Podcasting 101 with Rachael

In this week's episode, I'm chatting with Ashleigh Frater, Anxiety Coach for Founders and Freelancers.

Ashleigh shares her experience as a podcast host and her advice on 'feeling productive.'

We had such a great conversation about Asheligh's podcasting, and she made some brilliant observations about how she needs to build in more time to record as she knows there's an emotional toll due to the nature of the subject.

Promotion is one area Ashleigh said that she struggled with, and this is something I hear a lot of podcasters say.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

• What's your version of success for your podcast? Not just the numbers
• Finding unique ways to promote each episode on social media
• Repurposing your content
• Remembering it takes time to build an audience
• Avoid "should" thinking
• Be yourself

Ashleigh shared her advice on productivity and what it means to us individually. We only need to understand what our version of productive is and it boils down to how we feel.

1. Labelling your emotion and removing the word productive.
2. What does it contribute to? What are your overall goals?
3. Celebrate your wins!

About my guest

Ashleigh Frater, is an anxiety coach and founder of ‘in good hands’ coaching and counselling practice, based in London, dedicated to guiding high-achieving female founders process anxiety (and stress) quicker, better and safely so they can perform at their best. With a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by ambitious women, Ashleigh brings her expertise to the forefront, guiding women on a transformative journey towards mental resilience, self-assurance and professional success.

Listen to the Free from Burnout Podcast

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100+ proven ways to reduce anxiety in under 30minutes

If you have any questions or would like some help with your podcast, book a podcast enquiry call.

Can I ask a favour?

If you enjoyed the episode, I'd love it if you could leave me a review.

You can leave one here

Thanks so much!

I'd love to connect with you on social!

You can find me on:

LinkedIn | Website

Want to start a podcast, but not sure where to start? Download my free Podcast Playbook Get clear on your ideas!

Need some extra support? Book a 90-minute Podcast Strategy Session

Struggling with your podcast promotion? Grab my Easy-Peasy Podcast Promotion Checklist here!

Welcome to another episode of Podcasting 101 with Rachael

This week, Sarah McDowell and Tazmin Suleman hosts of the SEO Mindset podcast join me to chat about their journey as podcasters.

Sarah and Tazmin offer up their top tips and advice that they learned along the way!

We talk about editing, community, being your authentic self as a podcaster, fitting it all into your schedule, some of their challenges and sponsorship.

Key takeaways are:

• Don't over-edit your episodes
• Be yourself!
• Be kind to yourself (we are often our own biggest critic)
• Be sure who your audience is
• Knowing what your processes are

One of their biggest tips is to just try it! You'll soon find out if you love it or hate it.

About my guests

Sarah McDowell and Tazmin Suleman are hosts of The SEO Mindset Podcast.

Giving actionable personal growth and career development tips to SEO professionals, so they can optimise their career and not just the algorithms.

Podcast Website

Connect with Sarah

Connect with Tazmin

If you have any questions or would like some help with your podcast, book a podcast enquiry call.

Can I ask a favour?

If you enjoyed the episode, I'd love it if you could leave me a review.

You can leave one here

Thanks so much!

I'd love to connect with you on social!

You can find me on:

LinkedIn | Website

Want to start a podcast, but not sure where to start? Download my free Podcast Playbook Get clear on your ideas!

Need some extra support? Book a 90-minute Podcast Strategy Session

Struggling with your podcast promotion? Grab my Easy-Peasy Podcast Promotion Checklist here!

Hi there! I'm chatting with Ida Radovanovic from Playground in this week's episode.

Ida called her business a Playground to keep reminding herself how she wanted to see work.

After 12+ years of career at a corporation, Ida is now proudly a solopreneur. She blends gamification, accountability buddies and research-based productivity tips to help people work on what is meaningful to them and spark closeness. It's an unusual, but powerful mix vs. procrastination.

If you are tired of procrastination games ;) and want a more creative way to get stuff done, feel free to connect with Ida and say hi.

Ida shares her top 4 tips for overcoming procrastination:

1. If you don't know where to start, start with something small and specific. Something that you can clearly mark off as complete.
2. Use a planning system. Ida recommends WOOP and Backwards goal planning.
3. Try to work with less perfectionism and be kind to yourself. "80% done is good enough!"
4. Remind yourself that you are part of a community or get yourself an accountability buddy.

Ida has Tip number 5 for you to download here.

Procrastinating with your podcast 😬?

The next 3-month Anti-Procrastination Playground Programme starts: Oct 31st at 18.00 GMT. Learn more HERE. 

40€ OFF for you lucky listeners! CODE: PLAYMORE  Sign-up HERE.

