3 Mistakes I Made When Starting a Podcast

3 Mistakes I Made When Starting a Podcast

by | Sep 25, 2020 | Business

After recording almost 350 episodes of my own podcast, I like to think I know a thing or two about podcasting. With the help of my podcast, I’ve been able to scale my business to seven figures without paying a single dollar for advertising, and connect with my audience on a much deeper level – which has been SO important for bringing in new clients.

But, trust me – it took me a long time to figure out how to run my podcast in a smart, savvy way. (Trust me — it was a mess…) Looking back, some of the mistakes I made sound silly, but I know that I’m not the only one who made them! Starting a podcast can feel hard, especially without a how-to guide that helps you avoid simple mistakes. But I’m telling you right now, it doesn’t have to be hard, and it shouldn’t be! You can build a successful podcast in no time when you are given the right tools and guidance. 

That’s why I decided to share the top three mistakes I made when starting a podcast – so you can start smarter, see results faster, and avoid wasting time on things that just don’t work.

1. I didn’t focus on reviews.

When I was first starting a podcast, getting reviews seemed more like an after-the-fact thing that would come along with success. However, what I didn’t realize was just how instrumental getting reviews is to finding success in the first place. Think back to the last time you chose something, whether it was a book, a movie, or even a restaurant. Did you pick the one people were raving about, or the one no one talked about at all? It’s the same for podcasts – if yours has no reviews, what is going to entice people to listen? It’s all about the engagement!

Not only do reviews help you get more listeners, but sponsors, as well! Reviews put you on the radar when people are browsing through the thousands of podcasts out there, giving you a better chance of coming up in their recommendations. Sponsors and other companies often care more about reviews than downloads, especially when you’re a new podcast! (When we’re evaluating podcasts for The Podcast Connector, we always look at reviews.)

You don’t have to feel needy looking for reviews – simply asking your audience to leave a quick review if they are loving your podcast can go a lot further than you think. Think about it – if they’re invested enough to listen every week, they’re probably invested enough to leave a review. There are so many ways to get reviews that go beyond asking – but at least start there! 

2. I didn’t promote my own services.

Yes, you read that right. I would always let guests promote their services, but I didn’t think to do it with my own. A lot of people fall into this trap because they don’t want to come off as “self-promotional / involved” but here’s the thing, it’s your show, you put out content and offer services others would be interested in, so why are you holding that back? The people listening to your podcast are interested enough in you and your business, they’re going to want to know what else you offer! Talk about a HUGE newbie mistake! I will tell you – if you are recording your own podcast, PROMOTE YOUR OWN SERVICES. By listening to your podcast, your audience confirms a few things right off the bat:

  1. They have an interest in your niche.
  2. They have an interest in YOU.
  3. They are interested in other things you have to offer!

I’m not saying your entire podcast episodes should be filled with self-promotion, but when you naturally reach a point where you can advertise a service that could help your listeners and relates to what you’re talking about, don’t be afraid to tell them about it! Not only can doing so get you more business, but it can help out your listeners who may be in need of a service from someone they know and trust.

3. I never checked my analytics.

I know, another rookie mistake I made when starting a podcast. To be honest, I didn’t really think my analytics actually mattered aside from seeing whether or not anyone was listening. What I didn’t realize, though, is that analytics could tell me so much more, and influence the way I actually ran my podcast to make it more effective. 

Actively looking at your analytics is a great way to determine which types of shows your listeners like (and don’t like!) so you can consistently produce content that does well and truly interests your audience. While it’s always good to have a variety of content scheduled, knowing that your audience really doesn’t care for X topic can help you reduce that kind of content and replace it with something more useful to them. Not only does listening to your audience’s wants and needs help you retain them, but it also helps each episode get more engagement (reviews, downloads), ultimately helping your audience grow. 

After all, why waste time preparing for and recording an episode no one is going to find helpful (or even listen to) when you could be investing your time and energy in a different topic that would do SO much better?! Checking your analytics weekly, monthly, and yearly to get an overview of your engagement is a great way to ensure you’re in the loop when it comes to your podcast listeners.

Have you made any of these mistakes when starting your own podcast? If so, don’t feel bad – any new project is a learning process. Your best bet, though, is learning smarter strategies that are guaranteed to work so your show can hit the ground running. That is why I have teamed up with Kelli and Conner of SoulFire Productions to create The Pod Course! We teach you exactly how to launch a successful, kickass podcast, and it doesn’t have to be hard! We have created this course to teach you everything you need to know to build a successful show – how to niche & brand, editing & production, pitching and getting sponsors, monetizing, and SO much more. Enrollment is now OPEN and the course starts November 2nd – spots are limited so head here to secure your spot now!

