Podcast 9: Should You Create a Podcast for Your Holistic Business?

content marketing ethical marketing finding clients marketing podcast Apr 16, 2020

Creating a podcast for your holistic business

Have you discovered the amazing world of podcasts? They’re like mini radio shows and cover every topic you can imagine from business to entertainment, politics to history, health to comedy. Whatever your interest, you’ll find a podcast on it.

Podcasts are a great way to learn on the go, you’re not restricted to watching a screen. You can listen to them while travelling, at the gym, doing the housework, or walking the dog – they make great use of your valuable time.

Audiobooks are popular now and people are getting used to listening to content. Podcasts are a way of sharing your information with a new and growing audience.

Podcast facts and figures*

You’re a big fish in a smaller pond – there are thousands of blogs for every podcast.
Only 17% of podcasters are female
If you get 136 downloads, you’re in the top 50% of podcasts
93% of podcast listeners listen to whole episodes

*From Lou Mongello’s talk at YouPreneur Summit 2019

A podcast builds a connection

Podcasting is a very personal way of marketing your services as it builds a connection with the listener. People will feel your passion and will get to know you as an individual, you are welcoming them into your world.

Connecting with your clients and building relationships with your clients is the best way to market yourself as a practitioner.

My first dabble in podcasting was a series I recorded with my friend, Claire (who was my guest on episode 8 of Holistic Business Matters). When we started, we didn’t have a clue what we were doing and were learning on the fly. Listening to it today, I cringe, but the podcast is still a valuable source of information. It not only supports existing clinical clients, but it brings new ones to my door, years later. If you want a laugh at my expense, here’s a link to the show – you can do so much better than this!

Holistic Business Matters

I always intended to do another podcast but for some reason, it stayed on my to-do list and never quite reached the top. I’ve had 3 different show names in mind, recorded intros and still it never made it to being published. So why is this time different?

Well, I made a commitment to myself that 2020 was the year to launch my podcast. I decided to keep things simple and use my blog posts as inspiration for the recordings. This meant I wasn’t overwhelming myself by having to create a totally new piece of content each week.

In a perfect world, it would be a totally separate show, probably interviews where I get to speak with interesting practitioners and industry experts. This idea got in my way before and stopped me. So, I decided to start where I was, and with the time I had available. In other words, I’m practising what I preach.

Get support

Even though I’d done a podcast before, technology has moved on and I wanted to make sure I did things properly this time. I joined an online programme with podcaster and online marketer Janet Murray and podcasting expert Colin Gray. It was created for us to get a podcast live in 60 days, taking me through a stage at a time. There were aspects of the programme I knew but for me, the accountability and structure were a game-changer.

I’m now 9 episodes in with a full blog post on each one and show notes. It’s starting to become part of my content creation habit and getting easier week by week.

If you want to create your own podcast for your practice, here are the steps:

Why do you want a podcast?

As with any marketing, know why you are creating a podcast. They take a lot of work and commitment so you need to have a good reason to keep you motivated. Here are a few of the main reasons for starting a podcast:

Increase website visitors or email subscribers
Promote your products and services
Raise your profile and build your reputation as an authority
Educate and support your clients and potential clients
Build connections for collaborations with other experts
Use your podcast to create an income for your business

Plan your podcast

This is your focus to help create your podcast easily. You’ll have made many of the important decisions before you start to help keep you on track.

The things you need to outline in your plan are:

Your chosen audience and topic
The format of your podcast – how often you’re releasing an episode and how long they will be. Are you doing a solo show, interview or collaboration? Will you record intro and outros with music behind them?
Equipment – what do you currently have that you can use? If you have a decent microphone and a pair of headphones, start with those. If not, you can purchase a USB microphone at a reasonable price to get you started – mine’s a Blue Yeti which I’ve had for years but does the job. You can then record to your computer or laptop and edit there too.
Recording software – if you have a Mac, you have GarageBand, if you have a PC, download Audacity which is free software and what I use. Zoom is also great for interview shows as it will record your discussion and you can download the file after your call.
Where you will record – needs to be somewhere quiet and where you won’t be disturbed. The more soft furnishings around you (assuming you don’t have a recording studio), the better as they will absorb the sound and improve the quality. I hang quilts around my office as it’s a she-shed, or it sounds like I’m in a tin can.

Naming and branding your podcast

Decide on a name for your podcast. It is better to pick something that describes the content rather than trying to be cleaver as people will be searching for topics.
Create artwork for your podcast remembering it will need to be legible at a very small size. The recommended size for iTunes is between 1400 and 3000 pixels square. You can get your designer to do this or create your own using software like Canva or Microsoft Publisher.
If you are recording intros and outros with music, use royalty-free music. I got mine at Audioblocks which isn’t free, but really reasonable and if you only need to subscribe for a month and then cancel. It gives you a huge choice and you have unlimited use of your chosen tracks.

Planning your content

Work out a list of topics for your first 10-12 shows
Contact any guests you want to interview and book them into your diary
Brief guests on the format of your show, who your audience is, and ask for their contact details, social media addresses and a photo you can use for marketing

Recording and editing

This takes a little practice and you will need to have a play before you start your show. You can DIY this by watching the software tutorials and YouTube is a great source of help.

If you have the budget, outsource your editing which will save you time and help you get a professional finish.

Getting your podcast live

Once you have the finished episode, you will need to upload it to a hosting platform, don’t put it directly on your website. The host then distributes your podcast to the different directories such as iTunes.

I was recommended Captivate on the podcasting programme and it has been really easy to get my podcast set up and working. And I certainly wouldn’t consider myself particularly technically minded.

They walked me through the process of setting up and distributing my podcast. They also provide the links to add the podcast to my website and the analytics to tell me how many people have downloaded the show etc.

I’ve found the whole experience really simple with Captivate and as a podcaster with them, I’m also an affiliate.

Promoting your podcast

You have to treat your podcast like any other new launch in your business and shout about it from the rooftops. Share it everywhere you can and tell people about it. Whilst it may feel vulnerable at first, you need to constantly tell people about it, for them to find it. Get your friends and family on board and ask them to help you out too.

Podcasts are a commitment and take work, but they are also a brilliant asset for your business. Once you find your stride with them, they will get easier to do. They are a brilliant way to support your clients and a way of building your profile. If you do decide to do your own podcast, there are lots of free resources, but I’d highly recommend investing in professional support to get you going.

If you struggle to decide what marketing to do for your practice, book a discovery call and find out how I can help you.