This week on the podcast, my strategy session was with Nettye Johnson and how to launch and market a podcast.
Nettye is launching a podcast the week of August 13th called Faith Applied that will dive into Biblical principles and see where it is married with science and how to apply it to a person’s life.
She gave the example of setting habits as a topic she will cover and how she will look at the science and neurological implications of what happens when habits are formed, how we set and break and create them, but then also bring a faith component in. She will also look at how a Scripture that mirrors that science principle can give a mantra or meditation someone can use to reflect and focus to replace a bad habit.
She set a goal of launching by mid-August and wants to know how to launch it between now and then. Here are the big questions we tackled:
Is my timeline realistic to launch a new podcast?
YES! You will take as much time as you give yourself. So whatever timeline you’re setting, you can launch on that timeframe, and if it’s longer than 6 weeks, shorten it.
The most important thing to know is WHAT you need to accomplish to launch it into the world. (Which we cover below)
How do I decide what type of content/episodes to create?
Do YOU. There is no right or wrong way to run a podcast. If you feel like solo episodes are your jam, do those. If you want to be known as the expert host — the person who knows people — then do interviews. If you want to showcase how you work with people, do live work with your ideal peeps. And know that you can change it up at any time. It’s YOUR podcast. So if you start out doing solo and want to throw a series or interview set in, that’s OK.
What do I focus on first marketing wise?
- Start teasing the podcast to your audience with the main graphics for your podcast.
- Batch record your episodes. If you’re doing solo episodes, outline what you’re talking about (or write a script if that fits your personality better) and block off a few hours to record. If you’re doing interviews, book several episodes at a time to record, so you can get into a groove.
- Have a page dedicated to your podcast on your website to collect people interested in the podcast pre-launch. You want to be able to send people somewhere as you’re talking to the world about the podcast launching, so they can follow along with you and you have an immediate following when you go live. This can have a countdown timer on it, a form to be notified when it launches, a preview, etc.
- Brainstorm places to “market” to that your ideal person hangs out. Do market research while slyly promoting your podcast in a group with genuine questions like “How do you feel about X, Y, Z? I’m about to launch a podcast and I’m stuck on where to go next.”
- Get excited about launching it. Talk about it ALL THE TIME.
- Tease the first batched episodes on social media using graphics, quotes from the episodes, etc. to create buzz up front.
- Tap into your network of influencers and create a cheerleading squad of 5-10 people you can ask beforehand to help promote it. Think of people with the same or similar audiences, OR people who could become a big influencer in the future you want to stay connected with.
- Ask for reviews when you launch. You can incentivize it or not.
- On your podcast, make sure to DO a call-to-action at the end and ask them to take action. If it helps, map out what you have going on IN your business on a calendar so you know WHAT to ask people to do on your podcast, and point all your other marketing to it as well. If you’re unsure of what to ask, think about “What’s going to get me the most traction in my business right now?”
If you’re launching a podcast, how do you use it to market well?
One option is to use the podcast to introduce yourself to a new audience and bring people into your marketing funnel.
Another option is to use the content and types of episodes you create to qualify people to work with you.
How do I connect my podcast to iTunes?
First off, Pat Flynn with Smart Passive Income has an amazing course on how to launch a podcast. I am NOT an affiliate (yet) but I do love this course and highly recommend it if you’re serious about using podcasting in your business.
Some basics you need to know:
To launch a podcast you need:
- recording equipment
- a way to edit the podcast (or someone to edit it for you)
- a graphic for your podcast cover art
- RSS feed service that will push your episodes to all the podcast directories automatically
- A page on your website to host the episodes and drive traffic to.
Download my Podcasting 101 Cheatsheet for free with all the recommendations to get started.
I have a huge mental block when it comes to asking for help for me or for my business. So thinking of a call-to-action to promote anything I do is hard. How do I get over this?
First of all, this is SO common. Especially with women who run service-based businesses. If you feel icky about asking someone to do anything for you, break it down into WHAT is the emotion and feeling that is stopping you from asking? What does it say about you if you ask?
Then, go smaller. What is a tiny ask that you could make that doesn’t feel out of character for you? If you can find one that feels better, and not as overt, start with that and work up to asking for bigger and more impactful things. It’s a muscle you have to flex to get better.
Finally, consider the impact cost of you NOT asking someone to take action. How will it affect your business if you don’t get more visibility? If more people don’t find out about what you have to offer? What would you be missing if you can’t work with people/help people with what you’re doing?
That question can help shift the mindset from scary to do-able.
Do I run Facebook ads to promote my things and podcast?
It depends. My go-to answer about Facebook ads is this: Do not run ads on Facebook (or anything) until you know where you’re sending them and how you’re converting them AND it’s getting you results. And do NOT run Facebook ads until you are consistently showing up on the platform you want to run ads on. Otherwise, you’ll be sending traffic to a funnel that’s broke, or sending them to a place with no plan, with no true way of tracking the metrics for these ads.
A better resource of time and money is to figure out where you want to be more consistent and how to start driving traffic to that place and into your funnel.
IF you have a funnel that works, and a plan for how to convert traffic (if you send it to a group, for example to a Facebook group) then give it a try.
Pro Tip:
If you struggle with writing authentically for your brand, try recording yourself talking it out and THEN type out that for your copy. A wonderful thing happens in your brain when you speak. It’s unable to both filter the words coming out AND speak at the time, so what comes out automatically becomes more authentic. This tip works for anyone struggling to write about copy, talk about their services, talk about the benefits and to answer the dreaded question: what do you do?
Connect with Nettye:
Bio: Nettye Johnson is a wife, mother, author, speaker, Bible teacher, certified health coach, and owner of a Christ-centered wellness organization.
A former technical trainer, Nettye developed a passion for health education and promotion during her ten years with the nation’s leading weight loss company, Weight Watchers Intl. Her work in training, business development, and operations management on local, state and national levels impacted thousands. In this work, she was struck by the decline of health and wellness in our nation and the importance of holistic education, motivation, resources and support to effectively address this trend.
Nettye studied health education, nutrition, behavior modification, and program design with the American Council on Exercise and Ashford University. Combining this knowledge with over 25 years of Christian education study and experience, she founded Nettye Johnson Faith and Fitness Services LLC, (NJFFS), a Christian wellness organization providing a science-based, faith-empowered approach to health and wellness. Program offerings include Pew2Pavement, (www.pew2pavement.com), south Louisiana’s only faith-based walking and running training program and TempleCare Cooking (www.templecarecooking.com), an education platform that explores healthy cooking. Her first book, “Put Your Faith Where Your Fork Is” outlines principles to inform and inspire the body of Christ towards healthy weight management.
Nettye excels in the grassroots engagement of groups through faith and social channels for education, support, and advocacy. An energetic speaker and motivational leader, Nettye informs, inspires and coordinates collaborative action on local and regional levels.
Nettye Johnson Website
Nettye Johnson Facebook Page
Faith Over Fork
Faith Applied Podcast
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