Mike Murphy Unplugged

Episode Summary: Part 1 of a 2-part series on building a personal brand — what a personal brand actually is, and the 5 core principles behind building one from scratch.

What You'll Learn

• What a personal brand actually is, beyond the Wikipedia definition
• Why starting before you feel ready matters more than any other single factor
• The 5 core principles behind building a personal brand
• Why teaching and sharing knowledge builds authority faster than almost anything else

"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life." — attributed to Confucius

This is Part 1 of a two-part series: today covers what a personal brand is and the core principles behind building one; Part 2 covers the exact strategies and processes used to build the Mike Murphy brand specifically.

What Is a Personal Brand?

Per Wikipedia: "Personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands... the ongoing process of establishing a prescribed image or impression in the mind of others about an individual, group, or organization."

In simpler terms: a personal brand is building a business around yourself. Showing up and being genuinely you is the whole requirement — building a living around your own skills and uniqueness, doing the work you actually love.

"Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room." — Jeff Bezos

How to Build a Personal Brand

Start yesterday. Put yourself out there — press upload, press publish. Let people into the process and the journey. Earlier is always better. Worth revisiting: Gary Vaynerchuk's Document vs. Create — building a brand is fundamentally about community, relationships, and trust, and the more people see what makes you genuinely different, the stronger the brand grows.

Develop your skills. A strong personal brand isn't a guarantee — it has to be earned against a lot of competition chasing the same attention. That means reading, watching tutorials, and practicing relentlessly.

Create often and with consistency. Sharing what makes you distinctly you — voice, style, signature approach. Daily creation builds real self-awareness over time: what you're good at, what you're not, and what actually makes you happy. When unsure what to make, try everything even remotely interesting and just start making things.

Treat it like a business. Personal branding has a genuine operational side — time and money both need managing.

Teach or share what you know. The more knowledge shared, the more you're perceived as an authority — and in a crowded, noisy space, being seen as a trusted resource is one of the most reliable ways to stand out.

Wrap-Up

Personal branding is the ongoing process o…

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Episode Summary: The content creator blueprint — the 3 types of content you can actually make, real examples of each, and exactly where to publish them once they're finished.

What You'll Learn

• The 3 core content types: audio, video, and writing
• 10+ concrete examples of video content alone, from Q&As to livestreaming
• Where each content type actually gets distributed, platform by platform
• The difference between content creation and content marketing

Goal of this episode: see the big picture of content creation clearly enough to make smarter, more strategic decisions about what to make and where to put it.

Content creation is simply the act of making digital content to share or publish online. Content marketing is the strategy of using that content to promote a brand, product, or service — built on the idea that valuable content earns relationships and trust over time.

Part 1: What Type of Content Can You Make?

Audio, video, and writing.

Part 2: Examples of Each Type

Audio: podcasting, audiobooks, audio snippets or voice recordings.

Video: behind-the-scenes footage, Q&A videos (live or recorded), about-me/talking-head videos, documentary-style promo videos, tutorials and explainer videos, sellable classes or courses, webinars, gear reviews and product demos, daily vlogging, and web broadcasting/livestreaming.

Writing: blogging, books, email newsletters, and white-paper articles/how-tos.

Part 3: Where Does the Content Go?

Audio:

• Podcasting: iTunes, Spreaker, Google Play, TuneIn, Stitcher, SoundCloud.
• Audiobooks: ACX (Amazon Creation Exchange).
• Audio snippets: Clammr, Anchor, Wavve.

Video: website or blog, YouTube, Wistia, and social media channels.

Writing:

• Blog: guest posts on outlets like HuffPost or Forbes.
• White papers/how-tos: Medium.com and LinkedIn Pulse.
• Books: Amazon Kindle Publishing.
• Email newsletters: Mailchimp, AWeber, ConvertKit.

Show Notes & Links

Wistia ACX (Amazon Creation Exchange) Clammr Anchor Wavve Medium.com Amazon Kindle Publishing (KDP) Mailchimp AWeber ConvertKit

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Episode Summary: A behind-the-scenes walkthrough of how show notes actually get made each week — writing, formatting, episode artwork, and the full publishing workflow on WordPress.

What You'll Learn

• What show notes are and why they matter beyond just being a text afterthought
• Mike's 8-step weekly workflow, from artwork to newsletter to social sharing
• The core rule for not hating show notes: build a repeatable process
• The full toolchain: InDesign, Scrivener, Byword, WordPress, Libsyn, PowerPress, Mailchimp, Buffer

What are show notes? The blog post that accompanies every episode — where links and resources mentioned in the episode live, along with an overview of what listeners can expect.

