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

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

By Andi SmileyBusinessMarketing
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Friendly Podcast Guide: Teaching Women How to Grow a Podcast (Without Burning Out) episodes

  • Make Money & Build a Lovely Podcast Community - For the Love of History

    Creating a community around your podcast can be tricky, but this week’s host has figured it out and shared the secrets to her success.

    Tehya is the host of the For the Love of History podcast. She has a thriving community of loyal listeners after being in the podcasting game for the past 4 years. In this episode she talks how she helps her listeners feel like friends, her journey to finding a network and many other behind the scenes info about her and her show.

    Topics discussed in this episode include:

    • Building a podcast community

    • Finding a podcast network

    • Dealing with imposter syndrome

    • Social media marketing for podcasters

    • Being vulnerable with your listeners

    • Using patreon as a podcaster

      • Tehya is such a wealth of knowledge for so many aspects of podcasting, but ESPECIALLY in building a community through your podcast. Here are the top 5 takeaways I have from my conversation with Tehya:

      • Create inside jokes that help your listeners feel like a community

      • Have an imposter syndrome folder

      • Have fun with your show, if you aren’t having fun change something

      • Treat your listeners like friends 

      • Be vulnerable with your listeners

        • Links from the episode:

        • For the Love of History website

        • For the Love of History Patreon

        • For the Love of History YouTube channel

        • Hilarious Gertrude reel

          • Timestamps:

          (00:00) Introducing TK and For the Love of History 

          (11:43) Tehya’s nickname for her listeners

          (13:33) For the Love of History podcast community

          (16:22) Vulnerability in your podcast

          (19:53) Social media for podcasters

          (25:22) Money side of For the Love of History

          (29:53) Episode deep dive: Sobek The insatiable crocodile God

          (39:47) Where to find TK and For the Love of History

          (41:24) What Andi learned from this chat

          48 min
        • Your Podcast is a Launching Point for Making Money - Time Traveling Tonya

          Are you frustrated because you haven’t made money with your podcast yet?

          This week I interviewed Monique, the host of Time Traveling Tonya, a kid history podcast. We talked about having a mission for your podcast, writing a kid podcast, the unique ways that your podcast can help you make money, along with other podcasting tips and tricks
          Topics discussed in this episode include:

          • How to make money from your podcast
          • Inclusivity in podcasts
          • Creating an entertaining podcast
          • Having a mission driven podcast

            • I have so many takeaways for how to make my show better, but here are my top 5 takeaways from my conversation with Monique:

            • Have a mission/passion that is integral for your show
            • Time and effort is noticed even if it’s subconsciously
            • Use your podcast as a launching point for money making opportunities
            • Have big dreams
            • Know what your audience wants and coach your guests to do that

              • Timestamps

              (00:00) Introducing Time Traveling Tonya
              (1:00) Getting to know Monique
              (3:16) Getting to know Gertie and Tonya
              (5:06) Writing for kids AND their parents
              (6:10) Writing a podcast for kids
              (11:36) Inclusivity in the podcast
              (17:02) Starting a kid podcast
              (17:53) Money side of Time Traveling Tonya
              (24:19) Madeline the spy episode
              (28:58) Piece of advice for podcasters
              (32:15) Top 5 things Andi learned

              40 min
            • My September Download Numbers & The Money I've Made as a Podcaster

              Learn about the podcast experiments that worked (and didn’t work) for me in September!

              I’ve been podcasting for 4 years and I am still constantly experimenting and figuring out what works best for me and for my people. I talked about my download numbers for last month, how much money I’ve made this year so far and how many podcast coaching calls I’ve done. 

              You’ll also hear about the experiments I tried last month, which ones went well and which ones didn’t. Along with the experiments I’ll be trying this month (spoiler: I’m trying a lot of experiments this month…).

              Topics discussed in this episode:

              • History podcasts

              • How to increase podcast downloads

              • Podcast giveaways

              • Podcasts on Instagram

              • Podcast coaching calls

              • Recording a podcast episode

                • Takeaways:

                • History podcasts teach us that a market isn’t ever too saturated

                • Not every guest is going to talk about your episode on their social media

                • Giveaways are a good idea

                • Cold intros don’t work for every podcast

                • Looking back on the experiments you run is the best way to improve your podcast

                  • Links from the episode:

                  • Women Talkin’ ‘Bout Murder

                  • Friendly Podcast Guide on Instagram

                    • 22 min
                  • Use the Connections & Assets You ALREADY HAVE to Grow Your Podcast, The Search for the Silver Lining

                    I’m sharing a conversation I had with Meagan, the host of The Search for the Silver Lining, a kid podcast about Isla who wants to become a girl knight for King Arther. During this conversation I tell Meagan that her podcast is one of our favorites at least 3 different times…I wasn’t trying to fan girl, but it just happened.

