Visibility strategist and award-winning podcaster Michelle L. Thames shares how she turned Social Media Decoded into both an authority builder and a lead-gen engine. We cover simple CTAs inside episodes, a two-week content ecosystem (podcast → email/social → community/speaking), sustainable batching with 5–10 minute solos, and why quality over virality wins the long game. Michelle also unpacks her 7-Day Audio Visibility Challenge, how she uses “other people’s audiences” (podcast swaps, summits, stages), and building Elevate & Empower online and in-person.

Key Takeaways

1. Make your podcast do two jobs: authority + leads. Seed one next step per episode (freebie, event, community) with a clear CTA you can measure.
2. Run a two-week content ecosystem: keep the podcast as the anchor, repurpose into email, LinkedIn, and Reels/Stories, and record quick debriefs after talks or events.
3. Consistency = rhythm, not daily posting: set a cadence you can keep. Start with Clarity → Platform → Analytics, and give every post a goal + CTA.

Timestamps / Chapters

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:53 Why Michelle started the show
• 02:36 What a podcast does that social can’t
• 03:36 Authority growth and lead generation
• 05:44 Host voice consistency
• 05:52 Lead gen plays (CTAs, seeding offers)
• 07:35 The 7-Day Audio Visibility Challenge
• 09:36 Consistency without posting daily
• 11:50 Clarity, Platform, Analytics
• 14:23 Channels that move the needle
• 16:30 The content ecosystem (podcast-first)
• 19:30 Short solos, batching, daily experiment
• 21:58 Platform formats and focus
• 24:37 Email growth and testing SMS
• 29:05 Building Elevate & Empower
• 31:30 Using the podcast to land stages and summits
• 33:24 Consistency > virality
• 35:52 Goal + CTA on every post
• 38:01 Where to find Michelle

Guest Links

• Instagram: @michelleLthames
• Website: Michelle Thames
• Podcast: Social Media Decoded (available on all major podcast apps)
• Community: Elevate & Empower (women entrepreneurs; online + in-person meetups)
• Freebie: 7-Day Audio Visibility Challenge (lead magnet mentioned in the episode)
• LinkedIn: Michelle on LinkedIn

Resources Mentioned

• Podcast swaps / tours
• Bundles & summits (Facebook community “Bundles of Bundles”)
• ManyChat (for DM keyword automation)

Host / Podjunction

• Podjunction Home: https://podjunction.com/
• Sadaf on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sadafbeynon/