Tools Used

Adobe InDesign, Scrivener, Byword, the Divi theme by Elegant Themes, WordPress.org, Libsyn, the PowerPress plugin by Blubrry, MailChimp, and Buffer.

Show Notes: How to Not Hate Them

1. Build a repeatable process.
2. Write the script or outline with show notes already in mind — don't treat them as an afterthought.
3. Find balance, and don't agonize over minutiae.

The Weekly Show Notes Workflow

Step 1 — episode artwork. Built in Adobe InDesign, roughly 5–10 minutes.

Step 2 — craft the show notes outline. Duplicate the script and copy the show notes content to the clipboard, using Scrivener. Roughly 10–20 minutes.

Step 3 — multi-markdown formatting. Paste the script into Byword and use multi-markdown (HTML shortcodes) to format it for the WordPress post.

Step 4 — create the blog post. New post in WordPress.org using the Divi theme. Tip: append /wp-admin to the domain to log in. Schedule the post for Friday publishing, update the permalink for easy sharing, and swap in the episode artwork and featured image.

Step 5 — grab the audio link. Log into Libsyn, copy the MP3 link and the podcast player embed code.

Step 5.5 — wire it into the post. Paste the MP3 URL into the PowerPress plugin by Blubrry.

Step 6 — prep the newsletter. Build it out in MailChimp.

Step 7 — make a promo video for the episode.

Step 8 — share it. Use Buffer to send the show notes page out to Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. Rinse and repeat.

Show Notes & Links

Adobe InDesign Byword WordPress.org Libsyn PowerPress Plugin by Blubrry MailChimp Buffer Scrivener Divi Theme (ElegantThemes)

Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.

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Episode Summary: A behind-the-scenes look at Mike Murphy LLC's finances — what an LLC actually is, how taxes work, what filing costs, and the simple 3-tool system used to track it all.

What You'll Learn

• What an LLC actually is, and why it protects personal assets differently than a sole proprietorship
• How LLC taxes work with the IRS, and the real cost of filing
• The 3-tool accounting system: FreshBooks, Mint, and a simple Google Sheet
• A monthly reconciliation habit that makes tax time painless

Legal Entities

Mike Murphy LLC is a limited liability company. Per Wikipedia: "A limited liability company is a hybrid type of legal structure that provides the limited liability features of a corporation and the tax efficiencies and operational flexibility of a partnership. The 'owners' of an LLC are referred to as 'members.'"

An LLC isn't a corporation, and functions similarly to a sole proprietorship — with one major exception: business debt only puts business assets at risk, not personal ones, as long as funds stay properly separated. A sole proprietor going into business debt puts every personal asset (home, savings, everything) on the line — riskier, but far cheaper and simpler to set up.

Cost to start the LLC: $350 to an attorney, $150 to an accountant.

Taxes

Per Wikipedia: the IRS treats single-member LLCs as sole proprietorships for tax purposes — the LLC itself doesn't file or pay taxes; all profit or loss gets reported on Schedule C with the personal 1040.

• Tip 1: Florida business taxes are due March 15, not April 15.
• Tip 2: as a sole proprietor or LLC, stash away 20-30% of everything earned — unlike a paycheck, taxes aren't withheld upfront, so the payment happens on the back end.
• Tip 3: track every dollar spent and earned. Easier said than done, but genuinely the goal.
• Tip 4: open a dedicated business bank account plus debit and credit cards, kept fully separate from personal finances. (Using a personal card for a business purchase is still technically fine and still claimable as an expense.)

Cost to file as an LLC: roughly $300, paid to an accountant to file as an S-Corp.

The Tools

Foundation: a business credit card for all bills, and business accounts (Stripe, PayPal) for income.

Tool 1 — FreshBooks. Sends invoices, tracks expenses, tracks time, and generates reports (expense reports, P&L statements). Snapping a photo of a receipt and entering the total is the entire expense-logging process.

Tool 2 — Mint. Intuit's budgeting tool — connects unlimited accounts (checking, savings, money market, investments, credit cards) and auto-categorizes every transaction. Bills and reminders can also live here. The best part: categories can be trained to match exactly what an accountant needs.