                    Here's what I learned from my chat with Meagan:
                    - Lean on others, don’t do it all yourself
                    - Get creative with the connections and assets you have
                    - Make a shoot for the stars list and work toward it (don’t just let it sit in a drawer)
                    - Get feedback from knowledgeable podcasters
                    - Let your passion push you out of your comfort zone
                    Timestamps
                    (0:00) Introducing The Search for the Silver Lining
                    (1:42) Meagan’s favorite life hack
                    (4:38) Started as daughter’s project
                    (7:02) Where the name came from
                    (9:37) Using Celebrity connections
                    (13:25) Working with her daughter
                    (15:41) Taking outside feedback
                    (17:28) Merlin’s character
                    (18:44) Getting listener feedback
                    (20:00) Empowering parents with kid podcasts
                    (21:13) The money side of the podcast
                    (25:16) Meagan’s favorite episode
                    (36:21) Out of comfort zone
                    (36:52) What Andi learned from Meagan

                    43 min
                  • Increase Your Podcast Downloads by Talking to the Edge of Your Niche, Pixel Quest

                    I’m sharing a conversation I had with one of my kids’ all time favorite kid podcast creators. His name is Mr. Jim and he and his team are helping kid podcasts become as popular as YouTube Kids. I didn’t just talk to Mr. Jim, I also got to talk to Steven who is the creative director of Mr. Jim’s company Storybutton, he’s the creative genius behind many of the Storybutton original shows that my kids and thousands of other kids absolutely love, including Pixel Quest, which is the show we’re talking about today.

                    Here are the main things I learned from Jim and Steven:
                    - Cool backgrounds REALLY add to your presence on a video podcast
                    - Make sure you are impressing yourself with your podcast
                    - Have fun with sound/music in your episodes
                    - Experiment and try things that speak to the edges of your niche
                    - Making podcast adjacent things to make money (Storybutton)
                    - Have a mission you feel DEEPLY about
                    - Collaborate with your competition
                    Timestamps
                    (0:00) Introducing Pixel Quest
                    (1:01) Get to know Jim and Steven
                    (7:39) How Pixel Quest got started
                    (11:38) The amazing voice talent for Pixel Quest
                    (16:48) Side character’s stories
                    (18:48) Casting voice actors
                    (21:02) Steven’s favorite parts of creating Pixel Quest
                    (23:16) Jim loves listening to Pixel Quest with his kids
                    (25:12) Sound design for Pixel Quest
                    (28:46) Positive feedback about Pixel Quest
                    (30:33) Pixel Quest reached a new audience
                    (31:37) Introducing kid podcasts to kids
                    (35:27) Where to listen to Pixel Quest
                    (36:29) How much money the Storybutton company makes
                    (39:44) The health of the kid podcast industry
                    (43:06) Will there be more from the Pixel Quest Universe?
                    (44:09) Steven’s favorite Pixel Quest episodes
                    (48:15) Why can’t Aiden level up?
                    (51:16) New shows from Storybutton
                    (52:36) When did Glitch meet Glimmer?
                    (54:41) What Andi learned from this conversation
                    (55:11) Cool backgrounds set the tone
                    (56:00) Be impressed with your own show
                    (56:43) Use sound in fun ways
                    (57:32) Talk to the edges of your niche
                    (59:18) Make money with podcast adjacent things
                    (01:00:41) Be passionate about your mission
                    (01:01:48) Collaborate with your competition

                    1 hr 4 min
                  • Have Fun with Your Podcast, The Money Making Opportunities Will Come - Lively Lewis Stories

                    I’m sharing a conversation I had with Alexa Lewis, who is a veteran in the creative space. She and her family have a very successful kid YouTube channel and I can’t wait for you to hear about how the YouTube audience translated to podcast listeners.


