to refine my business and make my content and focus even stronger. I can't thank you enough for being here on this journey. It was been an amazing year full of realizations, learning and love. This road we are on can get a little crazy. Keep reminding yourself that it's all about the journey and not the destination. Let's take a look back over the biggest and most popular episodes of the past year. Maybe you missed them. Perhaps you want to revisit the nuggets in each. Whatever the case, here are the most popular episodes of 2024. BEST OF #7 Starting the list at number seven is Connecting With Your Personality – PTC 488. On this episode, I want to share with you a session I did recently during my Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop. This was a powerful 3-day workshop where I helped a group of podcasters build their strategy to grow their audience. This particular session will help you develop your personality and begin building powerful relationships with your audience. Here is a sample of that episode. "If all you're doing is speaking to the 3% that are in the market to buy today to fix the solution today, you're missing 97% of your market." You can hear that episode at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/488. BEST OF #6 The episode hitting the list at number six is What is Your Biggest Challenge? – PTC 483 I recently asked that recently of podcasters on my email list, "What is your biggest challenge?" On this episode, I'll help you through a few of them. Here are a few of the questions I received... I'm trying all the things to increase downloads. My biggest challenge is getting the guests to share the episode. My biggest barrier is lack of courage to put myself out there. Learning to build an interactive community around the podcast is my biggest challenge. I'd love to have a strategy in place before I launch, then I know what I'm aiming for! How do you choose a podcast name? Here is a sample of that episode. "Remember, community comes from relationships, which is why I'm such a huge proponent of building relationships with your podcast." You can hear that episode at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/483. BEST OF #5 Number five on the list of the Best of 2024 is Podcast Promotion Questions – PTC 480 When it comes to growing our podcast, I get many questions about podcast promotion. How do we get in front of new listeners and invite them into our show? On this episode, we'll answer a variety of questions about podcast promotion. Here is a sample of that episode. "Studies show that the average podcast listener consumes about 7 episodes, 7 podcasts, different podcasts every week. And about 30% consume 11 or more different shows a week." You can hear that episode at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/480. BEST OF #4 Number four on the list is Dave Jackson – Profit From Your Podcast – PTC 485 Many podcasters want to create a profit from their podcast. However, most lack a strategy to generate revenue and grow their business. Dave Jackson is the host of the School of Podcasting podcast. He is also author of the best seller Profit From Your Podcast: Proven Strategies To Turn Listeners Into a Livelihood. He launched the School of Podcasting in 2005 and was inducted into the Podcasting Hall of Fame in 2018. Dave joined me on the Podcast Profits Summit to talk about overcoming your challenges without spending thousands of dollars. I want to share that session with you today. Here is a sample of that episode. "When I moved into this house had no carpet, and it was just this giant echo chamber. So the first thing I did was, like, okay. We need we need a carpet. We need some rug, something like that." "There's a really popular microphone called the Blue Yeti. And technically, it's not a bad microphone, but what most people overlook is that thing can pick up, if you want, in every single direction. Well, that's just screaming, pick up the neighbor's lawnmower and everything else." You can hear that episode at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/485. BEST OF #3 Making the list of the Best of 2024 from Podcast Talent Coach is Cindy J. and Making Money – PTC 479 When coaches come to me for assistance, one of the most common challenges is making money with their podcast. Most are using their show incorrectly and spending time in the wrong places with the wrong activities. There is a misconception about podcasting. You make money WITH your podcast, not FROM your podcast. I want to help you spend more of your time on money making activities. Cindy J. Holbrook the Visibility Wiz joins me on the show today. She guides entrepreneurs and small business owners to thrive as you go up the ladder from being the best-kept secret to Trusted and In-Demand Authority. Cindy J. has been coaching since 2009. She has been my coach and she's one of the best in the business. On this episode, Cindy shows us how to spend our time on the right money making activities, so we can generate revenue with our podcast. Here is a sample of that episode. "If you start doing something every day, you make sure you do at least one money making activity Monday through Friday or whatever your work days are. You're going to start seeing an increase in everything, in visibility, influence, and profits." You can hear that episode at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/479. BEST OF #2 One spot from the top in at #2 on the list is Turn Your Podcast Into A Book – PTC 477 Are you ready to turn your podcast into a book? Each week you work hard to spread your message and share your vision. If you produce an episode a week, you'll have 50 episodes in just under a year. With four pages of show notes (or 1,200 words), you could turn your podcast into a book. But, why would you want to go through all the work to write a book? There are six big reasons. We dive into those reasons on this episode. There is great news. You don't need to write the entire book yourself. Steven Leapley is an executive ghostwriter from Southern California. He helps creative people like you write their book. Steven joins us today to help us discover how to turn our podcast into a book. Here is a sample of that episode. "But I think the the biggest challenge is... it comes down to to honestly fear. There's you know, to to pull the trigger and actually write your book. You know, it's like, there there's a there's a fear of of is it gonna get finished? There's a fear of am I gonna get taken for, you know, taken? You know, there's a fear of am I good enough?" You can hear that episode at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/477. BEST OF #1 That brings us to the most popular Podcast Talent Coach episode of 2024. Number one on the list is Why You Can't Grow Your Podcast – PTC 481 If you're like most podcasters, one of your biggest challenges you want to overcome is how to grow your podcast. I hear it often. On this episode, I help you dive deep into audience growth. In this episode, we dive deep into the challenges faced by many podcasters when it comes to growing their listenership. You receive invaluable insights into why some podcasts stagnate and what you can do to overcome these hurdles. We start with the critical importance of making your audience care. Provide unique value in your episodes. Infuse each episode with authenticity and stay true to yourself. We discuss strategies to build a relationship with your listeners, such as cleverly weaving your episodes together and harnessing specific tactics designed to not only attract but also retain a dedicated audience. Here is a sample of that episode. "Everybody tells me I want a bigger audience, and I go, what are you doing? Well, nothing really. Well, the audience isn't just gonna show up. They're not just gonna come knock on your door and say, hey, we're here. Where's the show? You have to do the work." You can hear that episode at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/481. GIVE IT A LISTEN And that's the top seven episodes of Podcast Talent Coach from 2024. Pick your favorite and give it a listen. Whether you missed it the first time, or you'd like to go back and revisit it, here is your chance the check out the best. You can also find the links in the show notes. I've listed a link to each of the episodes at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/podcasts. Thanks again for being here. I hope you have a tremendous 2025. I'd love to help you make that happen. I can be your mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way with some powerful coaching. Get a sample of it. Go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

Being a guest on other podcasts is a powerful way to grow your audience. However to achieve success, you need to refine your speaking skills. SPEAKING SKILLS WITH A STRATEGY Just being on other podcasts isn't enough. You need a strategy. Being a guest on other podcasts benefits you in two ways. First, it puts you in front of people who do not know you. You're finding new listeners. Second, you benefit with search engine currency. As you appear on more shows, you appear on more platforms and websites. The more you show up online, the more search engines will find you. This second reason is how you can benefit even if the podcast doesn't have a huge audience. Sure, you want to be in front of as many people as possible. But don't forget about the SEO benefit. YOUR ONE CHANCE STRATEGY Remember that as you are in front of new audiences, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Make it good. To connect with others and bring them into your world, improve your speaking skills. Your speaking skills strategy includes your confidence, your content, and your context. Start by believing in what you know and what you have to offer. Lean into your superpower. Next, shape your speaking skills by crafting your content that relates to the audience of that specific show. Finally, add context. Wrap your content in stories so the audience gets to know who you are, what you value, and what you believe. Great speaking skills are something you can learn and master. The fear of public speaking comes from not being prepared and confident in your content. Nobody knows your story better than you do. Embrace it. Great speaking skills are about sharing one thing in many ways through your story. SANTOU CARTER In this episode, I bring you an engaging conversation with Santou Carter. Rev. Santou Carter is an international best-selling author, a multi-award-winning performing artist and systemic psychotherapist working with fear and anxiety. Santou integrates her skills as a performer, preacher and psychotherapist to provide her unique S.T.E.E.R. framework using a holistic ‘Body, Mind, Spirit' approach to ensure her clients can captivate an audience with an engaging, anxiety-free presence to increase their sales and wealth. She has also been nominated for a Women in Podcasting Award, in the category of Best Guest Expert. YOU KNOW ENOUGH In this episode, Santou shares invaluable insights on the journey of podcasting, emphasizing the importance of tapping into your holistic self and leveraging all your experiences and skills. Together, we explore why it's unnecessary to wait until you feel completely knowledgeable to start a podcast, because growth and learning happen along the way. We delve into Santou's unique approaches, including her S.T.E.E.R. framework, which integrates Spirituality, Techniques, Education, Emotional space, and Relationships, to guide personal and professional development. She offers powerful strategies for using podcasts to grow your business, repurpose content, and effectively engage audiences. Plus, Santou shares her candid experiences performing with her husband and the cultural significance of those moments. Join us as we uncover why podcasting is a potent tool for creating lasting connections and vibrant energy. Whether you're an aspiring podcaster or looking to amplify your existing efforts, this episode is packed with actionable advice and inspiring stories. Let's dive in! SPEAKING SKILLS INCLUDE YOUR WHOLE SELF As a seasoned public speaker and group facilitator, Santou shares invaluable insights into how podcasters can blend their professional and personal experiences to create engaging content. She emphasizes the importance of bringing your holistic self into the podcasting realm, leveraging all your skills and expertise to build confidence and foster genuine connections with your audience. Santou discusses the flexibility of podcasting, comparing it to rediscovering an old favorite song; just as forgotten notes come alive, latent skills can emerge during the podcasting journey. Aspiring podcasters need not wait until they feel completely knowledgeable. Starting with the confidence that 'you know enough' is crucial. The podcasting process itself will help illuminate additional skills and knowledge as you go along, making it a journey of continuous growth and learning. THE LONG TAIL Touching on the longevity and ownership benefits of podcasting, Santou explains how podcast content remains accessible and valuable long after its release, unlike the fleeting nature of social media platforms. She introduces her unique STEER framework. It is a holistic approach that enables podcasters to create content that resonates deeply and offers lasting value to their audience. Santou shares practical strategies to maximize podcast reach and impact. She discusses how repurposing podcast transcripts into blogs or books, and using platforms like YouTube, can broaden your content's consumption. She highlights the effectiveness of social media for promotional purposes, advising the use of quote cards and leveraging Pinterest for its evergreen content ability. Santou also reveals a free resource on using podcasting to increase sales and underscores the importance of nurturing audiences through email marketing. During our conversation, Santou shares personal anecdotes from her ow speaking skills and performing career, including her memorable concert singing orthodox music with her husband and his recent opera performance in her native language. Bringing it all back to podcasting, she highlights how personal stories and relationships play a crucial role in developing speaking skills and creating relatable content. Be sure to get Santou's free gift "How to Use Podcasting To Increase Sales". You can download it at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/increasesales.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

I tend to be very analytical. When I first heard about our relationship with money and the mindset needed to succeed, I thought it was a lot of woo and not for me. MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY The more I heard about mindset, and the more I researched it, the more I realized that success absolutely requires the right mindset and relationship with money. Growing up, we had very little money. My mom raised us on her own on the wages of a waitress. She always had a side hustle to make ends meet. I never knew we didn't have money. I just thought we were frugal. One year when I was about 12, I told my mom that my best friend Russ would receive gifts on Easter. I found that odd. My brother and I always received Easter baskets full of candy. But that was about it. Russ' family was Catholic. We were Methodist. Maybe that was just part of their tradition. That year, my mom bought us gifts for Easter. That's when I realized gifts had nothing to do with our spiritual denomination. It had everything to do with where and how we spent our money. THE INFLUENCE OF MY MOM Looking back on my childhood, mom always had a bit of disdain for the wealthy. She waited on many of those wealthy people at work, and many weren't respectful. I think that influenced her relationship with money. Mom always expected me to go to college. But I don't think she ever thought we would be a wealthy family. It was part of our relationship with money. I once dated a girl after college whose dad was the president of a bank. I think her dad even had part ownership. One year, I joined them at the country club for Easter brunch. It was just like any other meal at a nice restaurant. There were just golf fairways out the window. When we broke up, my mom said, "That's ok, you're not the country club type anyway." She didn't mean anything by it. It was just the way our family was raised. It was her relationship with money. She never had a great deal of money. My mom eventually died broke. I had to send her creditors the death certificate along with a letter notifying them there was no money in her estate to pay them. That's when I realized I didn't want that to be my story. I didn't want that to be my relationship with money. RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY IS A DECISION I like money. Money allows me to have nice things. But it also allows me to help others who need it. I began donating a portion of my salary to various organizations. The money wasn't mine. It was just flowing through me. When my relationship with money changed, the amount of money God would send my way changed. You deserve money. But to get it to flow your way, you need a good relationship with money. You need to believe you deserve it. TONYA WHITE In this episode, we dive into the insightful discussions and powerful lessons shared at the Podcast Profits Summit with Tonya White. Tonya is the founder of Heart & Soul Wealth. She is a financial educator and coach who empowers women to transform their relationship with money and make informed financial decisions. With a background in corporate Human Resources and over a decade in financial services helping couples, individuals and families, Tonya uses a holistic approach to help women navigate their financial goals, especially those nearing or in retirement. YOUR PAST SHAPES YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY In this episode, Tonya emphasizes the importance of learning from past financial decisions and using new skills to make better future choices. She tackles tough questions about dealing with trauma from investment failures and overcoming self-judgment and shame. We explore the profound impact of disempowering money messages, often rooted in childhood and societal beliefs, and how they shape our relationship with money. Through real-life examples and personal anecdotes, Tonya illustrates how transforming these mindsets can lead to significant personal and professional growth. She also shares valuable techniques such as using affirmations effectively, meditation, and connecting money to a larger mission to overcome worthiness issues and imposter syndrome. This episode is packed with essential insights and actionable advice to help you shift your money mindset and pave the way for financial success. Let's get started! PAST FINANCIAL DECISIONS Tonya emphasizes the importance of learning from past financial decisions by acknowledging that they were made with the best information and resources available at that time. She advocates for using newly acquired financial skills and insights to make better decisions moving forward, while underlining the significance of self-forgiveness and grace in the journey of personal and financial growth. Tonya addresses handling trauma from past investment failures, acknowledging the self-judgment and shame that often accompany financial losses. She advises listeners to accept what was known at the time and to glean valuable lessons from these experiences to improve future financial decisions. Furthermore, she offers actionable advice on moving past these negative experiences, highlighting the necessity of self-forgiveness and grace to foster personal, financial progress, and a healthier relationship with money. The conversation also explores the impact of disempowering money messages ingrained in us from childhood and societal norms. These messages shape our relationship with money. Tonya explains the difference between "money is the root of all evil" and the actual biblical phrase "the love of money is the root of all evil," emphasizing how such misconceptions can affect one's ability to cultivate wealth and achieve goals. We share our personal experiences with disempowering financial messages, discussing how these beliefs shaped our decisions and self-perception over time. AFFIRMATIONS Diving deeper, Tonya discusses practical techniques to transform disempowered mindsets into empowered ones. Using affirmations effectively, especially in the form of engaging questions, can rewire the subconscious to foster a healthier relationship with money. Tonya shares the story of an entrepreneur who successfully changed her financial outlook through such mindset work, resulting in more confident business dealings and improved sales conversations, demonstrating the profound impact of overcoming negative self-talk and disempowerment. Tonya's holistic approach, combined with her personal journey from corporate HR to financial coaching, brings a warm, nurturing perspective to money management, particularly empowering women to make informed financial decisions and attain lasting financial health. You can download Tonya's free gift "The 5 Keys To Financial Health" at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/financial.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

If you're like many podcasters I talk with, your little voice in your head can sometimes throw you off course. Influence begins with confidence. BECOMING A PERSON OF INFLUENCE Impostor Syndrome is just someone pretending to be someone else. It is self doubt. To overcome Impostor Syndrome, just be yourself. Stop pretending. It starts as a vision of who you truly are. That vision can build your confidence and help build your influence. When you be yourself, you're not faking it. You are working to be who you really are. It is so much easier to be you rather than pretending to be someone else. Your confidence will grow. Have the courage to step into your true self. Start by sharing one small story about yourself on your podcast. Your tribe will love you for it. This is the beginning of growing your influence. MELINDA LEE On this episode, we're diving into the transformative power of voice, flow, and authentic connection with our special guest, Melinda Lee. Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach, and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, Certified Professional in Talent Development, as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of "flow" and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results. Melinda brings a wealth of experience as a presentation skills expert and speaking coach for TEDx Berkeley. She shares her journey from overcoming impostor syndrome to landing major clients like Google, and how aligning her words with her intentions has attracted more opportunities her way. She has worked with thousands of executives and teams from Facebook, to the Army Corp of Engineers, and more. She is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence. During our conversation, Melinda unpacks the misconceptions about public speaking and highlights the importance of inspiring change rather than mere teaching. Sparking inspiration is an important step to developing influence. She explains how achieving a flow state can elevate our public speaking, influence, and overall communication skills. Through personal stories and practical advice, Melinda reveals how to access this flow and maintain it, even under high pressure. IMPOSTOR SYNDROME VS INFLUENCE One of the key topics Melinda addresses is overcoming Impostor Syndrome, a common issue even among successful professionals. She candidly shares her personal strategies for confronting and processing fears rather than ignoring them, detailing how this mindset shift has empowered her in her career. Overcoming Impostor Syndrome is the first step to becoming a person of influence. Melinda's journey from facing skepticism to winning over tough audiences highlights the importance of embodying feelings and connecting deeply with both oneself as well as the audience. We get into common misconceptions about public speaking, emphasizing that it goes far beyond just teaching. Effective speakers are those who can inspire change and transform lives by conveying not just the "how" but the "why." Focusing on "why" over "how" is a key component of influence. Through transformational speaking and podcasting, podcasters can build deeper connections with their listeners by exuding authenticity and engaging from the heart. MINDSET EXERCISE You will find great value in our conversation when Melinda introduces an exercise designed to help speakers move from being in their heads to speaking from the heart. One such exercise involves shifting self-affirmations from "I am a confident speaker" to "I am grateful to be a confident speaker," a simple yet powerful change that fosters greater connection and openness. Additionally, Melinda discusses the significance of self-awareness and self-reflection in overcoming barriers to communication and achieving peak performance. This step will help your influence blossom. Whether you're a podcaster looking to connect more deeply with your audience or a speaker aiming to transform lives, this episode is packed with insights to help you elevate your voice and impact. So, get ready to feel inspired and get in flow with our conversation featuring the incredible Melinda Lee. Melinda has a free gift for you called "Unlock Your Flow: A Free Self-Assessment To Enhance Speaking Skills And Identify Growth Areas". You can download it at https://speakinflow.com/online-assessment/.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

Becoming an influential authority in your niche is possible through the power of podcasting when you have the right strategy. AN INFLUENTIAL AUTHORITY In this episode, I want to help you become that "go to", sought after and influential authority in your industry. This is a presentation I did during the Podcast Profits Summit. In this episode, we'll discuss how authenticity, storytelling, and building relationships can transform your podcast into a powerful tool for influence and success. I share examples from influential experts like Gary Vaynerchuk and Barbara Corcoran. You'll also get advice on attracting ideal clients, nurturing trust, and expanding your reach beyond your existing networks. You'll get insights on how to grow both your audience and your business by focusing on authenticity and relationship-building. While many podcasters concentrate on the technical aspects of podcasting, it's the personal stories and values — the "why" behind what you do — that truly build trust and rapport with your audience. THE SALES PROCESS The sales process has nuances that can turn listeners into loyal clients. 40% of the process is about building rapport, 30% involves qualifying leads, 20% is dedicated to educating on solutions, and the final 10% is about closing the deal. This breakdown highlights the importance of establishing a solid relationship foundation before moving on to sales pitches. Your podcast can do exactly that. Lead with your own experiences and personality, like other influencers. Great examples include Gary Vaynerchuk, Russell Brunson, and Brendon Burchard. Build a genuine connection with your audience. Many of my clients have effectively transformed their podcasts into powerful business tools. TaVona Denise is a nurse turned coach. She launched a successful podcast that helped promote her summit. Scott and Holly Stoner worked with me with their Wellness Compass podcast. We crafted content and a process that brought people to their foundation. These examples illustrate how effective podcasting can lead to substantial business growth, not just through attracting listeners but by fostering a community built on trust and authenticity. AUTHORITY THROUGH AUTHENTICITY Finally, we get into the importance of storytelling and focusing on the 'why' rather than the 'how' in podcasting. By consistently sharing your origin story and values, you transform your podcast into a platform that people bond with and return to for your unique personality and perspective. This episode is a treasure trove of actionable insights for anyone looking to not just start a podcast but to become an influential authority in their niche. Get ready to unlock the secrets to becoming a trusted voice in your industry. Let me help you develop your level of influence and become the "go to" authority in your niche. Get a taste of what my coaching is all about with an hour-long podcast strategy call. You can find the details and apply for your call at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/apply.

When you grow your audience to build your business, you need to manage your leads. It isn't enough to get people to subscribe to your podcast. You need to get them to your email list. GROW YOUR SHOW BY GROWING YOUR LIST When I was first starting out, I hired Cindy as my coach. She was helping me build the infrastructure that would help me grow my business. Cindy is a visibility coach. She helps people get noticed. Just what I needed to grow my audience and business. One day on a call, Cindy suggested I participate in a giveaway to grow my email list. A giveaway is a marketing tactic where a group of experts join together to help each other grow. One expert is the host of the giveaway. This person builds the back end and manages the giveaway. A number of other experts each contribute a free gift. They all then promote the giveaway to their lists. The email recipients opt in for the giveaway, which grows the list of the giveaway host. Then the email recipients decide which gifts they would like, and they opt in for those gifts. This grows the list of the contributor. The better the gift, the better chance an expert has to grow their list. YOUR LIST OR YOUR PODCAST But I wanted to grow my podcast audience, not my list. On the call that day, I told Cindy the same thing. She told me growing the list would grow the audience. Each time you release a new episode, you can email your list and remind them to listen. That was the day I understood the power of the process. If you invite people to your podcast when you are on stage, they may come listen to your show. If they don't come back or subscribe, you have no way to contact them again. But if you invite them to your email list with your lead magnet when you are on stage, you have their name and email address until they unsubscribe. Now you can reach them each time you release a new episode. When I started building my email list, my podcast audience started to grow. Soon, I started to realize I needed to organize the contacts on my email list. That's where a powerful CRM tool comes into play. MANAGE YOUR LEADS ON YOUR LIST There are a variety of CRM tools, or customer relation management tools, available to manage your list. These tools help you manage your interactions with customers, build customer relationships, and grow your business. Many people are surprised when I suggest people on stage don't send people to the podcast. Instead, send them to your email list. When you get people on your email list, you need to keep them organized and manage your leads. This allows you to send relevant information to each segment of your audience while reminding the entire list to listen to the podcast. So, how do you choose a CRM to manage your leads? MANAGE YOUR LEADS WITH RAMESH DEWANGAN I've invited Ramesh Dewangan to join us and help us develop a plan. Ramesh is the Founder and CEO of Quantum Vision Consulting. He brings over 30 years of global experience in software development, product management, and marketing to help entrepreneurs and small businesses achieve rapid growth by implementing innovative business practices and systems. Ramesh specializes in business growth through automated marketing and sales using CRM and mobile applications. Download Ramesh's free eBook "Driving Business Growth: Discover how CRM accelerates business success" at

We are into the last six weeks of the year. As you look back over the past 10 months, how are you doing on your goals you set back in January? If you're like most, your goals are struggling. In this episode, I have a great interview with Ken Williams to uncover why most goals fail and what to do about it. YOUR GOALS WITH THE END IN MIND I am big fan of beginning with the end in mind. When we talk about growing your audience, building your business, or simply refining your call to action, we often talk about starting with the end in mind. The end is the definition of your goals. Where do you want to end up? Unless you can get perfectly clear on where you want to land, your goals have no hope of succeeding. YOUR IDEAL LISTENER The end in mind is exactly why you need to clearly define your ideal target listener. How will you know if you've attracted the perfect client if you haven't defined what that looks like? Many coaches I speak with will describe their ideal client to me as an age range. They might say their ideal client is between 35- and 55-years-old. Worse yet, they might tell me they help everybody. Let's just take 35 to 55. Consider a 35-year-old. Where are they in their career? They've been working full-time in their career for ten or fifteen years. How about their family? They might have a couple kids that are 8 and 10. They spend a lot of time running their kids here and there. Now consider a 55-year-old. It's the other end of the range. Where are they in their career? Maybe ten or fifteen years from retirement. How about their family? They might have a couple kids that are 28 and 30. This person could very well be a grand parent. Now when you are trying to attract your ideal client you will describe their pains and challenges so clearly they think you are reading their mail. Do these two people sound like they have the same challenges and pain in their lives? Is the timeline to overcome those challenges similar in any way? This is the power of clarity. Start with the end in mind. CLARITY ON YOUR GOALS Now when you set goals, everyone will tell you to be specific and measurable. Start with the end in mind. So, why aren't your goals working? Why aren't you succeeding at achieving them? The problem is your goals are too smart. Smart goals aren't working, and there is a reason why. This is the reason I have Ken Williams on the show today. He will show you how to set goals you can actually accomplish. KEN WILLIAMS Ken Williams is a life coach, a chocolate cake baker, and the father of five kids. While he has authored several books, including "21 Days to Success through Networking," his career took a meandering route through call centers, sales organizations, and industrial environments, until he discovered how his past goal-setting efforts had been setting him up to fail. Now, he hosts the Bad Boss Podcast, where he helps listeners overcome conflicts with difficult bosses, and he teaches his clients how to get the results they want by setting S.T.U.P.I.D. Goals. In this conversation, Ken Williams and I get deep into the world of goal setting. We explore why traditional goals often fail and how a shift in perspective can make all the difference. Ken shares his transformative experience with obtaining a ham radio license, which changed his approach to setting and achieving goals. ARE YOUR GOALS SMART OR STUPID This episode challenges the effectiveness of SMART goals and introduces a novel concept called "STUPID goals," designed to fill gaps left by traditional methods. Ken recounts his initial reluctance to get a ham radio license and how passing the test opened his eyes to the importance of relationships and experiences over conventional goal metrics. His story underlines the significance of tying goals to personal experiences, making them more inspiring and easier to achieve. He further contrasts "stupid goals" with "smart goals," clarifying that the former emphasizes stretch, tangibility, unshakable commitment, and the possibility of achieving them realistically yet challengingly. During our conversation, Ken critiques SMART goals, pointing out their limitations in providing a clear path when goals are unmet. He emphasizes the emotional toll of perceived failures and describes how "stupid goals" can offer a more compassionate and practical framework. Using analogies and personal stories, Ken makes a compelling case for goals that inspire and energize, challenging listeners to rethink their approach to personal and professional achievement. The episode also highlights the importance of incremental, small steps in goal-setting. We discuss various techniques, including leveraging resources like print-on-demand publishing and using tools such as the app My Streaks to build habits gradually. Be sure to grab Ken's free gift. You can download his Stupid Goals Anti-Planner at https://kenwilliamscoaching.com/stupid. We have six weeks left in the year. Let's set some goals for the next year that you can actually accomplish.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

One of my favorite ways to grow your audience is by giving podcast interviews. It sounds obvious, but podcast listeners listen to podcasts. PODCAST INTERVIEWS TO GROW According to the Podcast Consumer Report 2024 study done by Edison Research, the average podcast listener consumes an average of 8.3 episodes a week. The report also states podcast listeners consume an average of 11.2 hours of podcasts each week. Podcast listeners prefer podcasts as their form of entertainment. They don't just dabble. They go all in. Over one episode a day and over 90 minutes a day. To reach your ideal listeners, do more podcast interviews. REPURPOSE YOUR INTERVIEWS But don't stop there. When you do podcast interviews on other shows, use that content in every way possible. Talk to the host prior to conducting the interview to get permission to use that interview for your own promotion. You can repurpose your podcast interviews in a variety of ways to gain more visibility. When you do, be sure to promote their podcast as well. The more you promote the podcasts that interview you, the more podcasters will be interested in having you on their shows. Repurposing your podcast interviews is an effective way to create promotional content without having to create all of the content yourself. Now you've elevated the power of appearing on other shows to a whole new level. LEVERAGING PODCAST INTERVIEWS On this episode, I interview Lyndsay Phillips. She is brilliant when it comes to leveraging your podcast interviews. Lyndsay Phillips is the CEO of Smooth Business Podcasting, speaker, guest expert, host of Leverage Your Podcast show and creator of the Podcast Leverage System. Serving authors, coaches, experts & thought leaders who are serious about using their voice to impact others and grow their business. Lyndsay excels in transforming podcast episodes, guest interviews, summits, and videos into captivating, consumable content that attracts collaborations, leads and clients. Get ready to grow your show. Enjoy my conversation with Lyndsay Phillips. Lyndsay's free gift is "3 Strategies To Leverage & Repurpose Your Guest Interviews". You can get it at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/leverage.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

Social media can be an effective way to grow your audience. There are many options, like Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, Instagram and others. How do you determine which platform to use? THE RIGHT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM The first factor in your social media platform decision should the location of your clients. Be where your ideal client is. Different social media platforms attract different people and are used for different purposes. Facebook is like a journal. This is where you keep your memories and share the things that have happed to you. X is similar to a conversation. The discussion on X is more real time. LinkedIn is used for business connections. This is where business conversations happen. Instagram is like a photo album. This is your story in pictures. TikTok is still creating its identity. The short videos on TikTok are little snippets that can be used to connect with your potential clients if you create the correct content. DIFFERENT MODES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS Another important factor to consider when selecting your social media platform is the format of the content. People like to consume content in different modes. Some like audio. Some like to consume video. Others prefer text. What is the preferred content format of your ideal client? TikTok is great for short video. Facebook is decent for all three. Audiograms on Facebook and Instagram are often overlooked. LinkedIn is great for longer articles to demonstrate your expertise. It is wise to provide your content in multiple formats. Different modes for different folks. VALUE OF YOUR CONTENT Whichever mode and platform you choose, be sure to provide value. Valuable content is content that fulfills a need. That could be education, entertainment, or simply stirring emotion. Your content on social media can't just sell. It will be quickly ignored. Provide great content and get people back to your show to build those relationships. LINKEDIN FOR PROFESSIONALS If you are trying to attract professionals, like entrepreneurs, leaders, c-suite pros and the like, LinkedIn is a great platform. LinkedIn is a powerful tool for attracting professionals, especially if you're a coach or consultant. You can use LinkedIn to grow your audience and attract your ideal clients with the right strategy. LINDA KEMPIN ON LINKEDIN STRATEGY On this episode, I have a conversation with Linda Kempin to help you develop your LinkedIn strategy. Linda Kempin helps clients discover the secrets to why their LinkedIn profiles aren't getting traction. She enjoys sharing a look behind the curtain at how LinkedIn really works, delivering insights for business owners who want to attract their ideal customers. Linda serves clients globally with Award-Winning LinkedIn coaching, online group programs, and her Accelerated VIP service. Her clients range from Senior Execs to Recent Grads, from Entrepreneurs to Transitioning Military. Linda's goal is to help you "Get Seen by the People Who Need YOU!" Get ready to take some notes and enjoy my conversation with Linda Kempin. You can download Linda's free resource “5 Secret LinkedIn POWER MOVES” at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/powermoves.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

We talk a lot about attracting your ideal clients by being your authentic self on your podcast. But, how do you overcome your fears that come with being so vulnerable? CONQUER YOUR FEAR AND SELF DOUBT Self doubt is not uncommon. When I have strategy calls with podcasters, we discuss their biggest challenges and fears. One coach asked me, "Do I really have anything of value to offer? Will anyone listen even listen to what I have to say?" There are probably times when you have that little voice in your head questioning your ideas. I get it. It takes courage to overcome those fears. There are six other fears I hear quite often YOUR FEAR OF IMPACT The first fear is making an impact. I had a coach tell me he often questions himself. He asked, "Is this making a difference in anyone's life?" Building relationships with your audience is the first step to making an impact. People follow those with whom they have a relationship. And relationships start with getting to know each other well. Share your story. WASTED TIME Another fear is wasting time. I was talking with Mike about launching her podcast. When I asked what was holding him back, she asked me, "What if it doesn't work? It would be a lot of time and money wasted." Be clear on your purpose and your goals. You also need to be realistic on the timeline. You don't need tens of thousands of people listening. Success only requires having a passionate audience that loves what you have. You don't need everyone. Success comes with a passionate tribe. Ignore the rest. I LOOK LIKE A FRAUD One coach told me, "I'm more worried about being seen as a fraud." This fear often comes from how we perceive ourselves rather than how others perceive us. Your success isn't about your content. It's about who you are being on your podcast. When you speak with confidence, you're seen as an authority. But when you doubt yourself, you are seen as unsure and less believable. This is when people start to doubt you. It comes from doubting yourself. Believe in yourself. Be strong. WE FORGET WHAT WE DIDN'T KNOW One common fear people tell me is, "Who am I that these people would want to talk to me?" This comes because we often forget what it was like when we didn't know what we know now. Think back when you first started down your journey. Go back to the time when you decided to learn about your superpower. Did you know how to do everything you know now? Of course not. You barely knew where to start. Over the years, you learned from the best. You learned all the details. Remember when you first started out and you looked at the experts in your niche with amazement? You were asking, "How do they do that? It will be so great when I'm where they are." Today, it is all second nature to you. But there are people who are starting where you started years ago. Those are the people who are ready to listen to you. You are also influential enough that great guests want to be on your show. Everybody loves exposure. You just need to reach out. PODFADING One other big fear that I hear often is the fear of failure. When I asked about her biggest fear, Denise told me, "I fear that I will fail. That I will be one of the 80% that lets the podcast die out." Podfading is a real threat. There are three reasons podcasters give up and die out. The first reason happens when they realize podcasting is more work than they thought it was going to be. They don't have a plan in place to consistently produce the show every week without eating all their time. The second reason happens when they realize the podcast doesn't grow as fast as they thought it would. They don't have a system in place to methodically grow their audience. The final reason happens when they realize the podcast doesn't generate revenue as fast as they thought it would. They don't have a strategy in place to use the podcast to attract their ideal clients. FEAR OF SUCCESS The last fear I want to share is one often overlooked. There is a fear on the other side of the coin. This is one that many don't consider. Kris and I were discussing her podcast launch. As we were getting ready to go through the process, I asked about her biggest fear. She said she had a fear of success. Kris said, "If I grow too far too fast, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it mentally or physically." It's easy to sit in the preparation phase. You can't fail while you're preparing. The risk comes when you actually launch in life. Many people are hesitant to admit the fear of success is holding them back. Take the first step. Lean into your superpower and see what happens. OVERCOMING YOUR FEARS On this episode, I want to share a conversation I had with Michael Devous Jr. Michael is a dynamic force in the world of entrepreneurship and personal development. With over three decades of experience in the entertainment industry, he has honed his skills as a performer, producer, and motivational speaker. His journey, marked by resilience and transformation, has led him to inspire others to harness fear and achieve their dreams. As the founder of Devous Media Holdings and the visionary behind "The Fearless Road" and "Fearless Thinking" podcasts, as well as The Ascend Hub community, Michael is dedicated to providing entrepreneurs with the tools, resources, and connections they need to thrive. During this conversation, we talk about overcoming your fears and learning to believe in yourself. Enjoy the conversation. Get Michael's gift "The Fearless Road Quiz: Unveiling Your Inner Compass" at  www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/fearless.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

As an entrepreneur, you work hard to generate revenue. Many businesses focus on sales to drive that revenue. But, what are you doing to keep more of that money? THE BOOK ON SELLING I love learning the nuances of selling. In fact, I just finished another book on it. We talk a lot about connecting with other experts and the power those connections hold for your growth. This book came to me from connections. One of my former coaches introduced me to her daughter as a joint venture partners. Her daughter introduced me to the leader of her mastermind. The leader of the mastermind connected me to a sales expert who was another member of the mastermind. That expert is Joe Pallo. He wrote a great book on selling called "How To Sell Nothing – The Logical Way To Make The Emotional Sale". In the book, Joe talks about learning about the prospect before the sales conversation. It's a lot about relationships and very similar to what we discuss here. WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO? As we generate revenue from our sales, we tend to allocate that revenue to a variety of expenses. But, do you know where your money is going? Why is it that people making $40k a year live paycheck-to-paycheck and people making $120k a year also live paycheck-to-paycheck? It's because our expenses creep up as our income increases. We think we could never live without something that we never dreamed of having when we were making half or a third of what we are making now. Unless you deliberately tell the money where to go, it will all disappear. Many entrepreneurs start their company on a shoestring budget. I started this company on $500 for a website, some podcasting tools, and a couple other things. As entrepreneurs make more money, they begin spending on things like marketing, virtual assistants, and memberships. How many memberships do you have? Which ones are you really using on a regular basis and getting benefit from? Back when you were making no money, you hustled and spent time instead of money. You made it work, because you didn't have the money to spend on marketing. Now, I'm not saying don't invest in marketing or powerful tools to help you grow your business even faster. I'm simply suggesting you invest that money with a purpose. Do you really need a second mastermind or third AI tool? KEEP MORE OF YOUR MONEY When it comes to spending money, I'm a big proponent of investing money where it can help you grow bigger and faster with focus. One of those ways is finding an expert who knows the space much better than you and can help you shorten the timeframe to reach success. Experts can typically show you what you don't know and help you discover solutions faster. I use coaches and experts for very specific purposes. I don't have a business coach. That is too broad. At this point, I have a sales coach and a marketing coach. They help me in very specific ways. Another expert I use is my accountant. I don't do my taxes, because I have no interest in learning all of the tax code, I don't know what I can write off properly, and I don't want to spend the time trying to figure it out. A good accountant can help you keep more of your money by finding the leaks in your bucket. You work hard to generate the revenue. It's time you start working a little harder to keep it. YOUR MONEY EXPERT Today, I want to help you get started. I want to bring you a conversation I had with Ralph Estep Jr. He is the host of the Ask Ralph Podcast where he shares insights on finance, taxation, and entrepreneurship and helps entrepreneurs manage money God's way. He has some incredible tips for you to help you keep more of your money. Ralph V. Estep, Jr. is a multifaceted professional whose career spans accounting, entrepreneurship, farming, and media. With a background in finance and technology, he founded Saggio Management Group and has held leadership positions in various organizations. This interview was part of my Podcast Profits Summit. Grab something to take notes with and get ready to keep more of your money. Enjoy my conversation with Ralph Estep. Jr. Be sure to grab Ralph's gift. It is "Keep more of your money with 5 accounting tips most entrepreneurs miss". You can download it at https://www.askralphpodcast.com/5tips.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

Building relationships with your audience is the path to your success. RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR AVATAR Whether you're trying to grow your audience, grow your business, or make your impact on the world, success requires a powerful relationship. People do business with those they know, like and trust. It's all about building rapport. People follow those they know, like and trust. Influential authority originates from building a relationship with those you want to follow you. When we start building your podcast, one of the first steps is defining your ideal target listener. Your avatar. Who are you trying to attract. Most people will go through the typical basics, like age, gender, niche, etc. Some will go a little deeper to describe the avatar's interests, pains, and goals. Few will get deep enough to define the influencers their ideal client follows, the mental challenges holding their prospect back, or the myths that the avatar believes. The more you know about your ideal target listener, the stronger your content will be. You can use this definition as a filter for everything you do. RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH PERSONALITY STYLE One area often overlooked is personality style. By defining the personality style of your ideal target listener, you will know what content is important to her, how to communicate with her, and what will inspire her to take action. There are a variety of personality tests available. Each of them are a little different, but typically measure a person's characteristics, motivations and tendencies. A personality test helps define the best way to interact with someone. By understanding how to communicate with the various personality types and which types you work best with, you can craft your content to superserve this specific group. ASHLEY LOGSDON On this episode, I'm joined by relationship expert Ashley Logsdon to delve into the intricate world of personality types and their impact on building strong audience relationships. Ashley Logsdon is a Life Harmony Relationships coach who works with individuals to create a life where every family member thrives. Focusing on introspection and understanding "the language of empathy", she helps professionals and families move from communication to true connection - with themselves, their environment, and others. She's been involved in her father's business for the past 20 years and now runs and manages 48 Days, LLC - a resource for creating the work - and the life - you love. Ashley and her husband Nathan co-hosted the Mama Says Namaste podcast for 7 years, focusing on intentional family living and togetherness. This conversation is from my Podcast Profits Summit and will help you understand how to attract, connect with, and communicate with your ideal target listener. DISC PERSONALITY PROFILE Together, we explore the DISC personality system, where Ashley explains the varying traits of D (Dominant), I (Influential), S (Supportive/Steady), and C (Conscientious/Creative) types. The discussion highlights how understanding these personality styles can help podcasters adapt their communication to better connect with their listeners. Ashley emphasizes that every personality type has its strengths and challenges, especially in entrepreneurial ventures. She suggests that while D and I traits are often seen in successful business builders due to their assertiveness and social ease, S and C personalities also bring unique advantages. MOVING BEYOND THE TYPICAL AVATAR Throughout the conversation, Ashley and I discuss the significance of knowing your audience on a deeper level. Moving beyond basic demographics to understand the challenges, interests, and personality types of listeners can greatly enhance content engagement. Ashley introduces a free guide available at 48days.com/you that provides practical tips on empathetic communication tailored to various DISC profiles, which can be an invaluable resource for podcasters aiming to resonate more with their audience. Our conversation also touches on the effective strategies for interacting with different personality types in various settings. Ashley recounts a live event scenario where she managed an interaction with a high-I individual by affirming her presence and gently guiding the conversation to maintain the event focus. This example underscores the adaptability required in real-time communications and the value of preemptive understanding of personality styles. PODCAST SUCCESS THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS We also talk about the pivotal role of relationship-building in podcast success. By tailoring content and interactions to fit the listeners' personality types, podcasters can foster a deeper sense of connection and trust. Whether you are a high-energy, quick-deciding D or a detail-oriented, systematic C, this episode is rich with insights on how to harness your unique traits to create compelling, engaging podcast content. Enjoy our discussion. Grab Ashley's gift at 48days.com/you. Who are you trying to attract? Which clients are best for you? Clearly define your ideal target listener. Understand who you're trying to attract. The more you know, the easier it will be to attract them to you.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

It has been said many times that people do business with those they know, like and trust. Having common values helps you build that rapport. RELATIONSHIPS I like to think of know, like and trust as relationships. When you build relationships with your audience, your impact grows in amazing ways. Your potential clients want to get to know you, because they want to understand if you believe what they believe. Do you have similar values? Your values build the foundation of who you are. To become a magnetic host who attracts listeners and clients to you rather than chasing them, you need to be someone others want to be around. Not only be around, but they seek you out. INFLUENCE THROUGH VALUES This happens when you get clear on the characteristics of an influential authority. First, you need a powerful origin story. How did you develop your superpower? How were your values instilled in you? Next, you need to define your values and beliefs. What makes you you? Write out your foundational principles. Now describe that pivotal moment when you discovered this was your mission. When did that transformational moment happen that gave you your superpower? Then you need to develop the stories of your journey that demonstrate your values, beliefs, and principles. What insider language is incorporated into those stories that is used by your tribe? Finally, you need a tribe to spread your message and be your testimonials. BEGIN WITH VALUES This entire process starts with defining your values. You can't develop your origin story, foundational principles, transformational moment, stories to share, or a tribe to spread it without first knowing your values. Be brave and stand for those values you believe in. It will be scary. Do it anyway. If you try to please everyone, you please no one. You become safe and middle of the road. When you're in the middle of the road, you become roadkill. Make people pick a side. When you make people care, you will attract the right people and repel the wrong people. If everyone rates you a 3 on a one-to-five scale, they really don't care. Three means, "I could take it or leave it. I really don't have a feeling either way." That's a bad place to be. When you pick a side, some people love you and others hate you. That's ok. At least they care. You'll attract more people who love you and the people who hate you won't come back anyway. They weren't going to buy in the first place. You will be ok. Stand for what you value. VALUES WITH ROBERT MACPHEE I want to share an interview I recently did on the Podcast Profits Summit on values with Robert MacPhee. This will help you get started. Robert MacPhee is the creator of the “Excellent Decisions” values-based leadership program and the author of "Living a Values Based Life". He is the former Director of Training for the Canfield Training Group, having worked closely for many years with Jack Canfield, the co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Book series and the author of The Success Principles. Robert is an expert in experiential learning, peak performance, values clarification and leadership. He is also the host of the Value Based Life Podcast. You can find Robert's free gift at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/values. It is the Values Advantage free video mini-course to begin the process of discovering what YOUR highest values are. Enjoy the gift from Robert.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

WHY AN OFFER DOESN'T CONVERT Dumping time and energy into a podcast that does nothing to grow your business does not make good, financial sense. The offer you present on your podcast needs to inspire people to take action. If people are't taking action, it's not your offer. It's who you're being while you're making the offer. The solution is about your authority, not your podcast. [Podcast Launch Workshop Details HERE.] MY JOURNEY INTO PODCASTING I came to podcasting from radio. My radio career started in 1988. I began coaching on-air talent and programming radio stations in 1995. In 2009, I discovered podcasting and began helping podcasters in 2012. I love podcasting. But it isn't about podcasting. It's about authority and relationships. The selling process is 40% rapport and relationships. If you want to get your audience to take action, you are selling. OFFER WITH ORIGIN Consider Gary Vaynerchuk or Russell Brunson or Brendon Burchard. Do they have podcasts? Yes. But they also have YouTube channels, websites, email lists, and a variety of other content platforms. It isn't about the platform. This is about creating relationships. If you follow them, you know a lot about each of these guys. Gary is from Belarus. He collected baseball cards growing up, hated school, and worked in his father's liquor store. Gary originally started Wine Library TV and eventually wrote "Crush It". He's all about the hustle. Russell was a wrestler and lives in Boise. It all started with his potato gun. Brendon grew up in Montana. Went through a bad breakup before getting in his car wreck. You know their origin stories, and it builds rapport. Can you see how your podcast can help you build relationships with your audience? It isn't about the offer. They each have a variety of offers. This is about know, like and trust. Relationships. YOUR OFFER WITH AUTHORITY Attract your clients with your personality rather than chasing them with your ads. When you speak people listen because you're an authority and you have influence. Your offer isn't the secret to your success. This is about positioning you as the “go to” expert in your niche. Do you ever feel like you have an incredible message to share, but no one is listening? You haven't established authority yet. When you become the authority, you are well-known and sought-after. People seek you out. Would you rather chase your leads or have them come to you? As an authority, you build a loyal fan base full of paying customers. Not only do people pay you often, they refer you to others. Leads creating more leads. Don't be a product looking for a buyer. It's not the offer Be a leader helping clients achieve their goals. YOUR OFFER WITH PERSONALITY Become an influential authority by infusing you and your story into every episode. Many podcasters tell me they don't have a big personality. And, that's ok. You don't need a big personality. You just need an authentic personality. Everyone has a personality and can be a storyteller. This is a process I have refined since 1988. I've been successfully teaching people how to do it since 1995. Over the years I have built and activated huge audiences. I build influencers. When you know your "why", your what becomes more impactful. This is how you develop an effective offer. You struggle to get clients, because you're spending your time chasing clients with your offer rather than attracting them with your personality. IT ISN'T YOUR FUNNEL Your problem isn't your offer funnel. It's you. Put in the time to build relationships. Once the well starts producing water, it will continue to flow with ease. Attract people with who you are. You will attract clients with your personality by building relationships. People do business with those they know, like and trust. That's the definition of rapport. Stories build relationships. The podcast is just the vehicle. It is secondary to your story. The key to your success is your authority and influence. The name of the game for an offer that converts is authority. Do you want to keep chasing clients or are you ready to stand out as the well-known authority who attracts clients into your world? You can be a personality. Just understand it's a journey, not 6 steps to success. YOUR SECRET WEAPON I'm not your only solution. But, I am your secret weapon. You can learn podcasting from a million different YouTube videos. But none of them have the experience I do. It's not just my years of experience. It is my track record. I'm best in class. Here are a few examples: Name: TaVona Denise Podcast:Conversations With TaVona Denise Result:I recently used an episode to promote a summit I hosted. I believe the reason the summit was such a big success, was because I used the podcast to promote it. Testimonial: What I love most about working with Erik is how organized he is. This wasn't a haphazard, thrown-together coaching program. He showed me things in a step-by-step format. He gave me things to do before each call. He also helped me when I had my freak out moments. Name: Scott & Holly Stoner Podcast: Wellness Compass Podcast Result: We hired Erik before we launched our podcast because we knew he could steer us toward success from the first episode, which is exactly what he did for us. Testimonial: He coached us through the first six months of launching our podcast, and we will be forever grateful for his expertise and how accessible and actionable he makes his expertise. He's also just a really good guy and a lot of fun to work with. Name: Rick Sizemore Podcast: The VR Workforce Podcast Result: We've been able to achieve goals we never imagined possible, with top ratings in our categories in iTunes, downloads beyond our wildest dreams. And an award from a leading organization. Testimonial:You can figure it out, but you're going to have a lot more headaches, it's gonna take a lot longer, and in the end probably cost more. If you want to take your podcast to the next level, call Erik K. Johnson IMPROVE YOUR OFFER You can continue to spend hours and hours hunting and guessing if it will work. Watching YouTube videos and downloading free .pdfs. How has that been working for you? You've been trying to figure out how to make your podcast generate clients and revenue. I understand your challenges. You can't dump time and energy into a podcast that does nothing to grow your business. Stop chasing the solution. Just model what works. The first step is to have a coaching call with me to see exactly where the gaps exist in your strategy. One call and you will have a plan. Then, you can decide which path is right for you. Spend an hour talking with me, or spend another year struggling, experimenting and spinning your wheels only to be exactly where you are today a year from now.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

Many podcasters tell me they don't think they have a personality. We all have a personality. It just depends how we want to use it. People come for your content. They come back for you. Become magnetic by developing and embracing your personality. LINKS: Audience Explosion Workshop - http://www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/workshop Podcast Strategy Call - http://www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply WHAT IS PERSONALITY A personality is the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive character. I want you to be a magnetic character who attracts people to you. But I don't want you to create some character that isn't true to who you really are. Defining your personality and character is an exercise in self-evaluation. You need to dig deep to find the qualities that make you unique. PODFADE Many podcasts fade away after about 7 episodes. I thought this stat was an old wives' tale until I did the research. While on a call with a client, we were looking for podcasts where she could be a guest. As we looked through the podcasts in her niche, we realized many of them only had published a few episodes and had faded away years ago. There are around 4 million podcasts today. However, only half of those podcasts are actively publishing new content. Podcasts fade away for 3 reasons. Podcasting is more work than they thought it would be. The show doesn't grow as fast as they thought you would. You can join us for the Audience Explosion Workshop - http://www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/workshop. And, the show doesn't make money as soon as they thought it would. These can all be solved with your personality. PERSONALITY SOLUTIONS People will come to your show for your content. They continue to come back for you. Creating a podcast every week becomes difficult when you are trying to teach something new every week. The show doesn't need to be new information every week. It needs to be new context every week. Teach the same principles through different context. Add stories, case studies, your personality, and a fresh perspective. Dave Ramsey hosts the Ramsey Show. It is a 3-hour daily radio show and podcast that began in 1992. On his show, Dave answers listeners questions about personal finance. Nearly every question is answered through the filter of Dave's eight baby steps to get out of debt and build wealth. Nearly every answer for decades has been one of the 8 same answers. Dave's show is one of the top five most-listened-to radio shows in the country. People aren't coming back every day for the answer. They come back for the stories. It's all about the context. STOP TEACHING As you are creating your episode, stop teaching. Make it less about the how and more about the why. Information isn't engaging. Entertainment attracts listeners. When I was getting my architecture degree, I had a professor who taught architectural history. Every morning he would turn off the light, turn on his projector, and read his historical notes of every building he showed. I could barely stay awake in that class. In high school, I took U.S. History with Mr. Johnston. When he taught topics, he would tell stories that would bring the characters to life. I'm not a history fan, but loved that class. Both classes where teaching history. But the engaging class was about the story, not the information. I'M NOT A PERSONALITY Many people don't think they are entertaining. They don't feel they have a great personality. You don't need to be over-the-top to be a great personality. Stand apart from the rest by being yourself. It doesn't require that you be funny or boisterous. You don't need to be Howard Stern or Gary Vaynerchuk or Dave Ramsey. Get noticed by being authentic. Consider Barbara Corcoran from Shark Tank. She is a big personality without being larger than life. You just love her for who she is. How about Mel Robbins from the Mel Robbins show? She is a former on-air commentator for CNN and contributing editor for Success Magazine. Mel is an amazing personality because she is authentic. She shares her wins and losses on every episode. Her personality isn't over-the-top. She is just herself. You can be yourself. It just takes a little bravery to embrace who you really are. CRAFTING YOUR PERSONALITY So how do you craft your personality and begin to show it to everyone? Becoming a well-known personality who can transform into the "go to" influential authority in your niche requires five elements. Using these five elements will make you interesting. First, you need an Origin Story. How did you get your superpower? It's the thing that make you who you are. Next, you need foundational principles. What do you stand for and what do you stand against? Pick a side. Then you need stories. These are examples that support your principles. Next, you need a transformational moment. This is the point in time when you realized the thing that changed your life. Finally, you need tribe lingo. These are the words and phrases that you use frequently that make people feel like they are part of the club. Your personality will come to life when you tell stories of your transformation that are infused with your principles and tribe lingo. WINNING WITH YOUR PERSONALITY When you embrace your personality, you will begin to develop relationships with your audience. People will be attracted to you, because they feel like you are their friend. The more you share about yourself, the more people will get to know you and decide if they like you. One of the biggest complements comes when someone meets you for the first time and they tell you they feel like they know you because they've been listening to your show for a long time. That's the power of podcasting and personality. Stop teaching information and start sharing your stories and personality. You'll become the well-known, influential authority in your niche before you know it.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

AN EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW REQUIRES STRATEGY Interviews can be a powerful tool for your podcast. But creating an effective interview requires a strategy and plan. In this episode, I want to show you how to use strategic questions to craft an effective interview that helps you reach your goals. I'll also share a recent interview I conducted with popular music artist Teddy Swims. We'll dissect it to see what makes it an effective interview. Get details on your Podcast Strategy Coaching Call with me here: https://podcasttalentcoach.com/strategy-call/ WHY DO YOU INTERVIEW? You first need to ask yourself why you are conducting interviews in the first place? What are interviews doing for you? Solo episodes build your credibility. Interview episodes build your network. When you create a solo episode, you have the entire episode to demonstrate your expertise, share your story, and connect with your listeners. The episode is all you. But, a solo episode also requires you to do the heavy lifting and create all the content yourself. Doing a show by yourself doesn't require coordinating calendars to schedule the recording, which is a big benefit to me. I like to record when it's convenient for me. That may not be as convenient for a guest. You will also be the only person promoting a solo episode. When you create an effective interview episode, you don't have nearly as much room to demonstrate your expertise. The spotlight needs to be on your guest. However, I'll show you how to get creative to interject yourself into the episode. On the other side of the coin, there are many benefit to interviews. When you interview guests, it is easier to create content. To build an effective interview, you simply need to create a few great questions with a story arc. Then, have a great conversation by being a good listener. It is also possible that your guest will promote. This usually happens when you make a clear ask before the interview and make it incredibly easy for your guest to share. When your guest shares the episode, it helps you build your network by getting in front of your guest's tribe. On top of the exposure to a new tribe, you can also build a relationship with your guest. Over the long haul, this can help you get even more exposure. EFFECTIVE INTERVIEWS ARE ABOUT MOMENTUM So, how long should your effective interview be? I get this question often. When it comes to your content, there is no such thing as too long, only too boring. I have listened to episodes that are an hour long, and I wish it was longer. Then there have been 15-minutes episodes that seemed to drag on forever. An effective interview is all about momentum. Just like your solo shows, effective interviews cannot be information alone. When you infuse story and emotion into your interviews, you keep your listener engaged. People have learned from story as long as people have been around. TEDDY SWIMS INTERVIEW Earlier this week, I had the pleasure to interview singer-songwriter and popular music artist Teddy Swims. When I attend concerts, I typically go backstage to the artist's meet and greet. This is where a group gathers in a room. The artist comes in to shake hands and take photos. My wife and I had been looking forward to the Teddy Swims show for quite some time. He has an amazing soul and sound. Two weeks before the show, my contact told me Teddy isn't doing any meet and greets. He then said Teddy would be willing to do an interview if I was interested. I jumped at the chance. Creating effective interviews with pop stars can sometimes be challenging. They are often asked the same questions, provide standard answers, and can be a little standoff-ish. Teddy has blown up quickly, and I was a bit nervous. The music of Teddy Swims is hard to define. He blends R&B, soul, country and pop into a mix that is quite unique. He started publishing cover tunes on YouTube back in 2019. People started taking notice by his unique voice and style. Teddy released some original songs digitally. But he really rose to fame with his 2023 song "Lose Control". Zero to stardom in 3 years is incredibly fast. So, getting a chance to interview a guy who achieved fame quickly and probably isn't a seasoned interviewee is a risk. EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW PREP As I prepared for the interview, I didn't do a ton of prep. It was maybe 15 minutes. Many people spend hours trying to know everything about their guest. When I prep for an interview, I find a few select pieces of information that will help me craft an interesting conversation. I don't need to know everything about my guest. It is my goal to create a conversation that will make the audience interested in my guest. My interviews are not designed to show you how much I know about my guest. I want to ask questions you would ask my guest. To create an effective interview, I also want to get my guest to tell stories and be engaging. So now I'm walking into an interview with a guy who is fairly new to this game, and I need to make it as easy and comfortable for him as I can. To make it worse, Teddy did two interviews right before I walked into the room. How can I ask questions that are different enough from those past two interviews to keep him engaged and excited? I walk into the room and it is much different than my usual experience with an artist. Teddy is the only one in the room. There is no security or road manager. There is no handler. It's just Teddy. Many artists are uncomfortable being alone with anyone. Now to be fair, my contact was with us. But that was it. Teddy and I had met once before. He remembered that, and it was an easy way to open the conversation. He couldn't have been more gracious. As we sat down, I quickly realized Teddy Swims is much more seasoned than his few years in the business would lead you to believe. THE INTERVIEW First, I'll play the interview for you. Then I'll dissect the interview and explain why I asked each question. Remember, my goal is to get you engaged by getting Teddy Swims to tell stories. I also want to make you more interested in him than you were before you listened to the interview. Enjoy my interview with Teddy Swims. THE PARTS OF AN EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW Before we start to dissect the interview, I want you to either close your eyes, or if that's not possible, focus on something. Now without looking at your podcast player, I want you to guess how long that interview was. The interview was 7:48. Did it feel that long? It's my hope that the stories gave the interview great pace and momentum. So let's look at each question and why I asked it. MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS Question 1 was, "Who was the coolest person you ran into at the MTV Video Music Awards?" This question was designed to open the conversation with a story. I wanted to make Teddy comfortable so he didn't have to think much. The event was fresh in his mind. I did not want to wander into the interview. There was no "tell us about yourself", "how are you", or "what's been going on". We hit the ground running. INFLUENCE Question 2 was, "What artists have influenced you most?" This questions was built to be similar to a question like "how did you get started" or "tell us about yourself". However, I want to question to provide inspiration to listeners and really connect you to the diversity that makes up Teddy Swims. MUSICAL THEATER Question 3 was, "What was your 'go to' audition song?" This question was built in a way to provide some background on Teddy Swims without going into his entire biography. The question also creates an "oh wow" moment. Teddy has tattoos everywhere. Well, at least everywhere I can see, including his face, kneecaps, and head. He wears jeweled nail polish, crazy sunglasses, and big earrings. His attire consists of a jeweled snap, long sleeved cowboy shirt, cutoff jeans, white socks and sandals. Teddy is not like anyone you've encountered. Being in music theater is probably not something you would guess looking at him. This "go to" audition song question is also designed to be a question he has probably never been asked before. Which you could tell by his unsure answer. But like a pro, he pivoted into his favorite musical. That was pro level on his part. COVER SONGS Question 4 was, "What is your favorite cover song that you've done?" This was part of my prep. I knew about

HOW TO SURVIVE THE ENTREPRENEUR ROLLER COASTER Have you ever been on the entrepreneur roller coaster? It is all about the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur. IMPORTANT LINKS Next chance to launch is coming up. See the launch workshop details at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/podcastfast. If you have a podcast and you're ready to grow now, here's your chance. See my next workshop at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/workshop. THE BOOK As I've created this podcast, I've experienced the entrepreneur roller coaster time and time again. One day it is the best thing going. You get a client to enroll and you're on cloud nine. The next day you get the email that a client is not renewing and they are moving on. You're bummed for the next three days. This all comes to life everyday for most of us as entrepreneurs. It is also described in an amazing way in the book The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren Hardy. Darren currently owns and runs DarrenHardy.com where he and his team help people be exceptional. He is an author, speaker, and advisor. Darren is also the former publisher of Success Magazine. In addition to The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster, Darren Hardy also wrote Living Your Best Year Ever and The Compound Effect. It will prepare you for the wild ride of entrepreneurship. It will warn you of the forthcoming fears, doubts, and the self-defeating conditioning of your upbringing and past. It will inoculate you from the naysayers, dream-stealers, and pains of rejection and failure. And it will guide you safely past the landmines that blow up and cause the failure of 66 percent of all new businesses. MY ENTREPRENEUR ROLLER COASTER 2024 is a perfect example of my own roller coaster. This year started with two of my coaching clients and one of my editing clients not renewing for another year. I loved each of them. It was painful and felt like a breakup. I knew they had amazing potential. Each of them had achieved so much to this point. The progress was fantastic. Over the year, I had a few amazing calls with coaches who didn't sign up for the coaching I felt would help them in such a big way. Each of them had their own reasons. We continue to stay in touch. I believe the time will eventually be right for them. THE FUN PART OF THE RIDE Then there were call like my most recent client who couldn't enroll fast enough. He has been in my world for a few years, and we finally got on a coaching call together. On that call, he signed up and has been knocking it out of the park. It feels so great. Each time I get on a call with my other clients, they tell me of all the great progress they are making and the lives they are changing. I just wrapped up a coaching program helping Neil and Taylere launch their "The Leadership Pause" podcast. They sent me an email that said, "Thank you for everything, Erik! We appreciate all your guidance. This course was terrific." It has happened in my business year after year. A few years ago it was really getting to me to the point I was going to throw in the towel. THE DATA Then one day I looked at the data. I noticed a trend in my business. Listening to my podcast tends to dip in the summer. My workshops are less attended in the summer. Fewer clients sign up in the summer. When August arrives, my downloads increase. I have more speaking opportunities. My workshops have great crowds. And more clients enroll. It's nothing I'm doing. The entrepreneur roller coaster is just the nature of my business. That's when I realized I didn't need to be scared of that first roller coaster drop. It always happens. Then comes the fun of the turns and loops. Once I started understanding the entrepreneur roller coaster is natural, podcasting and business became much more fun. WE ARE ALL ON THE ENTREPRENEUR ROLLER COASTER I was on a summit this week. During a roundtable discussion with the other experts who were speaking, I discovered we all have our own entrepreneur roller coasters. We all have our own journey. Don't compare yourself to others. Enjoy your path. The entrepreneur roller coaster is normal. We are all on it. You need to learn to enjoy the ride. Step back and examine your roller coaster, so you can anticipate the drops. Anticipate the dips, turns and thrills, so you can enjoy the journey. Stop looking at your downloads this week compared to last week. Look at this month compared to the same month last year and the year before. Do you see seasonality in your podcast? Is the roller coaster natural in your business? Start planning the next year with the entrepreneur roller coaster in mind. When you see the dip in the history, plan things to embrace and counter the dip. Create content on your podcast people will consume during the dip. Help them with the challenges that happen in their lives at that time. YOUR NEXT STEPS Next chance to launch is coming up. See the launch workshop details at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/podcastfast. If you have a podcast and you're ready to grow now, here's your chance. See my next workshop at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/workshop.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

CLAIM YOUR TIME As you produce your podcast each week, how do you get your time back? I've invited Kathi Burns on this episode to help you with your productivity and organization. She is a board certified professional organizer. Your time is something you can never get back. It's important that you use it as wisely as possible. I want to see you spending your time building your business and working with your clients. When you spend more of your time than necessary producing your podcast, you business suffers. SPENDING YOUR TIME EDITING? You may think you can save money producing your podcast yourself. Let's take a look at what that costs you. There are a variety of things you need to do to publish an episode. As an example, we'll say you need to edit your audio, export it as an .mp3, edit your video, export it to file, create your show notes, create your podcast artwork, create your YouTube thumbnail, create a couple audiograms to promote the episode, upload the episode and artwork to your podcast host, and upload your video and thumbnail to YouTube. How long will that take you? I'm guessing 90 minutes to two hours. Let's go with 90 minutes. If you spent 90 minutes of your time hosting a webinar, how many sales could you make? What if you spent 90 minutes on sales calls. What is one coaching client worth to you in lifetime value? In our example, let's say you sell a $2,000 coaching package. Wouldn't it make more sense to spend $200 to have the production done for you so you could spend your time on sales calls instead of editing? Even if you only close one out of every four sales calls, you're spending $800 to free your time for four sales calls to generate $2,000 in revenue. This is how you leverage your time. This is possible. You can see my basic editing package as an example. See your editing options at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/editing. ORGANIZE FOR EFFICIENCY Now if you're going to spend those 90 minutes watching television instead of pursuing business, keep editing your own show. But if you're going to leverage your time, make it count. The best way to do this is being organized. Plan your week. Plan your day. Batch your tasks. Get focused on what you want to accomplish, so you know where to spend your time. When I create this podcast, I take many of my summit interviews and use them as episodes of the podcast. I record 24 interviews in 3 days. That's nearly half a year of episodes. As I create my daily emails, I write the entire week on the same day. I get my mind in my connection and relationship mode to write great content and connect with my tribe. What tasks are you doing every day or every week that you can group together to save more of your time? KATHI BURNS These are just a few examples. My guest has many more ideas for your time. Kathi Burns, CPO® is a Board Certified Professional Organizer, Image Consultant, author and speaker. As the founder of OrganizedandEnergized.com, her mission for almost two decades has been to end overwhelm, energize, and transform lives by creating systems clients can stick to. Kathi is nationally recognized for her simple organizing and style solutions. She has also been featured on Good Morning America as a successful woman-owned business. She hosts Organized and Energized! The Podcast. Kathi is here to help you spend your time more efficiently. Enjoy my conversation with Kathi Burns. Big thanks to Kathi Burns for taking some of her time to join us today. You can get Kathi's checklist at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/organize. To attend her Get Gone masterclass on October 8th, you can get registered at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/gone.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

MONETIZE A PODCAST WITH FOCUS Focus is the key to monetize a podcast. [Get info on ThriveCart through my affiliate link - CLICK HERE] When I started, I struggled until I focused on one offer to one avatar. As I launched Podcast Talent Coach, I wanted to do everything. I started with one-on-one coaching. I wrote a book that was to be part of a comprehensive course. There were plans for a membership. I was helping people launch their podcast. It was everything I could think of to create multiple streams of income to monetize my podcast. But, nothing was working. There was no traction. Then one day I met my mentor. He taught me the power of creating a signature course. Through his process, I created my signature course through market research with a single avatar. I focused on coaches trying to grow their business. He then showed my how to focus all my efforts on that one offer. My business quickly took off and created my best year yet. DON'T MONETIZE A PODCAST WITH SPONSORS Create one stream of income. Focus is powerful. It is tough to avoid getting distracted. I know multiple streams of income sounds appealing. But you can't create multiple streams until you create your first. And you can't create your first without focus. Many podcasters want to start with sponsorships. It's difficult without a real focus. Trying to monetize a podcast with sponsors is a challenge. Rick was able to get a sponsor in a much different way. Rick Sizemore is the host of the VR Workforce Studio podcast. It is a podcast focused on Individuals with disabilities and stories of employment including training and education, vocational rehabilitation. On the show, Rick celebrates the champions of employment who hire people with disabilities as well as vocational rehabilitation professionals and the work they do to create hope and a path forward to employment for people with disabilities so they can work and lead better lives. The audience for Rick's podcast is very focused and niche. He is totally focused on those in and around vocational rehabilitation. He connected with an organization who wanted to reach that specific group. Rick showed that group how effective his podcast was in sharing a message with the rehab community. The group paid Rick a nice sum to be the sponsor of his show. He was able to land the sponsor, because the show was focused on one specific avatar. NOT ALL LISTENERS ARE THE SAME Unfortunately, most sponsors don't understand the power of the podcast audience. Most podcasters, sponsors and ad agencies treat ads on podcasts like they are ads on traditional media. On traditional media, commercials are sold at a rate per thousand listeners. If the rate is $25 per thousand listeners, and you have 2,000 listeners, an ad on your show is worth $50. But podcast listeners aren't equal to traditional media listeners. If QuickBooks advertised on a football game, only a fraction of those listeners or viewers would be interested in QuickBooks. Therefore, paying $25 for a thousand listeners doesn't really get them a thousand listeners. It's just a fraction. On the other hand, if QuickBooks advertised on a small business podcast, nearly every listener needs accounting software. Paying for a thousand listeners will get you nearly a thousand listeners interested in their product. Podcast listeners are immensely more valuable than traditional listeners. Unfortunately, traditional advertisers treat them the same. You become a commodity with ads and sponsors unless you find that special unicorn of an advertiser that understands the power. Finding that unicorn takes a lot of time and effort. Time away from your business. Monetize a podcast by focusing on your core offer. Ads and sponsorships also cap the revenue potential. How many ads can you possibly put on your podcast? Finally, your listeners don't want ads and sponsors. They are fleeing traditional media to escape ads. How irritated do you get when an ad pops up in the middle of a YouTube video you're watching? MONETIZE A PODCAST WITH YOUR OFFER Instead of ads, monetize your podcast by marketing your own stuff. Focus on one offer. You might think it is easiest to sell a low ticket offer. Something like a $19 book or a $47 course. The opposite is true. Price conveys value. If you are offering a $47 course, people think it's worth $47. Few people are clamoring to buy $47 anything. If it's a $2,000 program, people feel it should be packed full of value greater than $2,000. People save up to buy a $2,000 product. It isn't uncommon to buy a $47 course and never even start it. When people invest $2,000 in a program, it is much more likely they will consume it. People value what they invest in. LOW TICKET TAKES MORE TIME AND EFFORT It also takes just as much time to sell a $47 product as it does to sell a $2,000 product. A sale is a sale. Low ticket products also create more headaches. People who purchase low ticket items tend to complain and want refunds. When I was selling my $497 course, I had multiple people want payment options. It's a 4-week course for $497. How can I possibly break that into payments. When I started selling my $20,000 coaching program, coaches would ask how to pay in one lump sum or just simply as how to pay. There were very few issues. Those who can afford to invest in high-end programs tend to have their business dialed in. They aren't worried how to make a $200 payment. It's more about the results than the price. I recently stopped offering my free strategy call. It was a struggle to get people to take advantage of the opportunity. People value what they pay for. Then, they would often book and not show up. Instead of free strategy calls, I began offering an hour of my coaching for $150. You can see it at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/apply. On the first day I changed from free to the $150 call, I had someone sign up. People value what they pay for. MONETIZE A PODCAST WITH PARTNERS We now have your avatar and offer dialed in. You have offered it and sold it. More importantly, you want to keep selling it. It is time to market your offer to monetize a podcast. Instead of buying ads, get partners to promote it. Joint venture partnerships are a powerful way to market your stuff to your ideal clients. Find partners who are already speaking to your avatar. When a partner promotes your offer, they are typically paid a commission on those sales. If the offer is digital or a physical product, commission is typically around 50%. When the offer involves your time such as coaching, commission is 10% or 20%. These sales are tracked through affiliate links. When you have affiliate tracking software, it will create a link specific for each of your partners. Your JV partners then promote your offer through that link. When their tribe clicks the link to make the purchase, your affiliate software tracks it. THRIVECART OPPORTUNITY I currently use ThriveCart. It is a great way to track affiliates and pay commissions. I have been using it for a few years now. Here is the best thing about ThriveCart. You can currently purchase ThriveCart for a one-time payment rather than a monthly fee like most software. You can see ThriveCart at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/ThriveCart. That is my affiliate link. When you purchase ThriveCart through that link, I'll make a small commission from your purchase. It doesn't cost you any more. This is just a way ThriveCart markets their software. Now, I can't tell you how long it will be a flat fee purchase and when they will move to a monthly fee. I can only tell you that as of this recording, it is a flat fee and you own it. Check it out at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/ThriveCart. MONETIZE A PODCAST WITH ONE STREAM Now you have an offer for an avatar and you have partners promoting you. The next step is to do more of the same. To monetize a podcast, really get your process working. You'll be tempted to focus on other products and additional streams of income. Stay the course. Get this offer really refined. Make it generate more cash with less work. It may sound boring, but it's worth it. Avoid the headaches that come with juggling multiple offers. Once your offer is generating over $100k in annual revenue, you can then begin working on offer number two. Until then, keep refining your primary offer. Sell more to more people. There are two ways to make more money. First, sell to more customers. Next, make more from each customer by increasing prices or selling more. Business is a simple process when you focus. To monetize a podcast, focus on your offer.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

PEOPLE STAY WHEN YOU CREATE A COMMUNITY One powerful way to grow your audience is by leveraging communities of other influencers. You can also leverage that attention to create a community. When another expert will put you in front of their tribe, they are endorsing you. That expert is telling his audience that you are someone the tribe should pay attention to. As you demonstrate your expertise to that audience, you build your authority and influence. You can then invite them to your podcast. CREATE A COMMUNITY FOR RELATIONSHIPS As you create a community that is powerful, you need to build a relationship with your audience. Spend time showing them why what you do is so important in their lives. Once you've built enough relationship with your why, you can then invite them to get more in your community. THE COACHING JUNGLE On this episode, I've invited Marc Mawhinney to join us to talk about his amazing community. Marc had been on the show in the past, and he is amazing. Marc Mawhinney is a lifelong entrepreneur who has been helping coaches get more clients (without paid ads) since 2014! He's the host of the "Natural Born Coaches" podcast, which has almost 900 episodes to date, and the Tarzan of "The Coaching Jungle" Facebook group which has over 25,000 coaches in the community. In this conversation with Marc, we delve into the art of creating and nurturing a thriving online community. With a focus on Marc's successful venture, "The Coaching Jungle," Marc gives you deep insights into the strategies and principles that have guided the group to grow to a robust membership of over 25,000 coaches. Discover the pivotal role that a strong foundation, distinctive branding, and the implementation of theme days can play in establishing a community that fosters engagement and growth. JUNGLE VIP One of the noteworthy discussions in this episode is the launch of The Jungle VIP membership, a transformative development aimed at generating recurring revenue and offering an accessible option for members not ready for larger packages. Priced at $97 per month or $997 per year, this membership includes privileges such as promotional posting rights, expert badge status, access to a private VIP group, and monthly networking meetings. Marc shares candidly about the initial concerns among community members, ultimately highlighting the positive reception and benefits of the VIP program. Marc Mawhinney brings invaluable advice on simplifying access to your community by utilizing a custom domain, making it more convenient for potential members to find your group. He also stresses the importance of laying a strong foundation before launching a group—picking a clear and relevant group name, distinctive branding, and consistent theme days, such as Promotion Friday or Book Sunday, to ensure a variety of content. As Marc underscores, providing consistent value to members while simultaneously monetizing the community is essential for its long-term success. GROWING YOUR COMMUNITY We also get into the intricacies of growing an online group, pinpointing the critical tipping point for the Coaching Jungle's growth at around 1,000 members. Marc attributes this surge to increased organic requests to join and emphasizes the necessity of promoting the community through multiple channels, including email lists and a dedicated domain name. Additionally, we discuss our early journeys into the coaching industry, highlighting similar pricing models and the importance of coaching in generating quick revenue streams compared to creating courses. We also touch a bit on the value of joint venture partnerships, where Marc shares his successful collaborations with industry peers like Terri Levine and Rob Goyette. These partnerships not only resulted in business growth but also provided rich learning experiences and enduring friendships. Marc's journey offers practical and actionable insights for anyone looking to build and sustain a vibrant online community. You can find information on the Coaching Jungle VIP program through my affiliate link at www.NaturalBornCoaches.com/Erik. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

START A PODCAST FOR THE RIGHT REASONS Why did you start a podcast? I'm talking about the real reason. Coaches tell me they want to grow their audience or make money. That can't be your real why. When you ask why about seven times, you'll get to the real reason you wanted to start a podcast. Your struggles to grow and monetize your show has nothing to do with your podcast. The problem is you. Your podcast is just the vehicle. If people aren't coming for you, they aren't coming at all. Let me show you why. THE START OF PODCAST TALENT COACH When I started my show, I thought I wanted to help people become better hosts and build a consultancy. Over the years, I learned that wasn't my real reason. That purpose wouldn't keep me motivated. In 2005, I came across an article in Wired Magazine. The article was about former MTV VJ Adam Curry creating this thing called podcasting. He was interviewing a guest in his car and distributing the show through the RSS feed technology used by blogs. This sounded really cool, but was way over my head. At this time, I had been in radio for about 12 years. The thought of owning my own show in this new medium was exciting. But I had no idea where to start. Around 2009, I got my first iPhone and started listening to a ton of podcasts. At the time, there were about 80,000 podcasts. In 2012, I was hooked and started writing a blog about podcasting. The content helped podcasters sound more professional like radio broadcasters. That blog led to an opportunity to write for the New Media Expo blog where Dave Jackson from School of Podcasting discovered me. During our conversation, Dave asked why I didn't have a podcast. That was the start of this podcast in 2013. The show started with the blog content. I was showing people how to sound more professional. Listeners got a lot of tools and tips that we used in radio. The show struggled to grow. It was struggling, because people weren't dying to know how to sound more professional. More professional also wan't my deep, burning passion. THE REAL REASON Then one day I was talking with a client when he said, "If we are able to generate leads, that is awesome. If we are helping change people's lives, and they are reaching out to us, that would be a success. Becoming a resource is the goal." That was the day I realized my purpose needed to be bigger. Giving people information to sound better was ok, but it wan't life-changing. As I looked inward and reviewed the clients in my world, I realized I really want to help people become that magnetic, influential personality and show host. Not just somebody sharing information. But somebody who entertains, builds relationships, and can inspire people to take action. When I can do that, I make the world better. That gets me fired up. I saw it in my radio career as well. When I started in radio, I thought the music knowledge would get me to the top. I shared trivia, music news, tidbits about the bands. I had it all. And, nobody cared. Then one day I started sharing my story and who I am. I began building relationships with my listeners. That was the day I started my climb to the top and have been there ever since. Attract people with who you are. IT'S ABOUT YOU It's not about your content, but you. People will show up for your content. They'll come for your 6 steps to success. But once they learn the 6 steps, nothing about your content will keep them coming back. The only reason they come back every week, is because they want to be around you. The confidence you portray helps you become magnetic. It's not about what you're saying. It is who you are being while you're saying it. Your podcast really has little to do with it as well. The podcast is just the vehicle. It's about authority, not the podcast. I believe podcasting is the best way to share your message for a variety of reasons. Podcasts are portable. You can consume podcasts while doing other things. Your show is delivered right to your subscribers phone in their feed. And audio builds relationships through theater of the mind. WE HEAR IN PICTURES We speak in words. We hear in pictures. Stories build relationships. Relationships build trust and authority. Everyone can be a storyteller. Stories start with a intriguing introduction. They are filled with vivid details. Great stories end with a powerful conclusion. Powerful stories are also filled with personality. These stories make people laugh, cry, or marvel at something. Everyone has a personality. We just need to uncover it and make it shine. So, why did you start a podcast? Your successful podcast is about relationships, not ads. LISTENER ATTRACTION STRATEGY Attract listeners rather than chasing them. Let's get clear on your strategy. Do you want to keep chasing clients or are you ready to stand out as the well-known authority who attracts clients into your world? Let's build your strategy. Go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals. You can develop your personality and storytelling. You can become a magnetic, influential personality and show host. Let me show you how. Visit www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. I'll see you there.

WHAT DEFINES A SUCCESSFUL PODCAST? "How do I start a successful podcast" is the wrong question. Before you can start a successful podcast, you need to define what a successful podcast looks like. Unfortunately, many coaches what to build a huge audience to land sponsors and advertisers. Let me tell you, defining a successful podcast by the size of the audience or number of sponsors will not help you sustain a podcast for any length of time. You need a powerful "why" to motivate you to consistently create your podcast every week. When I first met Laura in October of 2019, she had been doing her podcast for six months. It was called "Reviews and Randomness". She was struggling, because she didn't have a strong purpose. She just didn't realize that was the issue. At that point, her biggest episode had 91 downloads. She wanted help with the programming of her show and rebranding. Laura told me, "I'm finding myself having a hard time being consistent with episodes, because I don't have a clear plan and probably could do a better job of understanding who I'm speaking to." When I asked her what would need to happen over the next year for her to feel it was successful, she said, "Consistently keep the show running. Even if it is bi-weekly. If I hit that, I would be happy. I'd also like to keep up with e-mail list on a consistent basis." Laura told me her challenge was finding time to record it. She also said, "Marketing it kills me." When you have a strong purpose, something bigger drives you into the studio each week to share your message. Something deep down inside is calling you to the microphone. Ads and sponsors won't do that. There is little inspiration there. MY MISSION Laura and I connected again at the beginning of 2024 to create a new strategy. Her "Reviews and Randomness" podcast had gone away. Over the past 4 years, Laura had pivoted to find a new niche and business. She now helps people find money for real estate investing. She and her husband connect investors with lenders. They also help average people use the money in their 401ks for other investment opportunities. More importantly, Laura now has a purpose. She tells me it is her mission to elevate the middle class. On a recent coaching call, Laura told me, "I'm ready to conquer the world. I am tired of talking to people about it who don't get it. I need to get out and start talking about all of this. Why me? Why do I need to do this? I don't understand my role, but I need to do it. I have the nudging inside of me." That purpose is what we are working to create together. The podcast is just the vehicle for the message. Her purpose and the message are the critical pieces to success. When it comes time to create a new episode, which do you think is more powerful? Will you get fired up to get in the studio so you can land another advertiser? Or, will you get charged knowing you are meant to elevate the middle class? That's the power of your mission. DO YOU NEED TO MONETIZE? So now ask yourself, do you need to monetize your podcast to be successful? If you've created a powerful mission, monetization becomes the result and not the purpose. You will rarely get rich chasing the money. It typically doesn't work that way. When you follow your passion, money will follow. I realize it sounds cliché. But it is true when you start with purpose. Three things need to exist for you to create revenue with your idea. First, you need to have a passion for the idea. When things get tough, you passion will carry you through. If you're just chasing the money, it is incredibly difficult to weather the storms. Next, you need to be really good at it. You might love playing basketball. But it you're only five-foot-two, you're probably not going to get rich playing basketball. Finally, you need to have a group of people willing to pay you for the result. You may love folding paper and creating cute origami characters. You also might be really, really good at it. But I doubt there is a big audience waiting to pay you for your paper swan. Love what you do. Work to be really good at it. Find an audience you can really serve with your super power. That's when the money will come. ARE YOU A SUCCESSFUL INFLUENCER? Rather than asking yourself how to monetize your podcast, ask how you can become an influencer. Influencer has become an overused term. It often brings visions of YouTubers, or kids on TikTok, or people like Paris Hilton who have done very little other than be popular. That isn't the sort of influencer I'm talking about. Are you becoming someone of influence? Do you have the ability to move a room? Do people come for your content, but stay because they like being around you? That's an influencer. When it comes to making money online, nobody talks about being a monetizer. They talk about being a content creator and influencer. When you have influence, the money follows. Your content will only get you so far. Once your audience learns your six steps to success, why should they keep listening? There is only so much you can teach them. People return episode after episode, because they want to be around you. They want to be your friend. Your fans enjoy your company. THE PODCAST IS JUST THE VEHICLE "How do I start a successful podcast" is the wrong question. You should be asking, "Who can I help and why do I want to help them?" Once you define who you help, what you help them do and why you do it, you'll be able to determine what will make your podcast successful. Creating the podcast is the easy part. The podcast is just the vehicle. Begin by finding that idea that you're passionate about, you're good at, and people will pay you for the result. FIVE STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL PODCAST There are five steps to creating a successful podcast. When you follow these five steps, you will be well on your way to becoming an influencer who can help people get the result they desire with something you enjoy and you're good at. Don't make it any more difficult than this. Skip a step and the tower doesn't stand. Each step serves a purpose. DEFINE YOUR WHY The first step is defining your "why". You need a clear purpose. This is what we've been talking about. Your mission is the foundation. Without it, you can't hope to have a podcast that succeeds for any length of time. Find a mission that burns inside of you. Something that really inspires you to take action. Making money can't be the only reason you're creating a podcast. Success requires something greater. Something that will motivate you to get through the tough times. GROW YOUR AUDIENCE Once you have determined who you help, what you help them do, and why, start finding them. Step number to is growing your audience. Now that you know who you're helping, determine who already has their attention. Partner with those people to bring their tribe into your world. CREATE CONTENT TO BUILD SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS Step three is building relationships. As you grow your audience, serve them content that will build relationships with them. This is where you become an influencer. Your content can't simply be your six steps to success. The content you create needs to build relationships and turn you into an influencer. Many people feel you either have it or you don't. I've had coaches tell me, "Who would listen to me? Do I really have anything valuable to say?" It's not what you're saying. It's who you're being. Becoming an influencer is about creating a movement. Create content with purpose. GET THEM STARTED Now that you are inspiring your listeners, step four is getting them started with you. Give your listeners a taste of what you do. To monetize your content, you need to have something to sell. This could be your goods or services. You could also be an affiliate for others. Once you have something to sell, give your listeners a little taste of it for free. This could be a guide, checklist, or assessment. You could give them a free training, a mini course, or a small sample of your stuff. A great freebie is a small slice of what you sell. If you sell a course, is there a module or element that can stand on its own? Consider giving that away to get your listeners started down your path. CONVERT THEM TO CLIENTS Your final step is converting listeners to clients. Where does your sales conversation happen? Your free taste should lead to that sales conversation. This might be a sales call, a webinar, an open house, a discovery call, a long form sales page, a sales video, or a variety of other opportunities to talk business. If your free taste was valuable and solved one specific problem, there is a good chance they will want to take the next step. CREATE YOUR SUCCESSFUL PODCAST Over the last three decades, I've been helping radio talent and podcasters become influencers. Not YouTube, TikTok sensations. People who can influence an audience and get them to take action. I've helped hosts raise millions of dollars for the food bank, tens of thousands of bottles for the Open Door Mission, and bring large crowds to client locations. Let's talk about creating your strategy to become an influencer and move an audience. It's possible when you follow the steps in the right way and the right order. Visit www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply. Click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will get clear on your goals. Then, we define where you are today. Finally, we'll develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals. Just visit www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply.

There is a right way and and wrong way to use social media for digital branding and business. Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok are all used in different ways. Many times, it's the wrong way. DIGITAL BRANDING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA On this episode, we talk with Dr. Dumont Owen about Digital Branding with LinkedIn and social media. Download Dumont's Lucrative LinkinIn Roadmap HERE. THE WRONG WAY TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA I recently went through my Facebook friend requests to decide which I would accept. There were the usual fake profiles. Plenty of coaches and podcasters. And as I always discover, many marketers disguised as a potential friends. As soon as I accepted these friend requests, eight of them sent me a DM. APPOINTMENT SETTER The first said, "Hey, Hope you're doing well! Do you need a trained and experienced appointment setter who will book 5-10 sales calls every day on your calendar and increase your sales up to 2X ROI & Results?" There wasn't even small talk. This guy just went straight for the pitch. I usually unfriend these people and then block them. When I use social media, I enjoy partnerships and collaboration. This guy would have made more progress with me had he said, "We offer trained and experienced appointment setters. Would you be interested in collaborating?" With a question like this, I might put them in front of my audience. He could have even asked, "Who do you know?" If I needed it, I would have said, "Me." Much less spammy. IGNORING THE QUESTION The next DM flat out ignored my question. He said, "Hey Erik! Great to connect...I see you're a coach." After I confirmed that I am a coach, I asked who he likes to connect with. He ignored my question and pasted this response: "Hello Erik..nice to meet you!I actually work for a coach who runs a free fb group he allows his members to promote for free in front of 27,000+ active members! It's great place for you to get leads but also be a part of a really supportive community. Happy to send you the free link to join if you feel it could be valuable for you." He ignored my question and appears to only be interested in pitching. Time to unfriend. LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA The next was a way I appreciate. She said, "Thank you Erik, for accepting my invitation to connect here on FB. Looking forward to seeing more of your posts and getting to know you." After an exchange about who she connects with, she told me she is just looking to connect with like-minded people. She then asked about me. I replied with a bit about my interest in partnerships. It was a conversation to see how we might build a relationship. This is the way to use social media. Relationships. I love it. COMMON SOCIAL MEDIA FRIENDS  The next guy did something similar. He said, "Hey Erik, thanks for accepting my friend request. It appears we have quite a few friends in common." We had a good chat about the people we know and how we might connect with others. This again was about relationships. Great work here. JUST HEY Another just said "Hey". We know each other, because I was on her summit. This is a perfectly acceptable way to use social media. Connect and build relationships with people you met elsewhere. All good here. MY MASTERCLASS Next was another pitch. He said, "Great to connect with you here Erik. Hope you're having a good day so far!" I replied with, "Thanks. I love to connect people. What type of people do you like to connect with?" His response was, "Mostly entrepreneurs, coaches and consultants. Actually, I don't know if you're interested but on the 1st of August, I'll host a Masterclass called... Cool if I send you more info here?" Uh, no thanks. I'm not interested in another masterclass. Learn a bit more about me. BLAH BLAH BLAH The next message looked oddly like an earlier message. But, it was from a different person. I don't know if this is an agency who has hired a bunch of people to scrape Facebook or a coach who has a bunch of minions. The message started with, "Hey Erik, it's great to connect with you." My typical response is, "Thanks. I love connecting people. What type of people do you like to connect with?" She said, "You're welcome. I see you're a coach as well. I actually work for a coach who has a free FB group for coaches & course creators like yourself. Blah Blah Blah. Happy to send over the link to join if you feel this would be valuable for you." No. I don't need another Facebook group. I'm in too many right now. THE SOCIAL MEDIA FRIEND PITCH Another previously ran a company in the podcast space. I thought we were already friends on Facebook. My bad. After a quick exchange, he says, "Finally got back into the podcast space. I'm basically doing freelance marketing." Then came the question about his product. I'll give him some slack. I actually know him. His question may be a way we can collaborate. We'll see what happens here. NO FRIEND REQUEST One final DM didn't even send me a friend request. This message was just a DM that said, "I hope you are staying well and healthy. I am Rosey, a virtual assistant who loves doing any repetitive administrative and marketing tasks you may have." It continued on with the pitch. I didn't respond. I just blocked. Facebook isn't a place where I'm looking for solicitation. I wish I had one of those "no solicitation" signs people put on their front doors. RELATIONSHIPS ON SOCIAL MEDIA Using social media to build relationship and increase your brand is a much better approach. Granted, this takes a lot longer than spamming people trying to get someone to take your offer. However, it is much better in the long run. Your business will be much healthier. DIGITAL BRANDING Dr. Dumont Owen leverages her extensive knowledge of personal and digital branding to help coaches, consultants and subject matter experts get clients in record time using LinkedIn. A storyteller at heart, she weaves magnetic brand narratives that distinguish her clients from their competitors and position them as the go-to experts in their field. Dumont is the creator of the Lucrative LinkedIn System, a 5-step system for attracting, engaging, and converting contacts to clients on LinkedIn. Download Dumont's Lucrative LinkinIn Roadmap HERE. 17:56 Started on LinkedIn, quickly found success. 22:17 LinkedIn connections should be meaningful, not numerous. 25:29 LinkedIn's tool measures social selling performance. 28:31 Audio on LinkedIn is recent and beneficial. 29:34 Create content to engage and build trust. 33:58 Digital branding application: tools, resources, strategies, ownership. 36:42 Authenticity means owning your story and being bold. 42:06 Clarify goals, know niche, promote brand, update profile. 43:47 Step by step guide to LinkedIn success. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

To be a successful podcaster, you can't simply be a nice host who offends nobody. You need to be an authority and influencer in your niche. THE KEY TO BECOMING AN INFLUENCER You need the confidence to step up, step out and embrace your personality. Sure, you have a personality. You just need to define it, refine it, and let it shine. We sometimes get too caught up in what we do rather than why we do it. Your "why" is so much more important than your what. I recently discovered Myron Golden on YouTube. Myron said, "There are many people out there who would love to buy what you already love to sell if they only knew you existed. Instead of finding more people to sell to, make yourself more findable to those people who already want to buy what you already love to sell." You become more findable by being more interesting. Your six steps to success isn't interesting. Everything interesting is about people. Create more relationships, and you'll attract more people. WE LACK RELATIONSHIPS It's my mission to create more relationships in society. Tech has sucked relationships out of society. That makes it too easy to be against each other rather than supporting each other. We don't shop at the store any longer. Our shopping is done online. When I was a kid, we would go hang at the mall. Today, the malls barely exist. If my kids watched Mallrats or Fast Times at Ridgemont High, they wouldn't understand most of the jokes. Many of us work remotely. We don't hang with our coworkers around the water cooler or at happy hour. You aren't even required to go into the gas station any more. It's pay at the pump. We don't watch movies with others at the movie theaters, because movies are on our television. Kids aren't congregating at the arcade or in the park or at the pool. They are at home online with their virtual friends. CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE My daughter knew most of her freshman class in college before she ever stepped foot on campus. She graduated high school as COVID hit. Before her first semester began, they began having meet-ups on Zoom with all incoming freshman. She met a lot of people. On the day I dropped her off, we were walking down main street right off campus. I suddenly hear someone say, "Hey, Emma." I was stunned. We are in a small town thousands of miles from home. How could anyone possibly know her. After a brief chat, she tells me that was one of the girls on the Zoom calls. During that semester, all students attended class virtually from their dorm rooms. Meals were delivered by food service or picked up to be eaten in their room. Nobody was allowed to have roommates due to the pandemic. It was very easy for students to have no relationships with anyone. They could do everything alone in their room. If Emma hadn't been diligent about meeting others, she could have easily gone through college unnoticed. Fortunately, she met as many as possible. She also became president of her freshman class. GET NOTICED If you want to get noticed, build your audience, and attract your ideal clients, you need to get noticed as well. Tech will kill your relationships unless you're diligent about getting in front of your target audience. Solopreneur is a dangerous career if you're not careful. So, how do you become an influencer? You define your personality. Share that personality through stories that allow people to get to know you. Then, get on stages as often as you can to get people familiar with you. Like Myron said, they would love to buy what you already love to sell if they only knew you existed. It's time to let them know. There were two recent articles in Inside Radio that show why this is so important. PODCASTERS ARE INFLUENCERS The first article referenced Magna's Media Trials and Vox Media study called "A New Era Of Influence". The study referenced individuals whose influence matters most to listeners. It found that 75% of respondents value podcasters' influence. Social media influencers and celebrities from TV/film both landed at 15%. If you want to be an influencer, have a podcast and be unique. INFLUENCERS AREN'T ADVERTISING The second article showed the importance of using your podcast for influence rather than advertising. We've talked about this many times before. Advertising on your podcast is just a bad idea. If you really want this to sink in, grab a pen and paper to write down a few numbers. Podcasting has taken the term CPM from traditional media. CPM is an acronym for Cost Per Mille, or cost per thousand. Mille is Latin for thousand. According to investopedia.com, cost per thousand is a marketing term that refers to the cost an advertiser pays per 1,000 advertising impressions. In radio, it would be the cost to reach 1,000 listeners. It might be said that a radio station had 3,000 average quarter hour listeners. That would mean on average 3,000 people are listening to that particular station at that particular time. If the CPM is $25, the price of a commercial would be $75. You would divide 3,000 listeners by 1,000 to get the number of thousands. That equals 3. We then multiply our 3 by our CPM which is $25 to get our $75 commercial. All stations in a market are treated roughly the same. How many thousands of listener do you have for your show? THE ADVERTISING ABYSS According to the other article in Inside Radio, "Podcast CPMs ticked up slightly in June according to Libsyn Ads. Based on the spots sold through its platform says the average CPM for a one-minute ad was $21.90." Let's do the math. The big agencies are looking for podcasts with at least 5,000 downloads per episode. Libsyn says only 7% of all podcasts on Libsyn reach that level. Let's pretend that you're lucky enough to be one of those 7%. If you have 5,000 listeners, that would be five groups of 1,000 for our per thousand calculation. If the CPM or cost per thousand is $21.90, your one-minute commercial on your show is worth $109.50. Now, how many commercials are you willing to clutter your show with before your listeners tune away? Let's say that number is six with two at the beginning, two in the middle and two at the end. But really, how often do you listen to the two minutes of commercials at the beginning of your favorite show before you hit the skip button? We'll go with six for the sake of discussion. Now each episode is worth six commercials times the $109.50 for each ad. That's a total of $657 per show. Four episodes per month generates $2,628. If you sell your advertiser by quarter, it would generate $8,451. That would be 24 clients over the course of the year to generate $34,164 annually. Now $34,000 sounds pretty good. I can hear you saying, "Erik, I'd take $34,000 for creating my podcast." WHY YOU WON'T WIN WITH ADS Here's the problem... or problems. One, you are trading the goodwill you've built with your audience for the cash the ads are generating. Your fans don't like the commercials. How many times have you been listening to your favorite podcast or watching a YouTube video and said, "Fantastic! Another Wix commercial!" Right. You get just as aggravated as I do. Do you really want to do that to the people you are trying to attract as clients? I didn't think so. Problem number two... it takes a lot of time to land an advertiser. I've spent 35 years in radio. We had 15 sales people working 40 hours a week trying to sell advertising. Now granted, we were selling 24 hours of content. But many of those advertisers were on multiple hours a day. You're trying to land coaching clients. You're trying to find time to produce your podcast on a regular basis. There needs to be time to market your business and handle the other tasks. You don't have time to sell advertising. And you don't have time to keep your advertisers happy when they tell you, "It's not working." It doesn't matter how many customers the advertiser gets, they always think it should have been more. And problem number three is the revenue. $34,000 sounds like a lot, but that is it. The number doesn't go any higher unless you add more commercials, which we know is a bad. You can't charge more due to the CPM. The CPM treats your listeners just like every other listener. You're a commodity. BECOME AN INFLUENCER Instead, build relationships. Demonstrate your authority. Become an influencer in your niche. Are you ready to see if it's possible for you to become an authority and influencer? Let's have a conversation. Go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

Do you have questions about your podcast? YOUR QUESTIONS I get questions quite often from coaches and podcasters ranging from building your audience, becoming an influencer and growing your business. On this episode, we answer a variety of questions. Where do I find listeners in my target audience? If we try to control what people think about us, isn't that manipulation? Is it detrimental to skip a week? What is the right mix of relatable and creative for a show? When I promote the show, where should I send people? Are there unwritten protocols for podcast conferences? If you have questions regarding your podcast strategy, email me at Coach at podcasttalentcoach.com. I might just answer your question right here on the show. REFINE YOUR PERSONALITY In a recent email, I wrote... To become a known influencer in your niche, be intentional about your personality. Decide how you want to be known. Are you funny, logical, aggressive, loving, zany, generous, or something else? Be intentional. Then, share stories that show that side of you. Let your listeners get you know you in an authentic way. Nancy replied with this... I'm all of the list you shared and more. That is true for any human being. That is a calling in itself - to live in a way that reminds people to be their full, authentic selves. If we choose one slim aspect, then we are typecasted - and what we share suffers. We really have zero control over what people think of us. If we try to control it, is that not manipulation? I just can't be one thing when I am (and everyone is) the universe in physical form. Have a good day, - Nancy   MANIPULATION QUESTIONS Manipulation is a tough word. And it's foolish to think we have zero control over what people think. If that were true, marketing wouldn't work. To be clear, I'm not saying be something that you're not. And I'm not saying don't be something that you are. Yes, you may be all of those things I listed. You may be funny, logical, aggressive, loving, zany, generous, or something else. However, your listeners only have one file to keep you in. We mentally compartmentalize everything, so our brains can handle all of the information. When you think of the Beatles, what do you think of? If you're like most, you think of 4 lads from Liverpool performing their music on stage causing many girls to scream. Why didn't you think movie actors? They did a few movies. You think musicians, because that's their brand. That's the mental folder you have them in. How about Matt Damon? What comes to mind? Oceans Eleven? Jason Bourne? Good Will Hunting? Great actor? Why didn't you think of co-founder of Water.org? https://water.org Because you store him where his brand fits. So you may be funny, logical, aggressive, loving, zany, and generous. But your brand needs to be one. And your role development on your show needs to highlight one of those characteristics. Be intentional about your brand. Otherwise, your listeners will create their own files and put you where they think you belong.   FIND YOUR LISTENERS Where to find listeners in my target audience? - Greg The first step in finding your listeners is to get clear who those listeners are. You can't hit a target you can't see. Clearly define as much as you can, both demographically and psychographically. Determine their gender, age, and family composition. But also define their wants, needs, pains and goals. Go as deep as possible. My coach calls it the one inch mile. Go an inch wide and a mile deep. The more you know about your ideal client, the easier it will be to find them. And be specific. I was working with a client the other day. We were defining his ideal client. He said the his ideal client earns between $50k and $80k. I told him those are two very different people. A person making $50k lives a much different lifestyle and has more discretionary income than a person making $80k. $80k is 60% more than $50k. Those two people have much different needs and wants. And they can afford different fees when it comes to paying you. Once you define your ideal client, determine already has their attention. Who is already speaking into their lives? Now, partner with those influencers to speak to their audiences. Invite them to your show. Kimberly Crowe of Podapalooza says never turn down a mic. If you're offered the opportunity to get on stage or on a mic, take it. You'll be attracting listeners before you know it.   QUESTIONS ABOUT CONSISTENCY How detrimental is it for you to skip a week in between episode releases OR delay a few days due to time constraints? Leading from that due to time constraints, is it ok to push out for a season, i.e. you are needing to focus on another area of the business so you take a break for a couple of months from your show and then kick back up later in the year? - Tony Brown Lessons From the Pit Consistency is key. People are creatures of habit. Once you get people in the habit of listening to your show, keep them listening by publishing consistently. I would suggest you record a few episodes at one time. This would give you time to take a week off and still publish. Work ahead by a week or two. When you are working on this week's episode this week, any disruption in your schedule can throw off publishing. If you work a week or two ahead, the episode to be published this week is already done. You're working on the episode for next week. If there is any disruption in your schedule, you have a buffer. You can also record an "emergency" episode. This would be an evergreen episode that you could publish when you run into time constraints. I'm not a fan of seasons unless your content lends to seasons. If you do a podcast around a sport, school year, or TV show, seasons might make sense. Most people create content around a topic. When that's the case, seasons make little sense. When you view your podcast as a marketing tool, it becomes easier to find time in your calendar to create your content. If you stop marketing, you stop attracting clients. Block out time, batch your tasks, and schedule production. Create a process, and it will become easier to publish consistently.   CREATIVE OR RELATABLE? What is the right mix of relatable and creative for a show? The FreeMatt Podcast freemattpodcast.wordpress.com - Matt FreeMatt Why does it need to be either/or? Why can't it be both? That's like asking what's the ideal balance of short or funny. Why can't it be both? In fact, it should be both. When you create your content, it should be relatable to your ideal listener. Use the ideal listener definition you created as a filter for all of your content. Then, determine who you can be creative with it. What can you do with the content to make it unique? Infuse the content with your story and personality. Brainstorm ways to be creative with it. Could you do an interview or play a game? Maybe you tell a story or play some example audio. You could incorporate listeners or a roundtable of experts. None of this prevents you from being relatable. It should all be relatable.   SENDING LISTENERS Right now, I don't have a website for my podcast. When I share an episode (or my podcast in general) on social media, should I link to the podcast host (buzzsprout, libysn, etc.) or to Spotify, Apple podcast, etc.) Or should I send people to a site like pod.link that provides links to everything? Thanks! - Ken "The Bad Boss Podcast" https://pod.link/1689109552 My first preference would be your home base. That would be your website. If you don't have a website, work to get one. You could build a simple site on Wordpress. It takes a bit of technical knowledge, but not much. One great option is PodPage. Find it at https://www.podpage.com. They build websites specifically for podcasters. You should never direct people directly to a podcast platform like Apple or Spotify. The numbers vary. Some reports list Spotify as having 34.4% and Apple 32.5% of podcast listeners. That's according to Buzzsprout as of June 2024. https://www.buzzsprout.com/stats So directing listeners to a particular platform will exclude most of your audience. I do like the idea of directing them to Pod.Link. Unfortunately, it's not easy to send people to pod.link/1689109552 without seeing it in writing. If you are sharing it on social, that link works. If you are mentioning it during an interview, it poses a problem. At the end of the day, you own your website. Don't build your house on rented land. Invest in a website and send your audience there.   QUESTIONS ABOUT PODCAST CONFERENCES When should I start going to podcast conferences and when I go, are there any unwritten protocols that should be followed? My #1 goal in attending would be to connect with other podcasters and exchange interviews to grow my email list. -Edwin It's never too early to start attending podcast conferences and networking. Understand that not all conferences are created equal. Podcast Movement is quite large. Over 3,000 people attend each year. https://podcastmovement.com There are many tracks, lots of people, and quite a few networking opportunities. More and more big companies are also attending each year. Podfest is another great conference. Over 3,000 people attend this one each year as well. https://podfestexpo.com Then there are small meet-ups and other podcast events throughout the year. Attending to connect with other podcasters and exchange interviews is a great goal. Connect with the right people. Find shows that are speaking to your ideal target listener. Know exactly who you help. You want hosts to say, "I have those people in my audience. You'd be a great fit." If I tell you my show is for entrepreneurs, what does that mean? Steve Jobs was an entrepreneur. So is my nephew Jimmy running his roofing business off his dining room table. Who are we talking about? On the other hand, I could tell you I help coaches attract their ideal clients by using their podcast to become the known, go-to authority in their niche. Now, that is a lot clearer than simply entrepreneurs. Before you attend a conference, know exactly who you are trying to attract and who would make the ideal partner. PROTOCOL In terms of protocol, don't look for clients. Look for partners. Seek to help first, and you'll do just fine. Get involved in the events. Have conversations in the hallways. Ask questions at every session, so people become familiar with you. When my buddy Rem attended Podcast Movement, he was the first at the mic in every session I attended. By the end of that conference, everyone knew who Rem was and what his podcast was about. It is one tactic most people miss. When they see you on the mic, you'll have more conversations than you can imagine. DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS? If you have questions regarding your podcast strategy, email me at Coach at podcasttalentcoach.com. I might just answer your question right here on the show. You can also apply to have a call with me by filling out the application form at  http://www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply.

As we celebrate 500 episodes of Podcast Talent Coach, I want to share with you six mentors who have shaped my journey over the past 10 years. LEARNING FROM MENTORS I learned long ago that I don't know everything and never will. Every experience is an opportunity to learn something. Conferences and conventions are always such a powerful experience for me. Many people say they rarely go to the session and instead have conversations in the halls. I can understand that. But, I think they are missing the power of the collective mind. Mingling in the halls during a conference will definitely grow your network. It has a place in your business. However if you skip all the sessions, you are missing ideas that could take your business to an entirely new level. We would attend the Country Radio Seminar every year in radio. I would travel with my music director for the station. During the day, we would take in all the sessions of the conferences. At night, we would split up to attend events and network with artists and record labels. From the sessions, we would learn new ideas to implement with the stations. At night, we would network with people who could help us implement those ideas. Then one day our company decided it wasn't necessary for both of us to be there. That single decision cut our learning in half and diminished the networking we were able to do. The company thought the conference was nothing but a party. It may have been for those who spent all of their time in the halls. When you're learning from mentors and expanding your thinking, things are possible beyond your imagination. These six mentors helped my achieve levels bigger than I every dreamed. It is my hope that these nuggets spur some new ideas for you as well. DAN MILLER The first is the mentor who has influenced my life the longest. Dan Miller's book and podcast "48 Days To The Work You Love" inspired me to follow my dream and start my own business. Dan is author of the New York Times best-selling 48 Days To The Work You Love and Wisdom Meets Passion, No More Dreaded Monday and An Understanding Heart. His 48 Days Podcast consistently ranks in the top 1% of all podcasts worldwide and his 48DaysEagles.com community is viewed as an example around the world for those seeking to find – or create – the work and the life they love. His podcast sits at the center of his multiple streams of income. Unfortunately, we lost Dan in January of this year after a very brief battle with cancer. Dan's attitude through that entire struggle was impressive and uplifting. He kept asking as he always did, "What does this make possible?" Dan saw the silver lining in every cloud. He was an amazing man and a mentor to me in so many ways. Dan joined my on Episode 466 to discuss multiple streams of income. You can find the episode at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/466. DAN'S NUGGETS Here are a few nuggets from that episode. Resilience in the Face of Adversity: "When we hit Covid and I couldn't have live events for a couple years there, that had been a big resource for us, a big revenue stream, but not being able to have live events, it didn't really affect us. My revenue continued to go up because we made content available to people in other ways that they could experience, even if they didn't come to Franklin, Tennessee."— Dan Miller 00:24:39 – 00:25:03. Life Reassessment in Midlife Careers: "What surprised me is I had doctors and dentists and pastors and engineers and accountants showing up and why you guys here? And it was like, well, we're doing okay. You know, everybody looking in from the outside to see us is doing okay, but I don't think this is it."— Dan Miller 00:26:29 – 00:26:45. How to Turn Your Writing into Income: "How do you take just a raw idea and turn it into real income? But those came directly from people asking, how do I do that?"— Dan Miller 00:30:42 – 00:30:50. Easy Income Streams for Podcasters: "The easiest next step is coaching. Because if you have a podcast and you're talking about personal development and growth or business success or how to scale or those things, you're inevitably going to have people ringing your doorbell saying, can I talk to you?"— Dan Miller 00:44:47 – 00:45:43. I'll always cherish everything I've learned from Dan and all the inspiration he provided. You can find more about Dan at https://www.48days.com. MARC MAWHINNEY The next mentor who has been a big influence on me over the past decade and 500 episodes was one of my very first coaches. Marc Mawhinney is a lifelong entrepreneur who helps coaches get more clients without paid advertising! He achieves this with his coaching programs, his podcast Natural Born Coaches, his Facebook group The Coaching Jungle, and his Secret Coach Club. Marc has been a speaker at events like Social Media Marketing World, frequently makes media appearances and contributes for Entrepreneur.com. He is a master at joint venture partnerships. I discovered Marc through his Coaching Jungle Facebook group and he soon became my coach. He taught me the power of sending a daily email. Our coaching sessions helped me refine my offers and get my business to the next level.  Marc appeared on episode 333 with me to discuss the power of joint venture partnerships. You can find the episode at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/333. MARC'S GEMS Here are a few gems Marc shared during our conversation. Stand Firm on Your Beliefs: "Sure, you're going to turn some people off, but you're going to attract the people who you want to attract, and that's exactly what you do."— Marc Mawhinney 00:16:25 – 00:16:31. The Importance of Community for Coaches: "Whatever you do, you need a place to gather your potential clients. You know, people to get to know, like and trust you."— Marc Mawhinney 00:20:27 – 00:20:34. Viral Topic - The Power of Community: "I can't count how many times someone said to me, mark, I love your Facebook group. It's helped me so much the last few years."— Marc Mawhinney 00:20:55 – 00:21:44. I can't thank Marc enough for pointing me in the right direction with his coaching. Find Marc in his Coaching Jungle Facebook group. CINDY J. HOLBROOK One day Marc was invited to participate in a giveaway. It didn't fit in his marketing plan at the time, so he sent the organizer to me feeling we might work well together. That organizer was Cindy J, The Visibility Wiz. Not only did I participate in her giveaway, Cindy soon became my next coach and she's one of the best in the business. Cindy guides entrepreneurs and small business owners to thrive as you go up the ladder from being the best-kept secret to Trusted and In-Demand Authority. She has been coaching since 2009. Through our work together, Cindy taught me the power of visibility, how to use giveaways to grow my list, and ways to partner with others.  She is simply an all around great person. I love her to death and really appreciate all she has given me over the years. Cindy was on episode 479 of Podcast Talent Coach to talk about visibility. You can find the episode at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/479. CINDY'S SUGGESTIONS Here are a few things we learned in that episode. From Social Services to Coaching Success: "But I have all this knowledge of the online world that I utilized to get clients. And, I was able to leave social services within 2 years of becoming a coach, and that's when I started attending a lot of events. And people were constantly coming up to me."— Cindy J. Holbrook 00:20:23 – 00:20:41. Title: Maximizing Advertising DollarsQuote: "My advertising dollars goes towards participating in giveaways or speaking in front of people, you know, being a sponsor at events. That's where my advertising dollars go because I get more return on my money that way."— Cindy J. Holbrook 00:35:04 – 00:35:18. The Power of Collaboration: "I didn't start collaborating with other experts till, 2014. And that's what finally pushed me over to 6 figures was whenever I started collaborating with other experts."— Cindy J. Holbrook 00:39:11 – 00:39:24. How to Boost Your Business Today: "If you start doing something every day, you make sure you do at least 1 money making activity Monday through Friday or whatever your workdays are. You're going to start seeing an increase in everything, in visibility, influence, and profits."— Cindy J. Holbrook 00:42:44 – 00:42:58. Cindy is amazing when it come to leveling up your visibility. Find her online at https://www.cindyjholbrook.com. IMAN AGHAY After I was working with Cindy for a few months, she suggest I attend Collaborate. It was an amazing 3-day event to meet JV partners. This one event changed my business more than I could ever have imagined. At the time, Collaborate was run by Iman Aghay and Rich German. Iman has been so influential in so many aspects of my business. Through this event, Iman taught me how to properly joint venture with others. He has taught me how to create my courses and events. More importantly, Iman showed my how to sell what I do. Iman Aghay is a serial entrepreneur, international speaker, and a nine-time #1 best-selling author. He is best known as the co-founder of Actionera, a platform that assists experts in building mobile apps to enhance their income and impact. Iman hasn't been on the podcast. However, I did a deep dive into finding promotional partners using everything Iman taught me. You can find that in episode 391 at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/391. IMAN'S INSPIRATION Here are few takeaways from that episode. How to Skyrocket Your Podcast Growth: "Just imagine how your podcast and your business could grow if you could find 40 partners who would be willing to promote you to their fans, to their tribe, to their followers."— Erik K. Johnson 00:01:07 – 00:01:14. The Best Part of Pitch Refinement: "But the best part is everybody in the circle's on the same page with regard to who talks, what they talk about, how long they talk. There's no pressure. You don't need to awkwardly walk up to anyone to strike up a conversation like you would in a at a networking event."— Erik K. Johnson 00:06:20 – 00:06:38. Power of Partnerships: "I've been able to grow my email list from about 500 to nearly 4,500. My podcast downloads have doubled. I've made affiliate commissions from promoting those partners, and I had partners promote my courses and my coaching to their audience as well just to help me grow."— Erik K. Johnson 00:10:08 – 00:10:30. The Power of Partnership: "If you wanna go fast, travel alone. If you wanna go far, travel together."— Erik K. Johnson 00:10:53 – 00:11:01. Iman Aghay is an amazing online marketer. He is also the co-owner of Actionera. It is a platform to help you build your own mobile app. Find details on Collaborate at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/collaborate. You can learn more about Actionera at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/actionera and find Iman at https://www.imanaghay.com. JIM PADILLA While I was attending one of the Collaborate events, Iman invited a guest speaker to that event. That guest talked a lot about actually making sales. He was Jim Padilla and he is my fifth mentor on this journey. Jim is a Global Impact Strategist & Investor and the founder and CEO of Gain The Edge. It's a done-for-you provider of industry-leading sales systems and unicorn sales professionals. Jim co-heads Gain the Edge with his amazing wife, Cyndi Padilla. The two of them have generated over quarter billion dollars in sales for a long line of high-level entrepreneurs. Jim's mission is to help purpose-driven thought-leaders untangle themselves from the day-to-day minutiae of seeking leads and sales, so they're free to amplify their impact - while scaling their business! Shortly after getting into Jim's world, he became my coach. Jim helps me build my sales systems and strategies. I've gone from being an entrepreneur to actually running a business. The transformation has been amazing. Jim joined me on episode 465 to discuss making sales. If you want to increase your sales, find this episode at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/465. JIM'S GENIUS Here are few nuggets from my conversation with Jim. From Struggle to Success: "And little did I know that, you know, 20 years later, I'd be making 1,000,000 of dollars teaching other people how to read the room and how to bend influence in their direction so you can be asset instead of a threat to the people who show up in your world, and then they wanna be able to buy from you and give you their credit card."— Jim Padilla 00:12:06 – 00:12:58. The Core of True Expertise: "What people need to dive into is they understand that you're an expert, but they really need to understand who you are as a person and why what you do matters."— Jim Padilla 00:19:07 – 00:19:11. Seeing Opportunities in Chaos: "All they see is all the problems that are in the world are truly just opportunities waiting to be solved if you know how to talk about it and know how to articulate it and to see things differently."— Jim Padilla 00:24:57 – 00:25:04. Maximizing Your Existing Network: "Most obvious buyers you have are the people who already bought from you."— Jim Padilla 00:44:07 – 00:44:10. Jim and Cyndi are amazing. Find them at https://www.gaintheedgenow.com. DAVE JACKSON The last mentor I want to share with you is the guy who became the inspiration for this podcast. In 2013 I was writing articles about podcasting for New Media Expo. Out of the blue, I got an email from Dave Jackson at the School of Podcasting. He was interested in having a conversation to see how we might support each other. During that conversation, Dave said he loved my articles. Then he asked why I didn't have a podcast of my own. Great question, Dave. If I'm writing about podcasting, shouldn't I have a show of my own. Shortly after that conversation, this show was born. And our friendship has continued over the years. Dave Jackson launched the School of Podcasting in 2005. He was inducted into the Podcasting Hall of Fame in 2018. He is the author of the book, Profit from Your Podcast: Proven Strategies to Turn Listeners into a Livelihood. Over the years he has launched over 30 different podcasts with over 4 million downloads. Dave and I currently co-host the Podcast Review Show where we help podcasters improve. You can find that show at https://www.podcastreviewshow.com. Dave was a guest on episode 485 to talk all things podcasting. You can listen to that episode at www.podcasttalentcoach.com/485. DAVE'S BRILLIANCE Here are a few takeaways from my conversation with Dave. Viral Topic: The Importance of Mic Technique: "When I moved into this house had no carpet, and it was just this giant echo chamber. So the first thing I did was, like, okay. We need we need a carpet. We need some rug, something like that."— Dave Jackson 00:32:58 – 00:33:07. The Blue Yeti Misconception: "Technically, it's not a bad microphone, but what most people overlook is that thing can pick up, if you want, in every single direction. Well, that's just screaming, pick up the neighbor's lawnmower and everything else."— Dave Jackson 00:33:44 – 00:33:57. Mastering Freelance Success: "If I'm trying to position myself as an expert, I either want to interview people who know the people that should be hiring me or in some cases, just interview the people who should be hiring me."— Dave Jackson 00:37:54 – 00:38:03. Big thanks to Dave Jackson for all the help and inspiration over the years. Find Dave at www.SchoolofPodcasting.com. FIND YOUR MENTOR Those are six mentors who have had the biggest impact on my journey. There are so many other people who have inspired, helped, and collaborated with me over the years and through these 500 episodes. I would never have enough time to name all of them. From my wife Jen, to Jon Fugler and the various members of our mastermind over the years. From the clients, partners, and supporters, each has played a part in this journey. But most of all, I want to thank you. Without your support week after week and episode after episode, this show would never have reached 500 episodes. Thanks for being here. Thanks for allowing me to be part of your podcast journey. Let me know how I can help. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

