085: Why It’s Time to Rethink Your Podcast Content Creation Strategy
Does creating content or coming up with ideas for your podcast feel like a huge drag? Or maybe you love the idea of it, but you’re not totally sure how to prioritize it and fit it into your business strategy.
If that sounds like you, it’s time to rethink the way you plan your content and reframe how your podcast fits into the big picture of your business.
In todays episode, I’m walking you through some simple ways to generate new ideas for content, how to realign your podcast content with your business, and how good it feels when you finally have a podcast that’s working in tandem with your other marketing to show your potential clients all the amazing things you have to offer them!
What’s in this episode of Podcast Your Business:
[02:38] How rethinking the way I create content has made the process so much simpler and easier
[04:09] Why we need to recalibrate the standard we use to determine if content is “successful”
[05:27] How to plan content that aligns with your business strategy (and it’s not just “selling” all the time!)
[09:03] Why interviewing your clients can be such powerful tool for content creation
[11:32] How to incorporate your podcast into your larger marketing plan to lead your potential clients on a journey through your content
[13:42] The ease and excitement of having content across all your marketing channels that feels aligned and valuable
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The Transcript for Podcast Your Business:
085: Why It’s Time to Rethink Your Podcast Content Creation Strategy
[00:00:00] One of the other things that I think is really overlooked, especially for business podcasters, is to have some of your clients come on your podcast. Because when we think about, you know, again, promoting a service or product and referring back to those pain points, who are the people who've been through the journey who understand most how to get through those pain points and get to the other side? Well, that's your clients, right? Ready to start a podcast for your business and share your message in a way that feels wildly authentic. Welcome to Podcast Your Business, where each week we share how to start a podcast and make sure it's working for you and your business. I'm Caroline Hull, podcast manager and consultant, and I've seen the power of podcasts can have. Ready to share your voice. Let's get started.
[00:00:55] Back to school is no joke. And I feel like, you know, it's September and the worst of it should be kind of over. But I feel like we're still getting into the groove as a family, as a homeschool family. You know, we didn't do a lot of activities the last couple of years, and my kids are enrolled in everything under the sun. So I feel like I'm running around all the time. And it's definitely creating this situation where I have to really focus on what I'm doing at once. I feel like last year it was much better multitasking than I am right now in this moment. It definitely feels like there's just so much going on that it's way harder to multitask. And so I've had to get really, really organized with all my work, my school, I mean everything, but especially content.
[00:01:46] And I'm actually really, really proud of myself because I feel like this is the first year ever of my business. I've been in some sort of online business for like 12 years now, and I feel like this is the first time in my business journey where I actually have like a really good content system that is working for me. And it's a very extensive series of Google docs and Asana boards, and I won't bore you with the organizational details, but I have found that it's become really, really important, especially as I'm trying to create content for this podcast. And our insider podcast, which I'm relaunching very soon, may have already relaunched by the time this episode goes live. And I'll talk more about the Insider podcast on Instagram. So if you're wanting to know about that head over there.
[00:02:38] So I thought it would be really interesting because I've been focused on getting organized and getting all my content organized, and I've been having a lot of conversations with podcasters in my client strategy calls and my refresh and launch calls about content and creating content. So I thought it'd be really good. I thought it'd be a really good idea to sit down today and chat about why we we need to redefine how we think about our podcast content. And that may not be clear to you right now. You're like, Oh, how do I what does that mean, redefine? And I'm definitely going to get there.
[00:03:17] So first I want to just talk about the fact that content creation should not be hard. I did a whole Instagram post on this last week, I believe, because I feel like we can just get in the weeds. And again, this kind of goes to what I was sharing with you about getting organized. You know, you can really get in the weeds with your content and get stuck. I mean, I think there's definitely like real things that just burn out and kind of like a creative block. It definitely happens just from doing so much. But in general, coming up with content for your podcast should not be hard, it should feel easy, and it should feel authentic because you're sharing what you know and what you get excited about and you know, you're really in tune with what your clients are going through. And so it's really easy to pull and pick content, right?