Ida's website

Ida Instagram

If you have any questions or would like some help with your podcast, book a podcast enquiry call.

Can I ask a favour?

If you enjoyed the episode, I'd love it if you could leave me a review.

You can leave one here

Thanks so much!

I'd love to connect with you on social!

You can find me on:

LinkedIn | Website

Want to start a podcast, but not sure where to start? Download my free Podcast Playbook Get clear on your ideas!

Need some extra support? Book a 90-minute Podcast Strategy Session

Struggling with your podcast promotion? Grab my Easy-Peasy Podcast Promotion Checklist here!

In this week's episode, I'm chatting with my friend Sarah McDowell, SEO Manager at Captivate and podcaster!

Sarah has worked in Digital Marketing and SEO for over 10 years now, both in-house for a brand/company and agency side.

Sarah's current podcast is The SEO Mindset Podcast which she co-hosts with Tazmin Suleman. Sarah has hosted 4 podcasts in total over the years!

She is also co-founder (alongside me!) of the West Midlands Podcast Club. A free podcast community for podcasters passionate about podcasting!

You can sign up here!

Sarah tells us what SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is and shares her top 3 tips to optimise our podcasts so that they are more discoverable.

Tip #1 - Keywords

• Use a keyword tool like SEMRUSH, Answer the public or Also Asked.
• use these tools when planning your episodes.
• DO NOT keyword stuff your show notes and titles - it doesn't help anyone!!

Tip#2 - Backlinks

• This is when someone external links back to your website.
• backlinks are very helpful for Google as they help make you a credible source.

Tip#3 - Transcripts

• Using transcripts helps make your podcast more accessible for everyone - including Google.
• Edit your transcript, and remove filler words to make it more accessible.
• Recommended podcast episode about accessibility. How To Make Your Content More Accessible with Anne Mok

Sarah's final thought is, don't be scared by podcast SEO and she recommends giving some of the tips she's given a try!

Thanks Sarah! 😃

If you have any questions or would like some help with your podcast, book a podcast enquiry call.

Can I ask a favour?

If you enjoyed the episode, I'd love it if you could leave me a review.

You can leave one here

Thanks so much!

I'd love to connect with you on social!

You can find me on:

LinkedIn | Website

Want to start a podcast, but not sure where to start? Download my free Podcast Playbook Get clear on your ideas!

Need some extra support? Book a 90-minute Podcast Strategy Session

Struggling with your podcast promotion? Grab my Easy-Peasy Podcast Promotion Checklist here!

In this week's episode, I'm joined by Emma Fishlock, founder of RWC (Real World Consultancy.)

Emma founded Real World Consultancy(RWC) in 2018 to help small businesses overcome barriers to growth.

RWC is now a multi-award-winning business coaching company based in the west midlands helping small and micro businesses to thrive and punch above their weight. RWC has created a coaching and support method that has now helped more than 500 business owners, the company is also launching a new arm of the business in 2024 as a training academy for business coaches.

"We are known for our fun, ‘real’, and engaging approach to business, and I'm

proud of that.”

Our conversation is centred around the importance of authenticity, finding what makes you unique and making a podcast that is targeted to your audience.

Emma offers up some great advice, here are the top takeaways for the episode:

• It takes time to find your voice. There's trial and error here.
• Be brave enough to niche.
• Be relevant - don't get caught up with what you want. Find out what they want.
• Be realistic with your expectations.
• Once you've started, use that data to refine your approach.

You can find out more about Emma and the RWC team on their website or connect with them on LinkedIn.

If you have any questions or would like some help with your podcast, book a podcast enquiry call.

Can I ask a favour?

If you enjoyed the episode, I'd love it if you could leave me a review.

You can leave one here

Thanks so much!

I'd love to connect with you on social!

You can find me on:

LinkedIn | Website

Want to start a podcast, but not sure where to start? Download my free Podcast Playbook Get clear on your ideas!

Need some extra support? Book a 90-minute Podcast Strategy Session

Struggling with your podcast promotion? Grab my Easy-Peasy Podcast Promotion Checklist here!

Welcome back to Season 2 of the podcast!

This week Hilary Salzman joins me to chat all things storytelling.

We chat about how storytelling isn't a new concept, we've been doing it all our lives! But it is easy to get caught up in the latest shiny marketing thing and get overwhelmed as business owners.

Hilary is the host of The Everyday Storyteller podcast, and she shares her experience on why she decided to start a podcast, how she went about it and how it works for her business.