Tool 3 — a simple Google Sheet. One column of expense catego…

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Episode Summary: A recap of Podfest Multimedia Expo 2017 — why the reason for attending shifted from year one to year two, 4 real takeaways, and a full conference survival kit for anyone attending their own next event.

What You'll Learn

• What Podfest Multimedia Expo is and how the reason for attending shifted year over year
• 4 real takeaways from Podfest 2017: networking, listening, vendors, and audience awareness
• A full conference survival kit and pre/during/after checklist
• Why "what's obvious to you is amazing to others" matters for content creators specifically

What Is Podfest Multimedia Expo?

An educational and training conference for independent podcasters, created by Chris and Katie Krimitsos. Per Podfest's own description: "the conference for podcasters, digital influencers and changemakers who want to grow their brand and audience and maximize their income."

2017 details: February 22–25, 2017, $249 early bird, at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, FL ($180/night). Schedule ran classes and workshops 8am–5pm, with meet-and-greets running late into the evening.

Why Attend?

Year 1 (2016): learning audio production and how to grow the podcast, plus getting a face and brand in front of the community. (See Episode 27 for the full 2016 reflection.)

Year 2 (2017): the focus shifted to Mike Murphy LLC as a business. For anyone on a similar path — building something of their own — these events are a goldmine of inspiration and ideas. The biggest ongoing struggle: charging others for knowledge and expertise. Mantra: just keep creating and doing the work. It will happen.

Takeaways From Podfest 2017

1. The power of networking. Meeting people face to face beats social media relationships by a wide margin.
2. Listen and observe more than you talk. Make conversations about genuine interest in the other person — they'll stay more engaged and more willing to help.
3. Don't forget the vendors. They represent brands actively marketing to the podcast community — a good connection can lead to sponsorships, product demos, or affiliate introductions.
4. You never know who's listening. True of the podcast, the blog, the Medium articles, the tutorials — repeated often because it's repeatedly proven true.

"What's obvious to you is amazing to others." — Derek Sivers

Even without much visible engagement or feedback, people are tuning in — showing up and delivering the best content possible matters regardless of the metrics in front of you.

Conference Tips

Pre-event: be active and kind in the event's Facebook group so people want to meet in person, research who specializes in what to have meaningful conversations ready, get clear on the goal for attending, plan what to say to key people, look for common ground as…

Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.

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Episode Summary: Part 2 of the podcast setup series — ID3 tagging, choosing a media host and building a website, generating a valid RSS feed, launching on iTunes and other directories, and marketing every new episode.

What You'll Learn

• What ID3 tags are and why they matter for every podcast episode
• How to choose a media host and set up a website as your podcast's home base
• The 2 methods for generating a valid RSS feed
• The full launch-day and directory-submission process, from Podcasts Connect to Stitcher

Part 1 covered planning, pre-launch decisions, and gear/production. This episode picks up with tagging and uploading to a media host, building a website, creating an RSS feed, going live on iTunes, submitting to other directories, and marketing.

Step 11: ID3 Tags

ID3 tags are the digital metadata baked into an MP3 podcast file. The process: record and edit the episode, export as .mp3, and add ID3 tags. Software used: ID3 Editor.

Step 12: Media Hosts

The place podcast MP3 (and video, for video podcasts) files actually live. Libsyn is the choice here, at $15/month; other notable options include Spreaker, SoundCloud, Podbean, and Blubrry.

Step 13: Set Up a Website

A home base is essential. The exact setup used: WordPress (free), the Divi theme by Elegant Themes ($69/year), and Bluehost ($13/month for cloud hosting).

Step 14: RSS Feeds

RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication, and a podcast can't launch without a valid feed — it's how new episodes reach subscribers' devices automatically the moment they're published.

How to generate an RSS feed — 2 methods:

• Method 1: generate it directly through a media host like Libsyn.
• Method 2 (the method used here): use the PowerPress plugin by Blubrry on a WordPress site, even while hosting media through Libsyn — a mixed approach that works well.

Step 15: Launch on iTunes

Copy the RSS feed to the clipboard, head to Apple's Podcasts Connect portal, sign in with (or create) an Apple ID, click the blue +, and paste the feed in.

Step 16: Submit to Other Directories

iTunes is the biggest, most prominent library, but submitting to as many others as possible — Stitcher, Spreaker, TuneIn, Google Play — genuinely widens reach. Each one just needs an account and a one-time RSS feed submission for validation.

