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: