You might be thinking why and how would I want to start a podcast or even be on a podcast? I’m going to break this down for you as easily as possible and then offer you some tools and resources to help you get started!
Can we all agree that your brand is the image and/or impression in the mind of others about you. Although you can’t control what is happening in the mind of others (this sure would be a different world if you could), you can influence and guide that perception others have of you. A powerful way to be influential is by consistently producing content in the digital space. It does take time to do this, however it is important for you to know these three key elements:
Quality is more important than quantity.
Steven Jobs said, “Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.” And this quote is very true, not just in the baseball sense, but in all things. The content you produce reflects who you are. The content you produce is building your brand. The content you produce is influential in how others perceive you. Therefore, producing quality content is a vital reflection of your personal brand. Do not simply publish a blog post because it’s time to do it. You must be thoughtful and strategic in the content that you associate your name with.
Consistent action creates consistent results.
That is a quote from Christine Kane. Another good statement on consistency (so many good quotes to choose from) is by Winston Churchill, “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” When discussing consistency, it’s not just for the sake of doing something on a regular basis. Your brand is being built off the frequency of the content being shared. If you publish something once a week, and then disappear for three months, the brand followers and supporters that you created will begin to disappear. They will also shift the perception of your brand from someone providing quality content, to someone not consistent in their efforts. Put in the time and energy to consistently create quality content and you will reap the rewards of that down the road.
Repurpose your content.
No catchy quote that I could easily identify to share with you regarding repurposing your content, however this is probably my favorite piece of information to share with you because hopefully it will trigger an Ah-ha moment! Working with clients on their brand and social media campaigns, they often become overwhelmed with the idea of consistently posting valuable information on several platforms. That overwhelming sensation typically comes into play once they start to think that every piece of content needs to be brand spanking new. That is a poor assumption that is made repeatedly by professionals. The exact opposite is the truth. You can create one piece of quality content that can consistently become multiple pieces of content across multiple platforms. Below you can see the breakdown illustrated. One podcast recording (about 30 minutes of awesomeness) is quickly converted into two longer pieces of content, both a blog post and a post on LinkedIn. These posts are then repurposed into multiple tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram, and even a short YouTube video, linking back to the posts that you created on LinkedIn and on your blog. Even better, if your content is considered “evergreen” meaning it is not time-sensitive, you can continue to re-use the social media posts for as long as the content is relevant.
Now back to your options with podcasting.
You really have two options if you are interested in podcasting:
Be a guest on someone else’s podcast!
How awesome is that? Many podcast hosts are seeking experts and professionals in their field to be able to share their stories. A couple of ways to become a guest on a podcast include:
- Simply conducting a Google search for “be a guest on my podcast” and you’ll find a ton of websites with inquiry forms for those interested in being a guest.
- Look through iTunes or Google Play for specific podcasts based on your expertise and reach out to the host directly to see if they would be interested in having you as a guest.
- Wait for someone to reach out to you (you’ll have to make sure you are reachable and really have a strong brand that showcases your expertise)
- Hire someone to find you shows to be a guest on, such as working with Wendi Thiel from Interview You Services.
Why would you want to be a guest on someone else’s podcast? My question back to you is WHY NOT? You are getting an opportunity to get in front of someone else’s established audience. This is HUGE! Build that momentum and mojo and get your brand out there!
Host your own show!
This is just as exciting as being a guest on someone else’s show, except you are in the driver seat. The hardest part of hosting your own show is the set-up. You’ll need to do the following before you can officially launch:
- Confirm your topic and target audience
- Decide on the name and your brand identity
- Confirm the frequency (consistency is important, weekly is the minimum recommended frequency to maintain audience)
- Decide if you’ll invest in the equipment and software and manage the editing and distribution on your own or if you’ll partner with a company who can manage the tedious tasks for you such as Predictive ROI.
- Start recording!! Unless your topics are going to be time-sensitive material, it’s a good idea to have a couple recorded episodes in the bank before you officially launch. That way, if something comes up (you can’t record one week because of a crisis of sorts), you have a couple episodes cued up and ready to go. I had 10 episodes recorded before officially launching Social Capital.
Quality content produced on a consistent basis and then simply repurposed across your distribution channels will help you to grow your brand and expand your network. Podcasting is the first step in starting that process! Happy podcasting.