On a coaching call the other day, Ken and I were reviewing his show. We got to talking about connecting content to offers, and he had a breakthrough. I thought it could help you improve the effectiveness of your show as well. THE MONEY STRUGGLE Many podcasters struggle to monetize their show. Your challenges are common. Most are going about it the wrong way.  You know I am no fan of ads and sponsorships on podcasts. There are three problems with ads and sponsorships that make them no good for your podcast. First, people are fleeing traditional media to escape all the ads. Next, ad agencies treat your audience like a commodity. They want to pay the same for your audience as they do for every other audience. Therefore, you need a large audience. Finally, ads and sponsorships put a cap on the revenue potential. You can only include so many ads on your show. And you can't raise the rate, because you're treated like a commodity. If you can't sell more, and you can't sell it for more, your revenue is limited. STOP GIVING IT AWAY I've seen this firsthand. Spending 35 years in radio, we've tried every trick in the book to keep listeners from leaving during commercials. We struggle to raise the rate, because ad agencies will only pay so much. If a radio station raises ad rates, agencies just go to another station. All audiences are treated equal. That simply not the case. You're not just like everyone else. Listeners don't deserve that. Advertisers don't deserve that. And hosts don't deserve that. If you are selling coaching to women entering the workforce for a second time after being home with the kids for 20 years, you have two choices. You could advertise your coaching on Dave Ramsey's podcast "The Ramsey Show". What percentage of that audience is your perfect client? Maybe a fraction. You could also advertise your coaching on "Career Returners" with Karen and Liz where they talk about returning to a fulfilling, successful career after a long break. How many of those listeners could be your perfect client? Karen and Liz primarily interview women. I'm guessing a majority of the listeners are your ideal clients. Ad agencies price your podcast per thousand listeners. If you're a coach for women reentering the workforce, are one thousand Dave Ramsey listeners the same value for you as the one thousand listeners of "Career Returners"? Of course not. But, agencies treat it the same. Stop giving away your podcast. Leverage the relationships you're building with your audience. GROW YOUR AUDIENCE For this marketing strategy I'm going to share to work, you need an audience. So, come join us for the Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop to build your strategy and grow your audience. By the end of this 3-Day Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop, you will have a clear, step-by-step blueprint to grow your audience. You will begin taking the steps necessary to attract your ideal clients. This workshop is designed to help you lay the foundation to be known as an influencer and respected authority in your niche. We roll up our sleeves and build your strategy over three powerful days July 19-21. Get the full details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/audience. CONNECTING CONTENT Let's talk about a better way of monetizing. Instead of ads and sponsorships, use your podcast to build relationships and market your business. Build relationships with powerful content. Then, lead your listener down the sales path by connecting content to the offer. Use your podcast to market something. This could include coaching, services, products, courses, affiliate products or a variety of other things. When I was on the call with Ken the other day, we reviewed his show. On the episode, Ken was talking about finding yourself worthy of success, especially at work. It was a great episode. Toward the end of the episode, he gave three tips to help people find that self-worth. The third tip was to surround yourself with community and support. Ken then said, "If you need help finding that community and support, let's have a call - sign up on the website." It was a perfect way of connecting content to his offer. The content he did such a great job laying out led right into his offer for a discovery call. Heck, I was ready to sign up. When I mentioned it to Ken, he said it was a complete fluke. He didn't do it intentionally. It just happened in the moment. But after I pointed it out, he said he totally understood how the strategy made so much sense. He never thought of it that way. RELATIONSHIPS When you sell ads on your show, you get paid once. Time to go sell another sponsor. When you are connecting content to your offer, your offer lives as long as the podcast does. It continues to generate revenue for years whenever somebody discovers that episode. Building relationships with your listeners is so much more powerful than ads. Relationships make your call to action (CTA) more effective. Create amazing content that leads to your CTA. When you do, you'll find more clients coming to you rather than you chasing them. START CONNECTING CONTENT To begin using your podcast to market your business, start with the end in mind. What do you want listeners to do when the episode is over? Once you've determined the destination, we can now determine how to get there. The path is your content. When you start with the destination, you know exactly what content to create. Now, create content that helps your listeners get clarity on their problems and challenges. This is also true for interviews. When the interview is done, what do you want your listeners to do? When you determine the destination, you know what questions to ask that will help you get there. POWERFUL CONTENT Connecting content to offers takes some art. You can't be all info. To create powerful content that connects, stir emotion. Help your listeners see what is possible in the future. Give examples of your help with others. Everything interesting is about people. Finally, make them an invitation and offer. CREATING ENGAGEMENT I know. You're probably saying, "Yeah, but how do I get them to take action on the offer?" It can be challenging to create engagement and get your listeners to respond. First, make it easy. Create an easy feedback loop with your podcast. If you're like most, you're probably asking how do to know it's really working? There are times when you're wondering if you're even really talking to anyone. Getting people to respond requires relationships and engagement with the right audience, not just any audience. If you're trying to connect with your audience in better ways, you need to create content that connects with that audience and leads them to something more. What are you doing to get the traction to grow? When you make a request of your audience, do you never get a reply? Your content is disconnected from your call to action. Lack of engagement comes from content without emotion. Start with the end in mind. Decide what you want your listener to do when the conversation is over. Then create content that stirs emotion. CONNECTING CONTENT WITH STORIES You can't be information alone. Include stories, personality and heart. When you include stories, you set yourself apart from everyone else. Stories also share who you are, what you do, and why. In his book Start With Why, Simon Sinek says, "People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." Your stories share why you do what you do. Tell more stories. ATTRACT THE RIGHT AUDIENCE Let's start building your plan to fill your audience with the right people and turn you into an authority in your niche. Come join us for the Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop to build your strategy and grow your audience. By the end of this 3-Day Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop, you will have a clear, step-by-step blueprint to grow your audience. You will begin taking the steps necessary to attract your ideal clients. This workshop is designed to help you lay the foundation to be known as an influencer and respected authority in your niche. We roll up our sleeves and build your strategy over three powerful days July 19-21. Get the full details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/audience. If you'd like to start with a podcast strategy call, apply for your call here: http://www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply

CURIOSITY CREATES GREAT INTERVIEWS Do you ever wonder why your podcast isn't growing? Why you aren't attracting more listeners? It could be your own level of curiosity. We all want more listeners to our show. Yet we struggle to grow. How great would it be if you were the kind of magnetic host who draws people to you and has the ability to influence that audience to take action? You can become that known influencer in your space. It begins with becoming unique and standing out from everyone else in your niche. AUDIENCE EXPLOSION BLUEPRINT Before we dive into your curiosity, come join us for the Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop to build your strategy and grow your audience. By the end of this 3-Day Audience Explosion Blueprint Workshop, you will have a clear, step-by-step blueprint to grow your audience. You will begin taking the steps necessary to attract your ideal clients. This workshop is designed to help you lay the foundation to be known as an influencer and respected authority in your niche. We roll up our sleeves and build your strategy over three powerful days July 19-21. Get the full details at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/audience. BECOME UNIQUE To become a unique podcast host, you need to embrace your curiosity. It is the most important trait when it comes to creating unique content. Some of the best hosts are highly curious about everything. This creates great interviews, conversations and content. Curiosity will take you to places few others will go, because your curiosity is unlike any other's curiosity. As you hone your curiosity, you will start asking better questions and be able to think on your feet. It is like any other skill you have. When you use your curiosity during interviews, you only need a couple really good questions. Your curiosity will help you create a powerful conversation by listening as asking solid follow up questions rather than following a list. HOWARD STERN'S CURIOSITY Let me give you an example of curiosity during an interview. Howard Stern was interviewing Billy Joel. During the conversation, Howard starts with a question and then just follows his curiosity. Listen to Howard navigate this discussion. He asked questions like... "Was this a tough song to write?" "What were you thinking?" "Did you know this piece, the mood of this music feels like a heartbreak?" "This was a woman that broke up with you?" "Why didn't it work out?" "Then words come out? How does it go?" "Is that a word you would write down sometime?" He actually gets into the story of the woman. It was Elle MacPherson. But, that's a story for another time. Howard asks the natural follow up questions his listeners would ask. That's what makes him a great interviewer. STAY CURIOUS There are a few things you can do to enhance your curiosity skills. First, ask questions. Ask questions about everything. When we were little and we asked "why" about everything, we would drive our parents up a wall. Find the courage to ask those questions again. Next, follow up the question with another "why". Just like kids, follow your curiosity with more questions. Usually the sixth or seventh why will yield gold. One of the keys to curiosity is listening. When you actively listen, you'll hear things others will miss. Be sure to take notes. When you find something that piques your curiosity, write it down. Learn more about it. Others will typically be interested in the things that interest you. Use these notes to create great content. Finally, don't be a know-it-all. You don't have to know everything or always be right. Instead, be curious. Truly seek to learn and understand. FOLLOW THE QUESTIONS Curiosity begins with asking questions. Challenge yourself to ask questions about the world around you. It is easy to ask questions about things you don't know. Push yourself to ask questions about the things you know. Asking these questions will really improve your curiosity. Use questions that start with, "What if..." or "I wonder..." If you want different answers, ask different questions. Interact with other curious people and people that know more than you. To get started, make a list of things that pique your interest. What would you like to know more about. Then, research those things when you have a few minutes. Instead of playing Candy Crush or some other pointless game on your phone, go down a rabbit hole chasing your curiosity. THE BENEFITS OF CURIOSITY Curiosity comes with many benefits. First, curiosity drives relationships. Your curiosity about others demonstrates you have a genuine interest in them. It deepen the relationship. Next, curiosity breeds creativity. This is where you become unique and an original show host unlike any other. Curiosity will disrupt stagnation. Being curious will foster change and action. When you are asking questions, new ideas form and move you in a different direction. It creates momentum. Our curiosity build relationships by showing people we are interested in them and what makes them tick. We appreciate how they are different and unique in their own right. Finally, curiosity helps us learn new things and grow as a person. PODCAST CURIOSITY With your interviews, your curiosity will get your guests to tell you things they've never told anyone. When you let your curiosity drive the interview, your guest will enjoy telling stories that are different than any other interview they've given. At the end of interviews, I've had guest tell me they talked about things they've never talked about on an interview. We went down paths they don't typically travel. To improve your curiosity, you need to practice. Slow down and ask questions. Just like any skill, you won't be perfect when you begin. It will take time. Just stick with it. Great podcast hosts are curious. Begin refining your curiosity skills this week.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

UNIQUE SHOWS COME FROM UNIQUE PERSONALITIES When you try to be all things to all people, you end up being nothing. You're not unique. PICK A SIDE Focus your topic on what you know best. Be opinionated. Be passionate. Pick a side. Be unique. Most of all, be consistent. When you try to discuss an industry in general, your audience won't know what to expect when they visit your show. Let's take Dave Ramsey for example. During the opening of “The Dave Ramsey Show”, Dave would say, "Where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid-off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice." Dave's show is a personal finance show. Moreover, it is a show about getting out of debt. Dave helps people find ways to pay off their debt and become financially stable. "The Dave Ramsey Show" didn't discuss particular stocks or mutual funds. It didn't discuss how to go about investing other than simply suggesting you sock away 15 percent of your income for retirement and then some for college. Dave's show recommends 7 basic steps to financial security. He has been doing a show on these 7 steps for over 30 years. Every show, everyday, every call. It was all about these 7 steps in some way or another. When you tuned into "The Dave Ramsey Show", you knew what you would get. Dave was focused. CHANGING DAVE As Dave gets older and closer to retirement, he is thinking about the future of the show and company. He changed the name of the show from The Dave Ramsey Show to The Ramsey Show. To help him ease his way into retirement, Dave incorporates other Ramsey Personalities into the show as co-hosts or hosts when he is gone. The show isn't just hosted by Dave. When you tune in, it could be hosted by Ken Coleman, Rachel Cruze, Dr. John Delony, George Kamel or Jade Warshaw. It may even be hosted by a couple of them if Dave is not there. The intro of the show has changed. When it was the Dave Ramsey show, Dave would say, "Where debt is dumb, cash is king, and the paid off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice." Now with 6 different hosts with different areas of expertise, the intro of the show says, "Where we help people build wealth, do work that they love, and create amazing relationships." The show has become less focused on getting out of debt and personal wealth and more about life in general. Before, I knew what I got. I was in financial trouble and needed answers. Now, I could get anything. Does the show help me with my job search, or my relationship with my in-laws, or getting out of debt, or starting a business, or dealing with my boss, or my kids assuming I will watch the grandkids, or negotiating my credit card rate? All of it. You don't know what you're going to get or who will be giving it to you. The show is losing its clarity. Give your podcast focus. Your audience will appreciate the consistency. YOU UNIQUE What makes you different? When you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one. Make people take notice. You are an expert at your opinion. Give it to people. Take a stand. Pick a side. Some of the nicest people make the worst podcast hosts. They try to please everyone in the audience. Those people tend to blend into the background and go unnoticed. I once coached a radio host who was one of the best storytellers I had ever met. When he and I would meet one-on-one for coaching, he would tell me some of the funniest stories I had ever heard. He would tell me stories of his dad that would have me crying from laughing so hard. He once told me his dad was absolutely convinced the PT Cruiser was the best car ever made. As much as my host would try to explain that the PT Cruiser was simply the Dodge Neon chassis with a different body, his father wouldn't believe it. The two of them would get in these heated arguments in public about this car. Of all the things in life you could argue about, this happened to be the PT Cruiser. The way the story was told was full of fabulous details. The host really had the ability to make the stories come to life. As much as I would encourage him, the host wouldn't tell those stories on the radio. He didn't believe the audience as a whole would be interested. Instead, he played it safe. He only discussed vanilla content that wouldn't upset anyone. Unfortunately, the show never took hold. UPSET THEM If you're not upsetting someone, you aren't trying hard enough. I would much rather have half the audience hate me and the other half love me rather than the entire audience have no opinion one way or the other. If the audience doesn't have an opinion, they don't care. I'm doing nothing to stir their emotion if I'm not making them pick a side. If you haven't picked a side and really focused your topic, people won't care. They won't be passionate about your show. Speak your mind. Be different. Get noticed. Make people care. BIG PARTY Big Party on the other hand lived his life on the radio. I hired Mike from the college station to be the morning host on our Top 40 station. His on-air name was Big Party, because that's exactly what you got. Big Party has a unique perspective on the world. He would ask questions everyone wanted to ask, but was afraid of asking. He would tell stories and share thoughts nobody would share. It was my job to help him share his stories and bring out the right pieces to create great content. We shaped his stories to allow the audience get to know him and what he was all about. People loved it. And, they loved him. Everywhere Party went, he knew people and they knew him. The show was authentic, engaging, hilarious, and some of the best radio. His show quickly went to #1. CONNECT Your success is all about connecting, inspiring and motivating your listeners. When you connect, inspire and motivate your audience, you stir emotions within your listener. Those emotions are powerful. Emotions make people come back for more, because the create a bonding relationship. Connect with your listener by revealing things about yourself. Revelations make you human. They show your listener that you are a normal person and just like them. They can relate to you. Tell your listener about yourself. Describe the mistakes you've made. Talk about your hardships. Discuss the obstacles you've overcome. Your listener will relate to that. I WASN'T UNIQUE When I first began in broadcasting, I had no idea what I was doing. In fact, I was getting my degree in Architecture. I started drafting when I was 13. That was all I ever wanted to do. I fell into broadcasting by accident. While working weekends at a roller skating rink, I was offered a part-time job at a radio station running some equipment. I was making a few dollars to blow in college … while getting my degree in Architecture. My first full-time broadcasting job came while still studying Architecture. Each day I was on the air, I felt like an imposter. What right did I have to be on the radio talking to thousands of people everyday? I didn't know anything about broadcasting. After finishing my Architecture degree, I stayed in radio. Everyday, I learned a little more about broadcasting. I read all I could about the field. Little by little, my confidence grew. Years later, I realized I could reveal things about myself during my show. People did actually care about me. Relationships formed. Success came my way. REVEAL THINGS Self revelation during your show will help your relationships grow as well. Have confidence in yourself to connect with your audience. Once you've started to build that relationship, you can begin to inspire your audience. If you can do it, they can do it, too. Give him hope. Light that fire of desire within her. Stir emotions. Describe success. Now that your listener can envision success, show her how to get there. Motivate her to take action. Break the process down to small steps that she can easily take. Motivate her to take a step each day. Connect, inspire and motivate your listener with each podcast. When you create strong relationships with your audience, you create fans for life. If I can turn a degree in Architecture into a career in broadcasting, you can be successful there as well. Make it happen. YOUR UNIQUE AUTHORITY To become an authority and influencer in your niche, you need to stand out and be unique. You can do that by sharing yourself. Develop your personality and which parts you'd like to highlight on your show. Then, tell stories to develop that reputation with your audience. Build relationships.   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

One of the best pieces of advice I've ever been given is, "If you can't find a stage, build your own." GROWING YOUR AUDIENCE FROM STAGE To grow your audience, you need to get in front of people who don't know you yet. Then, you need to share your story and how you are different. Finally, you need to invite them into your world. When I use the term "stage", I don't only mean a physical riser in front of a live crowd during an event holding a microphone. To me, a stage is any time you can speak in front of two or more people. Stages could be live events. A stage could also be a podcast interview, a radio or TV interview, a virtual summit, speaking to a mastermind group, doing a Facebook Live, participating in a roundtable discussion, or presenting during an online event such as somebody's workshop just to name a few. So, which should you choose and how do you find opportunities? That's what I want to help you solve today. Let's begin with choosing the right stage. There are a few questions to ask yourself in order to find the right opportunity. THE RIGHT AUDIENCE The biggest factor in choosing a stage is the quality of the audience. Most people are concerned with the size of the audience. I've made more money speaking to a small mastermind group than I have speaking to nearly 100 people at a conference. The difference is the quality of the client prospects in the room. Those members of the mastermind were all my ideal clients. Ensure you get in front of the right audience. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY? Next, select the right environment. What speaking activities do you enjoy? Some people prefer being interviewed on a podcast talking to people you can't see. Others prefer the reaction of a room full of a hundred people. Do what you enjoy. INVESTMENT OF TIME AND MONEY Your stage consideration should also be based on your investment. Some stages require a fee to speak. It's easy to dismiss paying to speak. But if it is the right room, paying could be well worth it. The bigger investment is your time. Will you need to travel to the engagment? Travel can eat up days for a one-hour talk. Not all talks are created equal. Ensure it is worth your time. CAN YOU PITCH? What are you allowed to offer from stage? Some opportunities like TEDx won't let you make any call to action, not even a free download. Others allow you to sell from stage. Know the rules and how that frames your opportunity. ARE YOU PROMOTED? Will the host promote you as a speaker at the event? Sometimes the promotion of you at the event is more valuable than actually speaking at the event. WILL YOU MAKE CONNECTIONS? Who else will be in the room? Sometimes the connections you make at the event lead to other speaking opportunities. When big connections are possible, the new opportunities could be worth more than the current speaking gig. Consider it an investment in the future. CAN YOU USE THE CONTENT/RECORDING? Will the host give you access to the recording to use as you wish? Maybe you can use it as a podcast episode. FINDING STAGES To find a stage, make connections with others. When you see announcements arrive in your inbox, reach out to the host to see if you might be part of their next event. Ask for opportunities. Email the host and ask, "What does it take to be on your stage?" If you can't find a stage on your own, let an expert help you. There are many experts around that will help you land a stage. Steve Eriksen has an amazing platform that will help you land a stage. STEVE ERIKSEN When Steve Eriksen hosted a summit for his own coaching business, he couldn't find a good system to help him run his event. So he took his technical background in the events space, combined it with his real-world experience as an event host, and created EventRaptor, a system that makes virtual event management easy - including virtual summits! Steve is the Founder of EventRaptor. His goal is to make Virtual Event Management easy!   If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.