Step 17: Marketing & Promotion

The process after every episode: use Buffer to send the blog post and show notes out to Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Facebook — repeated 4–5 times per episode. A promo video accompanies most episodes, though a simple photo with text graphics works fine too. A Medium article also gets written, essentially repurposing the show notes or script into a standalone blog piece.

Bonus Step 18: Moneti…

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Episode Summary: Part 1 of a 2-part guide to setting up and launching a podcast — the planning and pre-launch decisions, and the exact gear (plus budget alternatives) needed to get recording.

What You'll Learn

• The full 17-step overview of launching a podcast, split across 2 episodes
• The first 10 planning and pre-launch steps, from committing to choosing a DAW
• Mike's exact studio gear list, with real prices
• Budget gear alternatives for anyone just getting started

How to Set Up or Launch a Podcast: The Overview

• Planning your show (this episode)
• Gear & production (this episode)
• Media hosting & website (Part 2)
• Launching your podcast (Part 2)
• Marketing & promotion (Part 2)

Podfest Multimedia Expo 2017: February 23–25, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. Podfest.us

The Steps (Part 1): Planning & Pre-Launch

Step 1 — Start. Commit to starting a podcast and don't overthink it.

Step 2 — Time. Is there genuinely room in the work/life schedule to produce a podcast consistently? If yes, move forward.

Step 3 — Why? Get honest about the real reason and goal behind starting.

Step 4 — Topic & audience. Know the topic, and visualize the target audience clearly.

Step 5 — Format. Solo show or interview-style? How long will episodes run?

Step 6 — Title. What's the show called?

Step 7 — Domain. Buy the domain name and start thinking through a website to house the show.

Step 8 — Artwork & branding. Cover art, headshots, promo photos, and a general visual identity are all needed.

Step 9 — Gear. Buy the equipment: dynamic microphone, audio interface/mixer, swivel boom arm, headphones.

Step 10 — DAW. Decide on a digital audio workstation for recording and editing (Adobe Audition, GarageBand, Audacity, etc.).

Mike's Gear List

• Microphone: Shure SM7B
• Audio interface: Allen & Heath ZED 10 Mixer
• Headphones: Sony MDR-7506
• Boom arm: Rode PSA-1
• DAW: Adobe Audition

More Gear Options (Budget-Friendly)

Microphone: Rode Procaster, Shure SM58, Audio-Technica ATR2100 Gain boost: Cloudlifter Audio interface: Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

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Episode Summary: The Mike Murphy LLC master list of services — a big-picture content marketing blueprint, followed by the detailed menu of freelance services actually on offer.

What You'll Learn

• The full content marketing blueprint across website, writing, video, audio, and social media
• How each social platform fits into a small brand's content strategy
• The complete Mike Murphy LLC menu of freelance services
• Why coaching and consulting starts with strategy questions, not tools

Part 1: The Content Blueprint

Website & blog: the home base for content — blog, portfolio, e-commerce and product pages, podcast pages, social media integration, lead generation and email list building, Google Apps for Work (G Suite), and affiliate marketing.

Writing: blogging, how-tos, tutorials, and articles; email newsletters; content published on Medium.com; authority building and networking via LinkedIn Pulse; guest blog posts and cross-content marketing with vendors and competitors; self-publishing and eBooks.

Video: tutorials and screencasting, educational videos, promo videos, explainer videos and animations, gear and product reviews, daily vlog-style behind-the-scenes content, sellable courses, Q&A/AMA content, live-streaming and live event coverage, and general social media video.

Audio: podcasting, coaching and training audio, live event and conference podcasting, audio content repurposed for YouTube, and audiobooks (ACX).

Social media — the hub of most small brands' content strategy:

• Instagram: sponsored ads, Stories, Live, daily posts, collaborations, event promos.
• Facebook: ads, pages, private groups, events, Marketplace, Facebook Live, and (at the time) upcoming Facebook Stories.
• Twitter & Periscope: livestreaming and event coverage, authority branding, and client/customer communication.
• Snapchat: effective for businesses targeting a 13–30 audience, including custom geo-filters.
• LinkedIn: Pulse for articles, plus networking and podcast promotion.
• Pinterest: genuinely powerful for many business types.
• Etsy & YouTube: additional channels depending on the business.

Part 2: Menu of Services

Coaching & consulting: helping people figure things out — content strategy, defining goals, identifying the target audience and the best way to tell their story, maximizing value delivery, choosing the right social channels and content types, repurposing content, and identifying the right tools and resources (Adobe Creative Cloud, FreshBooks, and social scheduling tools like Buffer, TweetDeck, Hootsuite, or Meet Edgar).

Podcasting: podcast consulting and setup, gear and equipment training and recommendations — the single most common request, handled with affiliate revenue in mind.

Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.

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Episode Summary: Part 3 of the self-publishing series — where to sell a book beyond Amazon, tools that make formatting painless, and done-for-you distribution services worth knowing about.

What You'll Learn

• eBook marketplaces beyond Amazon, and what makes each one different
• The most common eBook formats and why formatting trips up so many self-publishers
• Pressbooks and Vellum as time-saving formatting tools, with real pricing
• Done-for-you distribution services and the tradeoff they involve

Recap — Episode 72 (Part 1): writing and editing tools — Scrivener, Ulysses, Bear, Grammarly, Hemingway App, plus 750words.com as an accountability tool.

Recap — Episode 73 (Part 2): self-publishing on Amazon.com via Kindle Direct Publishing for the eBook, CreateSpace for on-demand print copies, and ACX for converting a book into an audiobook — plus a look at money-making opportunities for podcasters and content creators to narrate audiobooks.

Other eBook Marketplaces (Amazon Competitors)

• Apple iBooks Store — built for iPhone and iPad; no browser-accessible storefront.
• Kobo Writing Life — a popular self-publishing platform with a 5-step process that distributes globally; payout kicks in once royalties exceed $50. Kobo's e-reader device competes directly with Kindle and tends to be more popular internationally.
• Barnes & Noble — the Nook lives on, though Amazon continues to squeeze B&N's market share.
• Blurb — a genuine favorite and a self-publishing pioneer, making it possible to publish without upfront costs. Readable on Kindle, iOS, and Android.
• Google Play Books — the Android book platform; criticized for a clunky upload process, but Google's search power makes it worthwhile.
• Bonus: Scribd — books, audiobooks, and more in one subscription.

Formatting Made Easy

Common eBook formats — PDF, ePub, AZW, MOBI — are where a lot of self-publishers get overwhelmed. Scrivener, Ulysses, and Adobe InDesign can all handle every format, but getting the design to hold up cleanly across Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iPad takes real work.

Two time-saving f…

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Episode Summary: Part 2 of the self-publishing series — the 3 core Amazon tools for getting a book published, on-demand printed, and turned into an audiobook.

What You'll Learn

• The 3 core Amazon self-publishing tools: KDP, CreateSpace, and ACX
• How Kindle Direct Publishing works and what Amazon takes in commission
• Amazon's non-Amazon self-publishing competitors worth knowing about
• What audiobook narrators actually get paid on ACX

Part 1 covered writing and editing tools and resources. This episode covers self-publishing directly on Amazon.com: Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), CreateSpace (on-demand printing), and ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange).

Competitors to Amazon in Self-Publishing

Apple iBooks Store, Kobo Writing Life, Barnes & Noble, Blurb, and Google Play Books, among others.

Amazon's 3 Self-Publishing Components

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

The e-book publishing side of Amazon, launched in 2007, and how a book ends up in the Kindle Store. Completely free to use, though Amazon takes a 30% commission on sales. The Kindle Store grew from 500,000 titles in 2010 to over 5 million by this episode.

Step 1: create an account and profile on KDP using an Amazon login — worth doing as soon as the decision to write a book is made, just to start exploring the process. Add tax info, bank account details, the book title, and verify rights.

CreateSpace

Also owned and operated by Amazon — on-demand printing for physical copies of a book, for a fee plus roughly a 40% commission.

ACX

Amazon's Audiobook Creation Exchange, for turning a digital book into an audiobook. Audiobooks sell through Amazon, iTunes, and Audible (also Amazon-owned).

How narrators get paid on ACX — 3 options:

• Hourly rate — roughly $225/finished hour
• Royalty split — 50% of all royalties
• A combination of hourly plus royalty

One finished hour of audio equals roughly 9,300 words, and takes the average narrator about 6.2 hours to produce.

Show Notes & Links

• Apple iBooks Store
• Kobo Writing Life
• Barnes & Noble
• Blurb
• Google Play Books
• Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
• CreateSpace
• ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange)

Related Episodes

Episode 72: The Self-Publishing Show (Pt. 1) Episode 74: The Self-Publishing Show (Pt. 3)

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