Friendly Podcast Guide: Teaching Women How to Grow a Podcast (Without Burning Out)

Want to grow your podcast without relying on social media? In this episode, I’m sharing my favorite sustainable marketing strategy: guesting on other podcasts! You’ll learn how to pitch yourself (even if you're nervous) and what to say in a podcast pitch email that actually gets a yes.

I’m Andi Smiley, podcast coach for moms who want to start and grow their show in a fun, flexible way without burning out. I’ve been a guest on dozens of podcasts, and today I’m walking you through the exact strategy I’ve used (and that I teach my clients) to land interviews and reach more listeners — no complicated funnels or reels required.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Why podcast guesting works (especially for moms)

• How to know when you're ready to pitch

• What to include in your podcast pitch email

• Tips for writing a strong, personalized pitch

• How to overcome imposter syndrome as a guest

• What to do after your pitch gets accepted

• Planning your guest interview strategy

• Common mistakes to avoid when pitching yourself

Here’s the one thing you should implement in your podcast if you’re feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start and that is…before you start sending emails about being a podcast guest, do some research beforehand to make sure you are a good fit for their podcast. You don’t want to waste your time (and the host’s time) doing an interview that doesn’t reach your ideal listener.

Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:08) Imposter Syndrome

(02:16) Find podcasts with a similar vibe

(03:02) Rate and review their podcast

(03:48) Email the podcast host

(07:35) Prep for interview

(10:10) After the interview

(12:04) Podcast guesting is self care

Links

• Schedule your free Podcast Jumpstart Session: https://friendlypodcastguide.com/jumpstart

• Grab my free Podcast Guesting for Beginners Guide: https://friendly-podcast-guide.myflodesk.com/x7182w3t67

• Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/friendlypodcastguide

Keywords

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In this episode, I'm sharing a simple, sustainable strategy for marketing your podcast using Pinterest! If you're feeling overwhelmed by social media or looking for a way to grow your show without being glued to your phone, Pinterest might just be the solution you've been praying for. I’m walking you through exactly how I use Pinterest for podcast promotion—and how you can too—without burning out.

I'm your host, Andi Smiley, a podcast coach for moms who want to start their podcasts in a way that's fun and fulfilling without taking over their lives. After seeing the difference Pinterest made for my own podcast growth (without adding hours to my work week!), I knew I had to share this sustainable marketing tool with you too.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Why Pinterest is a perfect fit for busy podcasters

• How Pinterest can market your podcast without daily posting

• The difference between Pinterest and traditional social media

• What you need to get started on Pinterest

• How to create pins that lead listeners straight to your episodes

• Tips for making Pinterest sustainable for the long haul

• Mistakes to avoid when promoting your podcast on Pinterest

• How to use Pinterest to grow your podcast even when life is busy

Main Takeaways

• Pinterest is a powerful search engine, not a social media platform—perfect for evergreen podcast marketing.

• You don’t have to be a designer or a tech wizard to create effective pins.

• A few well-made pins each month can keep working for you long after you post them.

• Focus on making it easy for people to find your podcast episodes and take the next step with you.

• Sustainable podcast marketing is possible when you choose strategies (like Pinterest!) that work with your busy life, not against it.

Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:54) Why Pinterest is great for podcasters

(05:03) Podcast Jumpstart Sessions

(05:59) How to use Pinterest as a podcaster

(09:51) Andi’s Pinterest win

(10:42) If you're overwhelmed start here

Links

• Podcast Jumpstart Session

• Grab my Pinterest Magic for Podcasters guide

• Pocket Casts Web Player

• Follow me on Pinterest

• Follow me on Instagram

• Check out my DIY podcast course, The Podcast Launch Playbook for Moms

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Can a podcast workflow actually make podcasting easier? The simple answer? Yes, it is podcasting made easy. The longer answer…is this episode. I’m going to explain what a podcast workflow is, how it helps you accomplish podcasting without burn out and how to create your own using a podcast workflow template.

With this episode you’ll be able to:

• Confidently explain what a podcast workflow is

• Create a podcast workflow that will help you avoid burnout

• Tweak your podcast workflow when it isn’t working for you any longer

Don’t forget to grab a free 30-minute Podcast Jumpstart Session, I love helping you get rid of those podcasting roadblocks!  Oh, and be sure to say hi on Instagram!

Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:12) What is a podcast workflow

(02:40) Podcast Jumpstart Sessions

(03:39) Before making a workflow

(04:03) Batch recording podcast

(05:23) Creating your podcast workflow

(07:21) My podcast workflow example

(08:22) Tweaking your workflow

(10:06) One thing you should do

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Sometimes inspiration comes in the strangest ways. In this episode Whitney Archibald talks about how a rock climbing accident helped her get crystal clear about what she wanted to do with her podcast.

Whitney Archibald is the host of 2 podcasts: The Family Lab and The Y Magazine Podcast. She has the best parenting advice and is always trying the funnest experiments with her podcast. She has been podcasting for 6 years and is a podcast lover like me. 

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Podcast experimenting

• How to start a podcast

• Podcast inspiration

• Seasonal format

• Podcast catalog

• Parenting podcasts

Here’s the one thing you should implement in your podcast if you’re feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start. And that is to make sure you are scheduling breaks into your podcast calendar. Whitney’s story proves that your listeners will stick with you even when you take breaks, so make sure you take those breaks so you don’t burn out!

Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(00:59) Get to know Whitney

(05:13) Whitney fell off a cliff

(08:36) Podcast Jumpstart Sessions

(09:35) Seasonal format is best

(16:26) The Y Magazine Podcast

Links

• Last week’s episode with Whitney

• The Family Lab

• The Y Magazine Podcast

• Ologies with Alie Ward

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How do you actually sit down and write an awesome podcast episode? The short answer…experiment a lot. The long answer is this episode. And one of my favorite parts is when Whitney breaks down how to create an amazing podcast episode out of a bad interview.

Whitney Archibald is the host of 2 podcasts: The Family Lab and The Y Magazine Podcast. She has been podcasting for 6 years so she has had plenty of time to figure out what works and what doesn’t. 

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Solo podcast episodes

• Interview podcast episodes

• Narrative podcast episodes

• Writing a podcast episode

• How to save a bad interview

• Podcast interviewing tips

Here’s the one thing you should implement in your podcast if you’re feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start and that is to experiment. Try something new. The best way to figure out what your listeners like is to try something new and see how they respond. And don’t get me wrong this doesn’t have to be big experiments. This could be something as simple as changing up the way you say your outro, or choosing a topic that feels a little outside of your comfort zone. Whatever you choose to do, make sure to track how your listeners react to it and track what you think about it too. Then you’ll know if you should try to incorporate it into your podcast or not.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:27) Writing interview episodes

(10:27) Creating solo episodes

(20:23) Creating a narrative episode

(28:37) One thing you should do

Links: 

• Free 30-minute Podcast Jumpstart Session

• The Family Lab

• The Y Magazine Podcast

• For the Love of History

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How do you avoid burning out as a mom with a podcast? In this episode I give you 3 mistakes that I made that led to me burning out and how to avoid them. 

When you follow the advice in this episode you will avoid so much of the stress and overwhelm that I dealt with in the first year of my podcast.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• Seasonal podcast format

• Launching a podcast

• How to start a podcast

• Podcast download numbers

• Podcast editing

  
  

Here is the one thing you should implement in your podcast if you're feeling overwhelmed and you're not sure where to start, and that is having a seasonal format. That break is not only so that you can rest, which is very, very important, but it's also to give your brain a break from putting out content so that you can refill your creative cup so that you're ready to put out your best content again for the next season. If you don't have that break, eventually you're probably gonna run out of ideas, which is kind of the worst thing that can happen for a podcaster. So you need to take those breaks so that you have time to recharge and give your brain a break from trying to think of new ideas so that when you do come back, the ideas are just gonna flow. I can promise you that because that's what happened to me when I finally took my first break.  I came back with so much energy and excitement around my podcast and. You deserve to have that energy and excitement around your podcast too, not just when you first start your podcast, but every season after that

Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:37) Have a seasonal format

(07:30) Podcast Jumpstart Sessions

(08:30) Don’t look at download numbers

(11:22) Use Descript for editing

(13:11) The one thing to implement

Links

• Podcast Jumpstart Sessions

• Descript (affiliate link)

  
  

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Your podcast name is the first thing people notice—so no pressure, right?? In this episode I’m telling the story of how I named my podcast along with some other vulnerable stories like how many downloads the Friendly Podcast Guide got last month and how much money I’ve made so far this year.