Hilary shares her top 5 tips for using storytelling in your podcast:

1. Figure out your story first. Be honest and embrace it with confidence.
2. Think about your audience on a deeper level - what do they care about? What problem are they trying to solve?
3. Be authentic
4. Find common ground with your audience and tell stories that highlight shared experiences.
5. Tell your story with confidence and use a platform that invites others to tell theirs.
6. Bonus tip: Have fun with it!

I'll leave you with a fun fact, "Stories are 22 times more memorable than facts & figures."

Have fun crafting your stories.

About Hilary

Hilary Salzman, the founder of 22 Stories and host of The Everyday Storyteller podcast firmly believes in storytelling and its power to connect us to the things and people that make a difference.

Hilary is dedicated to helping those who struggle to confidently use their voices. She works with bright business sparks and independent brand owners to get their stories out and grow their business. 

Hilary shares a wealth of business storytelling insights and guidance through her daily podcast and Instagram account. She is keen to ensure as many people as possible can access the tools and learn to develop their voice, regardless of their background or how much money they have to spend. 

For those that want to invest in their own business storytelling, Hilary runs personal and business brand story development workshops and 1:1 training, coaching & mentoring. She also provides specialist story-writing services for those that want, for example, a story-led website. Hilary is a regular public speaker on various storytelling subjects and is a guest lecturer at Oxford Brookes University in the UK. 

Website: www.22-stories.com

Podcast: https://podfollow.com/the-everyday-storyteller

Instagram:@22storiesandme

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/hilarysalzman

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_Everyday_Storyteller

In this week's episode, I welcome back Hannah McCormick from Showing Up Solo.

We talk about how to repurpose your podcast so that you can get the most possible out of the content you've created.

Hannah shares her Full Circle Content method with us, which is all about breaking down your content into manageable bite-sized chunks to be used across all social media and email marketing platforms.

Some of the social media scheduling platforms we mention in the episode are:

• Meet Edgar
• Buffer
• Later
• And the gamechanger that is being able to schedule directly in the LinkedIn platform 🎉

Hannah shares that her favourite site to help with content ideas is Answerthepublic.com

Hannah's final tip is to make sure that when you answer your audience's questions, don't assume they know as much as you.

Break down that explanation fully.

Hannah's Full Circle Content is FREE for you to download! it includes 3 hours of video training. You can get that here.

About Hannah:

Showing Up Solo started as a way to make marketing more accessible to solopreneurs. Along with business bestie, Nicole, I launched our video podcast in January 2022. Now over 30 episodes in, I'm taking it to the next level by offering 1:1 marketing coaching!

If you're an online service provider (or want to be one!) but... you're not sure how to find clients online, don't feel quite ready to hit "publish" on your website or don't have a clue where to begin with making a content plan... I can help! 

My Set Up For Success program covers all the elements of a comprehensive marketing plan and can be taken as one 6-month intensive or broken up into smaller, self-paced chunks. Head to showingupsolo.com to learn more.

You can find out more about Hannah and Showing Up Solo on their website.

If you have any questions or would like some help with your podcast, book a podcast enquiry call.

Can I ask a favour?

If you enjoyed the episode, I'd love it if you could leave me a review.

You can leave one here

Thanks so much!

I'd love to connect with you on social!

You can find me on:

LinkedIn | Website

Want to start a podcast, but not sure where to start? Download my free Podcast Playbook Get clear on your ideas!

Need some extra support? Book a 90-minute Podcast...

I chat with Nic Redman about your voice in this week's episode!

Nic is a voice coach and helps podcasters get their voices ready to record.

Nic shares that it's about prepping your voice so you don't have to think about it whilst you're recording.

The exercises that she recommends (and are featured in her book "On the Mic") can help overcome the barriers and hang-ups we all have about our voices.

Nic is a big advocate of warming up your voice and is great for regulating your breath, releasing tension and helping with nerves that can affect your speech.

It's not about changing your accent or the way you talk but making your voice and speech sound the best they can be.

I find the whole thing rather fascinating and am surprised I haven't heard more about this in the podcasting space.

About Nic

Nic Redman has recorded and spoken for a living for nearly 20 years and coaches people to feel vocally free and at home on the mic, every day. She has been featured multiple times on BBC and Times Radio as well as in The Guardian, Irish Times and the Metro.

Nic coaches 1-2-1, and runs residential retreats, online courses and in-person masterclasses. She often guests on podcasts, speaks at conferences and speaks on panels offering insights into spoken voice training and recording for voiceover, podcasting, business and public speaking.

Nic is co-host of the award-winning Voiceover Social Podcast and creator of the 5* Voice Coach Podcast. 

Nic's website

You can find a copy of her book On the Mic here

The Vocal Empowerment Program

If you have any questions or would like some help with your podcast, book a podcast enquiry call.

Can I ask a favour?

If you enjoyed the episode, I'd love it if you could leave me a review.

You can leave one here

Thanks so much!

I'd love to connect with you on social!

You can find me on:

LinkedIn | Website

Want to start a podcast, but not sure where to start? Download my free Podcast Playbook Get clear on your ideas!

Need some extra support? Book a 90-minute Podcast Strategy Session

Struggling with your podcast promotion? Grab my Easy-Peasy Podcast Promotion Checklist here!

This week on the show is Sarah Giffrow, sharing with us the lessons she learnt when she started a podcast in 2020.

Here are the things she learnt:

Be realistic with your time and consider what's happening in your life now.

Perfectionism holds you back.

Don't get caught up with the sound of your own voice!

PRO TIP: Try listening back to yourself every day to get used to the sound of your voice. Remember to be kind - NO JUDGEMENT!

There's a learning curve with new tech, especially editing tools.

PRO TIP: Do your own research and experiment with different tools to see which work for you best.

It might help to listen to a past episode I recorded about How to publish your podcast Just to get you started with your research!

Keep the format simple and let the conversation flow.

"Comparison is the road to abandoned projects." Sarah is 100% right here!

The comparison game is one I struggle with too and it DOES NOT HELP!!

Thanks, Sarah for sharing your experience!

About My Guest

Sarah’s path was set in the days of the Old Internet--she was raised in an unusually tech-savvy household, and she hand-coded her very first webpage in 1995.

Her online marketing studio, Upswept Creative, was born out of her side hustle as a photographer, where she often found herself seized by the irrepressible urge to help her photography clients improve their websites.

In her spare time, she can be found lifting heavy barbells, refereeing roller derby, cuddling her spicy meatball of a toddler, and giving all the pets to her extremely food-motivated tuxedo cat, Zergling.

Sarah's website

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn

If you have any questions or would like some help with your podcast, book a podcast enquiry call.

Can I ask a favour?

If you enjoyed the episode, I'd love it if you could leave me a review.

You can leave one here

Thanks so much!

I'd love to connect with you on social!

You can find me on:

LinkedIn | Website

Want to start a podcast, but not sure where to start? Download my free Podcast Playbook Get clear on your ideas!

Need some extra support? Book a 90-minute Podcast Strategy Session

Struggling with your podcast promotion? Grab my Easy-Peasy Podcast Promotion Checklist here!

Welcome to episode 41!

This week I chat with Nikki, the host of the Stories that Connect Us podcast.

Nikki started her podcast in March 2022 (like me!) and she shares with us her journey to creating her podcast.

We chat about why Nikki wanted to start a podcast, her love of audio, how she leapt into starting her podcast, managing success, how she handled the tech side, and podcast promotion.

Nikki's top piece of advice for those of you looking to start is to take messy action.

I LOVE this!

"Life is not neat and in boxes. It is not highs and no lows. It is messy at times. And so I would say, let's get messy with our action and we will learn and grow along the way."

This really resonated with me, sometimes I feel frozen to act because I'm going to do something 'wrong' and I should know everything.

Messy Action perfectly describes how we can move forward, dropping all the perfectionism ideas and accepting that life's just not like that.

Thanks so much, Nikki for coming on and sharing with us.

About Nikki

Nikki is a storyteller and podcast host of Stories That Connect Us, in each episode she looks at the highs, lows and messy middle of life. The show was launched in Mar 2022 with a mission to unite people through the power of storytelling. Everyone has a story. Our stories matter. The hope is that people feel connected through the stories shared and can listen, learn, and be inspired. 

As a Certified Breath Coach, Nikki wants to give people back the gift of breath, something that can be in the back pocket when there’s a need to find balance or stillness. She aims to help people unlock and optimise their breathing. Busy, stressed, anxious and tired but wired - breath coaching can help manage the struggles of modern-day living.

Connect with Nikki:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkistpaul/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiesthatconnectus_podcast/

If you have any questions or would like some help with your podcast, book a podcast enquiry call.

Can I ask a favour?

If you enjoyed the episode, I'd love it if you could leave me a review.

You can leave one here

Thanks so much!

I'd love to connect with you on social!

You can find me on:

LinkedIn | Website

Want to start a podcast, but not sure where to start? Download my free Podcast Playbook Get clear on your ideas!

Need some extra support? Book a 90-minute Podcast Strategy Session

Struggling with your podcast promotion? Grab my Easy-Peasy Podcast Promotion Checklist here!