 

7 Critical Skills to Build a Successful Coaching Business

7 Critical Skills to Build a Successful Coaching Business

by | Sep 25, 2020 | Business

You finished your training / certification — but what about everything you weren’t taught? Unfortunately, most coaching programs out there do not focus on how to actually coach, or run a business. They might give you tips, free contract or form templates, and a general overview of what you “should do” in your business, but the advice is usually REALLY missing the mark. I see it so often, and I’ve been there myself – you finish your coaching program but feel completely lost on what to do next and how to actually be successful.

There are a few key skills you’ll definitely want to develop in order to have a successful coaching business. Do NOT overlook these seven critical skills! These will make a huge difference in your business, no matter your niche or approach!

1. How to Actually Coach

Getting coached yourself and getting out there and PRACTICING are the best ways to learn. You’ll get better and better at coaching over time. Being a great coach requires asking better questions, understanding how to motivate your client, and adjusting your coaching style to the client’s needs. By getting coached yourself, and doing the deep work, you’ll get a sense of what types of questions to ask, how to guide the conversation, and how to motivate people. In addition, you also need to be practicing. Some programs / trainings require you to practice coaching friends, family, other students, and for a good reason. You can’t just learn the materials and automatically assume you can get people results.

2. Effective Marketing

Let’s be honest — the “business lessons” you had in your program were probably not that helpful (*cough cough* “Build a website & make a freebie!”) You want to learn how to directly reach your ideal client & use language that will actually CONVERT. You can reach your audience through a number of social media platforms (right now Instagram is the most popular), and you don’t need to waste your time or money on building the “perfect” website. People need to know exactly what services they can expect from you, and they need to get to know you, connect, and be interested in the information you’re putting out there. You can market yourself in a number of ways, but it really doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming.

3. How to Nail Sales Calls

Before I learned this skill, I was so afraid of sales calls. Now I LOVE them! This is your opportunity to showcase your coaching skills, build a deeper connection with the client, and make sure it’s the perfect fit. Most of the time, you’ll know by talking with someone whether or not they’ll fit well with your coaching style. Not every potential client that comes to you is going to be a good fit, and that’s okay! These sales calls allow you to really start to build a connection with your client and get a feel for how it would be to work with them. You want to make sure that the person is READY for a transformation!

4. Premium Pricing Setup

Most coaches are taught to charge X amount per hour / per session…you can’t scale your business if you’re trading time for dollars!  Premium pricing allows you to work less hours, see less clients, make more money, & get clients better results. You want to create a powerful energetic container – that is what provides the best results. Plus, it ensures the client is serious about making the transformation.

5. Energy Protection

This is crucial so you can hold space for your clients & not get burnt out. Have you learned how to protect your energy, clear your energy, and manage your energy? This affects your coaching ability & how much time you have in a day. Setting boundaries is one of the first steps you can take to protect your energy, but you also need to be mindful of how things affect you and how you feel. Does seeing a certain client make you feel more exhausted than excited? Do you get done with work and feel so tired you can’t show up for the other people in your life? These are all common issues I see when someone is working out of alignment and not protecting their energy.

6. Mindset Work & Shadow Work

Are you doing this yourself, and learning how to do deeper emotional and energetic work with your clients? This is why I love teaching my clients brain rewiring. When helping others, it’s so important to have gone through your own personal inner work. Doing deep emotional and energetic work lets you process limiting beliefs, shift, and break through to create a more positive / abundance mindset. You are also better able to rewrite the stories you may have been holding on to from the past, setting both yourself and your clients up for success. When you have a positive mind and experience, your client feeds on that energy and it gets them better results. Additionally, most coaches don’t feel like they know how to do deep mindset work. This is a KEY part of coaching! If you want to get your clients lasting results, it’s so important to be able to guide them through shadow work and other types of deeper personal development work.

7. How to Scale

If you want to spread your wings and soar, you want to have a plan for how to scale. So many coaches have not been taught how to scale their services & the many ways they can do so. Set yourself up to grow! It’s a good idea to have an idea of where you’re headed, even if that plan changes over time. Scaling can look different for everyone – maybe you want to teach a group program, create a course, start a podcast, have a membership… think about what YOU want, and make sure you’re aligned with getting there!

I teach ALL of these skills and so much more in No Bullshit Business School. Enrollment closes this Friday, September 25th! This is your chance to learn all the tools you’ll need to build a 6-figure online coaching business without a big following. Head here to enroll in this round!