Topics discussed in this episode

• Starting a podcast

• Podcast experiments

• How to name a podcast

• Podcast download numbers

• Storytelling in a podcast

• Email marketing for podcasters

Here’s the one thing you should implement in your podcast if you’re feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start. Use Chat GPT to make your life easier. You can use it to help you name your podcast, name your episodes or even make your email more concise.

Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(01:41) Use Chat GPT to name episodes

(02:59) Podcast download numbers

(05:27) How much money I’ve made

(05:52) Podcast coaching calls

(06:24) Podcast experiments

(09:37) How to name a podcast

(14:09) Implement this one thing

Links:

• The Popcast with Knox and Jamie, Recasting The Hunger Games Characters episode

• The Friendly Podcast Guide on Instagram

• Grab the Name Your Podcast tool

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When I wrap up the launch of a podcast season I always like to take some time to evaluate how it went. What went well, what went poorly and what I can learn from all of that. So, I decided to walk you through my process in this episode.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Podcast launch strategy

• Stress-free podcasting

• Creating a podcast trailer

• Seasonal podcast format

• How to start a successful podcast

• Having a growth mindset

Here's the one thing you should implement in your podcast if you’re feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start. As you are launching your podcast (or launching the next season of your podcast) the most important thing for you to remember is that your worth is separate from your download numbers. Take it from someone that is still working on remembering this. Download numbers are just information, they in no way reflect if you are an awesome person or not, they just tell you if the things that you tried during that launch worked or not.

Timestamps:

(00:00) How my launch week went

(02:23) What went well

(04:50) What didn’t go so well

(07:46) Podcast Jumpstart Session

(08:45) What I learned

Links

• My episode all about launching your podcast

• Free podcast launch calendar

• The Friendly Podcast Guide on Instagram

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We get to learn how to build a podcast community from Jamie B Golden. She has been in the podcasting world for more than 10 years and she was kind enough to share her best podcasting advice with us today. 

Jamie is the co-host of The Popcast with Knox and Jamie, a podcast that is not only delightful, but also pays Jamie’s rent. 

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How to build a podcast community

• Innovating with your podcast

• Knowing your podcast audience

• Advice for podcasters

• Creating a podcast

Here's the one thing you should implement in your podcast if you’re feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start. And that is editing. You need to edit out more than you think you should. And I’m not talking about getting rid of all of the ums and the pauses, I honestly think you should keep some of those in, because that helps the conversation sound more natural. What I’m talking about is getting rid of anything that isn’t moving the conversation forward. My chat with Jamie had so many fun moments in it that I had to cut, because they weren’t applicable and they were slowing down the energy, but I had to be brutal in my editing to make the best possible episode. So be brutal with your editing. Your listeners will thank you and then tell their friends about your awesome show.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:06) Podcast Jumpstart Sessions

(02:01) Get to know Jamie B Golden

(06:21) Why I love the Popcast

(07:53) Podcasting is fun

(12:20) How to build a podcast community

(21:02) Community is invested in the Popcast

(26:07) Advice for podcasters

(28:46) One thing I disagreed with

(29:54) The one thing you should do

Links:

• Podcast Jumpstart Sessions

• Search Engine Podcast

• The Popcast with Knox and Jamie

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Love it, or hate it, the Barbie Movie did an amazing job of marketing. The summer it came out there wasn’t anywhere you could go that you wouldn’t run into something that had to do with the Barbie Movie. And this is a great example of what can happen for you and your podcast when you take the time to launch your podcast.

I just wrapped up the successful launch of Season 3 of the Friendly Podcast Guide so while it was fresh on my mind I wanted to talk about why it is such a good idea to intentionally launch your podcast.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Podcast marketing

• Seasonal format for podcasting

• Podcast launch

• Advice for starting a podcast

• Podcast Jumpstart Sessions

• How to start a successful podcast

Here's the one thing you should implement in your podcast if you’re feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start. When you are launching your podcast (or launching the next season of your podcast) make sure to start talking about it a month before your first episode drops! This gives you plenty of time to hype it up and talk about it and it gives your people plenty of time to hear about it and get excited about it with you.

Timestamps

(00:00) Inspired by the Barbie Movie 

(01:26) What it means to launch a podcast

(02:55) Give yourself a month to launch

(03:44) Podcast Jumpstart Sessions

(04:44) Podcast launch calendar

(09:09) Stories for your launch

(12:35) The one thing I would take away from this episode

Links:

• Schedule Your Podcast Jumpstart Session

  Friendly Podcast Guide on Instagram

• Free Podcast Launch Calendar

Keywords

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