[00:04:09] And I think sometimes where we struggle is we want our content to be we kind of get into this like, Oh, it has to be viral, right? I feel like this is happening a lot with Instagram. You know, I'll post something and it will hardly get any views or likes, but later that content grows in and age as well, and people come back to it and like it later as they find me. And so you kind of have to remember that viral isn't necessarily the answer. Right? And I think that when we were creating podcast episodes, we can kind of get into this feeling of, Oh, I don't think this is special enough. This is just an episode where I just talk about this thing. It's not that special, but what you need to think about is your ideal clients and where they are right now and what they're struggling with. And a lot of times the best topics for an episode are right in front of you.
[00:04:57] But I just want to, like, put out this reminder. As we jump into this conversation, this topic today that your listeners want to hear from you and they want to hear what you really think about something, because this is what forms genuine connections that can lead to more interactions. Right? So just like think about that as you are creating content, if it's feeling really, really hard, it may be because it's not aligned or because you need to redefine your podcast content.
[00:05:27] So let's jump into that. Content should go with your sales cycle. And I don't mean like I'm going to talk about all the things that I'm selling when I'm selling them. I mean that the topics should align in such a way. So think about it this way. What are you promoting? Right. What product? What service you promoting? And what are the pain points that lead people to that product or to that service? I'm sure you have a handful. I mean, you work with your clients. You know what they need. You know what they're struggling with. And so especially when you're, like, ramping up and getting ready for a launch or something like that, you know, really pulling. What are the things that lead people to me for this? Let's do an example, because sometimes I feel like it gets very vague.
[00:06:15] But let's say you have a membership or a mastermind when you've done your membership or your mastermind or worked with clients. What was the thing what was the breaking point thing that brought them to you? You know, what were the things that they were really struggling with? And so when they saw your mastermind, your community, whatever the thing is that they said, this is the place for me. I know you've had conversations with them. You've helped them, you've worked with them. And so thinking about those things and then aligning them with what you're promoting.
[00:06:45] Another really good example. So we have a podcast launch service, and then we have a podcast audio service. They are not the same. They do not serve the same person. And so if I'm going to be promoting the launch, I may talk about things like why you want to start our podcast, why you shouldn't put off starting a podcast. But if I'm going to talk about the podcast audit, I may talk about needing a refresh or wanting to know why your podcast isn't quite aligned, right? So you can see kind of the difference. You want to make sure that your sales cycle, whatever you're promoting and selling, goes along with your content. Are you wondering if a podcast is right for you?
[00:07:22] Podcasting can be a great way to connect with your ideal client and share your authority, but it requires time and consistency to find out if you are a great fit for podcasting. I have a free quiz. It's easy and quick and gives you a few things to think about before you start your podcasting journey. Head to Wild Home Podcast dot com slash ready to take your quiz today and be sure to tag me on Instagram at Wild Home Podcast and let me know your results.
[00:07:48] And then here's something that I think people really get confused about. A lot of times when we have a podcast, we will want to have interviews because we think that the guests will share our episodes and that will help us grow our podcast, which is partially true. But the thing that I want you to remember is that you need to think about your interviews in the same way as you do all your other episodes, you know, how does this guest bring value to my audience in a way that is aligned with what I am creating, what I am doing, what I am selling?
[00:08:23] So another really good example of this is I work with podcasters, I work with business podcasters. So I will invite guest experts on to talk about marketing. But we're going to talk about authentically marketing yourself online and through your podcast and how to be authentic, because that is something that I talk about with my clients, right? But I'm not a marketing expert. I'm not an Instagram expert or anything like that. So bringing somebody in and talk about that is a really great idea. Another really great idea is to bring in somebody who does PR for podcast and to talk about why is it important to have a PR plan. I am not a PR expert, but I work with podcast, so it's aligned, right.
[00:09:03] And what this also does when you have an interview with somebody who is aligned, it is allows you to share your knowledge as well. So it can be more of a give and take and less of a like I'm just giving them space to talk about what they do and what they want to promote, which is also important. But we need to remember the why and the purpose of our podcast when we're bringing on an interview. One of the other things that I think is really overlooked, especially for business podcasters, is to have some of your clients come on your podcast. Because when we think about, you know, again, promoting a service or product and referring back to those pain points, who are the people who've been through the journey who understand most how to get through those pain points and get to the other side? Well, that's your clients, right? And it doesn't have to necessarily be like a puff piece where they just come and sit and talk about how wonderful you are. You know, have your clients come on and talk very specifically about their journey, where they are now, how they got there.
