This week on Podcasting Smarter we learn a lot from Abby Glassenberg. Abby is the host of the successful podcast, While She Naps. She is also a creative entrepreneur whose podcast is just one thread of a rich career she has sewn together that includes blogging, writing, sewing, teaching, and design. So impressive!

Abby's Podcasting Smarter Tips:

• Podcasting gives you an excuse to reach out to influencers and industry leaders in your field and connect with them in depth by having a conversation with them on your show.

• Curating your guest list is an act of creativity. There is an art to finding a guest that will benefit from being on your podcast as much as your show benefits from their interview.

• As a blogger, Abby already had an audience. She didn't want to make a promise to her audience that she couldn't keep, so she took the time to plan her podcast and consider the publishing frequency she could maintain in the long-term.

• As the content creator, promoting your podcast is entirely your job, not your guests'. Make it easy for them to share the show by providing them with links, and visuals, but don't get upset if they never do.

• To instigate engagement, she asks al her guests to share three things they are enjoying such as books, apps, etc. She then finds social media accounts for the things mentioned and tags them along with a link to the episode to let them know they were recommended on her podcast. What a great idea!

• Abby uses the Pocket App and Slack to help her productivity. With Pocket, she can save articles that are interesting to her audience and include them in a weekly newsletter, along with a link to her recent episode. This allows her to provide tons of value without spending a ton of time. SMART!

• Once your podcast becomes popular, you will start gettign pitched by potential guests. You need a plan for how you handle it. Since curating her guest list is such an important part of her show, she decided to not take any pitches.

• Be patient with sponsorships. Abby waited to pursue sponsors until she was confident in her audience and the stability of her show.

• She offers advertisers a lot of value for their sponsorship, and even includes several options for how their ad is delivered. One of those is a two minute interview! Another great idea!

• You don't need a gigantic audience in order to monetize your podcast. After being turned down by MidRoll, Abby handled her own advertising with lots of success.

Abby's Fantasy Podcaster:  Elon Musk

Abby's hypothetical podcast about her life: She Holds It All Together

Must Listen To Episode of While She Naps:

"The more we are willing to reach out and help each other, the better the world will be."

-- Bruce Langford 

Bruce Langford is not only the host of the Mindfulness Mode Podcast, but he is also a life coach and mindfulness counselor. Stay in this moment, because Bruce is going to help us wrap our minds around our microphones and be more calm, focused and intentional podcasters!

Podcasting Smarter Tips From Bruce:

• Three ways podcasters can be more mindful: 1. Meditate daily. 2. Use the power of habit and read the book, Power of Habit. 3. Make it a professional thing, and take it seriously. 

• Co-host chemistry builds over time

"You've gotta think big to be big." --Austin Petersen

Austin Petersen is the founder and owner of The Libertarian Republic, and the host of The Freedom Report podcast. Austin  grew The Freedom Report podcast into a popular, political news source which now earns over a million downloads a month. Austin credits the influence of his podcast for his former candidacy for the Libertarian Party's 2016 nomination for President of the United States. He came in second to Gary Johnson.  P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }

Podcasting Smarter Tips From Austin Petersen:

• It can be dangerous to share how you truly feel on your podcast. You risk alienating people. You may lose career opportunities.

• On the future of podcasting: Podcasts will be important in advancing individualism, and will take power away from mainstream media, and corporations.

• Find a niche that is not being served well and hopefully aligns with your passion and/or your business. Don't do what everyone else is doing unless you can offer a unique value proposition.

• With regard to social media: Think of your followers and fans as customers. Give the people what they want. Always serve your audience. Think about what they want to know, and what interests them.

• Social media engagement has a dollar value of about $1.50 per thousand, so build your audience and engagement to attract advertisers.

• Your audience will connect with you based on your attitude. What you put out there, you will get back.

• You can attract people to you through your podcast that can help you advance your cause, promote your idea, or even marketing your business. 

Must Listen To Epsiode: Can We Kill ISIS Without Sacrificing Liberty

Listen to more of The Freedom Report on Podbean, iTunes, and Stitcher.

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• Use your crowdfunding reward levels to create community. Rex Factor patrons become members of the special Privy Council and get access to premium episodes.

• Your fans will want to financially support your show and you can do more for them with their funding.

• Have fun with your audience. Rex Factor top level patrons get to commission an episode which becomes the premium content available only to the Privy Council.

• They started an "insider" hashtag that fans use that references an episode about a monarch with a less than memorable mark in history. #RememberAed

• Make sure you have good audio quality from the beginning.

• Take the time to set up your website, determining your format, your work flow process, tone, and branding of your show before jumping into.