                    Table of Contents

                    (0:00) Introducing Alexa and Lively Lewis Stories

                    (0:35) Introducing Alexa

                    (3:48) Using Trello to stay organized

                    (5:48) Having fun with the podcast

                    (9:39) How Alexa comes up with podcast story ideas

                    (11:47) Evolution of the podcast story subjects

                    (13:11) Audience going from YouTube Kids to kid podcast

                    (17:41) Why Alexa likes her podcast more than YouTube

                    (19:24) Alexa’s favorite episode of Lively Lewis Stories

                    (23:21) Experimenting with different episode styles

                    (24:22) Why Alexa chose to make a short kid podcast

                    (27:14) The money side of Lively Lewis Stories

                    (28:20) How much money Lively Lewis Stories makes

                    (31:54) Creating with faith that it will work out

                    (32:38) Money making opportunities that aren’t ads

                    (33:50) Where to find Lively Lewis Stories

                    (36:05) Storybutton

                    (38:55) What Andi learned from Alexa

                    Here are the things I learned from my conversation with Alexa:
                    - Use tools to stay organized
                    - Listener participation doesn't have to be all or nothing
                    - Know your audience
                    - Don't let your episode structure get too rigid
                    - Money making opportunities don't always mean ads


                    For a transcript of this episode and full show notes head to the Friendly Podcast Guide website.

                    43 min
                  • How's the Friendly Podcast Guide Doing? Download Numbers, Money and More

                    Get a peak behind the curtain to see how the Friendly Podcast Guide is doing.


                    You will learn how many downloads I got last month, how much money I've made so far this year and the experiments I'm trying out to improve my show.


                    GIVEAWAY INFO

                    This week I am doing a Giveaway to celebrate Season 2 of the Friendly Podcast Guide!

                    The grand prize winner will get a month's worth of podcast coaching sessions (4 one hour sessions) and a $25 Amazon gift card.

                    And two other winners will each win 2 podcast coaching sessions and $10 Amazon gift cards.

                    You can enter to win in 3 ways:

                    - Leave a rating or review of the Friendly Podcast Guide (and send me a screenshot)

                    - Talk about this episode or the Friendly Podcast Guide in your stories and tag me

                    - Tell your podcasting friends in a non-technological way and let me know in a DM


                    Time Stamps

                    (0:00) Welcome to the Friendly Podcast Guide

                    (1:02) The last podcast I listened to

                    (1:29) I delete Instagram everyday

                    (2:10) Why I love kid podcasts

                    (3:51) How the Friendly Podcast Guide is doing

                    (7:51) Season 2 GIVEAWAY

                    (9:30) Experiments I’m trying out to improve FPG

                    12 min
                  • Friendly Podcast Guide: Season 2!

                    Friendly Podcast Guide: Season 2 launches September 3rd!

                    Hi! I’m Andi Smiley, the Friendly Podcast Guide, and I’ve been in the podcasting world for 4 years. I’ve learned so much during that time, but I still don’t know everything. That’s why on my show I talk to podcast hosts I admire about their skills and insights so that you and I can improve our shows in a way that leaves us feeling empowered and not bogged down by more busy work.
                    Podcasting is such an amazing tool for us to amplify our voices and serve our communities (and by us I mean women with kids who are still at home). But podcasting definitely has its challenges too, like: stagnant download numbers, feeling alone and drowning in all of the things that we “should” be doing.
                    Join me every week as we learn together from podcasters that I admire so we can elevate our shows without it taking over our lives.

                    2 min
                  • Three Excellent Podcasts my Five Year Old Loves

                    Have you ever tried to get a five year old to sit still and talk into a microphone without touching it?  Let's just say it was an adventure getting my daughter, Clara, to do this interview with me. She desperately wanted to be like her brother and have her own episode where she got to talk about her favorite podcasts. Enjoy these excellent podcast recommendations from my five year old!

                    Links from this Episode:

                    • Guide to Kid Podcasts
                    • View the rest of the show notes on the Friendly Podcast Guide Website  

                      •  

                      11 min
                    • Find Hope and Inspiration, I'm Dying to Tell You Podcast

                      This month has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for me. Introducing you to so many amazing people in the ALS community as part of ALS Awareness Month has been so much fun, but I've also been fiercely missing my brother Ryan, who died from ALS last June. 

                      To cap off a month full of inspiring people, I'm excited to introduce you to Lorri, the host of the podcast, I'm Dying to Tell You. She helps others to find hope through her inspirational podcast guests.

                      Links from this Episode:

                      • I AM ALS Donation Page   
                      • View the rest of the show notes on the Friendly Podcast Guide Website
                        • 17 min

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

                      From the publisher's feed

                      Hey, I’m Andi Smiley, your Friendly Podcast Guide and podcast coach for women! After 6 years in the podcasting world, I know how to help you start a successful podcast as a woman and mom, grow your…