[00:10:04] Whenever I have a client come on my podcast, I don't necessarily say, Oh, and when you started working with us, these things happened. You know, it's kind of just baked into the conversation, right? So there's a way to do it without being salesy or sleazy. And I think it's really powerful, too, because it gives your audience a moment to listen to you and how you work and how you speak to your clients, which I think is really cool and I think it's a really neat connection type of episode. Again, going back to like creating content shouldn't be hard. This is one of those content pieces that should be super easy to do and feel exciting and fun to do. I mean, I love sitting down with my clients and talking to them about, you know, their podcast and how they've used their podcast to grow their business and all those things. And so that's a really fun way to do it.
[00:10:54] Here's the thing, too. You want to look at the big picture and not just a small piece. And when we don't have a content plan or something in place, a system, something or a bank where we're keeping track of ideas, this is when the podcast episodes become a very small piece and not a larger piece. And what do you mean by larger piece and big picture? What I'm talking about is, again, that whole cycle, right, of your business, that whole sales cycle, your promotion schedule, it should be tied into that, if not at the top of your marketing funnel.
[00:11:32] So when I think about, you know, looking at a triangle, I like to put my podcast at the top and then have everything kind of trickle down. Once you get like advanced version of this is that you're able to anticipate the episodes and create content that leads up to the episodes, right? But we want to look at it as part of the bigger picture and not just a small piece when it starts to become just a bunch of small pieces and not pieces of that bigger puzzle, right? That bigger picture of what your business is, what you do, what your services are. That's when your podcast becomes not aligned with your business. And then we're just putting out episodes for the sake of putting out episodes.
[00:12:15] So how I want you to redefine your content is to really think about it as the top of your funnel. Think about your interviews and your solo episodes as part of this big picture and how they are all working together to lead people down the journey that you want them to go on to either work with you or buy a product or buy a service. And then I want you to put it into a plan. You know, actually put your episodes like on a spreadsheet, if that's what's useful for you or and then this on a board with your Instagram posts, with your TikTok videos, with your Facebook posts, with your whatever. So you can see how it all works together because we want it to all be this cohesive message.
[00:13:00] I think where people get really confused when they find somebody that they're interested in and they may want to work with because they found them on Instagram and then they go to their podcast and it's like completely different. Has nothing to do with what they were talking about over on Instagram. You know, what I think is really great is when you do have this relationship between all your pieces of content so that when people find one thing, they get more at the other thing. And I like my podcast to be kind of the more piece and my Instagram to be like the, the teaser pieces, right? You know, and this will help you down the road. Like if you can create this system in this habit for yourself, this will help you down the road as you start adding more things.
[00:13:42] I've tried to add more things before and it hasn't worked and I really think it's because I didn't have all the pieces aligned. I didn't have a messaging line like I was trying to talk about one thing over here and another thing over here and another thing over here. And when I brought it all together and made it aligned, it started to just like fall into place. I mean, I really, truly feel like this is probably one of the best seasons of my podcast because the episodes are just working together. My Instagram content's all working together, the emails are working together. It just feels like everything is in sync. And that's because I redefined how I think about my content. And so this is really important as you're setting up your podcast, but this can be done if you already have a podcast and you're looking at it and you're going, Oh, you know, I kind of just throw episodes up when I can. I've just been interviewing whoever. I don't have a process in place here. That's okay. Start today. Sit down. Map out your next four episodes. Think about how they are going to be aligned with your sales cycle. What pain points can you talk about? Right, and how can you promote your services and products through your interviews and through your episodes without being too salesy or sleazy?
[00:14:54] I know I just made it sound really easy when you just put it like that. It does take a little bit of practice, so it might. Challenge you today is to start this process, redefine how you think about your content, because this is going to be really important as you start to grow your podcast and your products and your services, because we want to make sure that your podcast is working with all of that, right? Because otherwise it's just going to become an afterthought. We definitely don't want that. So I hope this was helpful for you today. I would love for you to come over and hang out with me on Instagram. As I mentioned, I do have a couple things in the works that I'm going to be announcing over there, so I would love to have you come follow me at Wild Home Podcast and let me know if this episode resonated with you, if it was helpful, or if you have more questions, because that's going to help me create more episodes that are helpful for you. I hope you have a great day.
[00:15:46] Thank you for listening to podcasting your business. For more podcasting tips, follow us on Instagram at Wild Home Podcast. If you are ready to launch up level or grow your podcast, head to Wild Home Podcast income to get started today.
